The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-06-16
TIE PRooREssivEs

lex Clccd Fleetwood Of MorrisT.llo
win fo-sake the Republican party
which has done so much for him 20
accept any call from the Progress
siye party 10 run for govemo- o.
Vermont IN the FIRST place. leaving
other considerations out OF the qucs-
ton. he would not know whether the
call represented one or two men or
the rank and Gle OF the Progressive
party in the state: and such uncer-
iainty is NOT conductive 10 eagerness
90 run for ofiice.-Barre Times.
Having four years ago sought and
come near obtaining the Republicans
nomination for governor and having
TO- six years served as secretary OF
state through nomination on the Re
publican ticket IL would be strange if
| Mr.. Fleetwood could turn his back
lightly ON the Republican party.
I'm this connection Il has seemed 20
| The Banner that some of the Pro.
grcsaite leaders fail TO Justify The
ethics they seek TO apply IN the state
OF Vermont. On the national issue
the situation is different A power
nl group OF Republican leaders seek
| INK to eliminate Roosevelt succeeded
In defeating the manifest wish Of q
majority Of their part, and tcnomi.
mated Mr. Taft That they were
overriding the wish OF their party
was conolusively proved hy the cleo
ton when Roosevelt polled nearly a
| million more votes than TAT. AMI got
| eleven times as many electoral votes
as did TAFT There WAS reason and
justice in Roosevelt and his follow
ers refusing to be bound by the
Chicago convention. hut there was
absolutely no Justification for bolt
| in Vermont
| Our Vermont pre.convention can
| vass was made befo,e the Chicago
convention was held and the Yer
mont Republican convention was
held so closely following the Cnicas,
gathering that there was 40 possihili
~ of new alignment. There had
been no crooked work in the Yer
mont canvass TO justify bolt Those
who later became The Progressivcs
had been treated fairly ana as lnr as
state matters went they were just as
much responsible as those who re
NAMED in the Republican party
The ticket nominated at Burlington
was just as much their ticket as il
was anybodys elses. They helped to
nominate the ticket and they were
more responsible for the platform
than were the men nominated on that
platform for they had chance 70
protest and to fght for change
while the men on the ticket were cut
OF from any say in the deliberations
| Under the circumstances to bolt the
ticket was unfair to the men on tht
ticket who had supported Roosevelt
ana 10 a large number OF men Whg
had publicly taken part in the stat,
| canvass.
There is no need OF blaming thu
men who were responsible for tn,
third party state ticket Event.
1 httFtu idftuiN luul summer ana lnI
feeling aroused by the Chicago con
vention was not conducive to dispas
sionate action. IN the excitemen
and enthusiasm OF hot polltica
contest there is neither time nor OF
portunity for calm logic. The poinI
as we see it, is that there is not sui
hciert reason why the rank and m
of the Vermont Progressives and r,
publicans should not work together {
improve conditions in Vermont
For the expenses OF the state. tn
mon in Office. the legislation enacte
and the policies pursued the Pre-
g-essives of Vermont in proportion I
, their numbers are just as responsible
as the Republicans IL the expense
have been too much, if the wroni
men have been in office, if the law
have been bad and tho policies of tn
state wrong, correction and improve
ment can be made more effective b,
the earnest patriotic men of the ~,
parties working together than b.
pulling in opposition.
We can see no good reason for Nj
Fleetwood leaving the Republican
party to accept The Progressive noml
nation.