The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-07-08
MR.. DE BoER's SPEECH
Thinks Legislature Should be Called
Together

ence IN montpelier maze an auufeSS
! which has aroused a good deal of
comment. In this short speech Mr..
De Boer opposed the proposed plan
| for an informal primary and urged
| that the legislature be called togeth-
er to enact a genuine district primary
| law. Indirectly he sharply criticized
Governor Fletcher for his failure TO
carry out the expressed wishes of
| the people.
There is no verbatim report of Mr..
| De Beers remarks, but Editor Hind
| ley Of the Rutland. Herald furnishes
the following partial report of what
Mr.. De Boer said:
| am here at the invitation of your
| chairman and ] did not expect to
speak but absolutely feel disinclined
| to adopt any suggested incidental,
| method of procedure to make an APP
peal to the people, qualified by the
suggestion that it shall be of temper
airy but not permanent effect.
Our representatives in the Legisls
ture should have adopted the direct
primary law without referring it to
voters, but it was referred to the peo-
pie and disposed of by a conclusive
vote. Some fraction of the people
lent, which is hazardous, to say the
least, and a most unpolitic procedure.
| 1t is not necessary for the republican
party to make such an appeal.
| have never been able to discover
anything essentially different between
| the progressives and our party. The
| republican party could not have exist
ed fifty years if it had not the elem
ents of conservative progressivism.
| The republican party was in line to
effect reform of the tariff. The recent
| legislation was not an accident but
natural performance, the outcome OF
republican policies which even con-
| templated the income tax suggestion
to take care of the deficit in the reve-
nue..
| The progressive party is an acct.
dent Of personality and temporary
fever-an appeal to the band.stand,
and the present plan is merely a de
sire on our part to make them be
| good.
| The republican leaders and the
state committee have had their
chance and they have lost it, 1t is
now proposed to take up this temper
AIRY scheme and force it on the people
in a few weeks and you are making
| the experiment all by yourselves.
The democrats and progressives have
declined to join you. You may run
the chances. Unless the candidates
get into the game for keeps and re.
| out an extremely full vote. candi
dates are liable to be put through
| who are not entirely representative
of the party, its history. and great
| principles.
II has been said that there is more
self government in Vermont than any
| other state in the Union. as exemplifi.
ed in the town meeting. but this d.
rect primary will require sclfeduca-
ton before it can be made successful
Where is the authority for this
| plan under the present political ma
chinery provided in the statutes?
How big a convention are you so
ing to get under this plan?
| disregard entirely the incidental
| argument that willingness to carry
out the implied expression of the
+ March meeting will make you some
votes.
The democrats have not got any DO
sition to the good, and the progress
sive party should take measures to
recover from the phthisis from which
it is now suffering (applause).
We republicans should realize our
| stupendous responsibilities. We
should mind our own business. formu
late our own platform and select our
own men on the record OF the party.
We should serve notice on our oppo-
nents that we're there (applause).
After the stupendous expression OF
| the people in the March meeting for
a primary law-and II was not
small vote; it was a large vo;e-there
was but one thing to do:
A special session of the Legisla-
| ture of 1912 should have been called
within four weeks cloud applause).
am yet of the opinion that such
meeting should be called.
Expense? What do We care about
expense If We get what we want?
And If we get what we want we're
willing to pay for IT, The matter of
expense does not affect us.
Is this playing to the band-stand or
is it plain, 16-ounce common sense?
Why wasn't the will of the people
carried into effect? Our trustees are
not keeping faith with the people
when politics by admixture, politics
by compromise. are allowed to inter
venc.
We can trust the people.
saw by the announcement of a
candidate, for high office that there
must be a drastic curtailment Of ex-
pense. 1t is easy for sucr people to
talk OF curtailing expense What's
their program? Where would they be
gin? What's their platform and pre-
else plan OF curtailment?
The republican party has nothing