The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-05-23


preach the doctrines of the party. Both
the conference and the rally breathed
an air of optimism.
The conference adopted a resolution
offered by the committee on resolu
tions, consisting of Fraser Metzger of
Randolph, Dir. J. II. Blodgett of Bel
lows Falls and Attorney Ernest w.
Gibson of Brattlehoro. The resolution
follows:
For Straight Party Ticket.
!" Be it resolved by the representatives
of the Progressive party in conference
here assembled that we are unalterably
opposed to any scheme of amalgama
tion in the state ofs Vermont and that
all Progressives are warned against
any such shemes Enow proposed or
to be proposed BE it further re-
solved that this conference asks for
the nomination of straight Progress
sive tickets for all Offices
The conference was assured that Col.
| Roosevelt would come 10 the state dur
ing the campaign to make speeches and
| that other speakers of national reputa
| tion would be heard in the state.
/ The First Regiment band gave 4
| concert from 7.30 to o clock in front
Of the town building, and the orchestra
Of the band played III the Auditorium
| while the audience was gathering.
! Those on the stage were the two
i speakers of the evening, the state
/ chairman, Dr. H. Nelson Jackson Of
Burlington, and +. W. Gibson, who
| presided.
Gibson Opens Meeting.
It was $40 o clock when Mr.. Gibson
| opened the formal meeting. declaring
that the day was dawning when the
| state of Vermont was to be delivered
from the dictates of the bosses who
have held it in their grasp nearly half
q century. He introduced Mr.. Metzger
as the first speaker.
Mr.. Metzger said that the campaign
of two years ago was a magnificent
one and that no member of the party
had anything to look back upon with
regret. Nermonters are not cutters
and iercer battle is TO be waged
this year than two years ago. fact
! he gloried in. He declared that he be
iieved in the amalgamation of men
of like minds, but could not tie up to
| an organization that had shown in this
state within the past few months SC
much rottenness. If any party in the
country has the right to smile it is the
: progressive party.
Senator Clapp interpolated in his set
speech numerous witticisms and caustiC
{ comments that livened his able dis
cussion of the rise and fall of politica
| organizations of the past, and in par
tieular when he referred to the Pro
!, gressive- Republicans as taking a nam,
in emulation Of the hyphenated title.
of the Goldfish aristocracy did h,
| tickle the risahles of his audience O.
his audience, a fair proportion o.
Z which was women, who found mucl
!; to applaud and approve in that porto,
!: of his speech in which he ehampione,
c the cause of equal suffrage.
{ Object of Free Government.
Senator Clapp said in part: ''To un
derstand the necessity for a separat
: political movement, we have to con
t slider the nature of the political pan
l ties, how they are brought into exist
), ence and the conditions under whie
they develop and to understand thi
we have to go back further and fo
a moment consider the conditions III
der which free government ha
changed to meet the changed eond
L tions in the process of progress an
development. Free government mus
have for its primary object the gel
N eral welfare of those who live undo
il and wherever demand is made |
place a limitation upon this ultimat
goal of free government such limit;
tion is bound to fail
fd The speaker then traced the develo
n ment of the Constitution down throuc
he to the election of senators bv dire
en- vote of the people. He told how
tn was the first to advocate the chan:
nd on the Senate floor in order to be FIR
y from domination of privilege, polite
as bosses and federal machines and ON
ee accountable to the people. Parties a