The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1915-12-02
VERM0NT'S PART IN
PRESIDENTIAL SELECTION

Whatever the Bryanites may say OF
do President Wilson is as good as re-
nominated by the democrats. Wheth-
er he can be beaten or not will depend
very largely upon the action of the
republicans. The democrats as the
party in power claim the right to hold
their national convention first. Their
date will probably be in the fore part
Of June, so that when the republican
convention meets there is likely to be
no room for guesswork as to the dem
ocratic program.
Another fact has been demonstrated
by the outcome of the election in
Massachusetts. Even though the pro-
gressives throw most of their strength
to the republicans, President Wilson
will receive largely increased vote,
and it will require energetic work on
the part of both republicans and pro-
gressives pulling together to beat him.
If republicans show unmistakable
evidences of desire to remain the
real Progressive party of the country
instead of surrendering that positive
vantage ground to the democrats, the
progressives can be won back to their
former political allegiance.
Singularly enough, it will fall to
Vermont, one Of the two States which
remained true to its republican moor
ings in 1912, to demonstrate to the
whole country the possibility of thor
ough cooperation between the repub
licans and progressives, such as shall
make separate progressive presiden-
tial nomination improbable.
If Vermont on the first Tuesday of
the coming March adopts the direct
primary law submitted to the voters
by the Legislature, it will show that
this republican State is not chained
to an effete nominating system. If
Vermont fails to receive the direct pri- |
mary, il will be due to refusal of re-
pblicans sincerely to fulfill their
pledges made to the voters to provide |
direct nominations, and they cannot |
claim TO be sincerely progressive. The |
spectacle of Vermont repudiating its |
pledges will be an unheard of thing,
and we do not expect 1t will happen. /
Il requires no prophetic eye, however,
20 see what is likely TO happen, if |
iirect nominations are defeated under
-epublican auspices.
1t is probably safe to say that the
national convention, if one t
S held, will follow the republican ma
.ional convention. The action Of the |
convention will depend
Ipon the action Of the republican con-
yention.
There will be widespread interest in
he delegation that Vermont as a
,btduldsk ftpuDil1aH 1AaNs Sslfin W his I
national convention as an index Of the
party as a whole. II We
send TO the convention some new blood /
standing for twentieth century repub-
icanism, and not a delegation made up
IF men who have become party hacks,
he Green Mountain State will be in
/ position to help stamp the republic
lnism Of the nation with the mark Of
progress.
There is tendency to conclude that
,nly men who have become conspicu-
rus in public Office can fittingly repre-
sent the State in national conven-
ion. The Progressive party in Yer
mont pushed to the front in 1912 men
without experience in political man
igement who made on Of the hottest
md most effective campaigns ever
saged in Vermont. The Republican !