The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-08-11
OVER 800 ON STRATToN MT.
Continued from Page ~

having since grown up. Only one tree
which stood near the spot in 1910 re-
mains, and that is dead tamarack Al
log cabin about 100 feet long was erected
on the grounds for the convention. Mr.
Howe exhibited a square campaign pin
Iof the 1910 campaign, owned by Fred
Davis, the West Dover store keeper
| Upon it in miniature were log cabin,
cider barrel flag and American eagle
I Mr.. Howe spoke of the leading Yer
monters in 1910. Sias Jennison was the
first Wing governor, the 18th governor Of
the state and the first native born gov
ernor. The senators were Samuel Prem
tiss of Montpelier and Samuel S. Phelps
of Middlebury, both Wings Windham
and Bennington counties were then in
one Congressional district and there were
five Congressman, Hiland Hall of Ben
nington, Horace Everett of Windsor, Will
liam Slade of Middlebury, Isaac Fletcher
of Lyndon and John Smith of St. Adams
) The Democratic candidate for governor
that year was Paul Dillingham;, father of
Nermonts present senior senator, Will
liam T. Dillingham;.
Among many other things which Mr.
Howe said and which brought forth APP
J plausc were the following:
u Il do not seriously regret that so many
: thousands of the children of Vermont have
gone out to make their homes in other
. states. The record they have made there
, is good, the opportunities they have
found have been so varied, the achieve
ments they have accomplished have been
so wonderful that they have carried the
name and fame of Vermont all over this
fair country. We, as the stockholders in
ho |.
, proud of the showing made.
"It is true that emigration has depleted
, our back towns of their people The town
of Stratton in 1860 had a population of
366. Today it has less than 100, and
, Stratton has Jared better than some
: Windham county in 1910 had a popula-
ton only a few hundred more than it had
in 1910, 100 years ago
But we do not count greatness in mere
numbers. Leave that for the giant
: cities, for China and India In measuring
the strength and standard of a state it is
Equality that counts, and with that in
; mind there is no state of the union that
/ surpasscs ours. In war Vermont has fur
nished its full quota Of soldiers and more.
I In peace more Vermont names have been
written on the scroll of fame in proper
l tion to the population of the state than
any other state has placed there We
: often think we are poor, but the per cap
ita wealth of Vermont today probably
exceeds that of any other rural state
''The greatest need of Vermont at the
present time is to re-people its rural
towns. In 1910 and for 80 years follow
ing the back towns of Vermont raised and
supported a large and prosperous popula-
ton. Every hillside farm was titled and
produced good crops. Every village and
q bornlot haI c1yncoScfu1 oh IL
industry which furnished employment for
the surplus labor from the farms. 1t was
u an ideal condition and one under which a
5 nation wakes great and strong.
"Those of us who can remember back
n 20 years to the free silver campaign of
|, 1896 remember the oceans of discussion
n Of the question of maintaining the parity
q between silver and gold. A question of
Il thousand times greater Importance to
e Vermont and the United States is the
,e need of maintaining the parity between
V country and city"
N at is the country that produces the
N largest proportion Of men of character and
e women of inspiration. That is why boys
s. from the country are sought by men Of
% great affairs. That is why boys of coun
- try blood and breeding rise more often tC
10 the higher places That is why the coun
I, try girls make the best wives and mothers
. That is why the country is essential t
a. the continued strength and vitality o
/; any nation
Vermont with its wonderful extent o
:, rural towns-of country like that in wild
:, panorama before us today-is as rich in re
source as any state in the union. But W
must remember that wealth to be fruitful
must be utilized. We are not patriot
. when we sit down in comfort to EMO
20 our own possessions and give no though
to the problems of our town and on
state; we are not patriotic when we refus
- to bear a burden that we honestly shoul
uy bear just because it may cost us a fe'
4 dollars more in taxes; we are not patriot
when we allow evil to strong an
4 vice to flourish because we have not tt
4 moral courage to do our duty; we are III
4 patriotic when we elect men to public Q
flee who are not msel6shly devoted to tt
public welfare, and who will not sacrih,
1 their own private advantage to do goo
to their fcllowmen."
other Features of Program.
Following Mr. Howe, Representati
l Marshall J. Hapgood of Peru spoke We
I briefly expressing the sentiment that
I great honor had been accorded him
/ the president in asking him to participa
4 in these memorial exercises. He REFER
4 to Webster as the greatest orator Am,
lea ever produced, and urged that mci
ures be taken for remedying condtio