The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-08-11
Dedication of Marker Where
Daniel Webster Spoke
in July, 1910
WHIG CONVENTION
INCIDENTS RETOLD


Stratton Mountain Club = BANQUET,
Speaking, Music and Annual Meeting
of Club in Evening.
In small open field on Stratton noun
tain, with more than 10 times the total f
population of the town of Stratton pres
ent, there was unveiled and dedicated /
yesterday in the presence of 500 or more |
persons natural bowlder and bronze tab |
let erected by the Stratton Mountain |
club to commemorate the fact that Dan |
iel Webster addressed a Wing rally and |
convention there 20 years ago, on July Z |
and s, 1910, when about $4,000 persons |
were present. Yesterday was a mem |
orable day in Stratton's history, in fact
in the history of Vermont, and it is not
likely that in many years so many persons
again will be gathered within the borders
of the town. Delightful weather pre-
vailed until after the dedicatory exercises,
and even then a shower which came ND
was but of brief duration Music by the
Londonderry band, Julian B. Johnson
leader, was pleasing part Of the ceebra-
; ton
The club, of which Miss Ethel A. Eddy
of Stratton Is president and which has
done much to foster a spirit of co-opera-
tion IN the town, is to be congratulated
, upon the successful elimination of plans
for this event, as well as for it's fortunate
selection of the day, which was the most
suitable with respect to weather condi-
| tions in several weeks Not the least
| Ipleasureabe feature of the day was the
annual meeting and banquet of the club
| in the evening
The spot chosen for the site of the
marker was on the side Of the mountain
on the direct road from Arlington to
lNardsboro, formerly d well-known stage
lroad. 1t IS six miles from West Wards
! boro and three miles from the Stratton
church, at an altitude of 1000 feet above
the sea. The marker is placed few rods
east of the place where Webster stood
IN making his great speech in the cam
pRlgn for the election of William Henry
| Harrison for president. Trees are now
jgroWing on the exact spot where the adj
tdrcss was made, so the marker was placed
in a clearing at one side, facing south
toward the highway, where it may be
Iseen by all passers-by.
In the first 50 years of Nermont's his
tory the Stratton convention was the
Igreatest public gathering held in the
state. People came from all over south
ern Vermont and from New Hampshire
and Massachusetts, Two or three persons
]
present yesterday, but so far as could
be learned no one who attended the meet
ing of 1910 was present yesterday. The
occasion which the marker commentaries
was both a rally and convention, as HI
land Hall of Bennington was rcnominated
for Congress, and it lasted two days
The speech by Mr.. Webster occupied
two hours. The newspapers of that time
give many details of the convention, but
the speech was not recorded HiIand
Hall and A L. Miner of Manchester alsc
were speakers.
Promptly at o'clock, the hour set foI
the exercises, the band rendered a selec
ton, after which Miss Eddy president
: charge of the program. Prayer was of
0 fered by Rev. L. w. johnson of West
f Wardsboro. A song entitled My Ole
4 Green Mountain Home, expressive Of tn,
t determination of the early settlers to es
4 itablish an Independent state, was sung b,
: the entire audience, led by w A Gilber
i of Brattleboro and accompanied by tn
: band. The words We're written by Ro,
. w. Lyman of Ware, Mass, a native o
Stratton, and were sung to the tune o
: lQuilting Party. Another selection by tn
! band prefaced the historical address 0
: the day by Hon Frank z. Howe Of Ben
f The Historical Address.
:. Mr. Howe reviewed to some extent an
= in very interesting way the political sit
! nation at the time of the Webster meet
ing in 1910. William Henry Harriso
was the Wing candidate for presiden
q land Martin Van Buren was the Democrat
J. ic candidate The campaign was know
as the log cabin and hard cider campaig
and the Wing rallying cry was Tippecano
and TYLER too. 1t came at a critical pt
riod in the history of the country an
was the warmest campaign ever know
r in the United States.
The Wings made special effort to &C
the country voters and the Stratton NEE
ing was a part of that effort. The pla
ID was successful and Vermont in particula
returned a large majority for Harrison
The state has been either Whig or r
publican ever since.
Mr.. Howe said he had been told tn;
81 there was contest as to where the We
TO ster meeting should be held, as Below
z Falls, Brattleboro, Bennington, Manche
er ter and other places wanted it, so it WI
n decided to draw lines on the map dag
ct. tnallv connecting the places contesting f,
MT. the meeting and to hold the conventiC
on at the place nearest to where the lin
ed crossed. which was Stratton. Webster
ar trip from Barre, Mass, was through Bra
nut tleboro and the place where he spoke W
"a .In1t n few rods from where the mark
is has been placed The open field w
sh- much larger then than now, many tire
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