The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-05-11
Judge Gibson Denies Still Hunt

(Rutland News)
The News printed the following the
other day:
" According to The Brattleboro Re
former, Capt. f. w. Gibson, after a
still hunt defeated the present chair
man Of the village commissioners, who
was candidate for reelection. Now.
without any knowledge of the merits of
the contest, it can be put down as a
safe general rule that these still hunts
are OF no benefit to any community.
but on the contrary creative of fac
| tlonal differences. inharmonv and com
munlty retrogression. 1t would appear
| that this still hunt was no overwhelm-
ingly popular movement. There were
only 22S votes east at the election and
Gibson got "A more than the incumbent
of the Office whose scalp he was after.
The total vote was less than one-fifth
of the vote BrattIeboro last cast for
governor. BrattIeboro is too good a
town, too enterprising. to be blighted
| by the still hunt and its usual eoncom-
ltantS of petty differences, antagonisms
and wranglings.''
The foregoing brings from Mr.. Glib
son the following letter. which the
News is glad to print:
My attention has been called to
an editorial in a recent issue of The
News concerning the so-called still
hunt, which is said to have resulted
in my election as commissioner of
the village of BrattIeboro. If the
article in The Brattleboro Reformer.
which IS your inspiration. means that
n still hunt was conducted bv me
or for me with any knowledge or con
sent on my part, the statement is alb
sOlutely false.
AS a matter of fact. [ did not even
consent to the use of my name until
within less than 30 minutes of the
opening of the meeting. I am told by
competent observers that if it had
been known that there was to be a
candidate against the man who has been
succeeded, the vote would have been
four to on against him, and in nv
favor.
viii you do me the favor to give
this statement the same publicity as
your editorial? The charge as made
in The Reformcr was so amusinglv
absurd to BrattIeboro people who
know the situation that no answer To-
cally seemed necessary, but since it is
apparent that in some sections of the
state the account in The Reformer is
taken seriously, it is thought best to
answer the same through your col
umns -
1t is of little consequence that The
News has received from various Brat
tlebOrO sources confederation of The
Reformer s version or intimatiOn. to-
gether with some elaboration. At least
some reputable Brattleboro men are
| just as positive that had Captain Glib
son made an open-and above board con-
test for the cOmmissionership he would
have been numerically beaten as he
IS in stating that he would have been
the more decisively elected. The basis
for this statement is not given as any
| thing derogatory to Captain Gibson.
other than the claim that he has ac-
CURED quite an olfice-seeking appetite
and that, having been elected village
commissioner, he will not give the or
fee the necessary attention, whereas
the man he defeated has given the DO
sltlon his faithful service All this is
OF no consequence to The News. That
is Brattleboro s funeral.
The contention of this newspaper
still holds true: The still hunt is al
ways provocative of fractional dis
turbances and community feeling that
is not at all conducive to the progress
OF town. In other words. it is alb
solutely necessary to have harmony
and spirit of cooperation and fair
play if town win come to its best
Open-and above board contests. LET II
be repeated, are healthful for a com
munlty, but as general proposition
the still hunt is the contrary.