The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-11-05

tinknam' 8 Vegetable compound.
yite them TO cling to the Office until
| forced out.
| After such reelection one of the
| first questions that would arise would
be, from which side of the mountain
shall the next choice be made? Would
the east side claim that the re-elec-
ton of the present governor was in
lieu of an election from the west side
and claim the ELECTION from the east
side? And would the west side con
sent 10 that Interpretation or would
the west side ask for the Office on the
ground that they had been deprived
OF the preceding term? Or would the
rule be abandoned altogether, and
/ the next choice be made from candi-
dates springing up from both sides
of the mountain?
While the breaking of these rules
would unqdestionably be most vigor-
ousty contested, they are by no
means the most important issue. The
reelection of the executive has been
steadily growing in dissavor through
out the country for many years The
annual election and with it the, sec
ond term for the executive formerly
existed in most of the eastern states,
but has steadily been abandoned
Even an amendment to the constitu-
ton OF the United States providing
for longer term for the president
and disqualifying him for reelection.
has been seriously considered and is
growing in favor
Most objectionable of all and the
strongest argument against the sec
ond term propaganda. is the fact that
it is return to the old spoils system.
Rough hew il as you WILL the people
feel that appointments made by an
administration looking toward sec
ond election are tainted with a poll
tical flavor that is not in accord with
modren political sentiment The
cheerful submission Of appointees in
the attempt to perpetuate an admins
tration comes charged with a suspic-
ion that the high Office OF the execu-
tive is being administered for person
al advantage, rather than for the pub
lie good This would be a long step
toward boss rule, and entirely defeat
the purpose for which the direct pri-
mary was supposed to have been
adopted. 1t is going back to a sys-
TEN never much in vogue in Vermont
but which our people haye always en-
doavored to shun and prevent
But 1t is not to be forgotten or
overlooked that Gov. Graham has
given us a good administration; that
he Is popular honest, and efficient,
and that he has warm place in the
hearts of our people He has been
interested in his work and patriotic
in the present emergency; but the
question must recur. is there any
thing in the present conditions that
warrant the departure from all pre-
cedents or that could not have been
accomplished by the average COVER
nor in the past? We think not
We are unable to discover any
thing that has been done during this
administration-and we mention it
with the greatest respect fer the ed
ministration--tha was beyond the
ability or capacity OF that long line of
executives who have served the state
SO we'll Nor is the west side so lie
ficient in material that 1t could not
fill the Office with credit and main.
tain the high standard that has been
maintained by Vermont governors.
Speaking in the highest terms Of
the present incumbent, we can name
several men ON the west side of the
state who have had executive exper-
fence, and who could step into the Of
fee of governor tomorrow and carr
on the work without lowering the
standard and without break in the
work now going on
When the history of the present
times is written, the war slogan upon
which President Wilson was re.eleet.
ed against his expressed avowal that
he did not believe in second teri
will be the subject Of more criticism
than almost any other thing in his
administration up TO the present
time
We do not believe that Gov. Ora
nam is in this movement, for it wo
be another case OF attempting to
make political capital out of the
world war calamity. MORTIFIED
NaMs.