The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-09-21
For Governor of Vermont.

II is an ancient, if not always a jus
tilted axiom that ''you T keep
good man down. In the Green Hills
the old apothegm has just been
brilliantly verified. Mr.. Percival w
Clement of Rutland has been nomi-
mated for governor in the Vermont
Republican primary by a plurality of
600 or more, beating Judge Charles H
Darling of Burlington and former
Lieut. Gov. Frank r. Howe.
Both Judge Darling and Mr. Howe
are deyotees of prohibition. Mr.. Glen.
ent is local optionist Some years
ago he endeared himself to de
spisers of humbug and lovers of eour-
age by going on the stump for local
option in his private car. He made AL
his speeches at night, and he always
appeared in that modest livery of civ.
ilization technically known as 'full
evening dress" If "nothing is too
good for the people, the uniform of
Society man in that "black gon-
dola array in which he effaces his
brilliancy and cOndescends to form, is
not too good for them. Some of our
statesmen have tried the business of
looming down TO the level of the
common people, with disastrous re-
suits. We have in New York states
man who is surviving memorial of
| the uselcsSncss of taking off your coat
to make the people love you. General
\ Butler, an observant and willy dem
/ agogue, used TO roam the state OF
4 Massachusetts, of which he was finally
l elected governor because the people
| wanted to sec what 1.-the old mar
would do, i'm the customary suit OF
solemn black, his shins splendid witt
i, the silkicst Of stockings. That did not
prevent him from abusing 1.-the sill
stocking element His theory wa.
that "nothing was too good for tho
people. Consequently, n candidate
for their votes couldn t be dressed too
deliberately.
Mr. Clement is by no means of thu
dcmagoguc. class. In Vermont he ha
represented eouragcously for year
what seemed TO be, and still seems {,
be, a minority opinion. The private ca
and the evening dress were simply sym
bols and accompaniments of his avoid
ance Of an appeal TO anything
less than the merits of his ease. | an
an aristocrat, if you like. l viii do al
in my power to make you think that
am not seeking your votes by any pre-
tense Of my desire to adapt myself t
your supposed prejud:ees. But | be
licvc in local option and l am going t
talk about it.
He has been talking about X for "
. don know how many years, and nol
he has got the nomination for COY
crnor. If the Burlington Free Pres
! is not mistaken, the result Of the pr
maries does not mean that the state
opposed 30 national prohibition; 30
the contrary, the legislature is Owe
whelmingly in favor of ratification 9
! the federal prohibition amendment. NJ
Anderson has been busy in Montpelic
perhaps. Well, the Vermont folks kno
2 that the federal prohibition ament
| mcnt, whatever its powers or potter
q tialtics, doesn t forbid the proccssC
e of fermentation As for the strang,
! within the gates of the village taver
: probably he will still be able to fin
n in mysterious, dark and lonely baC
= room, the inviting black bottle set {
n the table by some invisible hand. o
d if he visits the drug store, he may di
n cover that alcohol is still drug in Il
g Vermont market.