Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-01-23
T|LL0TSON A VERY
LIVE CANDIDATE
Will Oppose Election of Herbert
T. johnson AS Adjutant- Gen.
eral-Spirited Fight Ahead

Montpelier, Jan. H.-Important devel-
opments in the contest for the office Of
acknowledgement of the State of Ver-
mont appeared on the political horizon
during the afternoon Of to-day. A tele-
gram from Major Lee S. Tillotson, who.
until he went overseas about a year ago,
filed the office of Acknowledgement in
the State, was received in Montpelier.
The telegram. which was sent from New
York January 90 reads as follows:
II asked and obtained relief from for
eign service in order that l might return
20 the position of Acknowledgement Of
Vermont Landed yesterday and was
much surprised to learn of Johnson's can.
didacy after his statement to me in letter
Of September 25 that he should not be
candidate and would personally see to my
reelection. Impossible for me to return
before election. l am candidate. Please
let the facts be understood
"TILLoTsoN."
An exact duplicate of this telegram was
received by friends Of Major Tillotson in
st. Adams to-day.
When interviewed this afternoon re-
garding the statement made in the above
telegram Col. H. T. johnson. acting adju-
| tant-general, who announced his candi-
dacy for that office on Monday of this
week. made the statement that he had
| written Major Tillotson last summer that
he (Johnson) would be candidate for the
office Of acknowledgement SO long as TIL
lotson was In France, but that he had
since written Tillotson when he found
| that the major was coming home for the
election, that this fact changed matters
| and that he (Johnson) would be a candi-
date at the repeated requisites Of friends
Tha fol n q Ia n
by Colonel Johnson to Major Tillotson.
s Montpelier, VT, Jan. 10,19l9.
To Major Lee s. Tillotson, Adjutant-Gen-
erals Department:
! ut was a great relief to me to learn
| that you were to return to the United
! States in time to look after your own
interests in the matter of an election.
LAS long as the war was on and you
were in Europe. I don think there
would have been any difficulty. unless
some one had insisted upon the provis-
ions Of the statutes and l doubt II they
would then, but since the armistice was
signed and 1t is known that you are to
return before the election. the whole
situation has changed and l do not feel
that 1t is now my duty to work in your
interests, as I should have felt in honor
bound to IL the war had continued and
you had been obliged to remain in
Europe.
"Since it has been known that you
were to return before the election have
been repeatedly urged to announce my
self as candidate. and told that my
name would be used anyway as there
would be opposition to your reelection.
1 have told all these friends that 1 could
not consent to any efforts in my behalf
L.,
However, from my own standpoint
have no good and sufficient reason for
not remaining, If the people desire it.
have had to give up my farming inter-
ests and move my family to Montpelier
and I see no reason now why 1 should
not let the matter work out as the Legis'
lature desires.
am writing you fully and frankly
In the matter. as feel 1t Is only fall
to you that you know as early as pos
sible Just the situation and also as
promised to look after your, interests
and to keep you informed of any new
developments, as long as you were II
Europe.
Yours truly
HERBERT T. JOHNSON.
Colonel Acting Adjt. General.
These two communications give ar
index of where the matter now stands
With the election of the adjutant-gen
eral slated for Thursday. any cam
paign conducted on either side will
have to be in the nature Of a whirl
wind from now on in order to main
tain the semblance of n political cam
paign.
Col. Johnson states that he has pur
posely held back from announcing hi
candidacy for the office of adjutant
general because of the fact that Ma
jor Tillotson was still in France. bu
when 1t was learned that the majo
was coming home to be a candidate To-
the office Col. Johnson felt that he wa
no longer under obligation to leave tn
field open, when SO many were Insist
ing that he should be a candidate.
: Since the Vermont statutes say tina
a man cannot be elected to State of
: fee while he is still in the pay of thu
federal government, 1t is difficult t
see how Major Tillotson can hope t.
receive the election in Vermont unless
he can obtain his release from tn
service before the election on Thurs
day. 1t Is understood that he is nov
in Washington trying to bring thi
about In the meantime. he has mos
emphatically declared that he is
, candidate. and the Legislature IL await
Ing the next move in the game.