The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1920-09-20
PRESS COMMENT
(Rutland Herald)
THE NEW POLITICAL ERA

When $4,000 voters of Vermont
nominated James Hartness as repub-
lican candidate for governor on Tues
day, they did considerably more than
merely eliminate the other contend
ers. The primary of September IA
will go down in history as ushering
in new era in Vermont politics. A
lot of things happened and they can
be expected to happen again in the
future primaries.
1t would appear that the voting
strength of Vermont has been in
creased about so per cent The adj
vent of women into politics, of course
had much to do with this. The vot-
ing strength of the republican party
in Vermont is now 10000 as against
say, 100000 1t is hard to say what
proportion of the increase is repre-
scented by the women's vote. Careful
students have figured about 10000.
Accept that figure as approximately
correct and yor have new voting
unit, unorganiZed and inexperienced,
yet apparently voting pretty much as
unit as the Hardness lead of over
10000 indicates.
The woman's vote in its first try
out has demonstrated that it is some
thing the future politician must con-
slider seriously. 1t may be argued
that nobody can deliver" the woman's
vote to any candidate and that is
probably correct and yet along GER
tain issues that vote is apt to be
pretty solid always.
The woman's vote has eliminated
the old-time ward heller and political
fixer and he will never be the factor
again that he once was. He lost his
job when the suffrage amendment be-
came part of the constitution of the
United States. He will soon be as
extinct as the dodo and he should
have been kicked out by the men long
ago. Frank w. Agan dealt him one
body blow.
The old-line political organization is
busted" The women did it. The
best boss-sewed candidate in the race
Frederick H. Rabbit of Bellows
Falls-ran last! 1t was no secret dur
ing the campaign that Rabbit agents
were at work in virtually every town
In the state and his organization was
standards. 1t awaited him nothing.
The whispering" campaigner failed
largely to reach the woman voter
he had little time to in any event
but if he did reach her, he didn't con-
vince her
Hardness, successful contender, and
Agan, "runner-up" got their votes by
new methods to a great eXtent-ap-
piled publicity. The vote of these
candidates is a tribute to the potency
of printers ink, whether applied to
newspaper pages or to tack cards and
campaign literature" Hartness and
Agan held largely aloof from old-style
methods.
Agan had no organization whatever
and no paid workers anywhere. He
advertised extensively and with dis
elimination in the state press. True. !
he followed this up with whirlwind
speaking campaign just before the
campaign came to a close, but most
of his votes probably came through
his advertisements.
Hartness had no organization but
EARNED out" his advertising to a reg
ularlv established advertising agency.
They wrote his copy" and "placed'h
his campaign documents just as they
would with any other advertiser
whose appropriations for the purpose
were as liberal as those Of Hardness
must have been. They got the Hart =,
ness program-industria expansion,
before every voter and the results in
dictate that they "sold' the voters on
it whether he wanted to be sold or
not. at pays to advertise"-even in
politics-and the Hartness and Agan
showings prove it.
A contemporary somewhat cynical
ly comment upon the Emery vote to
the effect that it represented the YER
monters who want the state to stand
still. He openly opposed the Hart
ness industrial program as one likely
to depopulate the Vermont farm and
a good portion of the farmer vote
probably went his way. Has the bug
of "big business" actually infected
the pastoral Vermonter? The Hart
ness vote would tend to answer af
Tentatively.