Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1920-08-27
AGAIN WELCOME BIG
MONDAY EVENING

MUNUAI EYENINU
Frank w. Agan is strong in Middle
bury. That was demonstrated beyond
any reasonable doubt Monday evening
when one hundred and fifty representa-
tive men of the town and full score
or more of women greeted that can
didate with the strictest attention and
generous applause on the opening of
his personal campaign in Addison
County. From the moment that Judge
Homer L. Skeels, a MIDI graduate of
1898, introduced the Ludlow aspirant
for the governorship as "my neighbor
and townsman" the audience fo -ussed
its attention upon the man who main
tanned that he did not seek office for
the Offices sake but in championship of
principle. For an hour Mr.. Agan
held that audience intent upon his every
word while he ridiculed the Prohibition
amendment, scoffed at the present
waste of money in road building, argued
for the return of the little red school
house and ventured his own ideas of
reform.
At eight o'clock only about fifty per-
sons had gathered, giving little promise
of the realization of the boast of Agan
supporters, that their strength was
legion in Middlebury. w. W. Martin,
the only local citizen on the stage with
the speak ers, first introduced Judge
Homer L. Skeels as a Middlebury grad
uate of the class of 1898
His Honor, who is president of the
Agan Club of Ludlow, prepared the
way for Mr.. Agan by defining his own
appearance on the platform as a mis-
sionary who had set out to convert not
men in foreign lands but citizens of
Vermont who had permitted themselves
to be dictated to by politicians. The
candidate in whose cause he was speak
ing had been misrepresented, he said,
and it was in an effort to correct this
that he and Mr.. Agan had
begun personal canvass of the state.
Judge Skeels confined his remarks to
eulogy of Mr.. Agan as a fellow towns
man and neighbor. He stressed the
paradox of that candidates making
such an issue of prohibition and advo-
eating the repeal of the Volstead Act
while at the same time he is himself a
teetotaler.
To many of those in the front of the
nall, Mr.. Agan's own salutation of
Ladies and Gentlemen" came as a sur
Prise. Before the conclusion of Judge
Skeels speech the audience had been
lppreciably increased, including a score
If suffragettes. The number of women
)reseri, made new record for the town !
and marked the beginning of new
epoch, namely the active participation
If women in local politics. Incidentally,
he event was permitted to just happen,
as it were.
Frank w. Agan, in his first speech in
and in Addison County,
,refaced the explanation of his own
platform bv an arraignment of the
Methods of what he termed "ring"
4 do not pledge a voter. | do not
,elieve in political pledges And if
here is any man in this hall, or in the
tate, who has pledged himself to vote
or me, he is hereby released from all
obligation to fulfill such pledge. L.
,elieve that voters should not be told
low to vote" Further on he said, 81
ave not a politician with me. There
5 not paid man working for the in
crest of my candidacy. Only my
riend5 are behind me in this contest.
yote for me if after you have heard
ny speech tonight you like me and my
peech"-
"The state papers last Fall and Sum
1er", said Mr. Agan in explaining his
re-candidaoy viewpoint, mentioned
ly name for governor. The ring
ad been looking me over and sent
representatives. twice a week to feel
lie out to see how l would stand But
here was never a bull-ring forged big
nough to lead me around. He then
Ontinued to say that before his de-
arturo for California last winter he
ad not thought of entering his name s
S a candidate. AS President of the
ocal Option League he had been in I
in the enactment of the
ocal Option statute under which he {
eclared Vermonts prohibition prob {
IN had been satisfactorily solved {
Ihen Hartness and Emery, both pro-
ibtionists, entered the field, later to t
e followed by Babbitt, who he said J
ad been labelled a $3.50 wet candi- I
ate, he saw that while he did not t
ant the governorship he did want i
, protect the Local Option League,
nd to counteract the indifference of !
lie other candidates in that regard he a