Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1921-06-30
"Tbeu, Was the Days"
From the pen of one who USED
to be one Of the boys.

mem w Us Ei1C N0yo
From the pen of one who used
to be one Of the boys.
The death of General Taylor
for many years the head of the
Boston Globe, carries me back
to the days when every COCA
Vermont Democrat slept with
his head on the Globe or the Ar
gus and Patriot, and the Boston
Journal had precedence over
the Scripture almost, with the
dyed-in the wool Vermont Re-
publican.
What a lot of fun there was
in political campaigns years a
go before we had primaries and
Australian ballots! Remem-
Der the two flag poles at each
end of the "Flat", from which
swung the two big flags bearing
the rival candidates names?
We can't do that now, it is a.
gainst the law to attach any
thing to the flag, yet there was
Mt one of us who wouldn't have
died for that Flag, whether it
read Blaine or Cleveland.
There were politicians in
Brighton, then, perhaps the
most skillful one of them being
from the end part of the town,
where he controlled large
number of voters, most of them
hi semployees. There were
Dale and Mansur and Robinson
and Clarke and the honest,
fearless, old fre-brand, Dun
bar. | have very distinct rec
objection of Dunbar saying that
if it wasn't for the respect he
had for my father, (who was an
old time friend of his) he would
kick me out Of town because |
was a Democrat, Yet when
he and Geo. Fitzgerald ran FOR
Selectmer, ! worked, so lid
most Of the Younger men, for
Dunbar; we held many private
sessions ir lis store, and we
were surprised as the next man
when Dunbar was elected.
The biggest political deal !
know if in TIE Brighton cam
paigns was when w. Bishop
the Republican candidate
for Represc NATIVE was defeat
ed b. A. O : echene. There
were wheels within wheels.
Gen Crc1t was candidate for
Ur'teG States Senate; many Re
p-b,icans in Island Pond we're
cnDo~ed to him including the
canGb,e leader from East Brig
hton. Bishop announced his
endorsement of Croft, at the
caUcus Dechene pledged him-
SET not to vote for Circuit; nat
urally, he wouldn't, being a
Democrat, but you never can
tell. ! made the motion that
caused Dechene's pledge. The
next day heavy Republican
lie" Ter told me it would cleo,
L.->hene---it did Maybe we did
nj lake Rome howl election
night! The first time for thiry
years that Br,s, lton had elect
ed a Democrat. we had a
band, red fire, noise and some
things you cannot buy now.
AS a politician ! was glad,
but as a very close friend OF
Mr. Bishop--it was a shame. MI
Bishop had run the Essex Coun
ty Herald for years as rabid
Republican paper. We had
more fights over it than you
can shake a stick at--and he
deserved his reward. You ask
Porter Dale and John Sweeney
if they don't agree with me.
We Democrats had our inn
ings now and then however.
Eber G.. Robinson and John w.
Thurston in Customs Service as
head of the local Port, J. II,
Linehan as Veterinary Surgeon
so we got an occasional crumh
from the rich mans table.
started out on this article
because of the death of an edi-
tor. Any death effects some
thing or somebody. The Essex
County Herald was seriously
affected by the death of Mr..
Bishop. I was connected with
the Herald as long ago as 1878.