The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-08-24
THURSDAY, AUGUST "a, 1929
DANGEROUS DOCTRINE


zine, hits the nail on the head, and
every voter, man or woman, should
consider II as having a personal ap.
Iplicatlon:
"Of course, government Is wastclul
and inefficient and always win be I'm.
III we apply 10 II fraction OF the
commOn-sense that we use In our per
sonal affairs
For this matter Of government, To-
cal, state or national. SINNERS down
to matter OF busness.like ana com
nonsense methods Which implies
I1hat We should look for streak Of
cOmmon-sense In all candidates, for
whatever offices.
This year. there seem to be quite
few farmer candidates in the field
from the gOyern0rship down through
various other Offices both state and
local And who IS better equipped
with common-sense than a farmer?
The very nature OF his calling makes
q good stock OF It necessary. Re.
member, too chat he is as well, a
business man, lawyer, economist
weather prophet, and what not II
he is Il successful farmer, he is like
wise successful business man, and
all the rest
+ You women voters, and working.
men. too, who dwell in the cities and
towns, may not so fully realize ali
this, but ask that you now cOnsid-
er it soberly, and am sure you will
decide that, in casting your vote for
some farmer candidate you have
thereby delegated your authority to
safe and capable hands
7 Florence W. Rich
Northfeld, VT
The foregoing communication Is
received this week by the Banner and
probably by other papers in the
state and is apparently designed to
help somebody wAo is appealing to
the voters as farmer or farmers
candidate. Instead of showing rea-
son for voting FOR farmer candidates,
It ought 70 show both men and WON.
EN- the danger aud folly of doing
what the lady suggests.
Florence is emphatically wrGlg.
When a candidate appeals to t',e vot-
ers as a farmer, a working man. a
Catholic. q Protestant. Mason, an
Oddfello@, or IN any other way 10
enlist the prejudice OF any group or
class it Is the duty Of every lntelli-
gent citizen to vote against that
candidate unless his opponent is
particularly unworthy. Anyone who
is SO narrow as to appeal to class
trade, or religious prejudice IS not a.
safe person to send a. the represent
alive of the public
One Of the calamities of represent.
atiye government is CHat occasionally
eoma faction like the vets or the
drys. the suffragists or the anti-suf
fragists, the farmers or the lahorites.
etc, etc, gets strong enough to
elect their personal agents to official
place. No matter how honest, sin.
cere, or decent they may be they
cannot possibly give the best service
to tie whole public because they are
pledged in advance and generally by
their own prejudice to serve their
little Mammon first and God and
afterward,
Whoever is elected as representa-.
tive Of the people whether to Mont
pc Ter, Washington, or in public
service nearer home he or she will
havs to pass On many and varied
problems and the only common
sense rule for selection is to choose
someone of all-round Intelligence and
capacity and not an enthusiast, yigor-
Gus for some temporary cause, but
limited in his capacity in other di-
roctons.
The prohibitionist or the anti-pro-
llbitionist is little better than a fool
who votes for candidate to Congress
because he is a dry or a wet They
may properly be interested in that
issue but unless the man is broad,
evelheaded and capable, he will be
4 menace, for which his feeling on
any one issue is mighty poor compen-
sation.
If the women of Vermont are as
capable of voting as we believe them
% be they will scon and ignore the
mistaken appeal of Mrs Rich as
printed above. 1t is the most dang
erous doctrine of representative gov
'rnment whether proposed in behalf
If farmer. a preacher, or the repre-
sentative of any other class or group.
The chances are, however, that
hrs. Rich has fallen unthinkingly in
o this error which is so common as
O be worldwide and has nnocently
made an appeal which her better
Judgment will not support when she
links the matter over 1t is her
rgument and not herself that we
yould condemn.
Thev Eear Vnu Cor,inn