The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1841-08-06
THE TWO CANDIDATES FOR Gov
ERNOR CONTRASTED.

AT no time, perhaps, since Inc organization oil
political parties in Vermont, have two opposing
candidates for the chief magstracy ofthe State ever
been presented TO the people between whom the
contrast was so strong and complete as between
the two men whom we now find before US inviting
our suirages at the ensuing election:
! On the one hand stands NATHAN SMILE, an
industrious practical farmer, simple, as the poorest
in the land in all his habits of living, and planest
of the plain, in the style in which he appears among
the people, of whom he is emphatically one-a
man who knows nothing about the high seats, or
the low seats, of modern fashionable sociely-noh-
ing ahou, standing gained by wealth or disln-
gushed family Notwithstanding about any PIE
ennence of one class, profession or calling over
another, and nothing, in short, about any dlsiinc-
tons among men not founded wholly on individual
inertia man, in Il word, who fills the picture of
what we paint TO ourselves under The term, Demo-
crot, as completely as any thing we can possibly
conceive.
On the other hand stands his opponent, CHARLES
PAINE, n wealthy manufacturer, brought up from
his cradle in habits of luxury and expensive living,
educated at Cambridge the rich mans college,
and taken home to receive and sustain the honors
of his distinguished family, consisting of the father
the Hon. Judge Paine, and number of city broth
ers, in the different professions, all of whom, we
believe. are highly respectable in point of charac-
ter, and considerably known, though how far they,
or our candidate, have ridden into notice on their
fathers horse, we will not pretend to say. He
1--WE mean the candidate, and not the horse, on
which he is riding doube,) was bred, after The
raiiesi sect, fndcrolis, by his father, faithful
disciple of Old John Adams, whose notions abou,
dividing families into simple and gentle are well
known, and it is equally well known that these no.
tons have been more fully adopted, and openly
adhered to, by the Paine family than that Of any
other in Vermont. We mean not by this any At
tack upon the character Of Col Paine or his family;
for we readily grant that they are all honorable
men, as we have no doubt are the mobiles of Eng
land; but our notions are n little different from
those of the latter, and we have right TO enquire
how far they have been adopted by those, espe.
ciav, who come forward for our votes.
Thus much for The inbred and acquired habits
and feeling Of these two candidates; let US now
hiring them in contrast in reference TO their more
immediate qualifications fo the office to which they
have been nominated;
MARKHAM Smile, with habits and feelings most
happily assimilated to those Of the great mass of
the people, is second to no man in the State IN
point of experience in legislation. And with nm
unusually extensive and accurate knowledge of the
wants and wishes of the people, among whom he
has his lifelong been constantly mingng, he pos
sesses discrimination for detecting what will and
what will not meet those wants and wishes and
truly subserve their interests and incorruptible
purpose, and frmness Of aciian, which cannot fail
to make him a wachful, safe, and able guardian
Of the public veal, and nm executive in whom is
concentrated at the same time, the true charac-
terislcs of our plain and hardy people
Charles Paine with habits. tastes and associations
hi III, bnc
from whom he has ever stood aoof and with whom
he has no sympa,hes, is less convcrsan than many
n school boy with the institutions and laws of his
own state, except so much rs relates 10 manufac.
tures and he has had no o her experience in leg
slation than what he acquired in an irregular at
tendance, for one session only, we believe, on the
legislature, to which be was once sent by his Town,
to manage, in their behalf, n petty road petition,
on which (Iet US be Just to his fancy he made a
speech eleven minutes long, by Speaker Bates
Gold Repeater, more particularly noted at the time,
as 1t just so long kept the Hon. Speaker from his
brandy, but which indulgence was the more readily
cxtened as he well knew, that not only the brandy
but bottle of champagne would be his reward
And this is the sum total Of all the Coonel's claim
to experience and fame as legislator. We would
not, we again repeat, de'ract one io,a from merits
which his personal friends claim for him,-that of
having good knowledge Of the manufacturing in
terests of being excellent judge of good wines
and first rate whist-player. But we only beg
leave TO doubt whether these qualities will make
him wise, safe and appropriate chief magistrate
for the people Of Vermont.
And now, having finished what we had to say in !
the way of contrasting these two candidates for |
Governor, we will leave others to make their own
comments, and decide for themselves, whether they
will elect one, who, with all his painness and re-
publican simplicity, is admirably qualified 10 be-
come the official orgnn of "A plain and economical
people, or one who is no less disqualified, in al |
most every point Of view, to serve and SUIT them;
one, in fine who would act well and wisely for the
whole people, or one who would think and act for |
a dozen families OF his caste and kidney.
permom Patriot.