The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1866-11-02
ADDRESS.
Feltotc Citizens If Tie Third Congress
Siondl District

The duty devolves upon MS to brief
ly address you The present crisis in
the political affairs of this district, de-
mand that you should reflect and con
sider,as to the causes that have led to
the corrupt and demoralized state of
things now existing. Vermont poll
tics, until of recent date, has been
within the control of the people; but
for few years past, there has been a
tendency to submit to corrupt com
bination and clique influence. For
such a state of things in this district,
you alone are responsible. In our
system, all political power and direc-
ton is with the people; and all at
tempts to control that power by bar
gain and sale cannot be too indig-
uantly frowned down. The manner
in which the convention system has
been conducted for the past few years
has led to the present state of things
You have permitted professional gam
bling politicians to pack conventions
with partizans pledged to particular
favorites, and thus have been commit
ted to the acts of men you ought to
scorn to acknowledge as leaders, who
boast that the people can be moulded
at their will, to support whomsoeyer
they, the wire-pullers, may designate.
These things went on until the demon
alizlng influence eliminated in the dis
graceful contest last September, be
tween the Baxter and Hoyt factions.
Until then Vermont had never been
dlsgraced by the attempt being made
to secure the nomination and election
Of any candidate by the profuse use of
money The attempt was then made,
almost riyaling the corrupt contests
carried on for political supremacy in
the city of New York Both parties
were alike guilty, and alike disgraced
III the eyes OF hgh-minded patriotic
men. No election was secured and a
phase more astounding than any
heretofore is now made public. \
short time since, the leaders in the
September contest, with their advisers
met in Montpelier, and nude sale
and transfer Of the political rights Of
the people of this district, by appoint
ing q successor to Baxter for Congress
The audacity Of this proceeding ha.
no parallel, at least in the history OF
Vermont politics For unsuccessful
candidates to attempt to dictate who
shall, or who shall not be our repre-
sentative, Is an unaccountable pre-
sumption; and we have good reason
to believe that the terms of the bar
gain and sale are alike dlsgraceful t
the defeated candidates, and to The
recipient of their resigned honors. -
No man has right to accept nom
ination under such circumstances. L
is believed that the proposition mad,
to Mr., Hoyt was that the expenditre,
made by him in the September con
test, are to be refunded by his sue
cessor. We explicitly insist that tn,
bargain and sale between Baxter, Hoy
) and Smith, completely disqualifei
either of those men from ever properl,
representing the people of this dis
trlct in Congress. 1t is moral crime
which you, fellow citizens, shodlC
stamp with such ignominy that for tn,
next generation no man shall dare t.
| attempt TO secure an election to Con
gress from this district by bargain
and sale, or the use of money.
We come now to notice the Con
vention held at Hyde Park, Thursday
: 10th INST. 1t was an irregular BODY -
called by no proper authority-ant
was but partial representation o
the district. Only one town of Esse,
County was represented-many othel
: towns We're wholly unrepresented
and others still were represented by
selt-appointed delegates, and singh,
! delegates were allowed to vote for en-
tire delegations. Such was the com
position of the convention.
The objects of the convention as ex
pressed IN its call, were TO unite an,
reconcile and harmonize the conflict
ing elements of the Republican party
= That object, in the action of the con
yention, was entirely ignored. Fo
) the Hoyt faction was radically op
posed to Baxter, because he was til,
: representative Of railroad and otbe
Q monopoly interests. Smith bein.
: identical with those interests, it i
+ self-eyident that his name as nomipe,
n of the convention, could only distrae
! instead OF uniting the party, hence hi
n nomination was as foreign to the OBJ
= Ject of the convention, as the nomina
ton Of Baxter himself.
Again, Bakers friends supported
him because they believed him TO h,
an honest, true, but much abuset
man. When he deserted his friend,
n by the bargain and sale with smith
= they lost confidence in him. but oa;ne,
none in Smith, for they could onl,
a peiieve that he was equally culpabl,
with Baxter on the plain principle tha
the accessory is equally guilty will
the principal.