Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1868-09-03
From the New York Time.
The Elections in Vermont and
Maine.

In this country where public opinion,
independently expressed, has so great
weight, the Importance Of the elections to
be soon held in Vermont and Maine can
not be over-estimated. In this respect
Vermont has an extraordinary advantage
She fires the first cannon of the campaign.
As we have formerly shown, the Kentucky
elections were subject to conditions which
entirely deprive them of value as an indi-
cation Of public opinion There is an
absolute reign Of terror in that State,
growing out OF the prejudice against both
negroes and Union men, which deferred
large numbers of Republicans from yot-
ing But for this fact, the result Of the
election would not have differed suhStan-
TALLY from that of 1866. II is fortunate.
then that the first free cNprcssisn of pop
ular opinion is to come from the Green
Mountain State. Through and through
that State is for Grant and Colfax. Only
let the full vote bc polled, and the Rcpub-
lican majority ought Ia reach, il it does
not exceed, that Of 1866, which amounted
to nearly $4,000
No Republican shoHll stay from tho
polls because it Is only. a State election,
and because il is impossible for tie Dem
oerst~ to win Let him remember that
every vote lost by the Republicans in Sep
TENDER and October is SO much lost in
the wciEhtot public opinion on the side
If Gen Grant Vermont viii influence
Maine, and the waves from those two
States will flow over Iowa, Indiana, Ohio
and Pennsylvania, in October The mo-
mentum and effect 81 that wave will bc
measured by the Republican majoriue,
given IN these early elections.
There is every reason why Vermont and
Maine should maintain the position held
by Thorn in 1866, and we believe the, win
do il. Let no voter allow himself 10 be
diverted by the side issues which Demo
Gratis are urging SO strongly, because they
dare not face the one great question which
Is involved in the campaign. The chafgc-
OF financial corruption and If heavy taNu-
ton should be. hurled back AGAINST
the assailult, We are to take the oilcus.
i've and not the defensive When Rcmb-
hcan voter Is asked TO account for rev
enue funds, let him reply that these have
grown out OF the quarrel between Con
gress and q refractory Prrsiicut-a quar-
rel which was pcrpetnated lay the attitude
OF the Democratic party. If he Is asked
Ia account for the burden Of an Immense
national debt, let him charge the response
biliiy of that burden upon the party which
forced the war and made the deb, a ne.
cessity II negro supremacy is thrown in
his face let him deny the existence
of such an element in our politics. and
point to the late Mississippi election as the
basis OF his denial and let them, more
over, charge against his opponents that
they, by their factious opposition to an
which left suffrage TO the
States, made the negro vote necessity of
any dossible restoration. Ii he is told
that the Republican party has been to any
degree surrendered to extreme Radical
leadership, let him deny the. surrender,
and point to the nomination of Gen.
Grant for President as the surest indica-
ton of a liberal and conservative policy.
Let him, moreover, attack the Democrats
IN the ground of their extreme policy.
hown both in their platform and candi-
lates, as well as in the published speeches
nd letters Of their nominee for Vice. ,