Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1869-02-10
Great Expectations.

sion.
Great Expectations.
Every body just now is in the condition Of the
adyenturer, who is on the eve Of quitting familiar
inccs, and scenes, and beaten tracks. for an I'M
known country. The die is east, the excitement
of preparation over. and all regrets for the past
have given place 10 expectations for the future
The dawn is rose-hued, and every rugged height
and perilous path bathed in beauty That conceals
all danger and If the ascending sun reveals
deeper and still deeper and dangerous depths be-
meath the feet farther and farther ahead it lifts
into vision tempting path, and kindles hopes
that lend enthusiasm and bravery to the adyen-
tuner.
Between to-day and the fourth of March, how
many hopeful travellers there will be towards the
high places of Grants Cabinet Not one of them
but knows that only seven wiser men Of America
than Greece ever knew can reach that summit
yet there is not one of the fifty or hundred pat
riotic pilgrims in that path who does not hope to
be one Of the lucky seven. Is he not in as good
o. position his competitions has he not
earned consideration, or at least has not his State
done -, by valuable party service? has not his
NilN-f newspaper hilbuntfu MS nhlnt anu II
not his Congressman bound to push his claims
Alas for him the quiet multitude below, who
have no such wishes or hopes, see that hundreds
OF newspapers have pulled hundreds of other men,
and that each Of the two hundred Congressman
has burden greater than he can bear. The most
OF these great expectations are therefore to be dis
appointed.
What shall we say, then, Of the multitude of
expecants, in every state and territory, in every
city and town and hamlet---ol the innumeruble
number whose feet are turned toward Washing
ton as the startng-point for the happy valley of
which every one Of them dreams2 We can only
say that their great expectations are not one whit
better than those Of the aspiants for higher
honors. The number Of place-hunters has always
far exceeded the number Of pnces 10 be filed, and
now an element peculiar to the time is largely in
creasing the army of candidates, and magnifyng
the disparity between expectations and possibili-
ties \ new army, indeed has been recruited
out of the ranks of the soldiers of and for the
Union, ard their own commander-in-chief is now
at the head of both civil and military affairs.
The plea Of party service or of faithful civil SER
vice, ON the one side, is now rcbutted By new
class with pleas of military service, of personal
sacrifice for fine nublc veal or notr;n,;s,n n, ,ho
cannon = month and shot,ered nj c,rt,nos
The number il leoion and their cries arc touch.
inglv eloouent hut tho bones or MO-, or H.
and most of all cxnectonts rn,st 40 do,,n ho,ro
the inexorable fact that ,ers IL neither avon, nor
need for the services of ne-balf or ono nor,or 81
the apncants in all tho folds Of civil and nil;,or,
service.
Il il NOT wise then T., crr,, tboy, or,o, ov,,oo-
tahons IN resnect the omb,r,,,s.,oon,. ,hot ,,;ll
necessarily intend the new odmiristrotion 10
anticinote the certainty, that ,nulti,,dos mus, II;
cyi,ahlv he a;sanroin,od viii, ~, c,I, H. A.,
President none IN fine rrierds Of tho disan,,oi,,od
candidates and none in the;r C,r,,ross,,,o,, -,
whom thov noinI, rel,9 L., candidate b,o,. i,
mind that there ,nust necessor1v be a .clec,;on
az co,nnar,tiyel, a e,y an, oc A.. s,,o ,o,ol or
candidates. tint tho c,,y ms, he closo, o,,d ,,o
many lef, and that tbis choice mn.t nat No ,nade
ont Of favor norel, h,t viii, d,o ro,,,,i T., ,,n,,,
considerations Of which tho condido,es ,,iu No ;r
norant II will he y,isest and sof.,, c,r oyor,,
candidate 10 count mon deG,o, and 10 hs ,ro