Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-11-07
g. d. BENEDICT. Editor.


Uon.L.P Poland. NJ. c., in his speech
at the officers reunion, last week. came
down severely on the press OF the country
and especially on the Republican press lol
their excessive and unjust abuse oil Coh-
,ress His remarks further conveyed the
immersion that he considered the press Oh
this State especial sinners in this regard
We say nothing Of the taste OF oelaoorlhg
few unlucky editors over the oachs u
comnanv of soldiers, met for social re-
uDion. even if the charge were true Du'
i # true of the Republican press? We
certainly were not aware OF It, Some
,onors like the New York Tribune and
Springfield Republican, which once were
Renpblican. but now desire nothing 50
str,,ply IS the destruction Of the Republi-
can marty. indeed have printed good deal
of indiscriminate abuse Of Congress. The
Democratic papers always have and always
will abuse Congress as long as 1t has Re
publican majority. But 50 far as our
observation goes, the Republican papers, as
a class. are disposed to give due credit to
our national legislators. No doubt many
Of them. as all ought to have done, rebuked
severely the Credit Mobilier corrupuons,
for the exposure Of which Judge Poland Is
entitled to a large share Of credit. Many,
as we think all should have, have criticised
sharply the increase Of salaries, when
Mr. Poland pronounces a very foolish
thing" But up to these proceedings we
remember no evidence Of a general dispo-
siton To- bring Congress into disrepute, on
the part of the Republican press OF the
country or Of any State; and as to those
matters. the press chronicled, bat did not
create. the disgrace which the offending
member, lad brought on themselves and on
the bldy TO which they belonged This was
the duty Of the press As was said at the
reunion. by one of the editors present :
"When a Member Of Congress does wrong,
the press cannot preserve its independence
ard its selfrespect unless it deals with JUS
,ieo and impartiality with his faults and
neglect Of duty" Our Congressman are
as Judge Poland was at pains to explain,
the servants aud Representatives Of the
people. and as such are in an especial
manner amenab.e to Just criticism.
As for our Vermont papers, we certainly
think they may justly be credited, as a
class. with Jealous care for the good name
and fame Of our representatives. Theirs IS
the good name of oar state, which Is dear
10 all ofus. True, several Vermont papers
published the specimen Of Kansas cam
paign literature, alluded to by Mr.. Poland,
which went the rounds Of the papers the
country over: and none felt Ike insulting
the Intelligence OF their readers by explain
ing that an account which represented a
Kansas NJ. c., a. drawing sugar, SOAP and
lemon, by the thousand dollars worth, on
his stationery account, was joke. But
We are sure none Of them could have dream
cd that one ofour own representatives could
have taken the squib in dudgeon. For
ourselves, we can say, with perfect sinceri-
ty, that we blame any Of our Congressman
with reluctance, and not without care to
see that there are Just grounds for censure,
and that we are never better pleased than
when We can say something to their credit.
We are glad, in this connection, to record
Mr. Poland's unqualified condemnation Of
the salary grab and his hope that it will
be repealed, which we take to be an in
dication that he will, If he has not already
done so, return his hack pay to the treasury.
The ST Adams Messenger denies in one
sentence that the Vermont and Canada ever
consented to an issue Of bonds which were
made lien on both the Central and the
Vermont and Canada, while admitting in
the next that the Vermont and Canada did
guarantee million dollars Of Vermont
Central bonds We DO not propose TO
quarrel about terms with the Messenger,
nor TO 60 into an argument over the legal
points at issue between the Vermont and
Canada and the trustees and managers.
We simply assert once more the important
lact that every lien on the Vermont and
Canada in favor of the receivers and credit
ors, was created with the consent and at the
request of the Vermont and Canada Com
pany. This Is the record AID the fact, and
the Messenger cannot wipe it out by talking
about pretended corporation votes, " and
asserting that the minority cannot bind the
We apprehend that these votes,
formally adopted b. the stockholders or
their representatives, and objected to by
none. viii be found as valid as the recent
election Of directors of the Vermont and |
Canada by a minority Of the stock.
The closing scenes of the Stokes trial are
thus described When the foreman of the |
ury announced the verdict, Of manslaugh-