Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-12-25
THE RUTLAND HERALD.
PARTY MEASURES.

If the opponents of the Republican
party could make that party adopt every
measure that they can charge upon it, it
would certainly soon become so odious
that no respectable people would or
could affiliate with it. There are great
many scheming, unprincipled, ambitious
men in the world, who are governed by
no higher impulses than desire to en-
rich themselves at the expense of other
people. Stealing is never regarded as
very respectable business but the COM
mon thief ought to be brought nearly up
toIthe level of the person who obtains
goods under false pfetenses, especially
when those pretenses consist in a willful
and malicious assault upon the character
and reputation of another. So in poll
tics, wholesale lying about opponents,
should always be discountenanced, and
we believe the time is Lear at hand when
the imputing to party odious doctrines
that it never adopted or professed will
be abandoned as only worthy of the
freebooter that preys upon politics, like
buzzards around battle field.
On Monday last we gently limited to
our neighbor, that fishing for patron
age in prospectus, under false colors,
was not quite respectable, and that
while we respected independence and the
expression of an honest conviction upon
all subjects, it was not according to our
understanding of political honesty to
sheer at the former upright and ably
conducted party newspapers as old-fash-
toned, and we ventured the assertion
that paper that opposed the position
of party on any of its vital issues, and
still claimed to belong to that party,
was not honest. To this a reply has
been made, filling column and quar-
ter, to express the boys argument so
tersely put in the phrase, " You are an
other" And three cases are stated in
which we differ with the Republican
party, to which we pretend to belong.
We claim to be Republican because we
believe in every vital principle of that
party. We endorse its platforms and
support its candidates, and this from
conviction that such is the best course
for the whole country. When we can
not do this we shall certainly withdraw
from it.
But, it is said, we do not approve of
the salary grab. This is true, but no.
body but an enemy of the Republican
party ever claimed this to be a Repub-
lican measure. The per cent. of Dem
ocrats in Congress that voted for it, is
greater than that of Republicans. In
the upper House of Congress one less
than majority of the whole number
voted for it on its final passage. In
neither House of Congress was it ever
considered a party question, and it can
no more be claimed to be party meas
ure, than prohibition can be charged to
be a creed of the Baptist church, be-
cause the pastor or member of such
church advocated prohibition in a tenn
perance meeting. A Republican Presi-
tLC law, uOl do q party
measure, because he must do it or de-
feat the general appropriation bill of
the session, and force upon the country
the necessity and expense of an extra
session of Congress and the Republican
people and press have, to very large
majority, disapproved of the whole grab
scheme. A larger proportion of Liber-
ais and Democrats have favored it, yet
it has never became party measure of
any party.
Foot and Cellamer were honest poll
ticians, they were among the leaders of
their party, and always gave a hearty
support to party measures. The legal
tender act was presented to the country,
men of both parties discussed it, and as
upon the Republicans devolved the gi-
gantic duty of putting down the rebel
lion, that party did adopt it as an instru-
mentality to that end Many learned,
able and honest members of the party
opposed its adoption, as unnecessary and
dangerous, but in the discussion and con-
sideration of the measure it was thought
best to adopt it, and after such adoption
it was accepted and upheld as firmly by
such men as Foot, Collamer, Fessenden
and Foster, who were its early oppon-
ents, as by its first friends, and we chal-
lenge this rapidly developing organ of
opposition to Republican principles to
put its finger on a single act of either of
the distinguished Vermont Senators
named, In opposition to any recognized
measure of the party they represented.
They might oppose the adoption of GER
tain party measures as iuexpedient, but
when adopted they bowed their allegi-
ance, and were honest men. Unless
less they could have done this we do not
believe they would have remained in the
party over night. And when they found
1t necessary to withdraw they would
have had the manhood and stamina to
tell the truth.