Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-03-06
st. JOhnsbury, Vt. March Q, 1874.
is NoToRIETY ESSENTIAL?


The politicians are trying to make the
people believe that no man ought to be made
governor Of Vermont who is not, as they
phrase IL, " well known to tho people Of the
State. " But the trouble with the men they
would themselves put forward is that they
are too we'll known. Il is sought to lay
down notoriety as an essential prerequisite
Of candidacy, because they have in their own
ranks so many men who by reason of prev
ious ofice-holding have been conspicuous,
and from whom candidate can be selected
whom they can depend on, because he has
been thoroughly trained in the modern school
Of politics.
II is well understood that the chicane aud
dishonesty Of politics has for many years
kept our best men out Of the political arena,
and replaced them with persons Of whom
some may have preserved some degree ofre-
spectability, but all of whom are demoralized
in regard to public affairs. The consequence
is that our best men are comparatively little
known to the public outside Of their own i'm.
mediate neighbOrhood, while the wire.pulling
politicians and intriguers are all of them
more conspicuous to the public eye, and their
names familiar to the public ear. The most
Of our politicians are lawyers, whose profess
sion, as well as their almost universal devo-
ton to politics and their practice of taking
an active part in political campaigns, have
made them more or less known about the
State.
On the other hand the business men of the
State, and especially the farmers, no matter
how great their ability or admirable their
character, have kept out of politics and de.
voted themselves to their private affairs, or to
the good Of their own localities, and conse-
quenty there are few among them Of whom
it can be said that their names are familiar
to the people.
But must we submit to this condition
which the politicians desire to impose upon
us for their own benefit? Mast we go on
electing lawyers and politicians that we have
little or no confidence in, simply because
they have succeeded in making themselves
conspicuous? If SO, what hope can we have
of the much desired and necessary reforms
that are so cmphatically demanded by the
times and by the popular voice?
To our mind nothing can be palmer than
the wisdom Of avoiding the conspicuous polt-
icians. and spectators from whom the poll
teal rings would have US select our candi-
dates. Vermont is not so large state that
we can not easily ascertain who among its
good, though inconspicuous, citizens we may
safely select to fill her chief magstracy. This
cry about " experience raised by the e lead
ers " amounts to nothing. Any capable farm
er or other business man, who is known to be
intelligently successful in his ordinary avo-
cations, has the requisite ability for the gov
ernorship. There are thousand men in the
state outside of the political rings, any one
of whom would make better and safer gov
ernor than any one within those rings The
people know that, very well.
How shall we make the selection? Well,
here comes in the Importance OF first taking
the nominating convention out of the hands
of the wire-pullers. We cannot get good
nomination out of packed convention. But
an honestly chosen delegation from the peo-
pie would find no more trouble in selecting
the right man than the Chicago convention
had in finding that inconspicuous man, Abra-
ham Lincoln, and making him President of
the United States. The politicians tried to
pack that convention to nominate VIM. II.
Seward. Where would the country be now
if they had succeeded? And yet Seward
was we'll known, while Lincoln was
plain man of the people, whose name not one
in ten remembered to have heard
We have got three months to think these
things over, brother farmers. Let US give
our thoughts to the subject earnestly, and de-
eide whether we cannot get along without
"well known politician for our next gov
ernOr.