Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1874-11-27
al. D." AND WHATAILS HIN.

III. d. in last weeks Record and Far
mer, renews his scurrious attack upon the
PHGNIX because of its abandonment of the
cause of Judge Poland in the recent Con-
gressional canvass. Now in seeking TO an
swer an opponent II is sometimes OF great
assistance to know just who and what
your opponent is. Shooting skunks in the
dark is always risky business, bnt tn at
our random shot fortnight ago hit the
mark is evident from the quantity of per-
fume eXhaling from the spot We aimed at.
Let it he understood, then, al the outset.
that the Honorable "H. D." of the Record,
with reversed initials) is not a resident OF
Townshend, but sore-head politician Of
BrattleSoro, who by adopting the tactics
of the sneakthief, seeks to obtain petty
revenge for his political disappontmcnts
and defeats. But why is it that the defeat
Of Judge Poland produces such acute dis
tress in the tender bosom of al. D.?
Simply for the reason that the said al. D."
himself cherished the fond hope of grasp
ing the mantle of Judge Poland when it fell.
But ii wasn't within tho calculations OF
III. D." that said mantle should drop
quite so soon and so unceremoniouSlY. In
the regular nominating convention last
August. Judge Poland developed a strength
with which it was plainly useless for ell
ther "II. D." or any other Windham coun-
ty man Except Judge Wheeler, and
he hadn't the desire) TO attempt to cope.
Hence. as the right to name Judge Po-
lands successor-when the time to name him
came-was generally conceded to Wind
ham county, it was manifest policy for the
Wiudham county aspirants to stand by the
present incumbent in opposition to Mead,
Denison, or any other northern "intrud-
err" But Judge Poland, with his faithful
and disinterested supporters, was doomed
to deleat-and that is what is the matter
with the ambitious but soroly disappoint-
ed "H. D."
But that isn't all that ails him. lie has
a special grievance against the editors of
THE PHGNIX. Bent upon retrieving their
fortunes, if possible, at the November
election, the clique of which al. D." Is a
conspicuous member, through one of their
agents. endeavored to obtain control of the
editorial columns of THE PHGNIX for the
week Immediately preceding the election,
from their inexhaustibe resources, all the
nece ssary FRAMEWORK for the occasion.
Having made up our minds some time
previously that If Judge Poland was elect
ed to Con gress again it would be without
any active assistance on our part, and haV-
ing good reason to believe that this under
handed effort to control public sentiment
was but part of concerted plan on the
part of Judge Poland and his friends to
achieve by intrigue what they could not
openly, we felt that justice to ourselves
and to the intelligent voters Of the district
demanded that we should, at least, express
our honest convictions upon the question
at issue before the people. And we did so.
As to whether our opposition to Judge
Poland was well based or not, is perhaps
worth moments consideration just here.
But first let us say that we never have So
licited any favOrs from Judge Poland. If
the Judge, feeling las were informed some
time ago that he did, that The PHGNIx
was little "shaBy" in its support of him,
saw fit to place government contract I'M
der his control where he thought it would
do the most good, we did not deem it in
cumbent upon us to deny him the privil-
ege, nor did we consider ourselves In duty
bound thereby (since there was no agree
ment or understanding" entered into, nor
any allusion to the matter In an any way,
as III. d." seems to suppose,) to consider
ourselves "bought," body and soul, by the
Judge.
In expressing our objections TO Judge
Poland's e-election-whch were not, TO the
slightest extent, of personal nalure-"H.
D. very naturally regrets that we did not
state them in the form of "outspoken,
manly charges" for which we could be
"held legally responsible" That is Just
what we didn't wish to do, for there was
no need of it. Such charges have, howev-
err been made, tine and again, through
other newspapers, and they have never, in
These charges we need not repeat here, aud,
us we said before, we have no personal
knowledge of their truth or ialsity. Enough
information, however, has come to us
through other and more direct sources 10
convince us that the interests Of political
morality, at least, would best be subserved
by the election of another man than Judge
Poland to Congress. It was very natural,
perhaps, that "H. D." and those like him,
should fail to see the force OF our objec-
lions; but we have the satisfaction OF
knowing that others saw and appreciated
them.