Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-04-16
Parties OF Principles.


those organs find themselves and their party
turned out to grass If the party chiefs put
up rummies for candidates, and few tenn
perance men have backbone enough to vote
for an independent temperance candidate,
the organs of the defeated party come around
as soon as election is over with "You helped
the enemy. Every vote you gave to an in
dependent candidate, if given to our man
would have helped elect him." We are
glad to notice that the number Of people
who are not to be caught with such chat
grows larger every day. The doctrine that
man must become slave 10 one or the
other of the leading parties, and obey every
command of leader, wire-puller, or caucus,
voting for the party candidate whether he
be devil or a saint, is getting to be "paly-
ed out" If the result of the November
election in the second district had been the
choice Of Alexander LcLane, a straightfor-
ward, honest farmer, how the republican Or
gnns would have Aagellated those whom they
claimed for their party but who voted for
Dsnison, for having "helped the enemy !"
Well, suppose they had helped the enc
my. What terrible harm would have re-
suited ? He is a democrat. And what
does that mean 1? Oh, democrat is just as
bad now as he was before the war. That is
the party teaching. Then let us see what
the bad points of democrat before the war
were.
He was in favor of slavery. Don't the
voters tremble ct the danger there is of the
re-establishment of slavery, were there a
democratic congressman sent from Vermont ?
He was in favor of the dissolution of the
Union. Fancy Vermonter going to WASH
ington in 1875 and advocating disunion.
1t is so with the whole catalogue. The
line that divides the two parties to-day is
but imaginary. The old war and ante-war
issues are dead and buried, and the differ
ence between the two parties consists only in
the way of spelling the name, and the voters
are finding it out. This being so, they fail
to see any horrible wickedness in having
voted for an honest and upright man aud
thereby helped one rogue to defeat another
All over the Union this feeling is shown
In Rhode Island last week, while the demo.
Gratis and republicans each had Irregular
state ticket in the field, the independent can.
didates for governor and lieutenant governor
received plurality of the vote, and we are
proud to add that one of the prominent fea.
lures of that independent ticket was prohi-
bition. As the election goes to the legisla-
ture, no ticket having majority, one or the
other Of the old parties may be finally sue
cessful, but the people have expressed them
selves for the independents, and we don't
think those there and elsewhere who vote
for the man they consider best fitted for the
office will have occasion to shed many tears
of remorse over their course.
We believe in the ballot. We believe
it is a right of the poor as we'll as the rich
"a God-given right. And we believe it is
a crime and a sin to pervert that right and
prostitute the power it places in our hands
by casting a vote for one whom we deem ar
unfit man for the place, simply because he i;
the party candidate who has been selected
by few ringleaders as the candidate Of the
party to which they claim one belongs. The
number Of laboriDg men-farmers and me
chanics-who look at the matter in this
light, and who claim the right to vote a
they please, independent of party whips, il
rapidly on the increase Partizan politi
clans claim that parties are necessity I'M
der our form of government. If SO, and
both parties have become so corrupt thai
they stand stained with theft, robbery anC
plumber when we see each party with it
hands plunged to the elbow in the public
treasury whenever it gains the ascendency
when we see them clasp hands in back pay
stealing, Credit Mobilier swindles, &C., and arr
asked why American politics have degenerated
to this degree that an odium rests upon thu
name politician, the answer is plain to all
All this is the result Of our having regarded
party interests as the first object, and mel
and principles as only of secondary impor
lance. In that good era which we hope j
coming, principles and men will be recognizes
as the chief requisites, and the success o
failure Of party will be little accounted
Let all vote for honest, upright and incorrup
tible men, men Of character and firmness, n
matter under what party label they may b
found, and the cost of running our govern
ment will be essened one half, taxes will b
lessened, aristocratc thieves and robber
will be driven to work, and prosperity viii
again smile on the Union. We are keepin
too many drones, and feeding them too high
and it is the toiing millions who are doini
it. Let the grange movement progress, lie
Sovereigns of Industry unite and discuss tn
matters that concern the working people @
America. Already the rings see a storr
ahead, and await it with fear and trembling
The republicans admit that there are doubt
about their electing the next president
The democrats know they deserve no bette
y success than the republicans. Both partie
wonder if there is to be an independent tick
e ct in the field. The fact of the case seem
t to us to be that while the restless and indie
: pendent spirit is not yet prevalent enough
n warrant any great expectation, from it, tn
o two old parties are SO evenly balanced tina
IS perhaps the balance Of power may lie in th
# hands of this few independent spirits. l
Q uieuu Of that fact. il hehnnYes both narties I