Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-04-07
Corruption al ii0me.
To the Editor of the Free Press and Times

Corruption i'll Home.
A great ado is made about the startling
disclosures of corruption in 4" high places,
as if it were nelo thing. It is comfort
to know that there is some sensitiveness IN
the public mind. but is the Belknap bust
ness more than a" drop in the bucket =
Ii the great deep were uncovered, how
many clean hands would be found among
our politicians? No doubt there arc pure
men in Congress, and in Offices at the dis
posal of the President and his Cabinet. bat
how many. who can tell? The corruption
begins at home. Only now and then Is a
man ever nominated for an Office that pays
without the use of corrupt and Gnderhand-
ed means.
Suppose man desires to be REPRESENTA-
tive in Congress. does he await the sponta-
neous expression of tho peoples prefer
ence? Does he not put himself at work
personally, or by hired tools, to Hianuiae-
ture, in sly way. ublie sentiment? Does
he not employ agents to pack The nomina-
ting convention? The people, some Of them
assemble in caucus. to appoint delegates.
In their honest simpli~i'r 49, impose they
do it. The fact Is, b -)me I'M
suspected citizen has been spoken 10, to
nominate the very man, or men. already
pledged TO vote for the nocinati5E Of the
individual who has laid the lines All this,
very probably. has been prepared for
months No doubt the aspiring ones have
settled the matter already IN Vermont, and
know who is 10 be nominated for Congress
in the several districts. and irtO Is going TO
be favored with friendly aid in hi aspIra-
tons for some lucrative position. All that
l. doubtless already agreed upon. In
nearly all the towns there are very Jeic
engaged in the plot. The expectant- laugh
among themselves at our unsuspecting sim
pliclty. There il more or less of this done
IN connection with State officers, but the
planning and plotting, mining and cJun-
termining are mainly confined to candidates
for Congress, because there Is more money
at stake, and il Is thought 10 pay for run
ming some risk.
This is humiliating The people very
seldom get around sufficiently u battle the
deep LAID plans of these artful. unprinci-
pied men. who expect. to remunerate them
selves AT somebody's expense, when they get
TO Washington. How are they going 10
know anything about the men who live at
a distance from them2 They are about
their honest business at home. Some one
or a few profess to have knowledge which
they deal out literally To their nsighborS.
They have been eHpt9yed 20 do tins very
thing
Instead ofinquiring for the best and a5lesf
man who can be trllsted-the best and abest
in the District-we seek the most aspiring
OF our corner. We must all have piece Of
this pie-plss 1t around.
Have Chittenden, Franklin. Lamoille.
Orleans, Essex, Grand Isle, had their indi-
yIdual plan Let Us meet, few OF u. at
Burlington, or Hylepark, or Barton, or
mewhere, and arrange this little matter
among ourselves. The people won't look
after Us, and II they do. We can manage to
outwit them.
l. there any remedy for this state of
things, any security against the nomination
and election Of dishonest and disreputable
men? Any way by which we can save our
selves from base imposition Can You tell,
FREE Pass AND TIHEs2 z. q. q.
We think that our correspondent exag-
gerates in a measure the degree OF corrup-
ton in our home politics We should be
ver7 sorry to believe. and We do not believe,
-hG. e only now and then Is man ever |
nominated for an Office that pays, without |
The use Of corrupt and underhandcd means"
ct 1t Is doubtless true that many, perhaps |
The majority Of the nominations for public |
)ihces. even in Vermont. are secured By
secret management and wire-pulling The |
nan far too often seeks the ofhee, rather
han the office the man. The remedy lies 1
With the voters. In this State. where. as a |
'ule, Republican nomination is equivalent |
10 an election the place where the selec- |
ion Tor office Is really made. is the primary |
Meeting. Yet the great mass OF the voters
ShOlly neglect the caucus. Year after year,
With eyes wide open. they allow few man
he nominations, and think they have done
Ii their duty if thew growl little, while
citing for the candidates set up for them
the honest men. who from the great mass
the dominant party. will take half the
ans to make their influence felt in the
aucuse. and nominating conventions that
be wire-pullers take. they can control the
ominations with absolute certainty. The
smedy lies with them. As long as they
re too lazy or too listless to manage these
latiers, they will be managed for them.
YOUNG MES's CHRISTIAN AssocIATIoN-
he annual meeting Of the Young Mems
Tristan Association. of this city, was held
n tuesday evening, April 4th, at their hall,
ark Block. and was very fully attended
his was the tenth anniversary Of the
)unding OF the Association in this city.
he report OF the Treasurer, Oharles p.
NTH, showed the receipts for the year to
e Si23.5l; expenditures, Si22 IS. leaving
balance in the treasury of 81 IS. The
'port OF the Secretary, Professor George
l. Perkins, gave the following summary
or the past year, delegations Of ladies and
nave visited the prisoners in the
III every Sunday afternoon, and more has
zen done and the work has been more en-
'uraging than ever before. With PRAYER,
'rsonal conversation, distribution Of tracts.
nging, etc. these yisitations have been
Of much good, and of one or two
'lyicts sentenced to the State Prison for a q
rm OF years, very encouraging reports have 1
zen received from the Warden. at Wind
r. The meetings 10 the Eldridge school
strict. South Burlington. which have been
rried on for series OF wears, have been ,,
ntinued and a Sunday school conducted G
rough the sumner months. The Sunday o
iernocn meetings in the City Park have Z
suit IN an increased attendance at the o
o clock meetings in the Association u
oms, and, though the result Of this branch I
the WORK cannot be seen as plainly as m G
me branches o! direct tforis, much good
being done
The following officers were elected for
e year ensuing
President -G II. Perkins.
Zee Presidential j. Howard
Recording Secretary-S. Z. Weston. q
corresponding Secretary-L. NJ Davis. II
rreasurer-C. P. Nichols. 9
E Clary.
Directors Q. p. Smith. NJ Davis. Mr.
Ter.
W oRsE THAN HAzING.-The Yale Fresh u
IN had hard time of it in the Eighteenth y
injury. Every STUDENT runs one of N,
, oil Ia,