Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-05-26
Two Small Minorities.

Two political conventions, the prohibit
ton and the greenback, we're held last week
to nominate presidents and vice.presidents of
the United States. At the first, held at
Cleveland, Gen. Green Clay Smith Of Ken.
lucky was nominated president aud G.. T..
Stewart of Ohio, vice.president: while the
nominations at the latter gathering which
met at indianapolis were Peter Cooper of
New York for president and Newton Booth
Of California for vice.presdent. The pro.
hibition platform consists Of the following de-
mands
That the constitution be so amended as TO
prohibit the importation, expectation, manu-.
facture and traffic Of all alcoholic beverages;
that all races, colors and sexes be allowed
suffrage and eligibility to traffic that the
public lands be appropriated only to actual
settlers reduction Of postage, Of tele.
graph rates, of tariff for railway and steam
boat travel and general laws for the suppress
sion of lotteries and gambling in stocks, gold
aud produce the abolition of polygamy
national observance of the Sabbath; compul-
sorry education aud free use of the Bible in
the public schools the prohibition Of the
use of all public moneys for any religious
sect arbitration with all foreign countries
humanity in jaiIs and prisons abolition OF
all official patronage; election Of all civil
officers by the direct vote Of the people; n
liberal national policy to emigrauts sepa-
ration Of government money from all banking
institutions. government to issue only paper
money reduction of salaries and of govern
ment expenses and full investigation of all
abuses.
Ii might be said without fear of contra
diction that there is work enough "blockei
out" in that platform to engage reiormers
and philanthropists, with an ideal congress
for stroke, in one united pull for fifty genera.
tions. But examine the planks, one by one.
The "importation, expectation and manulact-
ure of all alcoholic beverages" to be legs.
lated clean out of existence Though the
most rigid restriction upon all such traffic is
dcvoutly to be wished, the adjustment Of
the same is not to be contaminated yet.
Many Jealous men seem entirely oblivious
of the fact that congress aud the peopls are
substantially one in heart and opinion.
First create the public, not the faction, SEN
timent that demands the reform and the
law follows as light does darkness. Tho
next plank would be better with "aH sexes"
omitted. Fortunately considerable odium
still attaches to the idea Of investing woman
with tho masculinty Of suffrage power or
tho muscularlty OF hardware merchant, or
locomotive engineer And the third factor
Of this platform suggests narrowness that
always attends partizan gatherings. II rail-
roads are the greatest material civilizers in
new and undeveloped territory, they GER
talnly might seem to deserve the limited
patronage oEgovernment, giving value, as
they do, TO what would otherwise remain
for long time worthless. 1t is, perhaps.
a gross error in the eyes Of partizans that
government looks at the country as whole.
If the post Office department is at present
conducted with large annual deficit, what
can be gained by further reduction Of post.
age2 Telegraph rates will be reduced when
ever competing lines are established. A
just tariff for railway and steamboat travel
is something quito beyond the province of
congress to fix in all cases. The rates on
many roads are such now that a continuance
of the same would result in wholesale bank
ruptcy. lotteries and gambling in stocks,
gold and produce" are evils which should
certainly be checked in every possible way.
As to pOlygamy why not let it abolish
itself2 Anything 80 unsavOry and self-de-
structive will soon expire without violent
foreign interference, The observance of the
Sabbath can best DO regulated by states,
while the relation Of the Bible to secular ed
ucatiOn can be most satisfactorily settled,
we think, by local legislation. With the
next plank there is no fault to be found