Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1876-05-13
Correspondence INDEPENDENT GAZETTE.
Letter from Bert Darlington.

WHITEHEAD, n. H., May sth, 1876
Er. Editor
The patriotic citizens OF Nashville met
in mass convention last Wednesday even
ing to draft resolutions for presentation
30 our forthcoming State Presidential
Convention. The Republicans met in the
school house, the Democrats in the spa
ciouS rooms of the "Ilashville Bald Eagle
of Freedom" across the way. Intense en-
thsSiasm prevailed. The entire occasion
was gemmed with the fash and CLEAN of
that old time eloquence with which Hash
vile made rebellion tremble when death
(and the draft) was in the air. The Hon.
William L. Spunk-"Ole Bill'' for short
was chosen President of the Republican
meeting, and the Hon. G. Washington
Snoutgrass presided over the Democracy.
These old chaps have been out of office a
long time. The meetings caught the POI
litical spirit of the period, bat tn: impor-
tant difference between their resolutions
and the stereotyped article usually adopted
of late is that our Nashville neigAborS are
frank in self condemnation while its the
fashion to cover the enforced confession
of our political sins with Il FURNISHED
vencering of abstract verbiagc. When
my neighbors have anything to say about
anybody (but me and my folkS) like to
hear them talk right out in church, so
enjoyed the meeting very much. l wish
had time to give yoH a full report of the
speeches, delivered at these meetings, but
have not and so come at once to the
resolutions, adopted at both meetings,
strange as the coincidence may SEEM
namely:
Whereas, We, as political party and power for
good in the land have outlived our day, the emer-
gencies which called us into hfe and the results
We were organized to achieve, and
Whereas We are a set Of oil "has beens" who;e
larger manhood has shrlink into a lean and slip
pered impotcncy and whose decaying oil bones
already squeak and totter beneath the anathema
of damning history, and
Whereas, Our hands are poisoned by the curse
Of an itching palm which nothing but the familiar
abrasion of ill gotten treasury notes can assuage
and
Whereas, We don't know what our political enc.
mics are about over the way, therefore,
feSO!red, That we are opposed to everything
that our enemies are in favor of and in favor OF
everything that our enemies are opposed to.
ReSolrcd, That the chief and dearest end of pol.
itcs is to whip in the fight and secure the spoils
| therefore,
ReSOlred, That we will vote the straight ticket
every time early and often, not that we hate our
selves less, but our enemies more.
| ReSOlred, That we believe in holding fast the
! rings and Ctatles of party corruption until thu
best liberties of the republic are RACED to the dust
in reducing them.
! ReSolCed, That the sole possibility of pOitica
reform rests upon the preservation and security
Of our party that we are enriched with the inner
! eRt virtues essential to our own publication; tina
! we repel with scorn and defiance the eXtraneOu'
cathartic commended to our lips in the burning
chalice of the independent press, and although
no party in all history has been able to purg,
itself of the multiplying villainies which fate AM
metaphysical aid doth seem to have us crowned
witha we'll stick to our text if the devil has t.
pronounce the benedictiOn.
| Noah put on 2irs that lie hadn't papers to bacl
up; that William Tell, Lucretia Borgia, San
/ ratch, Capt. John Smith, and the captors of Maj
Andre We're frauds al and singular, and that Jel
Davis sympathized with the rebellion, still we dt
not believe in blowing about it forever and ever
New times demand new measures and new men
| \ hungry warld cannot appease its appetite b.
turning back in its diary and reading what it ha,
y
we stand with loyal reverence and uncovere,
head before the honored tomb of the dead past W
should not forget our kinship and obligation t.
| the living present.
Resolred, That we regard Rristow and TilLel
as the typical heroes of modern reform in thei
respective parties, and while we are not prepare
to commit ourselves to their support thereby in
curing the possibility of excluding better candi
dates, we are free to declare that if the mQorit!
of our fellow citizens like one Of these men 70
the presidency we are unable to see why or where
in he would not be such Il man as such citizen
would be likely to like.
The resolutions were unanimously
adopted and the meetings adjourned, join
ing each other in the street and paSsn.
down Hoop Pole Avenue arm in arm, step
ping jauntily to the patriotic music of thu
| Nashville string band under the able lead
erShip of the editor of the "Bald Eagle,
who drafted and moved the resolutions
l offered to lug his bass viol while inter
viewed him, but he was so highly ethc
realized by the influences Of the occasion
that he blankly replied, "Two dollars {
year always in advance. viii club yel
| dog cheap for cash down"
Isn't much of a spring for farming, i,
! it.? When l see old broken backed farm
ers going out every morning with a crow.
bar to prospect for frost and hear them
sN ear when they drive that implement in.
to the solid ice four feet below the surface
it makes me realize how true it is that
was not born for pastoral poet If il
were not for our spring elections oar soil
would be so cold that we would have to
bring on! potato patches into the kitchen
in a basket and warm them every morn
ing to insure success. Spring is the sad
dest season with us mountaineers. The
long winter gives us a hatred for cold
weather, and when we burst into the
golden days Of April its no uncommon
thing at all to see an old gray headed man
sitting on the banking crying bitterly be-
cause its so near the next winter--iust as
our Need Carleton (the LATEST man in the
world) used to hate to have Saturday
night come because it was so near Mon
4.