davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-11-01
Kidnapping the state.

Mr. Henry, Of Chester, introduced into
the House on Thursday, bill which very
substantially proposes to re-map that por-
ton Of the state lying on the east side
of the mountain, and TO make serious
changes in county lines. The changes, in
brief, are as follows To take from Orleans
county the towns Of Holland, Morgan,
Charleston and Westmore, and from Gale
dona county, the town Of Newark, and an
mex them to Essex county. To take from
Essex county the towns of Victory. Lunen-
hurgh and Concord TO take from Orange
county the towns Of Topsham, Newbury,
Coriuth and Bradford, and add them TO
Caledonia county To take from Orange
county the towns Of Orange, Washington and
Williamsiown, and annex them to Washing
ton county. To take from Windsor county
Rochester, Bethel Royalton, Sharon, Nor
wich, Stockbridge, Barnard, Pomfret, Hart
ford, Bridgewater, Woodstock, llartland,
West Windsor and Windsor, and annex
them TO Orange. To take from Wndham
county the towns Of Londonderry. Wind
ham, Grafton, Rockingham, Athens and
Westminster, aud annex them to Windsor
The tenure OF all county officers is pre-
served until the end OF their present term of
service
The bill provides that the shire of Essev
county shall be located in the town Vt
Brighton the shire Of Orange county to be
located by a commission, at some point be
tween West Randolph and Sharon; the
shire of Windsor county to be located 10y a
commission, between the village of Ludlow
and Bartonsvile in the town of Rockingham.
The bill further provides that after the
first Wednesday in October, 1873, the
counties Of Windsor and Windham shall
have two senators each, and Orange three.
BY this arrangement every shire town is
located upon some main line of railroad and
the main aud easiest line of travel Of each
county is toward its shire.
The bill aboishes six probate districts
Bradford, Randolph, Hartford, Windsor,
Westminster and Marlboro, which are now
necessitated by the present division of
counties, with salaries aggregating three
thousand six hundred and fifty dollars
and while enabling the people to do their
business much more expeditiously and
cheaply with three probate districts--Or
ange, Windsor aud Windham, with az
gregate salaries of two thousand three hun
dred and thirty dollars, it saves the stat,
one thousand three hundred dollars on sala
ries Of probate officers alone,
In the matter of mileage for court pur
poses it is estimated that it will be reduced
about one-half. The area and population Of
the various counties under the provisions Of
this bill are rendered much more equa
than at present.
II is understood that this bill will com
mand the support of a majority of the votes
Of the east side of the mountain; and, il
many particulars, meets a long desired neet
in that section. 1t was laid on the table
and the clerk ordered to procure the print
ing of a thousand copies. The bill will un
doubleday provoke considerable discussion
out of which will perhaps come the desired
| rpliaf
Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-11-01
Tildcn's Trump Card.


1t was Van Buren,, we believe, who was
charged with inaugurating the democratic
tactics of carrying national elections by
granting all the demands of the South, and
relying upon party machinery for the North.
This seems to have been the policy thus far
of the present "Tldon and reform" cam.
paign but in pursuing this policy the out
look bad become so serious that nothing
short Of an act of the utmost desperation
could possibly save the day. SO Governor
Tilden's man Friday, Congressman Hewitt,
calls upon his master TO make public his
views upon the Southern question; and this
the self-suiIicient and complacent 5. j. I.
proceeds at once to do, in an open letter 10
his trainer Hewitt, in which he says:
Should be elected President, the provisions of
the fourteenth amendment will, so far as depends
on me, be maintained, executed and enforced in
perfect and absolute good faith, No rebel debt
will be assumed or paid No claim for the loss or
emancipation Of any slave will be allowed No
claim for any loss or damage incurred by disloyal
persons, arising from the late war whether covered
by the fourteenth amendment or not, Will be
recognized or paid. The cotton tax will not be re-
funded. IddA deem 4 mn duty to reto ercry bm
proriding for the assumption or payment Of aay
such debts, losses, damages, claims, or for tie re-
funding n any such tdg'
Whether this eeyenth-hour declaration
comes in time TO serve its purpose, or
whether it will aid the cause of Tilden and
reform at the North more than it will injure
it at the South, remains to be seen.
Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-11-01
The Situation.

After the elections in Ohio and Indiana
the Tilden bureau, fully comprehending, but
fearing to face the true significance of the
result issued orders all along the line TO call
the defeat victory, fire guns, set the ROSTERS
growing, and make a noise generally. These
orders were scrupulously followed, as we all
know, and with a fidelity which had a mo-
mentary effect upon a few timid minds.
But now that the noise has died away and
the smoke blown off, the actual situation is
discernible again. The Tilden wave is
rapidly receding, and the prospect Of his
capturing the Presidency is seen to be as
faint as it was month ago. The story is
circulating in New York that Mr. Magone.
the chairman of the democratic state COM
mittee, has written to an Albany newspaper
private letter, the contents of which have
leaked out, and in which he virtually gives
up the fight. lie admits that there is
great danger" of losing New York aud
New jersey and in fact feels certain of
nothing but a solid South. The chief cause
of trouble, probably, is that the Republicans
have discovered the intended frauds in regis
tration, aud are making such preparations
as will prevent the Tilden managers from
repeating the frauds of 1868; and unless
they can do this their defeat is as certain as
sunrise. Even the assistance of the canal
ring, which has rallied to Tilden, and is EN-
ploying thousands of democratic workmen
on the line Of the canals, will not save him.
His only hope is in the triumph of fraud,
and he begins to realize that the honest
voters have learned the tricks of Tammany,
and will not again permit them to succeed.
Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-11-01

At last the work of saving the Old South
church, in Boston, from destruction by van
dial hands, seems to have been fully com
pleted. The last Congregdiionalit gives the
particulars. The property has been bought
for four hundred thousand dollars, and
placed in the hands of Mr.. r. NJ. Pulsifer, as
trustee. OF the purchase-money, one hun
bred and seventy-ive thousand dollars has
been advanced by persons who desired to re-
main unknown Zone hundred thousanddolars
without security and seyenty-fve thousand
dollars on second mortgage); and the balance
of two hundred aud twenty-five thousand
dollars is obtained on mortgage, having three
years to run, to the New England Mutual Life
Insurance Company. Mr. NJ. II. Sargent, the
treasurer of the preservation committee, has
resigned, and is succeeded by Mr. Henry
Lee, a State street banker. The Old South
Society insisted to the last upon the condi.
ton that Tor thirty years the building shall
not be used for any purpose whatever on
Sunday, except so far as the duties of Gus
todian may reach, provided it remains on its
present site. The chairman of the society's
standing committee justified this condition
on the ground that the society had to pre-.
serve the historic reputation OF the Third
church in Boston and the memory of the
doctrine of the Puritans. We are assured
by the Congregaionaiist that in every detail
of the transaction the chance Of peryersion
to any private interest has been guarded
against, and that all contributions toward
the preservation of the building for public
and patriotic uses will be applied faith
fully.
Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-11-01

their own credit, and the interest on their state
debts, contracted by themselves, goes unpaid,
how can they be expected to take more lively in
terost in protecting the honor and credit Of the Ma
tonal government for which they never protested
;he highest allegiance and against which they
recently so desperately Fought
-Four years ago the democratic party sought 10
win by the nomination Of Horace Greeley, n life
long, anti-slayory Republican, known to have been
always opposed to secession, and during the war
most urgent to push the army "on to Richmond
known, also, to be the vigorous champion Of a pro-
tective tariff and irreconcilably hostile to all the
dogmas Of free-tradc, and who was, moreover, a
clcar-grt foe to irredeemabe paper money and
the advocate Of specie resumption, holding that
" the way TO resume was 10 resume" insidnter
but this year the heart Of the democratic party is
no longer on the left side; they have changed all
that, and Mr. 1ilden represents the opposite or
anti-Grecley phase at all points. II the party is
sincere now, it cannot have been sincere four years
ago II honest then, 1t cannot be honest now
The followers Of such a party seem forced 10
march to the music Of any hurdy-gurdy that -ts
leaders may pick up. It's candidates for nearly
twenty years tit is hardly too much to say Of the
dro assormenD have been selected much ~ Bar
mum selects his riders for the hppodrome, not as
the representatives of any fixed principles, but for
some astonishing peculiarly that it is supposed
will draw full house, and their national party
platforms for the same time have been 80 unre-
lated, dissimilar and heterogeneous that, as the
French say Of unmatched pieces Of furniture, they
! swear at each other.
But Mr. Secretary, my heart pities you when
Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-11-01

A SURPRIsE.-The recent decision of the
Supreme Court of the United States seems
TO take the life insurance companies all
aback. 1t seems that every policy of some
years standing has an ascertainable equit-
able value" If the payment of premiums
is prevented by such an unavoidable obstacle
as war, the further insurance is forfeited,
but not the equitable value" the whole of
which "may be recovered in an action at
law or suit in equity" 1t would seem to
follow from this that if the payment of pre-
miums should cease from simple inability to
pay, or want of disposition to pay, the party
insured would be able to recover some part
of the equitable value by suit in equity.
In other words, the company would be al
lowed to retain out of that equitable value"
the whole of which it would have had 10
retain in case of war, only so much as to
compensate it for its loss by the cessation of
the premiums. This would be proportionate
to the insurance remaining to be done under
the policy, and would be about what it would
cost to get into the company another policy
as profitable 10 it as the one cancelled As
the insurance remaining to be done decreases
with the age of the policy, and the equitable
value increases, it is plain that an old policy
can withdraw its equitable value with but
slight diminution. This is an entirely new
state of things. 1t will be the fault of dis
contented policy holders themselves if the
Supreme Court has not inaugurated revo-
luton in their favor. The law and the law
yers will now be on their side
Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-11-01

SoUTH CARoLINA.--B Before the war all
the political power in South Carolina was
virtually in the hands of from FIVE to ten
thousand white men-but few more than
enough to fill the Offices. 1t happened in
this wise The population of the state was
made up Of four hundred and twelve thou
sand three hundred and twenty negroes and
two hundred and ninety-one thousand, three
hundred whites. If we divide the latter by
seven-the usual proportion of voters to the
population--we have about forty-one thou
sand six hundred votes. The poor whites
of South Carolina were without doubt the
lowest in the social scale of any in the
United States. They were largely made up
OF the class known as " olay-eaters" and
A" sand-hillers," who were but few degrees
above Digger Indian. The constitution
of the state was very aristocratic, and poor
men generally were virtually debarred from
all active participation in politics. This is
the same state of things that Wade IIamp-
tons party is trying to restore--a govern
ment by an oligarchy, which will crush
everybody but the favored few into the
dirt
Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-11-01

Do the Republican voters OF Vermont
realize that they have entered upon the last
week Of the Presidential campaign, and that
within so short time the momentous
decision viii be made ? And are they fully
awareof the tremendous responsibility which
attaches to the faithful discharge Of their
whole duty There is little time left for
argument, and fortunately for the state and
the nation there is little need of It among
the intelligent freemen OF Vermont They
early took in and comprehended the full
significance Of the situation. In the com
mencement of the campaign they discovered
the cunning but desperate attempt TO capture
the government by means Of solid South,
and they became fully aroused to a full sense
of the appalling dangers involved in the
success of such a scheme. They saw that
the success Of the democratic party meant
nothing short of the payment Of al immense
amount in Southern claims. by methods
which would readily discover themselves to
party which had always been controlled
and used 10y a united South. They saw
that it meant peril to the national safe
guards, and that il seriously menaced the
public credit and all financial securities In
a word they early discovered the true and
paramount issue in this campaign whether
those who treacherously struck at the life Of
the nation, or those who saved it, shall now
rule it. And upon this issue they uttered
their solemn verdict in September--a YER
dict which was in keeping with their time
honored record as the cradle of the Repub-
lcan party of the country, and which sent a
thrill of inspiration TO the hearts of loyal
men all over the land.
And now shall next weeks verdict be
worthy OF the men and the state who rem.
der it ? The reading and thinking Repub.
lioans Of Vermont know full well the char.
acter of the democratic party in the state
and of the men who control it. They are
familiar with their record during the war
and their bitter hostility to all the measures
of reconstruction. And they know that the
only hope Of success for such party and
such men is TO join hands with those who
tore down the old ag--destroyed the lives
of our patriotic fathers, brothers and sons
and did their utmost TO destroy the life of
the nation. Shall they be suffered TO ride
into positions of power, of which they have
shown themselves so utterly unworthy, upon
the backs of those whose hands and hearts
are red with the nations blood
Vermont is true to the core-and let her
roll up majority next Tuesday for Hayes
and Wheeler which shall attest, in this cen
tennial year, as nothing else can, her regard
for true, and her hatred of sham reforms /;
that she loves truth, liberty and justice
that she holds the national credit as sacred
as the national honor-and that she rises to
full comprehension of her supreme duty
to sustain the cause which triumphed at Ap.
pomattox
Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-11-01

A BUSINESS LooK,-When the danger of
democratic success was ayerted in 1865 by
the election of Grant, United States bonds
Immediately rose and gold fell rapidly If
the democrats should succeed this year, with
the wild notions held by the great majority
of that party and with the formal pledge to
repeal the resumption act, it may be held
exceedingly probable that bonds will fall
and gold advance. A considerable alarm on
the part of men who have money on de-
post, the value of which might be materially
affected by depreciation of the legal ten.
der, would be very natural. IT, in obedience
to such demand country banks sh ould he
forced to deplete their deposits, aud at the
same time nominally advancing prices of
breadstuifs should hasten sales and ship
ments, serious difficulty might occur within
a month after the election, Such difficulty
would be more threatening if the election
should so result as to render probable an
ugly and bitter contest over the counting Of
the votes. Safety for the banks and their
depositors, and for the business community
which is dependent upon the banks for sup
port lies only in the success of the Republi-
can party by a decisive majority.
Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-11-01

Our NEXT CoNGREss.--One of the cheer
ing signs of the elections held this month
is the fact, that however the people may
vote for state officers, they have become
alive to the importance Of placing men in
the House of Representatives in sympathy
with the principles for which the nation
has struggled, during the last sixteen years.
The fact that so large number of demo
Gratis, now members Of the present House,
have been replaced by Republicans from
the states OF Ohio and Indiana, indicates
that the people have had enough of democratic
legislation. No better proof is needed of the
utter unfitness of the democratic party, dom
mated as 1t is by the ex-confederate South,
to control and carry out the great issues of
the country, than the exhibition presented
at the last session Of Congress. However
local matters may change the vote upon 10.
cal officers, the people cannot be deuded by
the demagogues of Tilden and democracy
10 neglect the national cause. There are
important questions before the country,
which are to be settled by the next Con.
gress and upon their wise determination
is to depend, largely, the peace, prosperity
and happiness of the country.
Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-11-01

STARTLING Tnurt-James g. Blaine
makes the following appalling statement,
based upon official proof Since the sur
render of General Lee, and ! state this from
official papers, am not making loose,
rambling statement, but am taking it from
evidence that would be taken for evidence
in any court of law, little stricter evidence
than that on which they propose to assail
the treasury of the United States, testimony
that could be cumulated an hundred fold, if
the men who gave II dared to speak out
since the war closed, in 1865, there have
been more men murdered in the South for
political opinion-that is, murdered for be-
ing Experimentation fell on the Union
side in the three bloodiest battles OF the
war" This is most startling statement
II tells in word the awful condition of af.
fairs in the South. win the people make
1t worse by giving the rebel element full
control
Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-11-01

SOME FIGuREs.-The staid old Worcester
(Mass,) Spy gives the following predictions
relative to the Presidential election; ain
the thirty states where there seems to us lit
tie or no doubt of the result our estimate
gives Hayes and Wheeler one hundred and
sixty.six electoral votes, and Tilden and
Hendricks one hundred and seven. This
does not include the following states Con-
necticut, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, New
Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Wiscon-
sin. Our present belief is that the demo-
Gratis will carry Louisiana, Florida and South
Carolina, not honestly, but by such means
as they have used successfully in some other
Republican states and we are still more
sure that the Republicans will carry New
York. This would make the electoral vote
stand, two hundred and one for Hayes, and
one hundred and twenty-six for Tilden and
Hayes may get majority of the electoral
votes of the three states not included in this
estimate, il not all of them. At any rate,
the changes seem to us strongly in favor of
Hayes and Wheeler. As the election will
take place a week from next Tuesday, we
shall soon know the result"
Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-11-01

Coop REAsoNs.-Professor James Rus
sell Lowell writes as follows in acceptance
Of the Republican nomination for Presi.
Dental elector from the eighth (Nlassachu-
setts) congressional district although |
would much rather the choice of the con
vention had fallen elsewhere, cannot bring
myself to decline nomination made with
such friendly unanimity by so respectable a
gathering of my fellow-citizens. Believing as
| do, on satisfactory evidence, that our can
didates for The Offices OF President and Vice
President represent the principles which
made the Republican party useful 10 the
whole country, and that they will firmly op-
pose the practices which would degrade il
from a national organization to a close cor
poration for private advantage being as
sured that they are in favor of an undelu-
siye currency of more far-seeing policy
toward the South and of thorough reform
in our civil service, now the most aristo-
cratic in the civilized world, since 1t makes
appointment to office and promotion therein
dependent on patronage instead of fitness, |
accept, with many thanks, the nomination
you have done me the honor to communicate .
Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-11-01

LAST WEEK OF THE CANvAss.-The
New York Times speaks as follows of the
last week Of the canvass: The last week
of the canvass opens with excellent pros
poets for the success Of the Republican
ticket. Cautious and clear-headed polite
ians have at no time anticipated that the
election would be anything but close, but
the reports which have been received du.
ring the past week show that IL will not be
nearly 80 close as was looked for some time
ago. Each day of the canvass improves the
prospect for success. The National Com
mittee have been enabled in the past few
days to considerably reduce the list OF
" doubtful states. Very few are now
left in that category, and New York, hap
PLY, is not one of them. Reports have been
received from every state in the Union, and
as the sum of all it may be said, on the best
and most trustworthy information possible,
that Mr.. Tilden will carry only the hope
lessly democratic states and possibly one
or two of the unimportant doubtful ones.