The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-09-23


against Mr.. Lucia aud We might add
those who felt ii a duty to stand by the
regular nomination, il not quite so good
It is easy, therefore. to see bow major
ity are not opposed bu: rather in favor
Of the law 10 that county We also learn
that some who voted for the regular :"
nomination, because it was such, and with
some reluctance, ore now convinced they
did wrong, and would take q different
course another time.
Middlebury is reported to have given
Chapman 1876 democratic votes out Of
14S, and several other towns gave him
the ontire democratic vote If, as it ap.
pesrs. he had only minority Of temper.
ance voters, and was elected mainly by
rum republicans and democrats, with only
a small majority at that, it is not much
for the republican convention to be proud
Of and will be quite likely TO lead to q
wiser course another time.
We give room for the above from the
Vermont Witness, partly for the ideas
with which it supplements the conclusions
we have already drawn from the result
Of the election, and partly to remark
that its style of quotation is hardly cal.
culated to convey fair impression OF
what we did say, We were neither
"mixed," nor "despondsnt, and we wrote
what VIC meant to say. When we snid
that majority of the voters of the
county are opposed to the execution Of
the prohibitory law we were stating the
practical result Of the election. Mr..
Chapman and Mr.. Rider we're the candi-
dates Of the anti. probibtionists. Their
aggregate majority was 339. Though
$40 prohibitionsts voted for Mr.. Chap.
man, the result Of the election will be in.
terpreted by every one as placing this
county in opposition to the law for the
present. In such cnse, oil that is left
for temp erance men to do is 10 labor for
the advancement of tho temperance
cause, and seek to secure its success at
the polls next time. We believe it Is q
well settled principle that when an official
knows that by negecting the duty which
he was elected to do, be viii lose the sup.
port Of the majority which elected him,
it forms the strongest inducement for him
to perform his duty. Mr.. Chapman, for
instance, can infer from the character of
the support he received. that he was
elected to neglect the prohibitory law, and
to hinder its execution. If he believed
this, and desired second reelection,
who doubts that his entire action would
be to render the law nugatory in this
county, Hence it was hardly necessary
for the comprehension Of most of our
readers to say that when tho coll to duty
is emphasized by majority. no states
attorney will fail Of doing it.
But because, notwithstanding the fore.
going considerations, we admitted that
possibly MIR. Chapman could be honest
enough to do the duty prescribed to him
as an officer Of the state especially when
the analysis of the votes must show to
him that The temperance vote is actually
in the majority, and advised the temper.
ance men to accept the inevitable, and
look to him TO do his duty, instead Of
lying back and refusing to recognize
him, the astute Witness concludes that
we are mixed" If common fairness
and courtesy subjects q man to tho i'm.
putation of being mixed, We are willing
to shoulder the term. Taking this sense
Of the term, however, the editor of the
Witness has too often given proof that be
is very unmixed
@ Among many disasters to ship.
ping on the coast in tho terrible oqunoc.
tial gale of last Sunday was that of the