The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-05-20
Saving the Country.

The Fifth Avenue Hotel meeting last
Monday, created scarcely a ripple in po-
litical circles. Ii seems that about two
hundred gentlemen assembled in response
to an invitation issued some time since by
leading " independents, mostly Of Re.
publican tendencies, to confer upon ques.
tions arising out of the political situation.
1t was select party, to which special in.
vitations were issued A few Vermont.
crs were among the favored ones. OF
those invited Messrs. Z. j. Phelps, Fred.
erick Billings, Charles w Willard, John
Prout, Willard Harrington and Charles
NJ. Bliss were present. This gathering
is in consistency with the pretentious as.
sumptions of purity and excellence which
certain wiseacres have long exhibited.
They have canvassed the situation from
the standpoint Of " outs and have come
to see that the country is going to imme-
date and irret ievable ruin Luless saved
by some unexpected providence like their
own elevation to leadership in the poiti.
cal parties and control OF the govern.
ment.
This howl about the corruption aud
the " decadence IN American politics is
not peculiar to these times So early as
1909 it was said of Governor Isaac
Tichenor, who had been chief magistrate
OF this state for eleven years, that he was
in the habit Of declaring that there was
not virtue enough in the people to sup.
port Republican form Of government
So in 1916 Hon. William Sade, after
wards governor and member Of Con.
gress, publicly advocated a prayer meet.
ing to take the place Of, or follow,
Fourth of July celebration in Middle.
bury, it is thought for the purpose Of
asking the Great Ruler to avert the ruin
which threatened the nation on account
of the sins Of the people. Later, when,
upon the death OF President Harrison,
John Tyler became the chief executive, u
bill was passed reviving the national
bank, which had been killed by President
jackson. This bill was tie hobby Of the
party 10 power. 1t was on this issue
that the administration came into power.
But Tyler vetoed the bill and the opposi.
ton made the greatest demonstrations DO.
cause the country was saved from the
terrible ruin which threatened her. So
it has frequently been that our country
has been supposed to be upon the very
verge Of ruin from one cause or another.
And yet we have not only our national
existence, but considerable in the way of
material advancement to show at our
! Centennial exhibition.
1t must not be expected that IN the
progress Of human events we shall realize
all our ideals of policy or right. There
must be some allowance for the frailties
OF human nature, and moro still for the
difference of judgment and bias OF edu
csti n. No party or set of individuals is
likely to have a monopoly Of the wisdom
or the virtue which we desire to see pre-.
vail in human governments.
Theoretically, there is but one opinion
as TO the desirability Of securing honest
and capable men for positions of trust.
The officially lies ia tho impossibility TO
determine who is honest 1t may be
considered q settled principle of politics
that it is unsafe to rely too much upon
the assumptions of virtue by those who
are not in positions to test their qualities.
OF course. all these methods OF saving
the country. either by prayer, as Gov.
Slade recommended, or by an open letter,
a Ia Frederick Billings, or by an address,
as the Fifth Avenue Hotel conference
has done, are we'll enough. But we must
not forget that open letters and addresses,
however high sounding aud noble the
sentiments, are sometimes prompted by
the desire TO secure prominence to the
authors 10 other words. it is a part OF
the campaign. But every voter should
scrutiLze candidates whom they are
asked to support, so far rs possible, for
themselves, and II they are in doubt
about one, another candidate should be
sought