Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-09-20
The Signs OF the Times.

We are not pessimists. Looking hack
over the past. at the deadly perils the nation
has met and overcome, at the great ques-
tons, rot alone those that have been decided
By the final arbitrament of war, but the
hardly less important ones, involving the
honor and prosperity Of the country, the
answers to which seemed vital, both on the
grounds Of pclicy and principle, we arc in
clined to take heart for the future. and,
while the ebb and flow of public opinion and
the successes and defeats of the day NAV
seem to initiate against the true greatness
and the real prosperity Of the land to place
our hope in the ultimate triumph Of the
right. But in these latter days he must be
indeed thor0nghgoing optimist who can
look forward to the future without alarm,
ard most short-sighted patriot who can
disregard the ominous portents Of the day.
What are the political signs Of the times
Let US glance :at them, for an instant. ard
see If they are such as to greatly encourage
the honest man and the intelligent lover of
his country. In the Third Congressional
District cf this State a man who was the
president of National bank and the
candidate Of a party whose pet
Lds Hor is the National banking
system who was the president of one
railroad and director Of another, and tie
candidate of party which never wearies of
denOuncing the railroad mOnopoles" Of the
country who was an inAationist and a re-
pudiationist, received nine thousand votes at
the polls. In Maine. the nhationist-' candi-
date for Governor polled forty thousand
votes. this year, against FIVE thousand last
and the most prominent member Of the Con
gressiOnal delegation-a hard-money man,
and man Of ability, culture and national
reputatiOn-was defeated by man Of ALSO
lutelY no education whatever. and who says
that in Congress he will be guided on the
financial questions by Dan Voorhees, and 9th
er fibanciers Of the same kidney In Ma,sa-
chusetts We have the astonishing spectacle of
the most reckless demagogue Of the day
placed in nomination for the Governorship
~ one thousand delegates representing over
three hundred towns) to the Democratic
State Conyention-an operation both in its
processes and in its results one Of the most
supremacy disgrace ful ever known in
our political history. In Connecticut.
IN spite Of the active and untiring opposi- |
ton Of at least one Of the United States |
Senators, and Of the best known and most |
widely respected men in the party, the De- |
mocrats have adopted a thorOughgOing soft
money platform, and will fight out the cam
paign On that issue. In New Hampshire,
the leading Democratic newspaper has been
surrendered into the hands of the Secretary
OF the State Greenback Committee, and the
soft money men are making a thorough, ac-
tive and persistent canvass Of the entire
State.
The East has heretofore been claimed as
thoroughly and prominently hard money
that is, it has been believed that the great
mass Of its people were firmly grounded in
the PRINCIPLES Of honesty and commoD-sense,
10 the management Of the national finances.
Its press, so far rs that has heea an exponent