Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1880-06-11
ON THEIR WINDING WAY.

Last Saturday evening our village
was visited by nearly hundred dele
gates On their way to Chicago to the
Greenback Convention, The proprie-
tor of the Stewart House, and Mr..
Stevenson, the Superintendent of this
division of the G.. L. R., not in recogni-
ton of greenback principles, but as an
act of courtesy to their patrons, pro-
cured the attendance of our excellent
band, the stirring notes of which soon
reused the Maine gentlemen to q pitch
- :--tvuov IIunuoIeu5llI. n-erJ IntuII
became, in his Imagination, four at
once, and the distinguished delegates
surmised that great crowd of their
political party had turned out to greet
them. They at once assembled in front
of the Stewart House and the great
apostle of their doctrine, Scion Chase,
rose to address them. The audience
consisted of the visiting statesmen,
about two dozen of our citizens who
were there from curiosity, and the
usual number of small boys that follow
a circus. Thus organized, the great
apostle sailed in. He told how the far
1ners, mechanics and laboring classes
were abused, cheated, robbed, and
over-ridden by capitalist. This was
truly amusing when we reflect that he
was talking in a locality where there
are no capitalists, and where no man
lives except by the labor of his own
hands, and where every man is de-
pendent upon bis personal labor for
his support. For that reason the little
handful of our citizens didn't enthuse
worth a cent. But considering there
is not O greenbacker in town they were
exceedingly amused as our brethren
from Maine rent the air with their
desperate cheers and wet the grass
airy wrongs. OF course what few there
were of our inhabitants there belonged
to one or the other of the great parties
of our country, and to be showered
with such soft praise, then called thieves
in the same breath was facetious en-
.tertainment which was as amusing as it
was ludicrous. 1t was really the most
curious group ofserfs and downtrodden
people that ever was seen, and it was
wonderfully queer that the speaker
should not have spoken more in imi-
tation of Kossuth. Another thing rem
dered the scene more ludicrous.
Amid the great profession of disinter-
,estedness and love for the lower classes
as they falsely stigmatiZe laborers, it
leaked out that they were taking to
the Convention at Chicago q candidate
for President a gentleman whom
they announced was to run for Con-
gress soon, and various other patriots
who would be willing to take, and
are bound to have offices trust upon
them. But we beg the distinguished
speakers pardon for having left him
standing thus long while we described
his audience. On returning to him,
we find him saying that the two great
parties of the country were rotten, cor
rupt, and thQt they are run entirely
for selfish purposes, for the purpose
of creating an aristQcracy Of wealth
and power which would undermine
our free constitutions. This arraignment
of the whole of our country, except a
handful of Greenbackers was truly
amusing, and the fact that all the in
tegrity aud honesty of the country
had fled from british beasts and taken
refuge in the heads and hearts of q
few Greenbackers running after office,
was a very novel and entertaining
idea. But he was particularly COM
plimentary to our Democratic friends,