Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-09-24

and that politics has been only an "exouse
and pretence," under cover Of which "B. d.
Harris has stirred up the bitterest campaign
ever known in this section, for the purpose
of paying of old grudges. As every intelligent
and observing reader well knows, the real
facts are that for four years the proprietors
of the Detdmer, through their organ estab-
lished for that purpose, have abused, bullirag-
ged and maligned every local Republican who
crossed their path, was fortunate enough to
incur their ill-will, or who refused to become
their client and supporter. When this cam
paign opened after crying out that we were
to have campaign of decency and reason"
these Dctamer gentlemen at once began their
old tactics, bullying and hitting right and
left, and caring not Who was hit so long as it
was some representative of the Republican
cause, Added to this the senior and respon-
sible man of the concern went upon our To-
cal platform and, with unctious demagogy
and oily words, tried to cover up the record
of his party, to hoodwink old soldiers and
young voters into support of the Democratic
ticket, and even to make it appear that he
himself had nothing in his past political rec
ord to be ashamed Of With the glove thus
thrown down we had nothing to do but ac-
cept the challenge. We did accept it, unwel-
come and repulsive as was the task We
have met and refuted the Davenport Detpmer
abuse at every point and solely in the inter
est of the Republican cause, of common de-
cency, and of the respectable portion of this
community, we have given the DGtdmer pro-
prietors the persistent and merciless castiga-
tons which they have deserved, so fay as the
capabilities of the English language would
permit us to do it. In doing. this work we
have had the united aid and support Of
all good Republicans. We have had the aid
and encouragement of Hon b. d. Harris,
president of the Bratteboro Garfield and
Arthur club, and we have had the aid and en-
couragement of dozens of other equally
staunch and earnest Republicans. None of
them has assumed to run" The PHOENIX,
and none of them has used its columns, or
can use them, to pay off old scores-and b.
D. Harris is no exception to this rule.
universal and continued burst of conf
incubation has welcomed our efforts. That
the DCtdmer has suffered severely under the
ordeal is well known, but it is not our fault.
The people of Windham county have come
to sec through its thin guise of "independ-
ence.' They see that the independence is
only whitewash, and that, at bottom the
sheet and its owners are bitterly and entirely
Democratic, and that their sole aim and end
is to undermine and weaken the Republican
party As the Detdmer is obliged to admit,
its Republican subscribers are dropping off
| by the score. 1t will do no good for the boy
to whistle to keep his courage up, or to talk
about new subscribers in Large numbers
and brilliant prospects for the future for he
is bound to hear worse rafting about his
ears before January LIST next than he has yet
imagined. 1t is to be expected that he will
continue the hedging" begun last week, in a
vain attempt to make the people believe that
his yirulent Democratic organ il the "inde-
pendent sheet which it once claimed to be,
but the effort will not avail him. He and his
paper and its responsible head and manager
are pinioned on the spit of public opinion,
and the more they wriggle the more ridicu-
lous and contemplate they will appear