St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-12-10
The State Press.
THE MORMON QUESTION.

THE MORMON QUESTION.
Burlington Free Press: We do not
believe that the Government of the
United States can much longer delay
taking some decisive action in reference
to the Mormon plague spot. The
hope that it would yield to advancing
civilization, and the influences which
are tending to break up the isolation of
the Mormon people has thus far been
aud seems to be destined to be disap-
pointed. If MOrmonism is not waning
but increasing; if polygamy is a per-
of the new revelation abolishing plural
marriage, which has been expected by
the Optimists on the Mormon question,
then the sooner Congress and the Gov
eminent take stringent measures with
the evil, the better.
LAW AND JUSTICE.
st. Adams Messenger: We hope the
bill introduced by Senator Start en-
towering the court, in cases of cOnvic-
ton of intOXicatiOn, to suspend the nit
timus at discretion during the good be-
haViOr OF the respondent, will become
a law. 1t is in accordance with the
view we expressed short time ago in
an article on temperance legislation.
To send a man from this county a hun
bred miles to the house of correction to
work out fines and costs and commit
ment fees amounting in all to nearly
$40, at 30 cents Il day, is an excessive
penalty for simple intOxication that
does not involve any other breach of
the peace.
ONLY LOYAL MEN FOR OFFICE.
Rutland Herald: There is no reason
why Garfield should treat the Southern
democracy any better than the Northern
democracy. Let the long suffering
Southern republicans take the offices in
their section. There are ex-confederate
soldiers enough at the South, who have
been republicans for ten years past, to
fill the federal offices, without awarding
them to irreconcilables. The departments
at Washington are full of blatant South
ern BouTbOns of both sexes. One of
these Southern women but recently
flew into rage because loyal Northern
woman spoke of jeff Davis with severi-
ty as traitor, and actually appealed
to the chief of the bureau to compel the
There are plenty of Union soldiers
whose families can furnish competent
persons to replace this cheap trash of
treason in the departments, and there
are plenty of loyal republicans at the
South to take up its quota of appoint
ments. This is the only pressing kind
of civil service reform that Garfield
need to lend his hand to when he sits
in the saddle. The business of a repub-
lican President is to strengthen the par
ty by purging the Federal offices of every
man who is not just as loyal to the flag
in feeling and speech as the President
himself.
THANKFUL FOR SMALL FAVORS.
THANKSGIVING service in Vergennes in the
Baptist house of worship, the pastor,
David Foster Estes, delivering the SER
mon. Among the occasions for graft
tude in that city was the fact that Red
field Proctor is no lenger governor.
STOP THE LEAKS IN THE STATE TREAS
URY.
Bellows Falls Times: Twenty i've
years ago Gov. Stephen Royce could
shake the dust from off his executive
sandals las the late c.. G. Eastman put
it in 1854, himself and one secretary
THAT of civil and military affairs) was
enough. Now it takes twO-an inno-
walton that crept in as late as last year.
Thirty years ago Fred Billings of Wood
stock, or Rufus f. Andrews, now of
New York, could do all the clerical
work of Gov. Eaton, Gov. Williams, or
Gov. Coolidge, and ne pages were re-
quired to wait on them. In those days
the senate rules authorized the secreta-
ry of the senate to appoint a messenger
boy to bring the bills and resolutions
offered by senators, from the senatorial
seat to the president or secretary for
action in the senate session, and if there
was press of business the assistant
door-keeper could and did lend hand.
Now it takes two lads to do this. The
state treasurer had no page then to pay.
There are many little leaks that might
be stopped, and it would pay, in the
long run, did the men most noted, etc.,
go to Montpelier only to make the laws
and return home as their fathers did. 1t
would be an interesting comparison if
some one would count the walters and
compare the salaries of the officers of the
general assembly of 40 years since, and
those of to-day.
CUT DOWN EXPENSES.
BrattlebOro Reformer: One of the
petty extravagances which have swol-
len and bloated our state expenses, is
the employment of useless legislative
officers, as door-keepers, messengers,
&c. Our legislature takes 30 persons
to do this work, which is done by seven
in New Hampshire.
Notes from the Legislature.