Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-06-07
Notes and Notions.

Ex-SECRETARY BLAINE has declined the
invitation of large number of republicans
of Maine to become the party's candidate
for ongressman-atlarge in that state.
THE New York Tribune says Repre-
sentative Grout will probably be returned
from the new East Side or Second District.
He has already made his mark as an
| able legislator and is one of the advocates Of
the bill making the head of the department
of agriculture cabinet secretary"
The Free Press throws up the sponge on
the railway appraisal discussion and thinks
all efforts should now be devoted to obtain.
ing better law Something of an effort
will need be made towards having men ap-
pointed as listers who will honestly execute
the law. Any law would be powerless in
the hands of officials such as the majority
of the present board have shown themselves
to be. Still, they were reappointed by the
governor after having in glazing manner
displayed their unfitness.
CAUcUsEs for state, district, county and
town offices will come in quick succession
till September. If the people wish to run
the affairs Of the state, the caucus is just the
place in which to make their purpose az
parent. Abandon the caucus to bakers
dozen of horse-shed politicians, and their
will or the will of the man back Of them,
not that of the people, will be done. Fail
ure to attend and actively participate in the
caucus must effectually bar all reason for
complaint with political results emanating
from the caucus.
THE state convention of the Maine green
back-fusion party met at Bangor, adopted
platform and renominated Mr. Plaisted for
governor. The nomination was accepted,
The prohibition convention met at Augusta
and nominated William T. Eustis of Dix.
field for governor. Scion Chase has been
nominated by the straightout greenbackers
Two more conventions are yet to be held,
the ror-Li;-... anu the democratic. Inc
latter will, of course, ratify the work of the
fusionists. If the Pine Tree state fails to
get governor this year it will not be for
want of candidates.
IT is most gratifying to note the very gen.
eral observance of Decoration Day this year,
and especially cheering is the high charac-
ter of many of the discourses delivered on
the occasion. There seems to have been a
commendable disposition on the part of the
speakers to eschew gush and forid oratory
and work down to the business of setting
forth the worthy object of the great war to
dispel the illusion of sentiment in which
the great Union cause has been sometimes
beclouded, and to give the generation which
has risen up since the surrender at Apo
mattox some just and reasonable concep-
ton of what the war was about, and OF
their duties and responsibilities under the
blessings it conferred upon us.
We believe the agricultural editor of the
WATcHMAN spoke the mind of the Vermont
farmers last week when he said " 1t is no ad-
vantage to the farmer to have the head of
the agricultural department in the cabinet"
His views as to the proper means to make
the department useful are characterized by
his usual horse sense" and his disgust for
service now chiefly devoted to buying
"seeds for cheap congressman to buy cheap
votes with is natural and honest. Cabinet
agriculture is not the kind of culture Yer
mont soil requires, nor warm seat in the
cabinet the kind of stimulus agriculture in
general demands. just as much sense in
having secretary Of mechanics or manu-
facturers as of agriculture. The measure is
purely piece of political demagoguery.