Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-05-24
A Word OF Approval.

Mr. Editor There were two timely and
greatly needed articles in your columns week be-
fore last,-the one by Senator Edmunds copied
from the Christian Union, and the other an edi-
torial on " Election Reform" The latter Ia es-
pecially word in season. Its recognition Of the
need OF local reform in civil service and Of the
true source OF such reform In some attempts at
the cure Of the itch for office seems to go to the
root Of the matter, and II Ia high time that the
good people OF Vermont, who have amented the
mischief Of the offce-seehing mania In the ma
ton, should take hold OF the vice at home in
earnest.
You strike ut very serious evil when you call
attention to the way In which our town represen-
tatives are often chosen. This method has fire.
quently resulted In the practical control Of mpor-
tant towns by a set OF q dozen men, or less who
substantially arrange among themselves who
shall represent the town In the legislature this
year, who in the next legislature, who shall be
the selectmen and 80 on. II IL sometimes the
case that one can make close guess az TO the
probable candidate for some office three or four
terms ahead. But the majority rule, which APP
plies In the election OF representatives. gives the
people good deal OF freedom, and they seem of
late more disposed to avail themselves Of II. The
clique who assume to manage the political affairs
OF a town sometimes find themselves unable to
control the citizens. The caucus Is easily man
aged by the political machine, but somehow the
citizen often objects to ratifying a nomination
brought about by bargains and wire-pulling
Great good Is thus done In teaching political
tricksters that II IL thing to bargain away the
OF ana Often VUlIB HnOLnpr 10
get honest citizens to agree to the trade. The
determination of the people to have as far a. pos
sible experienced legislators, only those Of the
best qualifications, will go far to remedy this
evil. OF course, we must guard against the dan
ger of lawless, arbitrary action in our revolt
against political ambition and its evils.
But this reform ought to go further. It is some
times true that man Is elected to the state sem
ate who could not get chosen the representative
Of his own town. He Is well known and thor
oughly despised at home. But In the county con-
yention and by use OF ways known to political
tricksters, he gets nominated and elected to the
| higher body. Sometimes, too, man holds state
| executive office who could not by a fair express
sion Of the opinion Of his own towns people, get
majority OF their votes. The fatterng compli-
ment given to our town" and unwillingness to
| say any word derogatory OF q fellow townsman,
| sometimes permit the nom nation OF q man whose
entire political course has been OF selfish and
| petty log-roing, which many would gladly see
rebuked. 1t Is a pity that the courage OF upright
citizens Is not more frequently equal to the duty
| OF speaking out their minds.
For one, the writer has read with intense dis
gust most Of the efforts OF the various local news
papers to forestall the action of the people by
their nomination Of this and the other candidate.
| Almost everybody understands how much all this
| Is worth as a real expression Of opinion. And
| yet the thing liz allowed to go on from year to
year dozen or two aspirants for offices OF the
higher grades are engaged in the game Of arrang.
ing matters for each other, each being to look out
| for his own interests and not to go too fast In
| this way men deliberately pursue given object
from year to year until at last the coveted office
| falls into their hands. To outside appearance,
| the voice OF the people determines their success,
| and that spontaneously. But the whole thing Ia
| the deliberate plan OF a shrewd politician who has
refused to stand in the way OF this friend, 7"
helped another and another, secured the influence
| OF the LEGAL newspaper, diligently cultivated men
| OF influence and done this and the other thing
for the % dear people" until at last the ripe fruit
Of all his schemiDg is ready to fall into his hands.
nd unfn baxra thafr
| OF imitators Of these state politicians Between
| the state set and the town set there Is strong
| likeness. Many Of the large politicians began
their career in the town, and the beginners at
home all hope sometime for wider field OF action,
For one, Mr.. Editor, hope you will go on with
the work so well begun. The town political meth
| DDS need just such wholesome corrections rs You
propose to apply The itch for office is disease
| that costs the state great deal OF money and a
| great deal of something worth more than money
| can buy-chdrdcter. The religious newspaper,
| especially, should urge upon Christians the duty
oil using their influence and example to coun-
teract this great evil. For self-seekng of this
kind is utterly foreign to the Christian spirit.
Our Lord took great pains to rebuke his disciples
for seeking places, urging them to humble service
| as their true ambition. Paul told his readers to
seek the best gins-something very far from Off
ces in which to exercise those gifts. The Chris
| tian, whether minister or layman, should give q
| clear note on this subject.
Do not, beg, fail to have your readers see that
| its contagious influence thad when it Is found
among our highest officials and those who strive
| for the more important offices. 1t is from
among our widely known state politicians that
| this disease is spread most dangerously by ex-
ample. Many OF our state Offices can be best
| administered by those whom experience in the
office has fitted for their duties Most of these
executive officers indeed suffer more or less by
continual rotation Of their incumbents And
worse than this, the state officers thus turned
into machinery for the promotion Of this political
| itch and the long train Of evils connected with it,
When you prick, as your editorial did, the dis
ease in our town politics which give us inferior
and bungling legislative work, you strike at the
entire system of party politics in our state now
managed Why should governor, or any other
state officer, rotate any more than a representa-
| tive? What principle Of evil is at work giving
| us a new and raw legislature that is not also at
work to change the entire executive part of our
state government? Is 1t not about time that the
good people Of Vermont had some rebuke to give
this great wrong? What can one say against
machine politics In other states and at Washin e
ton so long as we allow ourselves TO be ridden by
our own existing SYSTEM But its worst effect
is its influence on the character OF our people,
and especially the young men Of Vermont. 1t
turns them away from the nobler pursuits Of cit
izenship and the pursuit of high ideals to the
mire of setishness and the chicanery OF political
trckery. We owe to the young men OF Vermont
duty in the direction Of clean political methods.
CITIZEN.