St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1883-03-30
Public Opinion.
FoRGETFULNEss OF RELIGIOUS DIFFER
ENCES.

nomination grows more willing to ap-
propriate its neighbours good points.
| This is an encouraging sign If the
amiable practice of giving and taking
goes on for some years longer at the
same rate as in the past, points of diff
| ference may finally be so hard to find
that they will not be worth consider
! ing at all. Then distinctions between
| the various sects will be without diff
ference New York Tribune.
PARTY WITHOUT PRINCIPLES.
In this country, when political par
ty presents a ticket for the endorse
ment of the people, it is generally ac-
cOmpanied by declaration of the par
tvs principles. The Rhode Island dem
ocratic state convention, for the first
time in the history of the party in that
state, presents no such declaration, nor
does it even reaffirm any previous
declaration. Is it fact that the Rhode
Island democrats possess no princi-
plesE Or, possessing such, is the party
ashamed of them ? Possibly the rea-
son for this strange omission may be
found i'll the fact that their gubernatO-
rial candidate has scruples against
standing upon a democratic platform.
If the Rhode Island democracy has no
principles, it had better disband if it
has, then it has made a display of cow
ardice that will not help the party to
the victory it hopes to win in the cOun-
at large Boston Post.
THE TROUBLESOME SILVER DOLLAR.
The first indication of the trouble
with our cheap silver dollar has mani
Tested itself in Texas. A glut of silver
prevails there and in consequence sells
at discount as compared with gold
and legal tender notes. The banks,
being compelled to accept silver in
payment of notes and drafts, are add
ing the discount to the exchange rates
on all collections of this kind and de-
Quoting it ont of the remittances.
This will no doubt in many instances
create protest on the part of the
Eastern parties who forward the paper
fol collection, but they will be offered
the alternative of paying the discount
or the express charges on the silver.
This is evidently but the beginning of
the trouble, which must inevitably
eliminate i'll driving gold out of circu-
latiOn i'll the near future if the present
coinage is to continue. 1t must be
confessed that the outlook for repeal
of the silver folly is not very bright.
The demagOgues care nothing for the
unSettllng of business, and they seem
to be III the majority in the new Con-
gress.-[ Philadelphia Times.
HOUSE DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF.
That candidate William Spraguel
has on many occasions in the last fif-
teen years, when speaking of political
matters, either expressly or substan-
TALLY declared: 81 am IA republican.
and always have been, and always ex-
pect to be. | want nothing of the dem
Ocratic party. ! have no use for it,
have no respect for it, and will not do
anything to aid it :" and these, his dec
larations and feelings, were known to
most of the members of that conven-
r ton when they made that nomination.
Gov. Sprague has practiced no conceal
ment in this respect. If, under such
circumstances, political fidelity and
consistency had not strength enough
with the members of that convention
to prevent such nomination, "A decent
selt-respect ought to have prevented it.
When a body of men calling them
selves democratic convention, and as
sembled to select a standard bearer for
that party, dominates for that position
one who repudiates and spurns the
party they profess to represent, and
declares he will do nothing to aid it, all
true, self-respecting democrats are alb
solved from every obligation, political
or otherwise, to support that nomina-
ton. Therefore, the undersigned,
b longtime adherents to democratic prin-
ciples, and always supporters of such
of its party candidates as prOfessed to
believe i'll and represent those princi-
! pies, declare that they shall not vote
, for or otherwise support William
Sprague for governor of this state for
the ensuing political year, but shall on
next election day vote for democrat
ic ticket composed of consistent, ear
nest, long and well-known democrats,
and they earnestly invite all who wish
for the success of the democratic party
and its principles, and to preserve it
from contempt and dissolution, to unite
with them in support of such a ticket.
We are willing to yield all mere per
SOnal preferences for candidates, but
we insist that they shall not be men
who avOw that they do not belong to
the democratic party, and will not do
anything to aid it Address of the
Rhode Island Straight Democrats.
WEAK IMITATION.
1t Is plain enough that the democrat
ic policy in Rhode Island is undertake
en- in imitation of that in Massachu-
setts. Here it has achieved a Temporal
ry success which has in its heart the
poison of decay. Massachusetts is now
shamelessly drunk, no doubt, but the
Orgie will not last long. But we do
not believe, however, that Massachu-
sets could have been tempted by a
draught as insipid and nauseating as
that which the Rhode Island democrats
offer the people of that state. General
Butler has plenty of faults, but he has
some attractive qualities by compari-
son. William Sprague, on the other
hand, is as uninteresting as he is in
competent. To amend slightly what
the old pilot said to Mark Twain, he is
more different kinds of failure than
any man ever before taken up by a
desperate party. He inherited proper
ty which he squandered. He came into
: a great business, which he wrecked.
!, There is a society esteeming character
and intelligence more than wealth from
which he has not fallen, only because
he failed ever to get a place in it. In
the senate he achieved a preemi-
nence for weakness, Stiffness and
malice. He became IA burden to the
republican party, which cast him off,
as it has cast off many another who
imposed himself upon its favor for a
time. He has been an advocate of
most of the false doctrines in finance
which sound-minded men of all parties
have repudiated. Unless report does
him gross wrong. he is the victim of