The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1883-10-24
Democratic Government.

The claim of the democrats that the
government will be honestly and efficiently
administered by officials chosen from that
party must not be too rashly accepted
Without going back to the records of the
last national democratic administration,
or without appealing to late notorious in.
stances of mal-adminstration when the
party has been partially restored to power,
or without citing the robberies, defalca-
tions, regulations and violence to the
principles of freedom in the South in
democratic state governments, enough is
found in the immediate present of demo-
cratic administration in the strongholds
of its power to teach little caution in
reposing implicit confidence in their wild
boasts of an era of Arcadian purity and
honesty and economy under a fully re.
stored democratic sovereignty. In New
York city last week the chiefs of the
three democratic factions met to divide
up, with more than autocratic power and
Indifference to the will of the voters, the
spoils to be seized at the coming election.
1t is a dull day when in New York city
some new revelation of fraud or stealing
or swindling is not brought to the light of
day. Frauds in the water department
have been discovered involving the theft
of large amount of rents. The investi-
cation of the series of coupon frauds, be-
gun in 1874, perpetuated through sue.
ceeding administrations and now amount
ing in the aggregate to nearly 100000,
led to the disclosure of the loss of $l45 900
in the interest account of the city. The
premium account is $4,000 in deficit,
and nearly 100000 more has been charged
to interest account than the estimates
and appropriations for that purpose. 1t
also appears that the city has been swim
died out of exceeding half million dol
lars in rents on city property used by
political favorites. Bonds of certain
class in unknown amounts have been
printed, but there is no record of the dis
position made of them. 1t is believed
that if the Investigation could go on unim-
peded by official and partisan interference
that these disclosures would be thrown
iAto the back ground by those which might
be unearthed, that state of things rival
ing the palmy days of Tweed rule would
be disclosed. The mayor has dismissed
the official who has been making these
disclosures and manifests disposition to
choke off further investigation. In the
sister city of Brooklyn, Mayor Low was
chosen on a citizens ticket in opposition
to the democratic candidate, two years
ago. In recent speech his claim to a
reelection this year was the honest and
thorough going efforts which he had made
for municipal reform. He points with
just pride to substantial rise in the
city credit, to a reduction of 81 100000
in the city debt against an increase of
nearly 100000 under the four pre-.
vious years of democratic rule, and
to other substantial tokens of an eff.
cient and faithful administration. This
faithful administrator of great public
trust the democrats will try to defeat, in
order to put democratic politicians in the
city offices. They are proposing to divide up
the spoils, if successful, after the example
set by their political brethren in New