Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-08-29

the Brattleboro Independents to Rev Mr.
sowalrs open letter which we printed last
week We do this all the more cheerfully be-
cause the public ore entitled to know the e1-
act grounds on which these gentlemen base
their action. According to their reply there
are only two essential points on which they
found their opposition to the Republican tick
ct. The first of these concerns their estimate
OF Mr.. Blaine tho second relates to the ques-
ton as to whether any real principle is at the
bottom Of their action.
We believe careful study Of all the rea-
sons given by Mr.. Blaine opponents for their
distrust of him will show that their opposition
is founded on preconceived personal preju-
dice which has no just foundation in fact. In
just this one statement, it seems to us, the
Independent position may be summed up.
About one-half Of the letter of the Brattleboro
Independents is devoted to Mr.. Blaine, and
careful reading of it will bear US out in our
statement.
The whole effort to break down Mr. Blaines
public character centres about his connection
with the Little Rock n Fort Smith railroad
matter. Aud yet a careful examination of
every scrap of evidence on that subject shows
that hostile Democratic investigating com
mittee could not find grounds on which to
bring in a report condemning Mr. Blaine.
And such a committee lr0ud not exonerGte
him.
Moreover, q careful reading Of the Mulligan
letters, and of all the evidence which was
spread upon the records of the House Of Rep
resentatives, shows that it is only by q forced
and uncharitable construction that anything
condemnatory of Mr. Blaine can be got out
OF them. The attack on his character grew
out of Bourbon hostility to him at time
when sectional feeling between the North and
South, after the war, was at its highest point;
the Democratic aud Independent press nursed
every suspicion that had been raised against
him by printing innuendoes rather than facts,
and for this reason, as we have said, there
came to be q widespread prejudice against
Mr.. Blaine which had no foundation in fact.
In proof of the correctness of this view Of
the case, we ask our Independent friends to
read paragraph elsewhere published which
summarizes remarks made by Senator Morrill,
at a Republican rally at his home in STAFFORD
last week.
As the letter in question ctea the alleged
feeling of the Republican press of Vermont
in regard to Mr. Blaino's candidacy, VIC may be
allowed to soy that the difference between these
papers and the Independents is that the for
mer have had the real independence to frank
ly acknowledge tha. their opposition to Mr.
pt,;~o ,r,e founded II, ,,rr;r1i,a ,pI;io a.
Independents have not.
One point in this Independent letter is d
surprise to u.s. and that is the way in which it
quotes the alleged 'musket- in hand" language
of Mr. Edmunds asifit had really been used by
him, when, in point OF fact, there is not only
no evidence that Mr.. Edmunds ever wrote the
letter from which this is alleged to be an ex-
tract but it is in proof that the whole matter
is deliberate Democratic fraud. Within two
days a prominent and responsible Brattleboro
Republican has offered Democratic shouter
800 to produce this alleged letter, and not
only this, has defed him to produce it-a kind
of argument which efTectually closed the
shouter's mouth.
Since the Independents profess their will
| luBneb5 " uSl6E 70 tue JuuB4utul VI MT Gu-
munds, we are glad to refer them to certain
bona tide utterAnces of his which ore printed
in this issue.
To the remainder of this letter, which dis
cusses the aotuating motives of the Indepen-
dents, an article which follows this, on Con
Silence in Politics, is complete and conclu-
sive answer although that article was roceiv-
ed and in type before the letter Of our indie
pendent friends came to hand.
We cannot forbear to say, however, in clos
ing, that there is one radical difference between
the position of the Independents of to-day
and of those men who, 39 and Is years ago,
broke away from party ties and formed the
Republican party. Then q vital moral prin-
ciple-the question of human slavory-wss at
! stake, and conscientious men had only one
path open before them. To-day no such
| principle is at issue. 1t is not denied, in
| point of fact, that tho Republican party is
right in its principles; it is only urged that
certain men DO not like its candidate. For
/ ourselyes.we have chosen, as have ninety
nine one-hundredths of the Republicans of
| Vermont, to stand by our principles rather
than allow ourselves to be carried away by Il
transitory aud unworthy personal prejudice.