The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-10-22
agricultural.
7. H. HosKlNs. Newport, W., Editor.
This Department..

roneously credited as the utterances OF
the general or political editorial depart
ment. In the latter the opinions of
THE WATCHMAN are expressed and its
position on general and political topics
taken. The name of DR.. Hoskins, the
agricultural editor, appears at the head
of his department, and quotations from
his writings should be so Credited
Editorial Page Of Watchmdn.
The above statement contains fact
that ought to be pretty well known. 1t
is now ten years since we made our
contract with THE WATCHMAN to edit
its agricultural columns, and in the
first issue thereof, and for a long time
afterwards, the following notice stood
in type under the agricultural head:
b Ca THIS department is wholly UNI
der the control of the agricultural
editor, and he alone is to be held re-
sponsible for the editorials therein pub
lished.
Although, after a couple of years or
so, this notice ceased to stand ,at the
head of the agricultural department,
under the belief that the fact had been
sufficiently advertised, yet the fact con-
tinued-that we have the liberty of
prophesying" here, according as we
are moved. Under no other conditions
do we, or shall we, ever write for the
public press. We do not know what
particular article or extracts are re
ferred to in the above notice. We do
not remember having written anything
of political nature notwithstanding
not of partisan nature. 1t is pretty
generally known by our older readers,
at least, that the agricultural editor is
Gas he has always been) Jeffersonian
democrat of the old stamp, and, in ac-
cordancc with Jeffersonian principles,
he always was an anti-slavery man, and
is now radical in political matters, in
Guiding temperance and the question of
prohibition. We have sustained de-
mocracy of the genuine old sort wher-
ever we could find it, and have given
our votes accordingly. During the war,
and for time afterwards, we voted a
good deal with the republicans, but
since 1866 mostly with the democrats
not, however, because we are satisfied
with the way either party is run, but
because we favored particular meas
ures in the platforms of the one or the
other. On the tariff question. which is
perhaps what is referred to above. we
favor reduction of duties, not to the
point of free trade, or anywhere near
it at present, but as notification to the
manufacturing interest that it is not to
be babied and fed on pap forever. 1t
is time that that interest should begin
to walk alone and use its own strength.
So long as it depends uponrhe govern
ment bounty it will never have any real
vigor, and certainly can never increase
as it will increase when it can meet
the manufacturers of the world in the
worlds markets, on an equal footing.
Of course it will always cry, as all
babies do, when the nursing bottle is
pulled away, even for a minute. while
it is still hungry, but its political doc
tors ought to understand the case suf-
ficiently well not to be alarmed by slight
squalls.
In regard to number of other ques-
tons, and especially the currency, we
have expressed our own views without
regard to the position of this paper
THE WATCHMAN is strong enough &c
afford to give all sides hearing, and as
we regard the question of the nations
money to be of all others the most inn
portant to the business classes, of which
the farming class is the chief, we can
not be faithful to the farmers who sup
port THE WATCHMAN so literally with
out giving them the facts on the sub
ject as we with the majority of the
people, congress and the supreme cour
of the United States) see them. 1t i,
not often that we are with the maiorit,
Cor the political part of THE WATCH
MAN with the minority, but on thu
question of currency we are, and al
though the weight of New England
opinion is against us, especially in TIT
richer sections, we believe the working
men generally, on the farms and else
where, are entitled to have hearin!
even here. THE WATCHMAN is will
ing to give it to them, which is an evi
dence that it is a strong paper-in on
opinion the strongest and ablest in Yer
mont, and with mighty few superiors il
the country press anywhere.
So long as we occupy our present pc
sition on the paper, our readers ma,
rely upon our department being un
trammelled. We shall write as w
think on all subjects that we believe t.
be important to farmers, not limiting
ourself to "cows and potatoes" a
some supercilious gentry advise, bu
taking up all the great questions, a
well general as technical, which ar
nearly related to the agricultural inter
est, and doing our best to treat Their
truthfully, according to the light that i
in us. The other editors of the pape