Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-08-22
Consistency.

The New York Indepcndcnt urges, in
behalf of the three or four newspapers
which We're, till the other day, the strong
opponents of the Democratic party, and
are now its eager supporters, that the con
sistency which forbids II paper to rise
above its past self, is not worth having
and that there is no argument in the fact
that these papers talked very differently
about Mr.. Blaine ten years ago. Granted.
/ Yet there is such Il virtue as consistency,
and the independent organs and spokes-
men would appear in much better light,
if they possessed more of it. They are in
consistent, not alone with their words and
deeds of ten years ago, but with their
position of II few ,cccks ago, and with their
present avowed purposes and desires.
1t was but the other day that the New
York Times declared the Democratic
party to be afflicted with "rooted imbeci-
ity' and to he ian evil and nuisance"
That party has not changed n particle in
the last four months. For the Times now
to join the imbecles and to sustain the
"evil' and the nuisance. is not consis-
tency.
1t was but the other day that Mr..
George William Curtis spoke his full con
viction when he declared that the Demo
cratic party was simply "a conspiracy for
plumber and spois" For Mr.. Curtis now
to strike hands with that conspiracy is not
consistency.
The Independents declare themselves to
be for civil service reform. For them to
support the party which has fought civil
service reform at every point in Con
gress, and which would strange it the
In I of h,,
and to strive to put down the party which
has done all that has ever been done for
, civil service reform. and which stands
pledged to carry it on to full success-this
is not consistency.
, The IdCpCudCm and its 'independent'
confreres, profess to be stoutly opposed to
bosssm and machine methods. For them
now to enlist under Dan Manning and
Hubert O. Thompson, and Boss McI.augh-
, lin, and Seven Mule Barnum," and the
rest of the bosses and machine men who
are conducting the Democratic canvass,
: and will parcel out the spells if it succeeds,
is not consistency.
, The Independent can not name a man of
any prominence in the canvass on the Re
, publican side, who is as thoroughly cor
rupt as the relics of the Tweed dynasty
and the other opponents of the worst ma
chine methods who are now managing
f Mr. Cleveland's canvass, and will manage
him and his administration, if he should
+ be elected For the anti-machine hide
pendents to try to place in power the worst
, machine the country has ever known, is
| not consistency.
q, The New York Epcntng Post and other
q independent organs thought it very
y poor argument-and we confess that we
o thought so too-when Mr.. Blaine was held
. up to deriSion as Il tattOOed man, to have
n the fact pointed out by the New York Tri
Il bunc, that Washington and Franklin
and Hamilton and jefferson were also
tattooed with obloquy in their day. But
f the Post and Hdrpcrs weekly, and Other
! Independent papers, now think it a very
q good argument for overlooking stains OF
j., Mr.. Cleveland's character, that Washing
il ton, Franklin Hamilton and jefferson
We're charged with unchaStity-thougl
:. that Washington's character was ever SC
;, spotted is news to almost everybody We
fancy-and in this they are not consist
ent.
Hdrpcr's Weekly is consistent with it.
old self before the war, (when it aided the
Secession Democracy by publishing lam
=" poems of Abraham Lincoln), in its present
T. attitude as ally of the shot gun Democ
. racy, ON whose tissue ballots and terrorism
u the Democratic hope of success in thu
II present campaign depends. But it is no
consistent with its more recent and bettel
past Such consistency is progress back
; wards.
We can discover no good principle orpur
tlo I,,In
y cans are true, in boiling the Republican
e ticket for in leaving, for the sake of re
l. buking, what is bad in the Republican
\ party, they fly TO, embrace and encourage
! what is much worse as regards both mel
. and measures, in the Democratic party
i Consistency is IA jewel, but it is one which
- is not flashing from the shirt-fronts of thu
y, Independent "kickers' in this campaign
" The consistent Independent, is the on
. who stands by the party, which III the re
II Gently uttered words of Mr.. Curtis, rep
~ resents the best instincts of the American
W people" The lDise Independent is the on
III who does not kick down his present house
ii imperfect though it be, till he sees bet
l. ter one to move into. The party of root
t. ed imbecility,' the ''evil and nuisance,
ol the conspiracy for plumber and spoils,"
III not yet Il better party than the Republca
" party, nor can it be made such. The lii
le tie faction of dissatisfied Republicans VIII
" drop into it now, cannot purify or chang
e. it. They will simply disappear in its Gun
y rent-"like snowtlakes on Il river, Il m,
il ment seen, then gone forever
N COrporation Taxation in Other State
b. While the law taxing corporations ha
ie worked so well in Vermont similar legi'
10 lation in other States is bringing abuu
m equal satisfactory results. In New Jersey
he the legislature last winter passed LAY
he taxing corporations other than railroad
~, (Which were already taxed and the frs
no payment under it has inst been made
TX The State has about two thousand corp'
III rations taxed under the act and the annui
income from this source is Sl65, 0O-th