St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-06-19
The independents OppOrIu-
nifty.
BY COL. T. W. HIGGIN ON.

| am desired by The Independent tC
express my opinion as to the proper
course to he pursued by Independent
republicans at the present time. That
opinion is very simple. | do not, in
deed. see how there can he more than
one opinion namely, that, in the
words of Mr.. Summers celebrated dis
patch, they should ''stick"-s tC
their principals, even if they leave the
party they have loved so long. To the
present writer, ut least, such Il separa-
ton is no easy thing, he having been
actively concerned, from the begin
ming, in its campaigns and its victories,
and never having before separated
himself from any important nOmina-
tion. To the party itself such II change
of position on the part of one humble
member is il trihe. But if it turns ont
that such an individual experience is
to he multiplied by hundreds and
thousands, it constitutes II power be-
fore which the strongest party on eartl
may go down.
Either the nomination of Mr.. Blaine
fairly represents the republican party
of to-day, or it does not. If it does
not, the nomination should he defeated
and set aside, as the mere dictatiOn OF
the Chicago galleries. If it does fairly
represent the party, then the nOmina-
ton should be defeated and the party
with it. There is no escape from the
alternative. 1t is not merely that al
the system of spOils and of machine
politics, against which reformers have
so long been cOntending, is incarnated
in Mr. Blaine it is not merely that
his own record is so faulty; but ht
differs from other statesmen in this,
that the possession of Office has taught
him nothing. High Office usually
makes men wiser and more dignified
Mr.. Arthur being striking instance
of this. High office only makes Mr.
Blaine more sensational and more un-
scrupulOus. His "spirited foreign
policy" was but a secondhand Eng.
lish "Jingoism," with this great diff.
ference that, whereas Lord Beacons
field, when about to pick "A quarrel, a
least sent men of some character to dc
it, Mr.. Blaine put the most delicate
negotiations by preference into the
hands of dishonest adventurers. Tha
in this respect he has, even to thi
day, learned nothing, is shown by the
representative whom he put forward
to be temporary chairman of the ma
tiOnal convention.
Nor is the case helped by addition o
General LOgan's name. He, too, is 81
thoroughly identified with the wOrs
aspects of machine-pOlitics that it i
thought necessary to say, in nOmina
hin, hn - tl
soldier vote, and especially that of TIN
''Grand Army of the Republic" A
one of the members of that body, ant
one of those who took part in intrOduc
ing it into the eastern states, prOtes
against the insult thus implied. 1t
members are not sheep, to BE- thu
transferred in body. If there is any
| thing which the best friends of the as
sOciatiOn have been, for years, sue
cessfully accomplishing, it is the entlr
separation of that order from politics
| General Logan was good soldier, bu
no better than a dozen others WHOM
| the republicans themselves hav
mercilessly voted down. His effort
to secure unlimited pension bills hav
been, in the opinion of many soldiers
au injury to that class. These bill
have been promoted, to a vast exten
/ by pension agents; and am satistie
that they have been, among the colol
ed soldiers, who most need the pei
slons, almost an unmixed evil. WheI
one man has really obtained money b
their means, ten have been led
neglect their own pursuits and to rel
on the government Instead of them
selves. Nothing is more pitiful to N
than the letters | receive from NE