The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-04-16
Letters from the People.
GIVE us FRESH AIR.

thought-the sure forerunner OF like indie
pendent action-that Is bound to sweep over
the state like whirlwind. BY all means,
keep up the purifying agitation, until the
murky and foul political atmosphere that has
so long encompassed us round about repress-
ing all free and healthy respiration In the body
polite, shall become clear and purified fit to
expand the lungs and invigorate the blood of
freemen. You and your correspondents, Mr..
Editor, are manfully doing q noble work, for
which all good citizens thank you. You are
preaching true political gospel, that takes hold
on the hearts and consciences OF men, impel-
ing them to unrelenting warfare on all manner
Of political crookedness and corruption. Hav-
ing assumed, or rather been thrust into, lead
ership in 80 worthy a cause, "give neither
sleep to your eyes nor slumber to your eyelids,"
pray you, until the good work Is finished.
The people of Vermont are too intelligent to
need political bosses, and ought to be, and are,
too Independent and manly to tolerate them.
And they and their pernicious works have only
existed. hitherto, through the good-natured
indolent acquiescence OF some,and the blind in
credulity OF others; until now their assumptions
Of power have become 80 open and offensive,
and their methods and their grasping selfishness
so repugnant to all honest, self-respecting men,
as to beget the indignant uprising we are wit
Messing. Let il go until 1t brushes out the last
vestige Of bossism, and smashes, beyond posi-
BILE reconstruction, every ring, slate, and every
political machine, big or little, within the Dor
Of the people. Your diagnosis-if | may use
the word in this connection-of the political
malady, from which we have suffered, with
the accompanying explanation and exposure of
the causes and active agents that have pro-
duced and aggravated 1t, seems to me, on the
| whole, to be reasonably fair and satisfactory,
though should lay somewhat more stress on
the secret, original germ, from which the dis
ease derives its virus and constantly takes its
particular direction, and somewhat less on the
h. a..I ntA .Vt..ll
practiced eyes. From your standpoint, which
is in the main fair one, the nucleus and ac-
tivity Of the ring" that has unquestionably
dominated over US these many years, have
their abiding-place inside the charmed circle
of which our self.perpetuating state committee
is the center and the major part and over
which Dr. Nichols, the present ring candidate
for governor, suavely presides as its official
head. 1t ought to be said, however, that not
all members of the state committee are impli-
Gated herein. Some few of them land we all
know who they are) wear no rings In their
noses. But it is true, unquestionably, that for
| decade or more, these alert and publc-spir-
| tied gentlemen and their congenial associates
have generously undertaken to relieve the
people OF all care and responsibility in the Sc
lection Of candidates for high office. always out
| of pure kindness taking O liberal share them
| Selves 1t is equally true that, with few honor
able exceptions their plans have rarely mis-
carried. Owing to thorough discipline, per-
| feet harmony in action secured by implicit ODE
dience to "a higher law" and superior activ-
| ity, a very few men who make politics trade,
as well as trade in politics, and by long prac-
| tice have become expert in all manner of wire
pulling devices and manipulation, have easily
| outgeneraled and so beaten the careless and
undisciplined many, mainly intent upon the
| ordinary affairs Of life, with no aptitude for
political engineering and small craving for the
| so-called honors and emoluments Of official po-
| sition. II these cunning managers-these self
! appointed and sef-anointed political shepherds
had only bethought them to be just a trihe
more cunning, and give us the best, even the
firstings of their own little private focks, in
stead of sometimes palming off upon us the veri-
est weaklings, no such outspoken dissatisfaction
would have arisen as is now manifest. Ii their
| dominion over us, in its methods and results,
| had only been fairly clean and respectable at
all times, conducting even moderately to the
| welfare and dignity OF the state, however sell
| fish, their reign might yet have been long in
| the land but, grown careless and lulled into
| fancied security by long-continued success, and
more and more forgetful of the public good
| and of popular sentiment as the years have
| rolled by, they have apparently come to re-
| gard all the public interests and affairs of the
| state, and especially the offices, as personal
heritage belonging of right to them and their
confederates, big and little, but too often little,
| to be used and enjoyed by them exclusively
and in turn 1t is this that has so stirred up
|
now and forever, this strange delusion tina,
has taken possession of these, our self-consti
tuted guardians. Let them be speedily rele
gated to the quiet pursuits of private life
whence they emerged only through machina-
tons that the people abhor. Away with
| them! AsCUTNEY.
| WAKE UP THE PEOPLE
| Mr. Editor:-In recent letter | gave my
opinion as to the existing right of the people to
| ha rrnnarlu ranraaantad in THAR nuhlia off
1t is not my purpose in this letter to utter any
| prophesy concerning the chances of anyone, but
merely to warn the people of an impending
| danger in electing man who represents the
machine. The machine lives and thrves not
| because the political tendencies OF the people
or of party en- naasse, are in sympathy with it.
but because OF the apathy of the people towards
| what they think are matters of no very great
Importance. Remove this apathy and it will
kill the machine. Recently | was listening t.
| a conversation between two prominent business
men, residing in thriving manufacturing vii
lage. They were discussing the expediency OF
| nominating some of the persons who are men,
| toned as possible candidates for governor
| One says to the other, well, they say that
DR.. Nichols is q machine-map; don't know. y
| And little did he care to trouble himself about
| such matters. The air OF nonchaance towards
these duties is aided by the deluding of the
| people by the dealing out, through such organs
| as the Free Press and other newspapers, o.
homeopathic pills in the shape of a comment
like this: Well DONE good and faithful ser
| want. You have served the state we'll as secre
| tary Of state; henceforth we will champion yor
| as candidate for governor before the people. u
This means to the machine-man, who has beer
| grooming himself in the office Of secretary OF
state for the governorship race, " You go on
and we will join hands with the Argus and op
pose every man who opposes you" Nov
praise, hundred-fold, is due to those who war;
the people against the subtleties of poitica
| management. And that particular man who ha.
political character so fine-grained that it will
not admit of discussion is to be pitied. Wher
such an office as the governorship, involving
| such high trusts and such numerous response
bilites, Is at stake, we not justified in saying
that such person, IL we truly think so, is no
suitable for such position Is it throwing
mud to tell truths ? III 1t is, let every non-ma
chine-man and everv worker in the Temperance
cause throw a handful of mud, no matter II /
hits a "gilt-edged " drugstore. Will the re
publican party Of Vermont have to learn
lesson similar to that learned by the republican
party of New York and other states ? Let u
hope not. And also let us hope that when thu
campaign-bugle is sounded that we can go Il
the front with a suitable leader-one who doe
not represent mediocrity in everything, but on
who represents progress and reform In politica
methods and does not wear the impress OF tn
machine" stamped upon his forehead. Ant
IL our hopes are realized, then we shall not b
ashamed to point to our state officers as mel
who represent an age Of progress and reform II
politics, and who work for the peoples inter
ests. OBSERVER.
DIDN'T CATCH ON.
Mr. Editor Your readers take an increas