Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-09-05
col. 7. ". RIGGINsON on THE
STUMP

The announcement that Col 7. ". Hig.
,ginson Of Massachusetts, was to speak on the
political issues Of the day 81 tie town hal
last Monday evening served 10 bring outs
larger audience than the haI would S az, o.
which the ladies formed a conspicuous eiy-
ment. The platform was Handsomely adlru.
ed with flowers, and there vas some hus sing.
ing by L. K. Willis with piano accompau.-
ment, and music by the First Regiment band
Col Hlgginson was then introduced los D
L. Iasker, president Of the Independent R.
publican club, and SPOKE for about an hour
and half. he began by 11oul- Senator
Edmunds's description Of Vermont Is tie
pole star of sound politics. aud said that the
Senator'S speech might rather be called tie
North Pole Of sound politics surrounded With
perpetual ice Senator Hoar. on the other
hand represented the torrid zone Of eu-
thusigsm and praised bis candidate So warm
ly that 1t was impossible 20 understand wbv
he had not been his candidate four years b-.
fore. Senator Hawley represented the ten
perate zone OF politics and had made
some fatal admissions, but it was reserved
for Senator Edmunds 10 put his candidate
into the ice box, shut the lid down aud sit on d.
The speaker pointed out that the pending
campaign was utterly unlike what had been
expected. Probably every man who voted
for Mr.. Blaine in the Republican cony utiou
expected to engage at once IN a campaign q
enthusiasm. Where had the euthulasu
gone Ohio is torpid the Western + serve
is begging for money; the 4ruans are
boiling in Iowa, the Scandinavia IN Wis
consin, the Prohibtionists in K4usas These
astounding discoveries had sufficed to ohi.
the Republican campaign in advance. TIE
present is time for boiling, riod of pc
litical disntegration. It is d.fi :u't matter
however, for most men to break away from
their old party ties they were afraid that
they would not be received back again when
they wished 10 return. This we. altogether
mistaken idea, aud several cousuicu0us ,n-
stances were pointed ont where party boilers
had been received back with open arms and
high honors.
The speaker believed that tie true way for
the voter to discover his present duty was 90
hrst dismiss the dead issues Of the past W
are not nov living in 1860. but in 1854. The
two prominent political parties now stand
practically on the same platform. The D 90.
ocrauc party, the speaker admitted, was .u
itself no better than the Republican party, bg,
It happened TO be behaving better just now.
which is the point This was mainly be-
cause II had been out Of power "a years. dur
ing which the spoilsmeu and star route con
tractors had gradually got upon the winning
side. At Chicago the Republican party had
bO0A NoLtA0IcN ul Tue wiz lehhLt OF 4lr N"A
fold, while the Democratic party in IKE
struggle had given its leadership into the
hands Of it better element
The speaker then proceeded to give the
grounds OF his opposition to Blaine Esfr-
ring TO the Mulligan letters be compared the
defence Of Mr. Blaius-tbat he was no.
proved TO have actually made money by The
trGnsactions-to the little boys claim thai Dc
had not broken the Sabbath very much by
fishing, because be did not have O uibae.
The brilliant" foreign policy Of Mr. Bsiue
the speaker claimed to be essentially that Of
Lord Beaconsheld, namely, TO bully weak
governments, such as Chill aud Peru, and to
cringe before strong ones Other points
brought up against Mr.. Blaine were his past
attitude toward civil service reform, bis bad
political companionship and his plan o. dis
trbuting the national revenue surplus among
the states. The speakers alluglu 10 Gov.
Cleveland were conspicuOusy few and faint
As an old abOlitionist and soldier be protest
ed against the efforts Of Republican speakers
to revive the issues Of the war. There was 6
steady progress at tae South Who're theT
was a single Copiah county stained with crime
there were hundreds Of counties where
the white voters in their poverty were taxing
themselves to build school houses for the
blacks as well as for whites The speaker
was sick and tired Of having the col0rad PEG
pie of the South whom be knew so well
used merely as pawns or dice 10 q game play
ed by political trioksters. d rdiculed the
stereotype alarm about the rebel brigadiers
In Congress when we had fought a Eve years
war simply TO compel those rebel brigadier5