The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-06-04
Independence In Politics.

Independence In Politics.
There are many unmistakable signs of
independent action this year both in local
and national politics. The independent
voter is certainly abroad, and he proposes
to make his influence felt. Some of the
newspapers are catching the spirit and are
serving notice on the party leaders that
their support will depend more upon the
character of the candidate than the name
of the party to which he belongs. The
Evening Post one of the most conserva-
tive of the New York papers, thus gives
its view of the situation d" The New York
Times gives notice, in answer to the en-
quiry Of correspondent whether it in
tends to support the nominee of the Chi
cago republican convention, that it will
support him if he is a man worthy to be
president of the United States, but that
if he shall be man who, personally or
politically, in Office or out, represents prin-
ciples or practices which it abhors,' it
will watch with great interest the efforts
of those responsible for such q nominal
ton to elect their candidate, but can give
them no help We believe that this is
the only sound position at any time for
newspaper which processes to be inde-
pendent, and that it is position which
now, more than at any time since the war,
it behooves independent newspapers to
take. Nothing does more to diminish the
influence of the press and to enable even
knaves to despise its criticisms than the
too common editorial practice of agreeing
beforehand, in return for circulation, to
eat every dish, however nauseous or in
furious, political convention may pre-
pare. A journal which is known to be
ready to eat its own words, to make black
appear white and white black, to recon-
mend in the strongest terms for the high
est office this year man whom it last
year described as unfit even for the low
est, cannot render party much service
except as spreader of news. Its opin-
ions can hardly have any great influence
on the fortunes of canvass. Readers
who seek from a newspaper any assist
ance in forming judgment on public af-
fairs, are generally among the first to be dis
gusted by undisguised unscrupulousness,
regeneration, or venality. The consid.
erations are more than ordinarily impor.
tant just now. In one way or another the
graver issues which divided the American
people, almost from the foundation of the
government, have been disposed of. The
party organizations remain, but they are
separated far more by temperament and
traditions than by ideas or aspirations.
Almost in spite of itself, almost for want
of any more exciting work, the party in
power has begun to turn its attention to
the improvement of the administrative
machinery, to the infusion, in short, of
more honesty and capacity and efficiency
into the management of public business.
This change gives the character of our
public men, of those who are to give the
public service its tone and impulse by
standing at its head and seeing that the
laws are faithfully executed, an impor.
lance it has hardly ever had before. The
next president will represent more dis
tinctly than any president who has gone
before him, the idea that public servants
must be competent, honest and faithful
business men, and must stand for the ma.
tional morality in its highest aspects. The
heart of the people is set, as it probably
never was before, on having in the White
House a simple, sober-minded, clean.
handed man, who is above reproach both
in his public and private life, who has no
antecedents which need disguise or OBJ
livion, and who is not likely to involve
the government in scandals and adven-
lures, or build up his own fortunes on
public shame or disaster. We believe the
convention will nominate such a man, but
we all know that, as conventions are now
made up, it may not. The nominating
machinery has become so elsborate the
convention itself has become 80 large, so
cumbrous, so excitable, so exposed to great
gusts of passion and panic, that there is
chance-it may be only chance in
thousand-that it may give us candidate
whom it will be impossible for great
many journals to support without dshon-
esty and degradation, and impossible for
tens of thousands of voters to vote for
without sacrificing to party the very
things which parties are intended to save.
For that chance, however remote, it be-
hooves all honest journalists to be pre-
pared. The Evening Post certainly ispre-
pared for it."
JUDGE POLAND has introduced bill to