St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-06-26
VOLUME 47--NUMBER 244S

better than other people and that
dudes are very poor practical poll
ticians. But not word has been
spoken or written to disprOve the
assertion that Mr.. Blaine's own letters
show that he had used his official posi-
ton and action to promote his personal
advantage.
1t has been alleged, indeed, with
persistent Inconsistency, that "they all
do it,; that Garfield was asperSed in
the same way that Washington and
all great and good men have been as
sailed with lies and billingsgate that
we must take men as they are /; that
those who protest against such things
are political purists and supernatural
lists and impracticable fools, flies on
the wheel, premature angels, assistant
democrats, and whatever other epi-
thets may occur to the eager and angry
disputant. But when the shower of
denunciation has passed, it still appears
that no explanation whatever has been
offered of the tact that the speaker of
the American house of representatives
called attention to his favorable official
ruling as a reason for admitting him to
il pecuniary interest in railroad en-
terprise, and suggested that he had
many ways of making himself useful
to the enterprise, and would not be a
"dead-head" in it. Such facts are
revelations and illustrations of methods
and morals which render man unfit
for presidency, and if Il great majority
of the republican party select him as a
candidate, it must be assumed that it
IL 1
them. 1t can not be said that they do
not believe them, because the facts
have not been disproved, and republi-
cans who value the character and pur-
pose of the party more than its name
can not consent to iniure them by sus-
tanning such a representative of the
party of Lincoln and Sumner.
The more strenuOusly it is urged and
the more plainly it is proved that the
Chicago candidate is Il true represen-
tative of the party, the more doubtful
becomes the prospect of political pro
greSs and reform under republicans
auspices, and the stronger becomes the
current which sets towards party reOr-
ganizatiOn. The professions of plat
form must be Judged by the candidate
selected To represent it. The platform
of the Chicago convention contains Il
satisfactory declaration upon the sub
| iect of civil service reform. But the
candidate who stands upon it is wholly
unknown as IL friend of reform, except
bv a declaration for fixed terms made
in a speech four years ago, and all the
tenets and practices of the political
school to which he belongs are directly
opposed to reform. Moreover, his
candidacy has been pressed, at Chi
cago as well as elsewhere, with Il total
disregard of every principle of such
reform. There is no conspicuous pub
lie man who represents the aims and
views and methods of civil service
reform less than Mr.. Blaine; and tC
adopt satisfactory and distinct dec
laratiOn upon that subject, and to select
him us its representative, is merely tC
discredit the platform, and to suggest
that it was designed not to pledge the
party to reform, but to inveigle re
formers to support the candidate. Bu
he was instantly and instinctively re
pudiated by the reform sentiment o
the party, and his nomination, NOR,
than any other possible nomination
has alarmed that republican sentimen
throughout the country. His letter u
acceptance, so far as it relates to thi
subject. will be interpreted by hi
career and by the conduct of his mos
intimate and familiar friends. A great
er misfortune than the nomination
could not have befallen the republican
party.