St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-11-27
BOycOtIing.


The plan of expelling from republic
can associations the republicans who
voted for Mr.. Cleveland or Mr.. St.
John, and of boyeotting traders who
decline to sell their principles, is very
poor practical politics, and recalls tile
old pro-siavery tactics before the war.
I The republican wrath with the St.
John men is especially contemplate.
/ The st. John men did at this election
precisely what the liberty party men
did in 1874. They stood up to be
counted for a principle which they be-
lieved to be more important than any
which divides the parties, and upon
which the position of neither party
suits them. The republicans who rail
and rage at their course are the Iineal
successors of the old pro- slavery dem
ocrats who mobbed the original repnb-
Leans. Thei' conduct shows precisely
how far certain republicans have fallen
below the principles and character of
the party, and their conduct merely
| confirms the conviction of a multitude
of the most intelligent and patriotic
men in the country that the republican
party has survived it's moral vigOr and
impulse.
In this city and Brooklyn if the gen
tlemen who. control the republican
associations propose to '.weed ont" of
the party connections all republicans
who did not vote for Mr.. Blaine, they
will weed out the vitality of the re-
publican party. AS Mr.. Edwin Pack
ard said in Brooklyn, the independent
republicans have not belonged Ito the
party for what they could mali ~ of
1t, and to put out gentlemen like Mr..
Packard, Mr.. FUrman, Mr.. Deming,
and the Committee of One Hundred,
and to leave in Mr.. Daggett and his
friends in Brooklyn. and Mr.. OBrien
and his friends in New York. NAV leave
number of persons who are expert at
IDEALS" but it annihIates party
which can carry elections. UndOubt-
edly the events of the summer have
severed great many of the best men
from the party. But the merest tyro
IN politics can see that if the whole
republican host that would not sup
port MIR. Blaine is to he OstraciZcd. the
party will he very select, but cannot he
successful.
II this bOycOtting method had been
applied to the party in New York in
1852. the remnant" would have been
a lHdicrous representative of the party
If it is to be formally announced by the
action of republican associations that
refusal to support candidate whom
the voter holds to be dishonest is in
compatible with republican principles,
what self-respecting man could wish to
belong to the party ? The republican
party should avoid dangerous in
qniries. If the condition of member
ship is unquestioning and INSCRIPTIONS
support of all party nominations and
measures, the party is already gone
Bat how unnecessarily foolish this pol
icy is appears from the result of the
late congressional elections. While
the republican vote for the presidem-
tlal candidate, us we state elsewhere,
has declined in startling ratio from
that for Garfield, the democratic ma
jority i'll the house of representatives
has been reduced at the same election
nearly One-half. Now if this freedom
is Incompatible with republicanism, SO
much the worse for rePublicanism and
IT republican managers think that ex-
pulsIon and calumny and boycotting
are the true way to deal with those
who will not support improper nOmi-
nations, or nominations improperly
made, they merely persevere in the
unspeakable folly which they showed
in the nomination of Mr.. Blaine
HarperiS Weekly