St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-03-20

THE JUDGE GIVES AN INTERESTING
TALK ON THE SITUATION.

corning the relation of Vermont to the
coming national republican convention
and the candidacy of Senator Edmunds.
The question was asked whether the
delegates to the Chicago convention
from Vermont this year would be in
structed to vote for the senator.
Judge Poland replied: Certainly.
Senator Edmunds is the favorite son
of Vermont and our standing candi-
date for presidential honor. While |
have not talked with him very recently
on the subject, know of no reason
why his name should not be presented
to the convention. 1t certainly will be
unless he should in an emphatic man
ner decline to allow his name to go
before that body"
''Is the senator a candidate, then, in
the same sense that we speak of other
standing aspirants for presidential
glory ?"
''Not by any means. do not believe
Senator Edmunds would so much as
raise his little finger to promote such
an interest. He is in public life, and
his associates are men whose time is
mostly spent in the discharge of public
duties, so that it would be supertluOus
to say that he does not fully cOmpre-
bend all of his relations to the people
generally. But his ambition does not
lead him to seek what SO many of his
associates earnestly covet. | have just
said that the proviso which goes with
his possible candidacy is that he will
not interdict it."
ADMIRABLE QUALITY AND ADAPTION.
EEN. I'm In - En1 ln
pressed himself as opposed to Il presi-
dency in any form, either of the con-
vention of the Episcopal church or any
ether presidency, and yet he is to-day
the president pro tenn of the senate"
"Well, this is true, and may be eX-
| planned by that admirable quality the
senator possesses of adapting his feel
ings to the emergency when it arrives.
! have no doubt he could give you the
most satisfactory reasons for amending
his declaration. For instance, you do
not suppose that if he was elected
president he would decline. Nor do
You believe that if he is nominated he
would decline that honor. Oh, no.
| Senator Edmunds is too good citizen
| to spurn the good will of his fellow
citizens in any such manner. Now,
what | understand to be his cOnyic-
! tons are these: He has well settled
belief that the candidate of the repub-
| lean party will never come from New
| England. The six states composing il
are counted sOlidly for the republican
ticket, and so the utility, if you please,
Of taking a candidate from where the
electoral votes are absolutely certain
! i L.; md, 20, 10,
pen. You see that he disposes himself
of all thought of presidential light
ming shocking his nervous system
| Nevertheless he cannot be blind tC
what is said of him as an available
candidate, for it is Il fact that his name
is far more prominent to-day than il
was four years ago. | presume, will
the exception of the state of Maine
that if Senator Edmunds should de.
velOp strength equal to his popularity
he would surely have the fifty ode
votes in New England to begin with"
NECESSITIES OF THE PARTY.
"Have you ever thought, apart from
the senator's own convictions about 4;
New England man being an eligible
presidential nominee, but what the ne
cessities of the republican party may
demand just such character as the sen
atOr possesses to sOlidify the party
votes9"
eyes, | have thought that all over
Senator Edmunds is free from sectiona
and factiOnal influences. Against hin
personally and politically there coulC
not be a word of reproach. He is sin.
gularly free from all the pickering,
and fOibles that ordinarily attend {
man in public life, but that is no
enough to secure the nomination
What Senator Edmunds lacks is tina
political following which calculates OF
reward for services rendered. No
that it is to his discredit, but / speal
of it because conventions are composed
for the most part of politicians, mel
who inwardly resolve to take off theil
coats and shout themselves hOarse fol
their favOrite, with tacit or implied
promise of being taken care of in the
event of success. Now, such follow.
ing as that Senator Edmunds never
would have in this world of sorrow
and error. Imagine "A regular cOnven-
ton delegate addressing the senator
SIN the event of my using all of my
influence to boom your name before
I the Chicago convention what may
expect ?" | do not suppose the sena-
tor would read him the civil service
law or parley with him at all. doubt
whether the time would be long enough
for such man to formulate his prOpo.
sition. Now, you don't imagine for a
moment that the Chicago convention
is going to take a man from New Eng
land, and such a man as Senator Ed
munds, for its candidate"
IF NOMINATED, ELECTED.
''But suppOsing the convention
should find him the most available
man after fruitless attempts to select
somebody else ~
''In that event George F. Edmunds
of Vermont would be the next presi-
dent of the United States. There
would not be the slightest question
about his election. The people are
very different from the political mana
gers of conventions. There is not a
man in the republican party who would
not bend his best energy toward the
election of such candidate as Mr.
Edmunds. But | still think that the
promising and trading aspirants would
have the REFUSAL Delofe IL came 10 one
so thoroughly independent as our
Junior senator. That is the whole
matter in a nutshell and pardon NE
when | say that have had some little
experience in public life and find nc
expression so well suited to this con-
versatiOn as the very remark of Dele
gate Flanagan of Texas, at the last
convention when he exclaimed: What
are we here for if it is not for the
offices p 1t is this class that stands in
the way of the selection of a man who
never made promise and never would