Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-10-16

reception on Wednesday morning and
went away Wednesday noon. It was an
nounced that he had been called AWAY to
Boston on important business. The real
cause of his going was the discovery bv
his confidential friend, Hon. j. d. Hatch
Of Burlington the astutcst politician i'm
vermont, that the Bachelor combina-
ton had been merely using his name to
further their own ends, and were even
then, frightened by the announcement of
Mr.. Edmunds's visit, preparing to desert
him to Save their own bacon Now
there is Il pretty widespread belief in Yer
mont that Governor Smith sometimes
uses other men, but no instance has yet
come to light where any one ever used
him. He accordingly lett Mr. Ddcheider
ana his friends to contend against Spna-
tor Edmunds as best they could, and it Is
safe to say that they will receive no fur
ther aid from him, directly or indirectly.
There is no doubt that, when the re-
union came to an end yesterday morning,
Senator Edmunds was Il much more popu-
lar man than when it began. Perhaps it
is not too much to say that he is now more
personally popular than he ever was since
he entered the Senate in 1866. The truth
Is that Mr.. Edmunds, in his hatred of any
thing which could be called demagogy,
has, to use a common phrase, "stoOd up so
straight that he leaned backward" With
One-quarter of the haudshaking and
Blaine has INDUCED in Mr.. Edmunds
might be president now. When he I'M
bends. few are more jOvial and entertain
ing. He was in one of his best moods dur
the reunion Men who had for years ad-
mired him at Il distance. fearful of near
approach, found themselves gathered
! around him at their ease as much as
though they were in the country stores
swapping" fish stories. And how it did
/ tickle them. "WhY,h sad one gentleman,
an eX-member of Congress, the most
/ learned of any man alive in the history of
| the State, "this hostile movement has
done EdmundS more good than anything
which ever happened in his life. lie has
had to come down from his lofty pedestal
and see the boys" Another gentleman.
! not politician, but u keen observer of
men and things, said that the reconcilia-
/ ton between Mr.. Edmunds and his con
stituents reminded him of Il beautiful wO-
man, who, after snubbng one of her mas
culine acquaintances for II while, sudden
/ ly becomes gracious and smiles upon him
During the snubbing period he had proba-
/ bly, made Il hundred firm resolutions that
/ he would never overlook her pride and
/ haughtiness, but the moment she beams
on him all his resolutions vanish and he is
once more at her feet, her devoted lover -
| There was some truth as well as wit in
| this remark. The whole thing rebounds
| to Mr.. Edmunds'S honor He was the
great central figure of the reunion, one of
the great objects of which was to put an
end to his political life. His speech at the
banquet was the climax of the affair All
felt rs they had never felt before that a
deer thinker, man of wide reading, of
varied experience was before them. a son
of their own state, and they realized that
in harming him they also harmed them
selves.
1t must not be supposed that the patti
sans Of llr. Blaine have given up the
fight altogether. That is not their style g
But they realize that thew are in hard
luck They know Mr.. Edmundss posi-
ton in the Senate that he will be the
leader of the Republicans, and that pow
erful as he is as the head of the admins
tration party, he is II great deal more pow
erful in opposition. His career in the
Senate during the next session, all &C
| knowledge, is likely to be the most illus
trious of his life, and one of the objects
of the reunion was to organize the oppo
sition to him so solidly that 1t could not
be broken by his senatorial course, no mat
ter how brilliant it might be. That hope
is now gone