The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-11-18

Oub IL 10 bCluOlil bndb SuCu tAlltlutS are
exhibited as are reported of the pend
ing British contest. And yet the civil
service in Great Britain is divorced from
politics.
THE failure of the recent expeditions
to the north polar regions have led
geographers and discoveries TO turn
their attention in the direction of the
south pole, region that has been
comparatively neglected-since, while
northern discovery has reached to
within about four hundred miles of the
Arctic, southern discovery has only
penetrated to within one thousand
miles of the Antarctic pole.
THE report that the prohibition vote
in New York would reach 10000 turns
out to be incorrect. Complete returns
from fifty-two counties show vote of
$4,000, against 81 ,495 last fall The in
crease in the whole state will be about
1000 over last year, and makes the
ticket about 10000 Considering the
great efforts made by st. John and his
friends to swell the vote, this is not
lclildIhdDlc SuOWluS anu pdIJ VI I1C
increase comes from the democrats.
THERE are four mugwump papers in
Vermont. The Brattleboro Reformer is
democratic mugwump sheet. The st.
Johnsbury Caledonian is a Springfield
Republican Cleveland-St. John mug
wump paper; the Swanton Sentry is
n faah1o anhn of tho
general, and the Richford Guttersnipe
is of even less account. The mugwump
papers of the state endeavor to make
up in brag, buster and impudence for
their lack of strength and influence.
THE kingdom of Burmah, which is
about to be invaded by British army,
is nearly as large as France. Unlike
most of the countries of Southern and
Eastern Asia, it is thinly inhabited, and
the population is estimated at not
more than three millions. The coun-
try is rich in mines that are but little
worked, and in agricultural products;
but its commerce is small, the people
are impoverished by taxation, and dis
contented because of gross oppression.
THE Boston Sunday Herald contains
two columns of loaded platitudes from
governors of southern states in answer
to queries of the Herald concerning GER
tain features of politics in the South.
The answers are doubtless highly salts
factory to democratic politicians, for,
with one accord, these southern gentle
men give the idea that they are per-
fectly satisfied with things as they are.
They would welcome free interchange
of opinion, but the republican party
never.-Nashua Telegraph.
CHURCH organizations in Washington
have suffered materially, and are suffer-
ing, by the change of administration. 1t
is stated that the collectors of the reve-
nues from which the churches are
maintained have lately encountered
very much more difficulty than they
have for many years in securing their
dues. This is the result of the many
dismissals of men who were liberal con-
tributors to the support of the churches,
and the uncertain feeling of those who
are now in official positions and who
are members of church organizations.
Letter IN Indianapolis Journal.
THERE is no change in the relative
positions of parties in the present con-
gress as compared with the forty-eighth.
The republicans will have majority of
eight in the senate, counting for them
the senator from Oregon who is yet to
be chosen and for whose election the
governor has summoned an extra ses-
sion of the legislature. The democrats
will have majority of forty-one in the
house of representatives, including
Weaver, the fusionist from Iowa. No
legislation upon which the two houses
radically differ can be passed without
compromise. Nor can any veto of the
President having political significance
be overruled by congress.
THE Springfield Union says: " One
lesson of the New York election is that
men and newspapers that are first on
one side and then on the other very
soon cease to have any influence with
anybody and simply handicap the party
or cause which they assume to boss and
iOdu' AhCh lSoPSSp ioiSob 'thU out-
spoken convictions, however much they
may differ from them, but when a man
or paper is so anxious to reflect what
he or it thinks is public opinion as to en-
tirely change from and declare that what
he or it has been calling white is
black and rice versa, good-by to inhu-
ence with the people. The papers that
fought for Cleveland last year, and
against him and Hill this year, weakened
the republican party in New York.
Now that the long-contested, mall
odorous Taber divorce case has ended in
decree granting divorce to the hus-
band, it is proper time to call public
attention to the need of a change in
the conduct of such trials. That case
was celebrated on account of the stand
ing of the parties and the prurient sug-
gestiveness of the evidence presented.
The galleries of the courtroom were
crowded. Long lines of would-be
listeners waited hours for the chance
of admission. The newspapers scat
tered broadcast over the land detailed
accounts of the proceedings at the trial.
Men, women and children have devoted
their time to the case with apersistency
worthy of better object. The dam
age so wrought to public morality can
not be estimated. -BoSton Traveller.