The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-10-28

| WATCHMAN was encouraged 10 DelleVe
that this was good field for such
newspaper as the republicans wanted,
and he is endeavoring to supply that
want to the best of his ability. No
question regarding the senatorship,
governorship, or acknowledgements
ship, or any merely personal matter
was considered in the purchase of the
WATCHNIAN and we believe that it has
the cordial support of great majority
of republicans in the territory in which
it chiefly circulates, irrespective of in
dividual preferences for candidates for
any office. As to whether the publisher
was compelled to borrow money to eff
feet his purchase, or to what extent he
is still indebted for the property-these
are matters with which the public has
nothing to do; and if he pays his bills
and meets all his financial obligations
it need not be matter of concern even
to his creditors. The little mug
wump organ of Boston has no more
right to make inquiry into our private
affairs than we have to insist upon
knowing who has paid for the hundreds
of copies of the Boston Record which
were sent broadcast over Vermont
week ago, and which contained the
false and malicious statements referred
to in our last weeks issue.
We are prepared to meet the Record
upon another point. 1t charges the
present editor of the WATCHMAN with
having edited the st. Adams Messenger
under its late owner. We admit the
" soft impeachment" We believe, how
ever, that we made the Messenger, what
it still is, steadfast and consistent re-
publican newspaper; we supported reg
ular republican nominations and did
not wander after strange gods. All this,
of course, constitutes a rank offence in
the estimation of the mugwumps, who
seek to make treason to party respecta-
BILE, repudiate regular nominations to
crafty personal feeling and antagonize
the will of majorities. When the former
proprietor of the Messenger sold his
newspaper property to the opposing in
terest, he probably felt convinced that
the "war' was practically over, and
that there was little sense or reason in
continuing an acrimonious and unproft-
able controversy when the grounds of
that conflict had been so largely swept
away by the mutations of time. We
also accepted the situation as it then ap-
peared, and so did many others who
had taken an active part in the contest.
1t was less matter of personal gain
than of individual judgment and choice !;
and it ought, perhaps, to count some
thing to our credit that we were able to
rise above the strong animosities and
prejudices engendered by protracted
and bitter contest, while others con-
tinued, most unwisely as we believe, to
thresh the old straw of dead contro-
versy, to nurse their time-worn griev-
ances and hates and to seek the dry
husks of an ignoble revenge.
The WATCHMAN will deal candidly
with all public questions when they are
presented as timely and legitimate is
sues; and it will at all times seek to
promote the best interests of the repub.
lican party and the general public well
fare; but it will not be driven from its
chosen line of policy at the dictation OF
any mugwump newspaper or politician
for we have nothing in common with
their destructive purposes. And, by
the way, the mugwumps are evidently
forcing an issue of considerable moment
upon Vermont. 1t is simply this
whether the republicans of this state
shall be permitted to control their owl
party affairs, or whether they shall sur
render the control of them to Boston
mugwumps-the most arbitrary, selfish
INSCRIPTIONS and hypocritical politica
element that ever afflicted this country
The principal points of difference be
tween the WATCHMAN and the mug
wump papers are these: The WATCH
MAN would conduct a political contes
upon the basis of principles, the integ
rity of party and sound and consist
ent party policy. The mugwump pa
pers would wage a political contes
upon personal grounds, treat loyalty Il
party as a sentimental absurdity, an,
r promote selfish ends by melting fac
tional strife and destroying party unity
We believe that the republicans o
, Vermont can fully appreciate the es
sential difference between the two poll
cies, and that they will not blindly fol
low the lead of those who would wrec
I the interests of the party for the accom-
, plishment Of unworthy schemes.
Overwhelming Reform.
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