The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-12-08

friendly note.
THE New York Evening Post (mug-
wump) humorously classes the Burlinq-
ton Free Press and Rutland HeroM as
among the "repubican journals of
large influence" The attacks of these
papers upon Mr.. Blaine furnish the
groundwork of the Evening Posts fiat
tering opinion of them.
IT is said that another democratic
member-elect of the Indiana assembly
is ineligible He was born in England
and did not take out his final papers
until last August. The constitution of
Indiana requires that member of the
legislature shall be a citizen a given
number of years before his election.
DAVID DUDLEY FIELD says the peo-
pie of New York pay annually over
SlOO,O 900 for recording the surplus words
in their mortgages. The same surplus
sage of words occurs in nearly all legal
instruments, and the question is how to
get rid of the nonsense which has come
down to us from former generations
too numerous to mention. Concord
MOnitOr.
"A TABLE accompanying Postmaster
general Villas report shows for the
eighteen years preceding the incoming
of the present administration the
changes of postmasters by removal or
suspension averaged nine hundred
year, while in the first year of Mr..
Cleveland's administration there were
1866 such changes. --Nep Bedford
Stdnddrd
THE developments in the Saxton for
gerry case in Burlington are of an I'M
savory character, and perhaps the least
that can be said about them the better.
The Z" disclosures =" of the accused and
her witnesses, if true, put Mr.. Mason
in an unfavorable light; but when the
respondent admits that she has made
certain false statements to eXtort money
from Mr.. Mason, and it is shown that
she has discreditable record in other
respects, ii is difficult to determine how
much, if any, of her story is true.
THE good man " has got into poll
tics again, and, as usual, a hornets nest
is stirred up. This time it is a Vermont
minister who had a private letter from
Senator Edmunds, written in 1885,
giving some of the reasons why he did
not actively support Mr.. Blaine. There
was nothing new in the letter, but the
dominic thought point might be made
by publishing it. A paper was found
foolish enough to publish it, and of
course all the other papers in the coun-
try must follow suit-MonchcSter Jour-
nal.
IT is to be regretted that the legisla-
ture has seen fit to kill the free text
book bill, as the passage of the act
would have been step of progress.
and in the expense of books would
have resulted in the saving of many
thousands of dollars to the people of
the state. Massachusetts has now had
the law in operation several years and
finds that it works satisfactorily in
every particular. The passage of the
bill in this state is only delayed. as
sooner or later it will be adopted -Rut-
land Telegram.
WHO is it that constitutes the big bone of
contention in the republican party? Who
has alienated many of its leading men?
What is in the way of letting the dead past
bury its dead and coming to a good and
hearty understanding for the future?-Rut-
lana Herdid.
The determination of a minority
the mugwumps-to rule the majority,
and not being permitted to do so. Let
this minority dictate in respect to the
candidates and policy of the party, and
the majority submit to such dictation,
and there would be perfect harmony
We are not likely to have " harmony"
on these terms.
THE Hartford Post makes this very
timely remark concerning diphtheria,
and if its suggestions are generally
needed many lives will be saved: " The
appearance of that deadly disease, diph-
liberia, in so many sections of the coun-
try is general warning for every city
and for every householder to clean up.
1t is disease which grows and fourishes
where there are uncleaned streets and
alleys, badly ventilated houses, foul
sinks and vaults and deficient plumbing
All these combined don't cost as much
to remedy as doctors and undertakers'
bills, aside from the calamties to the
homes"
THE democrats, who dread Blaine's
candidacy for president more than any
other, are much pleased with the assur-
ance of Mr.. Blaine's republican op-
ponents with whom the wish is father
to the thoughO that the little episode
at Arthur's funeral g has DESTROYED his
chances for the nomination." OF the
hundred or more papers quoted by the
anti-Blaine sheets as rejecting unfavor-
ably upon Mr.. Blaine's conduct, at
least ninety per cent are mugwump or
democratic. This ought to open the
eyes of republicans to the character and
aim of the present movement against
Mr.. Blaine.
THE Cincinnati Commercial Gazette
(republican) reads the mugwumps out
of its party for ever and ever in these
impressive words: " There is one thing
to be said of these gentlemen at this
time, and that is that they have no
political influence to throw away. Their
Clevelandism-and the CHASTITY mockery
Of reform that he renrespnts-haS do