The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-04-21
AN OUTSIDE OPINION OF EDMuNDs.

AN OUTSIDE OPINION OF EDMUNDS.
The New York Commercial advertiser, in
abiding to the recent election of Mr.. Ed
munds as chairman of the republican con-
gressional caucus, makes him the subject of
the editorial article given below Though
" fact and fancy" are considerably mixed
in the article, it probably embodies the best
argument that can be made in the senator's
behalf 1t expresses the views of most of
the republican papers that favored Mr..
Arthur's nomination in 1884, with Mr. Ed
munds as their second choice The "out-
side " journals evidently do not understand
that the issue is between Mr.. Edmunds and
the republican party in Vermont, and that it
involves important questions of party policy;
and that these matters are to be decided by
the republicans of Vermont, and not by out
siders-whether they be Blaine men, Arthur
men or Conkling men, or the wretched
mugwumps. But here is the article
"Mr Edmunds is not made of a special
clay that lifts him above the human plane:
he has his limitations and blemishes, and
often makes blunders, like the rest of us.
But he easily ranks among the leading half
dozen Americans in public life; and it would
be thousand pites to retire him from the
senate, where he fills sphere of peculiar
usefulness, to crafty feelings of resentment,
or of jealousy, or of individual ambition. 1t
is known, of course, that Mr.. Edmunds OBJ
jects to Mr.. Blaine as presidential candi-
date The difference between them is
temperamental, and neither, probably, ap-
precates what the friends of the other
regard as excellent in him. But, without
discussing that aspect of the case, it is hard
to see why this GOODNESS between the two
leaders should operate to Danish Mr.. Ed
munds from the senate, unless politics is to
descend to the child's play of revenge. AS
a competitor for convention honors, Mr..
Edmunds would unquestonably be more
formidable out of the senate than in it, for
it has passed into proverb that the senate
is the worst possible starting-point for the
presidential race. If Mr.. Edmunds were out
of the senate, it by no means follows that he
would be out of politics. OF the two courses,
indeed, it would be more sagacious for the
special friends of Mr. Blaine to interest
themselves in favor of keeping Mr. Edmunds
in the senate and busy with legislation
rather than to seek to force him into leisure
and that mischief which, we are told idle
hands find to do. But we do not apprehend
that, outside of very narrow circle at most
any active opposition to Mr.. Edmunds will
be developed inside the republican party.
1t is absurd to doubt his thorough republic
canism. His record for a generation of
service speaks for itself in refutation of that
charge. From his election to the senate in
1866, he has been, if anything, an extremist
in party devotion. He was a stanch friend
and upholder of President Grant, he took
the lead on the republican side in the con-
tentions over the election in 1876 and sub
sequently stiffened the presidents back
bone " by remarkable series of speeches
which led to Mr.. Hayes veto messages. He
championed Grants cause in 1880 again,
and thereby widened the differences be-
tween himself and Mr.. Blaine; and in 1884,
while permitting the use of his own name
as candidate for nomination, he was an
open and true supporter of Mr.. Arthur as
the most eligible man before the convention.
If this is not an orthodox party record it
would be hard to say what republicanism is.