Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-12-03

taught by the FREE PRESS that no party
could be successful unless the minority
acquescc in and suppor the nominees Of
our conventions, and it was our duty to
do so when the nominations were fairly
made MIR. EdmuudS did not support the
republican candidate for president, but
used his influence in an nsinuatiug man
uer to defeat him Three fourtbs of the
Intelligent republicans in this vicinity
were Disguised with his course, hut
nearly all thought it best to return him
fer his great intelligence and knowledge
OF national affairs, and his loyalty to re-
publican principles.
The FREE PRESS has done large
amount Of work to convince its readers
that Mr. Edmunds was really in earnest
for the republican candidates; but after
the danger is over and Mr.. Edmunds is
elected, he can publish his reasons tor not
supporting Mr. Blaine, and the FREE
PRESS now thinks all will admire him
except the Blaine men, etc. After vir
tually charging Blaine with dishonesty
he couldn't support him without hypnc-
risy. But Blaine wouldn't speak to Ed
mundS who came up smiling with hHud
extended Served him right. after dis
regarding the doctrine YOU have always
preached until the last campniun aud
slandered the republican standard bearer,
and disregarded the wishes of nine tent hs
of his own party in the state and nation
! am clad there is one man that has spirit
enough to resent it, even in the chamber
Of death.
Yours, for the doctrine yoI used 70
preach, f.. b. ANDREWS.
Richmond, Nov. %.
We print this communication, though
we think the writer of it, if he lives till
the passions and anlmosties of the day
have subsidized, viii he ashamed he wrote
1t. The FREE PRESS has maintained, and
still maintains that party organization Is
essential to the maintenance of sound
principles and that party organization
requires that regular nominations, fairly
made, should be supported, unless the
nominee is so dishonest or disreputable
that honest men cannot vote for him. Mr..
Edmunds did support the republican can
diuate He made a considerable journey
to Vermont expressly to vote for
him. We deny that Mr.. Ed
munds used his influence to defeat
Mr.. Blaine. On the contrary he said to
many that he would not lay straw in the
way of the election of Mr.. Blaine and
that he hoped he would be elected To
decline to take the stump for a candidate,
when a man believes that the success of
the party will not be promoted by his tax
ing the stumpis not Withholding support
1t is giving support. TO say that three
fourths OF the republicans were Disguised
with Mr. Edmunds'- course, at the time,
is very far from the truth. a very large
proportion of the Vermont republicans
felt very much as Mr.. Edmunds did. They
proposed to do what party loyalty required
of them but they could not applaud what
they thought to be an unwise choice. The
discovery of the enormty of Mr.. Ed
munds's conduct came later, when some
body else wanted his place, and party
feeling and soreness over party defeat
could be made to serve a purpose of per-
sOnal ambition.
Mr.. Edmunds has not published his rea-
sons for his course; nor has he charged
Mr.. Blaine with dishonesty. He stated
nothing in this private letter OF his, written
two years ago, that was not repeatedly
stated during the canvass. Private letters
of Mr. Edmunds, of precisely the same
tenor, were published last summer, and
before. What the matters We're which
Mr.. Edmunds, looking to the good of the
party, thought it not best TO put himself in
a position to be catechised about, he never
has said in public or so far us we are
aware in private. 1t is plain that he did
not consider Mr.. Blaine too dishonest to
be supported by honest men at the polls,
for he voted for him. He has never
sandered Mr.. Blaine, and if Mr.. Blaine
and his friends intend to take the
ground that no man who declined to take
the stump for him, is entitled to the cour-
tesies common between gentlemen, they
will find that they cannot carry the peo-
pie with them in that view of the case
Mr.. Blaine could not do anything that
our correspondent would not think to be
all right; and he has other followers who
have been equally magnetiZed. With
such it Is of no use to argue. To other
fair-minded persons among our readers
we commend the following suggestions
made by the Rutland HCrdid in a reply to
the Utica HCrdld which saw fit to say
the other day, that in the publication Of
his private letter, Mr.. Edmunds made
himself responsible for charges against
Mr. Blaine which had been heard and
canvassed and adjudicated Upon this eX-
| traordinary statement our Rutland con-
temporary comments as follows;
Mr.. Edmunds said nothing about
charges in his letter. The nearest ap-
proach to it was the expression, II could
not say that | believed something about Il
candidate that did not believe" How
does the Utica HCrdld know this referred
to charges" Granting, however, it did,
how does Mr. Edmunds make himself ere
sponsible' for them Clearly it was only
| by believing them. Does the jury which
Is convinced of the guilt of IA man on trial,
and says so in writing, become responsl-
bile for the charges
Perhaps, too, while our Utica namesake
is about it, it will tell us when ana where
and how and by what tribunal the charges
were "adjudicated." Mr.. Blaine has never
seen fit to submit them to court, al
though Mr.. Muliigan who made them,
lives in Boston and Is Il responsible man
If IT can he said that they were submitted
to the American people, can il be said that
the verdict was IN Mr.. Blaine's favor
Those charges cost us the the mUgWumT
vote and "A part of the prohibition vote
Those OBJECTIONS cost us the election
Therefore the adjudication, if it can be
lI.f 81 Ia .tt.4 In