Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-06-04
Some more Po., once Ru.Ine..

Putney's turn has come this week. 1t has
been a good while coming, but it has got
along at last. The announcement was pub
lshed on Tuesday that Newton E. Priest had
been appointed postmaster in place of H. E.
Wheat, Offensive partisan" removed. 1t is
well toward year ago that the first move
was made to get Mr.. Whest's place for one of
the faithful" in the shape of a petition for
the appointment of Adolphus harrington,
which received the signatures of about 20
Democrats. The story goes at Putney that
the first suggestion of change came from
Mr.. Atkins, who felt himself called to be an
apostle of a clean sweep and sent down Pc
ttion for Harrington to circulate. However
this may be it seems TO be well authenticated
that Atkins protested to be a warm supporter
of Harrington and promised repeatedly that
his appointment should be made right
away" but the same thing happened 10 poor
Farringtons case that has happened in SO
many others. His papers got lost, and
were even lost" after the boss had positive
ly said that they had been sent on to Wash
ington. For all that anybody knows to the
contrary they may even now be ''lost" in pig
con hole in Hiram's office. After "Dolph's"
hopes had been raised to the seventh heaven
only to sink week by week to be finally
drowned in tears and dependency, David
Stesrns appeared in the field with a petition
which received about as many names as Mr..
Farrington's and for a a time David's hopes
went a-soaring, but still the Washington
oracle didn't speak, and some of the scoffers
began to doubt whether Hiram Atkins had
any more influence than common mortals to
make it speak
About the beginning of this year some of
the wiser and more reputable Democrats
plainly saw that neither Harrington nor
Stearns was to be appointed and concluded
if a change must be made to try 10 have q
man appointed who would represent the
wishes of the people and be as satisfactory
to them as Mr.. Wheat had been-for at no
time had there been any desire eXpresst for
the removal of Mr.. Wheat. Accordingly a
petition for the appointment of A. NJ Corser,
clerk for Mr. Wheat, young man of excel
lent standing, every way clean and capable,
and universally popular, was started. tread
lily received the names of 70 OF the SO Demo-
Gratis in town and had the united support of
all the business interests of Putney regard
less of party. Mr.. Corsers father guileless-
ly took the documents to Montpelier, and
gave them to Mr.. Atkins, who received them
with assurance of his distinguished consider
stion-and that is the last that ever was heard
of them. Perhaps they got "lost" in a pig
con hole Perhaps, also, Mr., Atkins thought
young Corser, being the decent man he is,
wouldn't be the right man TO advance his
personal fortunes in Putney.
Not great while ago Mr.. Priest came bach
to Putney after an absence of two years. A
petition for him was circulated, the Dos,
smiled on him-for some reason-snd he has
been appointed We presume he will make
good postmaster, but the fact remains tina
he is practically an importation as was Mr.
Shepard at Jamaica, and that the almos
unanimous voice of the people, az correctly
represented 10 Mr. Corser's petition, hal
been given not the slightest heed or consid
Grafton To begin with, the Putney case wa
one of all others where no change was de
sired by the people and where none was nee
essary. Mr., Wheats administration of tn
office has been efficient and impartial, he ha
the confidence of everybody, be is not a par
tisan, and there was no popular call TO
his removal. II a Democrat must have tn
office, however, the only really Democrat
thing to have done was to give it to Mr.. Cor
ser, the man whom the people had said the.
wanted. But Hiram Atkins's personal inter
ests didn't lie in that direction and Mr.. Cor
ser didn't get the appointment.