Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-02-26
4 Few Words with n Brother Re
publican.

should be sorry to doubt, and who has
generally been good Republican, though
if our recollection is not at fault he has
been known to break through party lines
when he thought he had sufficient occa
sion to do so, writes us in severe criticism
of Senator Edmunds's position in the last
national campaign. He even likens the
senator's course to that of George William
Curtis, and asks whether he can be any
better trusted to sustain the Republican
party in future than Mr. Curtis can. Our
correspondent has evidently been lending
his ear to some of the back bitels of the
senator. Assuming, however, that he is
willing to do justice to a prominent pub
lie servant, and that he desires to sustain
the Republican party, as the party which
represents the best purposes and instincts
of the American people, we invite him to
take IA little broader view of this subject
than he seems to have taken.
To ba.iu with, his comparison of Mr..
Edmunds to Mr.. Curtis, is astonshin9ly
wide o. the truth. Mr.. Curtis went into
the national convention "a Il dele gate and
representative of the Republican party
and par icipaied in its proceedings, with
out protest, to its close and he was bound
by every precedent and principle of honor
| in party action o accept its result He
went away from Tie convention to strike
hand, with the enemies of his former
party, u.G t. do his utmost up to the cleo
| ton to defeat tie Republican nominees.
! He supported and voted for the Demo-
| c. attic ticket. He takes the side of Mr.
! Cleveland no to this day in all controver-
/ Il f,,,. ) h..
/ permanent overthrow of the Republican
/ party. He is no longer trusted, and 1t Is
| moi possible that he ever again can be
trusted in he Republican party or infiu-
1 rntal IN its councils Senator Edmunds,
m the other hand violated no pledges and
/ betrayed no trusts. He did no plotting
with Democrats or Independents. He
/ showed most distinctly during the cam
paign his sense Of the duty and import
ance of sustaining the Republican party.
He voted its ticket, and he is to-day one OF
the main-sIayS and most efficient MOUTH
pieces and agents of the Republican party
! in its resistance to the schemes and meas
ures by which the Democracy hope To
| maintain permanent control of the govern
ment. The cases of these two men are
dramatically opposite. Only extreme
ignorance or bitter prejudice can associate
| them.
But Mr. EdmundS has enemies and OPP
punents outside of his long time oppon-
ents, the Democracy. If our friend does
not know how this happens so to be, We
will tell him. Our senator long age
earned the very distinct dislike OF
some of the great corporations by his OPP
4; Iii
on regarding the interest of the people and
of the public treasury rather than the in
terest of the corporations. The Pacific
railroads long ago felt the weight OF his
opposition to their plans of plumber of thu
government, and would have been glad Il
secure his defeat at the time of his las
. election. The time was not, however,
propitious one for their purpose, and the,
had to witness his return to the Senate
Since then he has earned the opposition
of two other tremendous monopolies-th
Western Union Telegraph company anC
the Bell Telephone company, by oppos
: ing them in the interest of the public
, These great concerns control newspapers
. Congressman, lawyers and agents. The
! have plenty of money, and one of thel
agents was indiscreet enough, a fey
} months ago, to mention the fact tina
| they stood ready TO spend money il
= order to defeat Mr. Edmunds's re-eleC
= ton. Every intelligent observer of publ
e affairs must have expected, under the Gil
= cumstances, to see what we have seen
Y steady misrepresentation and Islander q
f the Senator in various newspapers, falls
+, statements continually telegraphed abou
4 him from Washington, and ii canvass q
5 calumny inaugurated wherever it coul
l. find hearers With this opposition othe
l. elements have combined. Mr.. Edmund
t had the dislike, and we might lay hatred
of Mr.. Blaine, long before the last Nation
+ al campaign. This broke out in the hea
of the canvass, in that most uncalled 70
l. and unwise attack made upon Mr.. Ed
n munds by Mr., Blaine, through hi
S agent and spokesman, William Wa
IS ter Phelps. Mr.. Edmunds has a
ways said that he cared nothing abou
n that attack but he would have been NOR
;, than human if he had quite forgotten il
e While thousands of Mr. Blaines bes
o friends shared none of the spirit tina
g prompted it, at the time, and now wis
d all such bygones to be bygones, indici
n tons are not wanting on the part OF som
d of the head-strong and thick and thu
h supporters of the Maine statesman, of a
.r intention to keep all such old sores opel
A. and to pay off Mr.. Edmunds and Other
o who did not come up to the measure {
e. their expectations in the last nationj
ii canvass, no matter at what cost to Il
il Republican party of the future.
Without such outside opposition thel
~ hnt si..t
lie opposition to Mr.. Edmunds in his ow
n State would have lifted its head. III
re people Of Vermont respect his honest
ct ability and independence. They reco
e. nze the prestige which accrues to our II
he tie State from the possession OF such
1t powerful representative IN the nation
O. legislature and however his course
N the last campaign may have failed to 81
" some of them, in some of its features, thu