News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-08-19
Communication.
BENNINGTON. N. H..

BENNINGTON, N. H., Aug. 3.
Editors NeaUs and Citizen:
1 see by your paper that the Re-
publicans of your county have nomi-
mated Judge Slayton, of Stowe, as
their candidate for County Senator.
1 think the selection a good one, and
do not see as they could have made a
better. Although it has been twenty
years since I left Lamoille county and
the good old town of Stowe, l still
feel a lively interest in its affairs, and
hope and believe Mr.. Slayton will be
elected. l have been acquainted with
him from my youth; we were boys
together, and I always had the utmost
respect for his abilities and morality,
Notwithstanding that about quarter
of a century past, when he was in
nomination for town representative, 1
did my best to help defeat him, but
not upon any personal grounds. l do
not know but things have changed for
the better in your vicinity since l left.
l hope so, certainly. But people OF
both parties used to be too much in
clined to throw mud. If candidate
was set up for some popular office,
though he might have been as pure
and spotless as the chaste moon, he
surely became the target for ten thou
sand arrows. The political candi-
date must have been dipped in stya
more thoroughly than the son of The
It's, or the unguarded spot in his rep
utation would have become riddled
into gaping wound. Now 1 know
not by what rule of ethics it can be
established that morality in politics is
different from morality in anything
else. Men who would not give cur
rency to calumny against private
citizen, are quite apt to circulate by
pen and tongue the most bitter Sian
ders against a public candidate. II
surely is shamefully derogatory to the
character of free and enlightened
people to have our elections carried
on by the bandying of slanderous ac-
cusations and contradictory afffdavits.
If reason, and the will of the peoples
great heart, and patriotism, and love
of order and morality are not strong
enough among US TO secure our we'll
government and the safety of our in
terests and prevent these shameful
agitations, we are to be pitied. But
1 believe that there is intelligence and
free, generous thought and morality
enough among us to check this SLAM
derous mode of political warfare and
these outbreakings of popular passion.
For the honor and the safety of our
country, let it be done. In our polit-
ical conflicts let character ever be as
sacred as it is in the circle of home,
the warehouse or the mart.
| wish to say word for Senator
Edmunds. 1 hope he will be returned
to the United States Senate, and feel
that he will be. Vermont cannot af-
ford to lose him, from the fact that he
is the best man, with a few exceptions,
that we have in Congress, and there
are none that are more looked to, to
guard the interests of our people than
he is. We may be sure that he will
be on the watch, that nothing that is
detrimental to our country will be-
come law if he can prevent it. Yer
mont wants him, New Hampshire
wants him, Massachusetts wants him,
and finally all good Republicans want
him. He is head and shoulders above
all who seek to have him shelved,
Hiram Atkins and John Gregory
Smith to the contrary Notwithstanding.
B. G. RUSSELL.