The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1886-04-01
Secretary Manning, who last week
was stricken with appoplcNy, is slight
" improved.


| puSL.NN ltN'HSiNSeA'H' ~ 'N''H'9'0' NV
in doing what ought not to be done, so
much MS in failing to do what ought to
be done. And for this there is some
excuse, In these hard times. farmers
aud laboring men generally are obliged
to live frugally and TO weigh well the
spending of every cent, in order to keep
even with the world. They have their
children to bring up and educate, and
they naturally want to give them a bet
ter chance at school than they had them
selves, and so their days are spent in
hard toll, and they have very little time
or thought for matters not directly bear
ing on the problem of how to make
both ends meet at the close of the year.
And so they have become, in ameNsure,
indifferent, and have fallen into the
habit of ncglacting their political duties
and allowing sleek Office seekers and
political trickstcrs and bummers to
have their own way. Then in ordina-
~ times, when no great political excite
ment prevails, one ortwo cunning wire
pullers in each town, who make trade
of and in politics, and who are usually
the paid and subservient tools of the
Great Boss, find very little difficulty,
in almost any town, in packing caucns-
es to suit their employer, not because a
large majority of the people do not
heartily detcst that kind of business,
but because the honest ycomanry, who
cannot be used forany corrupt purpose,
do not attend the primary meeting; or,
if they occasionally do attend, feel that
they cannot afford the time and cX-
pense of attending distant conventions
as delegates. And so the paid wire
pullers fix things to suit their owners.
and purchasablc delegates are too often
selected, who either ride to the conven-
ton on Smiths free pass, or on tickets
furnished by rival candidates for Office.
What towns there in which just such
disgraccful transactions as these have
not occurred? Not this one, we confess.
The result is that scores and hundreds
of men Get nominated and elected to
officc-espccially to the legislature
who are utterly unworthy of trust, and
who 90 to Montpelier and sell out their
constituents for a free pass or some
thing worse. They promptly vote a
pocket Judge into office or vote down a
railroad COMMISSION or short haul
bill. according to orders from Gov.
Smith and his spokesman. They get
their nominations and elections through
the aid and manipulations of Smiths
packers, and he practically owns
them. In this way he has owned tho
State for a score of wears, and now
rules it. The question is, shall this dis
graceful state of things continue in the
future? The answer is with the farm
crs, mechanics and laboring men, who
constitute large majority of ourvoters.
They can put a stop to it if they will.
They, as a rule, have no axes to grind
and no selfish ends to attain. They
have only to come out to caucuses and
insist on fair play and square dealing,
and send men to conventions and to the
legislature who Willrcpresent and carry
out their wishes, instead Of the mercc.
nary tricksters who have so often mis-
Represented them, to secure prompt
overthrow of all ring methods and ring
bosses. The vocation of wire-pullers
and caucus-packers would then be gone
and honest, Independent men would &C
to the legislature and vote for the gooC
of the people, and not to promote the
ambition Of political bosses and tie in.
terest of OyergroWn monOpOlies. Can
farmers and laborcs afford longer tC
stand aIoof and allow the control OF
State affairs to remain in the hands OF
Il corrupt political ring, whose leader:
have grown rich and insolent at the eX
pensc of the peoples rights and the pco
pies pockets? There are now signs OF
deep feeling and earnestncss in the pub
lie mind, such as have not been seen il
many years, which may well give hope
to those who labor for the political re.
generation of the state.