Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-04-23

Secret Opposition No Longer Possible
An Open Fight Assured.

MONTPELIER, VT, April 4.-Untll very |
recent date the opposition to Senator Ed !
munds has been solely in the form of a
still hunt by enemies of his who while |
carefully avoiding public reference to the
question of his reelection, have sought by
indirect measures to shake the faith and
confidence which for years the people of
this State have felt in the ablest
representative that they ever had
in the halls of Congress The tao
tics employed have been those of
secrecy, and when almost any known
member of the opposition has been asked
his position in the fight, he has denied
that he believed there was any contest at
all, and has given denial oil any purpose
or attempt on his part to encourage IA
fight. "When the time comes" they have
said, then we will give the subject
Thought and speak" Fearing the effect
of Il straightforward declaration of
their purpose, anti-Edmunds journals,
atorship question, have under the
mask of disnterested and legitimate
criticisms been doing their utmost for
months to create throughout the State IA
popular prejudice against him, with
view to increasing their support in more
ton next fall. Whatever action Mr.. Ed
munds might take has been to them IA
glaring fault in one whom only two years
ago they We're heralding as the most
worthy candidate for the highest honors
the nation could confer. Mr.. Edmunds
did not zealously support Blaine he was
traitor to his party and his con-
stituents. Mr.. Edmunds, after Presi-
dent Cleveland's inauguration, was
unwilling to rush into open and
unqualified criticism of the latter's policy
before the line of the administration ac-
ton was well established he was again
traitor to his party and a consummate mug
wump without any political principles
whatever. Later Mr.. Edmunds took his
stand squarely in active support of the
principle of civil service reform and the
tenure of Office act, which he had defend
ed ever since his entrance into the Senate
90 years ago. He was ruthlesSly antag-
onzing the administration and sacrificing
the credit of his party in order to make
political capital for himself and to redeem
his reputation as party leader And SO
on I'D jntnitltm.
The fight may now be said to have taken
an active and tangible form. 1t still re-
tains, however, the form of mere opposi-
ton, and no candidate has as yet an
nounced himself as an aspirant for the
senatorial. Governor Smith is now on II
pleasure trip in the Southern and Western
States, but it is not expected that he or
any one else will appear for long time
vet as candidate. For months, then, the
fight, if kept up, will continue in the form
which it has now assumed. If signs of
/ failure are too forbidding at the last mo
ment, the contest Will not be carried into
| the Legislature and the leader and prime
| mover of the scheme to unseat EdmundS
will probably repUdjate the attempt as
one to which be was not even party, and
! and will leave the stigma which follows
to be borne by his representatives. II,
however, pride and ambition should at the
| last moment cause him to believe that
| Vermont legislators wish him To SIT in tho
chair which Senator Edmunds has so
worthily filled for nearly 20 years, then he
/ will appear as candidate, publicly take
the credit of organizing the anti-Ed-
munds party in Vermont, and in very
short time thereafter have the satisfac-
ton of being known throughout the State
as the defeated candidate for the Sena-
Edmunds. From the start every
new feature of the fight has only
strengthened the conviction which most
Nermonters have held who have given dl-
rect thought to the question, that opposi-
ton to man like Edmunds would be a
thankless task So the recent unmasking
of his opponents has called forth from
people and press all over the State decided
expressions of the confidence which they
have for him, and again give evidence of
the fact that majority of Nermonters
thoroughly discountenance any attempt to
outcome, then, of the situation can be
predicted now, even more confidently than
at any time in the past and there thave
been only a small number who have yer
really doubted the certainty of Mr.. Ed
munds's reelection
One of the leading members OF the
volt recently outlined to your correspond
ent some of the calculations upon which he
based his hopes of success There are,
said he, about Pos votes in the legisla
t.nNA hoe. nI.T Out N pl1x IlaNa
Gratis. To give the latter the balance of
power, then, in the senatorial vote it is
necessary to secure only about 80 Republi
can votes for an nti-Edmunds candidate
The Democrats as Il body are with us on
the = lestion, and with their help, if some
thing unexpected doesn't happen, oul
work is done, tell you, we are going tc
crush Edmunds."
There are two classes of Republicans
more o. less distinct, upon whom reliance
for support is placed in the present fight
The first is that class to whom any lack OF
an unqualified loyalty to party is a sign Of
want of patriotism, and whose test OF 10y
. atty and sound Repubicanism is ques
! ton of fealty to Mr.. Blaine. The second
class consist of those who have allowed
! themselves to be drawn into an adherence
, to moneyed magnate. 1t is seldom thai
the Democratic vote in this State is relied
7 on to serve purpose in any emergency
In the present instance, however, il
: Is natural element in the fight
! and there are two reasons why
E Democrats are expected to lend themselves
in an effort to unseat Edmunds. In tn,
first place, there are large number o
this party who would like to take venge
: ance on him for his desire to hold the pres
9 ent administration to its rights of appoint
I ment, and for the part which they can at
Q tribute to him in depriving them and thei
i friends Of the spols which their leader
had promised them. These and Others
again, are jealous of the Republican
: leader, and are anxious to weaken thu
. party they hate by wrestling from its ser
> vice one of its most active and Influential
{ members.