Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-11-12

agricultural college was "the favored
partner" Il good deal more has been done
for the great agricultural interest of our
State by the University and Agricultural
college than before. Lecturers have been
sent throughout the State to instruct the
farmers in veterinary science, in a9rictl-
tural chemistry, and other practical mat
ters relating to tllage aud crops The
State board of agriculture has had
the steady co operation and assistance of
the University. Courses Of agricultural
lectures aud instruction have been
established and maintained at the Uni
versity, the direct practical value of
which is att ested 10y many practical farm
ers. a professorship Of agriculture has
been established aud filled ~ a competent
man, who devOtes his whole time to in.
struction in his department and in Efforts
to promote the farming interest of our
State
We need not follow further the lbellous
assertions of this anonymous calumniator;
but we may be allowed to express our sur
prise that a respectable paper should per-
init its columns to be opened to such
gross and abusive attack on a body of
public servants of as high character and
standing as the trustees of the University
and Agricultural college, who have no
private ends to seek, who give time and
thought and labor gratuitously to the in
stitutlon and who, with the president and
faculty, render faithful, unselfsh and
worthy service to the State, in their care
for its university
We say so much, not at the instance Of
any member either of the board of trustees
or of the board of instruction but simply
as a public journalist, having some ac-
quaintance with the facts. and in the in
terests of truth and justice.
AS for the experiment station-the sim
pie question is whether our legislators
will adopt plan, the great usefulness of
which to the farmers has been demon
strated in other States. The project Is
not one for the benefit of the University
but for the benefit of the farmers. The
University will not make penny out Of
it, The station is placed at the Univer-
sty, because nowhere else can such sta
ton be maintained for three or four times
the amount of money asked for. In order
to make it successful, in all probability
the University and Agricultural college
will have to add considerable sum from
its own funds to the amount pro-
posed to be drawn from the State treas
ury. We believe that the station will re-
pay to the State, in benefits to the farm
ers, many times its cost The matter rests
with the farmers to decide. We trust
they will not so stand in their own light,
as to reject a measure so distinctly and
exclusively for their own advantage.
The Fiftieth Congress.
The democrats are going to be seriously
crippled in the next House of Representa-
tives. They will indeed have a majority
of about dozen votes but many of their
men are new and untried, and those upon
whom the party has hitherto depended as
leaders will be absent from their seats, by
the will of the people. The recent cleo
tions have made sad havoc in the demo-
cratic ranks. The party will sadly miss
such leaders in the House as Morrison of
Illinois, Singleton of Mississippi, Hewitt
of New York, Randolph Tucker of Nir-
gina, Bragg of Wisconsin, Warner Of
Ohio Willis of kentucky and Aiken Of
South Carolina. OF the men who have
come in in place of these experienced leg
islators none are of any note as politicians.
Mr.. Carlisle, having barely secured an
election, will of course be speaker-and
it would be impossible to find a better man
for the place on the democratic side.
Cox of New York, Morse of Mas
sachusetts and Buckalew of Penn
sylvauia are the only men who can
be classed as leaders in the House The
democratic proclivity to tariff tinkering
has received serious rebuff by the de-
feat of Morrison and Hurd and from
present indications attempts at reforms
of the tariff will have to be abandoned by
the democracy. The republicans will find
themselves in much better shape than
their opponents in the next Congress.
A few republicans have been dropped
from the House roll among them Auder.
son of Kansas, Negley of Pennsylvania
and Ranney of Massachusetts, But while
| the democrats have lost their leaders, the
republicans have retained Reed, Hiscock,
Kelley, Long, Mckinley and other lead
| ing men, and are so much stronger in
members than before and so much super
ior in ability and experience, that 1t Will
not be surprising if the actual leadership
is taken by the minority. The democrats
will have Il preponderance OF members
sufficient to fasten upon them the respon-
sibility for all sins of omission and fail
ures to fulfill the promises of reform which
they have made and before the next ma
tional election they will probably have
occasion to wish that the majority had
been the other way, and the responsibility
for legislation shifted to republican
shoulders.
\ school Commission.
If, rs we suppose is the case tn ere Is no
hope that the present legislature Will en-
act the town system of scho OILS probably