The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-05-23
Vermont Cor. Boston journal.


Louis show that the democratic party of the
nation is thoroughly welded to free trade
and dominated by the saloon influence.
The spirit of bourbonsm infects the party
and the Jacksonan spols system controls
the distribution of federal patronage The
operation of the civil service system has
been practically suspended for the presi-
dental campaign and federal office-holdeTs
have become " offensive partisans " in the
interest of Cleveland and reform" In no
Northern State, unless it be Maryland, is
the democratic party more bourbonzed or
so completely dominated by " Gormanism "
as it is in Vermont II has been notorious
fact that Atkins & Co." have run the
Cleveland party machine on the Jacksonian
spoils plan, and that the policy pursued by
Boss Atkins in party affairs has given him
notOriety that even German or Higgins
might envy. 1t is but natural that the men
who rejoiced at confederate victories and
stigmatized Union soldiers as Lincoln's
hrelings and abolition assassins
should delight in removing crippled and
intirm Union veterans from Office. The
leaders of the party in Vermont who de-
clared the war failure should have credit
for not stultifying themselves by passing
resolutions in favor of pensions to Union
veterans, and the failure of the democratic
state convention to make any allusion to the
veterans of the late war in the platform
adopted is not surprising. If any old sol
der has an idea of voting the democratic
state ticket at the September election he
should look up the record of some of the
Vermont democratic leaders during the war
or read President Cleveland's vetoes of
pension bills in aid of the widows and
orphans of deceased Vermont veterans.
The Endorsement of President Cleveland's
free-trade policy by the state convention is
not calculated to enthuse democratic pro-
tectionists, of whom there are many in
Vermont. The absence of plank in the
platform in favor of civil service reform
is perfectly consistent with the record of the
party in this and other states on the subject
of the civil service. Hiram Atkins posing as
an apostle of civil service reform would be
a spectacle for the gods. The continuance
of Atkins as chairman of the state COM
mittee is not calculated to increase the
democratic vote in Vermont. His boss
ism is obnoxious to quite a respectable
minOrity-bOth as to numbers and charac-
ter-of the democrats of Vermont, and his
retirement from party management would
be hailed with great satisfaction by thou
sands of Vermont democrats. The "per-
nicious activity " of federal office-holders
at the recent democratic state convention
has not been too severely condemned by
the press of the country. The press reports
as to the dominating influence of federal
officials in the conventions are fully sub
stantiated by the official record published
in the ArguS, although Boss Atkins edi-
torially denies the facts alleged, and which
are proven in his own paper.
From the files of the Argus of May 9 and
16 l find published as among the delegates
and alternates elected to the democratic
state convention the following United
States officials Hiram Atkins, from Mont
pelier superintendent federal building. at
S13 per day, including clerk hire and office
rent; Clarence II. Pitkin, from Berlin,
United States district attorney; John w.
Currier, from Troy, deputy United States
marshal; j. ID. Hanrahan, from Rutland,
United States pension examiner; j. 5.
Beardsley, from Alburgh, United States
deputy inspector of customs; Postmaster
l.. w. Redington of Rutland, Postmaster c.
f. Squier of New Haven, Postmaster A.
Walter of East Arlington, Postmaster o. E.
Adams of Arlington, Postmaster j. K. Buff
fun of East Dorset, Postmaster c. F. Orvis
of Manchester, Postmaster K. Lille of
North Pownal, Postmaster f. A. Wilson of
Pownal Center, Postmaster II. f. Wilson of
Barnet, Postmaster S. G.. Somers of East
Barnet, Postmaster a. B. Perry of Nc
lndOe's, Postmaster Alex. Cochran of South
Ryegate, Postmaster q. A Pease of West
Bolton, Postmaster NJ Small of Huntington,
Postmaster Henry Gillett of Jonesville,
Postmaster r. j. Humphrey of Poultney,
Postmaster j. Davis of Mortified Center,
Postmaster II. A. Jones of South North
field Postmaster E. w. Robbins of Athens,
Postmaster A. A. Curtis of Londonderry,
Postmaster n. E, Priest of Putney, Post
master A. j. Stevens of Hartland, Post
master j. A. Stuart of Westford, Postmaster
Thomas Chubb of Post Mills, Postmaster j.
q. Eastman of West Fairlee, Postmaster
w. l.. Dow of South Albany, Postmaster G.
III. Dwinell of Barton, Postmaster Elmer
Stratton of Craftsbury, Postmaster Irwin
Stephenson of Lowell Postmaster j. L.
Morrison of Norwich, Postmaster b. Nj.
Newton of Reading, Postmaster M. j.
Bixby of Weathersteld, Postmaster e. ID.
Plimpton of Wardsboro, Postmaster b. f.
Parmenter of Mechanicsville, Postmaster
w. II. Bond of Dandy, Postmaster S. p.
Pnney of Greensboro, Postmaster John
Kelly of Derby, Postmaster f. ID. Lyman
of Tunbridge. In addition TO the above list
of forty-three government officers numbered
among the delegates and alternates elected
to the state convention nearly as many
more were present and took an active part
in the ante-convention proceedings, among
the most prominent being United States
Marshal John Robinson, Special Treasury
Agent f. w. McGettrick, Deputy-collector,
of Internal Revenue A. j. Sibley, Deputy-col-
lector of Customs G w. Burleson, Deputy
collector of Customs John c. Burke,
Deputy-collector of Customs e. n. Billiard,
Deputy-inspector of Customs John Shea,
United States Pension Examiner w. b.
Mayo, United States Post-otfice Inspector T.
j. Boynton, Postmaster William b. Wall OF
West Randolph Postmaster G. F. o. Kim
ball of Vergennes, Postmaster c. ii. Rey-
nolds of Swanton, Postmaster ID. &. Brown
of Brandon, Postmaster NJ. o. Huling of
North Bennington, Postmaster j. j. Mona
han of Underhill, Postmaster c. c. Peck of
Middlebury, Railway Postal Agent III. III.
Bishop, II. f, Brigham, United States COM
mercial agent at Stanbridge. There were
also in attendance at the convention several
railway postal clerks and a number of fourth
class postmasters, so that il is probable
there were nearer one hundred than eighty
federal ofiice-holders present at the conven-
ton, either as active participants or in
terested observers According to the Argus
report Superintendent Atkins made nine
teen speeches and nominated half dozen
men for office. Deputy United States
Marshal Currer presided over the second
district convention and Postmaster Reding-
ton of Rutland nominated DR.. j. ID. Han
rahan for one of the delegates-at-large to St
Louis. Other government officials exhibited
"pernicious activity" in the convention,
according to the official report in the organ
of the Vermont democracy The demo-
cratic party of Vermont have heavy load
to carry in the campaign, being weighted
down by the leadership of Atkins, and hav-
ing put themselves on record in favor of
Cleveland's free-trade policy and in oppo-
siton to protection. The democratic vote
promises to be smaller this year than it has
been for a long time.