The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-09-12
A BLAZE OF GLORY.
Washington County's Tribute to
w. T.. Dillingham;.
The night shall be filed with music,
And the cares that infest the day
Shall fold up their tents like the Arabs,
And as silently steal away,

Shall fold up their tents like the Arabs,
And as silently steal away.
Did visions of night filled with music,
and scenes of enchantment rivaling the
tales of romancers, rise in Dillingham's
dreams amid the labor and fatigue OF the
remarkable canvass just ended? In June,
with unanimity of feeling that is rare in
politics, the republicans of Vermont had
made him their candidate for governor. The
national canvass had opened and Vermont
was to be the first battlefield of the defenders
of American industry. BY virtue of his
candidacy Dillingham; became the leader of
the republican hosts. The blast of his bugle
horn was heard in the valleys and on the
hill-tops of these highlands of republi-
canism-and it was worth many a thousand
men. They descended upon the ranks of the
free-traders and their Golden club allies
and where are they? The election returns
answer, where?
To the candidate, the days of campaign
ing were full of cares but they ended in
the music sweetest to the ear of leader;
there was adequate compensation in the
most signal victory in the history of Yer
mont politics, the certain presage of
greater triumph in November The event
could have no ordinary commemoration.
The republicans of Washington county,
their fervent devotion to the great princi-
pies of the party fired by local pride and love
for leader born and reared among them,
had carried his banner in the fore front of
the battle, and they proposed to see to it
that the victory was properly celebrated.
They didn't propose to let out the job. They
proposed to go to Waterbury and attend to
it themselves-and they went. And great
many from other parts of the state went
also, and the thing was done up brown. 1t
lacked no element of completeness. Five
thousand people will testify to the thor
oughness and heartiness of the congratula-
tons. More than five hundred went from
10 1.aft
behind through the insutficiency of the car
service. Three hundred came from Barre;
East Montpelier and Northtield furnished
large quotas, and by the time the special
train reached Waterbury it was carrying
more than one thousand people with BAN
ners, torches, and bands of music. By
other avenues thousands more entered the
town.
A BRILLIANT SPECTACLE
greeted their eyes. Waterbury had not ex-
actly "painted the town red " in the election
returns, but thousands of Chinese lanterns
and burning tapers, blazing from dwellings,
stores, hotels and workshops, dispelled the
shades of night. The square at the railway
station was girdled with bands of light ar
ranged in many tasteful devices. From end
to end, Main street was blaze of parti-col-
Ored lights. The hill was a mass of deco
rative refulgence. Stowe and Union streets
were compact masses of living light Strands
Ol lbnu Spdnntu SlreeUS. Long ltStOOuS
of lanterns radiated from dwellings to the
adjacent trees. The trees were hung with
lights. In every quarter red, white and
blue lights illumined the skies Trans
parencies, displaying the national colors
and the familiar features of the national
candidates, shone from the windows of
dwellings. A transparency showing fine
portrait of w. p. Dillingham; was hung
across Main street from the bank. " In MEM
DRY of our honored citizen" glowed amid
stars of silver and gold, in form and letters
of artistic device, from one OF the shop
windows. A Greeting to Governor Dill
bingham" beamed from amid miniature
flags among the locusts of Stowe street
lawn. His portrait was discerned here and
there among the decorations of private
houses Several private grounds afforded
opportunities for fine displays and they
were, invariably improved A darkened
dwelling was very rare exception. Neigh
Dor We'd with neighbor in the fullness and
completeness OF his obedience to the Scrip
tural injunction to "let your light so
shine" Individual mention would involve
an enumeration of the households, the
craftsmen and tradesmen of the entire viii
lage, and, II we named the name OF one,
justice would demand that we charac-
terize each instance of individual taste and
enterprise-a task imperatively forbidden
both by the time and space at our command.
We are admonished, however, that absolu-
LiOu Will hot DE RTdHttu Jnt CurOHlcltr III ne
omits to record the fact that William Deal,
whom every son of Waterbury, however far
he may have wandered from his native hills,
remembers, was this year naturalized and,
as full-hedged American citizen, cast his
first vote for Dillingham;. William (he whose
surname is DeaD knows a winning hand
when he holds it, He saw the free-traders
and went them one better on Dillingham;.
So he hung out his lanterns and lighted his
candles, and from the balcony Of his house
Miss Flossy Perry becomingly personated
the Goddess Of Liberty. Mr.. Deals dis
play was marked feature in the illumina-
lion, and ELECTED the cheers of the process