Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-04-11
OUR NEXT CONGRESSMAN.

Editor RegiSter-Nermonters like to be
creditably represented at Washington.
The weight which our little State has
long carried in the councils of the nation
has not only been a source of just pride
to her people, but has been of untold
value to the whole country. In such
mena FOOte and Collamer and Poland and
Edmunds. Vermont has been greatly
honored, and the country, especially i'm
times of public danger, has been noblv
seryed. In .our delegation at one time
was found the leader of both the Senate
and the House, a rare honor tor any single
commonwealth. Moreover, no leader in
these high places from Vermont ever
proved recreant to his trust or unable to
meet the emergencies and to perform the
eXacting duties that attend place of
such responsibility. 1t need not be said
that. to achieve these results, Vermont
ers have been wont to choose their can
didates with the utmost care and crcum-
spection. They have been in the habit
of selecting the candidate and not of let
ting the candidate select himself We
have not had great experience of what
may be called modern political methods,
with their bureaus, their preliminary
canvasses, their sinews of war and other
machinery for the capture of conven-
ton. 1t has been predicted that our in
experience in these matters will be turn
ed against us at no distant dav, and we
shall find that we have nominated can
didate that is very far from being the de-
liberate choice OF the party.
In the coming contest for Representa-
tive for the first district there are two
prominent candidates. One is "A lawyer
of fair ability. II local politician of con-
siderable skill. As speaker of the House
i'll our Stale legislature he discharged in
a creditabe way the duties of the high
est office to which he has yet been called
lie makes pretty fair after-dinner
speech, and has addressed agricultural
fairs with Indifferent success. But he is
in no sense leader of opinion in his dis
trlct. In all that goes to constitute the
safe and strong and conscientious legis-
lator he Is wholly untried. He stands
in 10 position either from experience,
demonstrated ability, or other ground of
eminence TO cause the voters of this dis
trict to turn spontaneously to him as
their candidate for Congress. Yet bv
some hidden and mysterious influence he
is being lifted quietly and adroitly into
public notice.
The other candidate is attending to his
duties as Judge of our supreme court.
In this high and honorable position he
has achieved IA reputation second to that
of none of the eminent gentlemen who
are his associates, and in it he has now
come to the fullest and maturest strength
of his manhood. In his long public SER
vice he has exhibited hose intellectual
and moral qualities that mark the master
mind and constitute the true leader of
public thought, insomuch that his was the
first name on the lips of discerning peo-
pie when II was announced that there
was to he vacancy in Congress. He
has signtied his willingness to accept the
position if it be rendered to him, but he
will not work the district. But if we are
to follow the course pointed out by the eX-
perience of the past, and TO secure the
honors which our fathers secured, must
we not rather support the man whom the
office seeks than the one who seeks the
office? If the voters of this district real
ly want Mr.. Batchelder. it is their privi-
lege to choose him. But they certainly
do not want to sleep while he chooses
himself. On the other hand, it does not
become those who think Judge Powers
the filter man for the place to let all the
fallOw ground be exclusively titled by
the hus sbandmen of the other party.
REPUBLICAN.