Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1893-11-23
8elIorcs c1,alIs Iimes.
PUBLISHED THURSDAYS BY
A. 400. G,nrrHntt & Go.
A. W. EMERSON, EDITOR AND MANAGER
A. r. SPARROW, LOCAL ASSISTANT
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THE MUGWUMP DIDlT.

THE MUGWUMP DID 1T. ...
Among the tuneful melodies of joy
over the recent elections, the voice of one
particular class of voters has been ex-
ceedingly jubilant and prolonged. 1t is
the voice of a self christened " Iudepen-
dent" representation, generally termed
by reflex courtesy the " Mugwump."
His horn is footed by many an organ
OF inconsiderable Influence, but perhaps
Harper's Weekly is as important and
faithful mouthpiece as the Mugwump
has. In season and out of season, for
SINE years, that paper has sneered at
everything Republican, extoled Cleve-
land and his " firmness," and has posed
as the holier-than-thou Independent"
with unfailing Democratic leanings.
Other powerful newspapers, notably the
Springfield Republican and the Bos-
ton Herald, have attempted to follow
its lead, with far less brilliancy but
quite as much consistency, and now
in the public's reputation of the party
which they have favored; in one of the
most strong ly marked successes which
the Republican party has ever known,
the Mugwump climbs and calmly cries
from the housetops: Fix your eyes on
me; am an Independent voter, lily
of the valley, and snow flake of purity
among electors. am the only honest
man since the Nazarene, and only am
right in politics, l have just saved the
country once and / can do it again, for
am shining light"
Overdrawn and surd, you say. Not
in the slightest degree. Those are their
sentiments, freely translated. In this
month of November we have found Har-
per's Weekly apologzing for Cleveland's
Var Allen appointment on the ground
iry.1t it was 40 worse than HBrrison's
W1daama2ef appointment, and itappar-
emily sees nothing shameful in such apol-
ogy. We have found it dolefully re-
hearsing what Republicans admitted and
forgot long since, that the so-called
Sherman law was a Republican measure,
and in the final repeal of that bill it has
only recognized the "magnificent firm
ness of President Cleveland" as the saw
ing factor. We have found it admitting
in one breath that the Democratic party
has utterly failed to justify public conf
dence, and pleasantly alluding to the
''natural muddle-headedness" of the
southern Democrat with mild rebuke.
Yet in every line there has been hysteri-
Cal praise for the president who is so
much better than his party, while the
name Republican is never used but with
Misrepresentation and abuse. And in
these elections they put forth the modest
claim that "the Independent voter did
it," and that in future elections that
magnificent specimen of omniscient pro-
bity, the Mugwump, must be considered
and cultivated or they will not answer
for the conse quences.
1t requires cheek to talk like that.
So much for a small part of Mug
wumpian protestation. His actuality
may be simmered down to very much
less. He has no political faith, belongs
to no party, makes no nomination, does
no constructive work toward purifying
politics, and is always winner with
serene 81 told you so'' after election.
He will vote against clean Republicans,
claiming he is for principle not men, and
on occasion he will vote for an excel-
tjoDally clean Democrat because he is so
much better than his party. His logic
cannot be squared, and his attributes are
covered by corceit and obstinacy. The
one is supposed to come from the pea
cock and the other from the army mule.
The much-abused term, independent,
is a title to which he has no right.
What, indeed, is independence if it be-
longs to such as he. In truly indepen-
dent man there is no "good Lord, good
devil" policy. The Republican or Dem
ocrat who refuses to be whipped into
line for some unfit nominee makes some
sacrifice for his position, but the man of
no preference, who is perpetually on the
fence, suggesting no improvement of
conditions but crying down all worth in
others, is pestilent, inconsistent and
harmful fellow whose tribe. it is ex-
tremtly probable, will not sufficiently
increase to affect the next election.
WESTERN PICTURE.