The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1895-01-30

ator Edmunds chairman of the committee
on the Judiciary. Mr.. Edmunds, who en-
tered the senate stranger, appointed by
Governor Paul Dillingham; to FIJI vacancy,
had become its leader, widely known as
one of the ablest lawyers Of his time. You
had originated many successful measures,
giving you national reputation. You two
Vermonters, battling long in that body OF
the ablest lawmakers in the world, for
civil liberty and good government, as un-
Hump In your convictions OF right, had
given Vermont standing and respect in
the United States senate and in the nation
hardly enjoyed by any other state in the
union. Mr.. Edmunds' retirement from the
senate, regretted by vermonters every
where, was a national loss. fondly hope
you may remain long in the high office Sc
cured by your ability and fidelity, where
you can never overstay your welcome, and
your ss, q9Fpn ssn seems fH ss long
We will sing more wonderful song
Or tell a more marvellous tale
IT. j. DEAvIrT."
"UNITED STATES SENATE, Dec. %, 1894.
"My Dear Sir:-Thanks for your favor Of
the 25th inst. should far prefer to sink on
the right side of any question than to swim
on the wrong side. have some hope that
ulist bills introduced like those which be-
smeared us last year. Our papers seem to
cater, as you suggest, to small number Of
persons in distant states who are eager to
hear all the gossip current in the towns
from which they recently removed, though
much OF it is Of no more Importance than
would be the fact that John Doe cut his
finger nails on Monday and Richard Roe
cut his toe nails on Tuesday. L do not
know as the public would regard it as any
improvement to substitute congressional
speeches, but am sure that more attrac-
tive and useful reading matter could be
found for ten times tho number these local
tri1es are intended to feed Yet newspapers
should be the best Judge of what their
readers want, and surely l have no motive
to complain. JUSTIN s. MORRILL,"
Horace Greeley used to say that
if he were country editor, every ime
baby cried or pig squealed he would
publish it; and Albert Clarke, in an
address at Springfield, Mass, recently
said, speaking of the country papers,
"We all sit up nights to read the neigh.
borhood locals in our newspapers. ;"
Senator Morrill, is mistaken when he
says that " our papers seem to cater to
a small number of persons in distant
states" etc. On the contrary, no Ver-
mont community has any use for local
newspaper that does not give the news
of that community. The paper might
be crammed with able speeches in con-
gress and other choice and ent srtaining
literature, but it would be no go with
out the local news. The subscription
list would not materialize. The hap
penings in these rural communities are
relatively as important and interesting
to their members as is the local news
Of the metropolitan community to the
jewellers in those communities. The
"village Hampden" is as pleased to see
his name in print in connection with
his sayings or his doings or his health
as are the great ones of the nation. Mr..
Greeley may have been somewhat meta
phorical. The news of a remote coun-
try town m, ~ be as the cry OF baby or
the squeal of pig to the events of the
metropolis, but it is the news of that
rural community, and he, newspaper
authority of final appeal, would print it
if he were the country publisher. But
there is place where the line should
be drawn in printing local ne vs.. Some
papers discriminate, others publish
everything a correspondent sends, or
rather require him to find and send
everything, even to the tinger-nail cut
ting of John Doe and the toe-nail par
ing of Richard Roe. Those newspapers
that try to draw discriminating line
would prefer to print such good litera-
ture as Mr.. Morrll's speeches, but the
community demands the local news,
and without that it doesn't care for the
local paper The local news items are
invariably read first. The editor is
likely to hear from community if it's
weekly budget is curtailed or omitted.
Some of the larger papers of the state,
like the WATERMAN, not only publish
the local news very fully but devote
considerable space to a synopsis of
matters of general interest which
large number of subscribers of all
classes fiud adapted to their opportu-
mites for reading and to an adequate
and intelligent understanding of the
events of the world. Moreover,
speeches are very literally distributed
in these later days, and some city
weekly is generally taken by the rural
reader. The WATCHMAN furnishes its
subscribers the New York Tribune
or the Boston Journal at the merely
nominal rate of fifty cents each. These
subscribers are thus provided with a
wider range and variety of general
news and literature than it would be
able to give if all the papers space were
devoted to these matters, and it's
columns are cleared for a discriminat.
ing review of the state and local field.
We regard the arrangement as an ex-
cellent one, aud it appears to be very
satisfactory to the WATCHMAN's large
and intelligent constituency.