Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-11-15

Leaders of Both Parties Have Spoken on
the Subject, and Many Approved the
Idea-Tbe Campaign of 1896 a Fitting
One For a Trial.
The leaders of both of the great political
parties have had something to say about
the length of the presidential campaign Of
1896. Strictly speaking the presidential
campaign is always with us, and one is
hardly decided before pcGUlo begin to spec
ulatG about the bearing of this event or
that uttCranCC on the issue of the next one.
Such process of continuous discussion,
criticism and comment is part of the polit-
iCal education of the American people.
But the campaign of ratification meetings,
professions and transparcncics the time in
which the weary mail carrier tOttcrs under
the weight of partisan documents, " tho
harvest season of the 'heClor' and the bat
tie period of the worker is "A different
kind of ordeal. To some it is an agony, to
Others IL comedy, but to most it is II timc
of loss. That the kind Of activity which is
its distinctive characteristic is educational
may well be doubted, even if it does fur
nish an outlet for some healthy cnthusi-
asm. That its cumbrous machinery of
persuasion changes votes is conviction
born of the idea that it ought to do so, but
is hardly sustained by the facts.
We referred some time ago to the growth
in the west of IA sentiment in favor of II
short presidential campaign. That has
been approved by some Of the Republican
party managers and opposed by others. 1t
seems to have the Endorsement of tho
chairman of the national Democratic COM
mittcC. 1t can hardly be doubted that it
is in harmony with the views of most bust
ness men throughout the country. Apart
altogether from the inrOadS which Il prcsi-
Dental campaign make on time ana
purse, it is one of its uncomfortable char
acteristics that everything not secured by
the constitution is thrown into the cruel
BILE of discussion. The feeling Of unCor-
tainty as to the future that grows in tho
atmosphere of campaign Oratory may be a
most unreasonable apprehension, but it is
none the less disturbing. Men wait to see
what will happen because Others are wait
ing, and enterprise is arrested rs street
traffic sometimes is by a crowd gazing at
nothing.
There could be no moro fitting time to
try the experiment Of short campaign
than 1896. There are no issues Of tran
sccndont Importance to fight over. Neither
candidate is likely to be man palpably
unfit for the executive chair, and it can
not he truthfully alleged that the interests
of the country would suffer from the tri- |
umph Of either party. We are not making
history with any great rapidity these days,
and it is one Of the conditions of grow
ing business prosperity that we are not.
The party orator yields readily to tho
temptation to propose something specimen .
lar i'm the line Of diplomacy or startling
in the field Of domestic politics; hence
the satisfaction with which prudent people |.
would hail the prospects of making the .
day Of campaign oratory rs brief us may |
be- of reducing at once the risks of fire /.
and folly by having fewer occasions for the |
display Of any kind of pyrotechnics. 1t |
can hardly be doubted that great many .
people share this feeling, but by way Of |
making sure of II short campaign it would |
be well for them to let their voice be heard |
in time.-Boston Herald.