The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-02-07

on state Issues - Important r"'"'S
Where There Is Need OF the APP"'"
ton Of Democratic Principles
Untcrview in the Boston snnday HIobc'l

dntcrycw in the Boston sunday Globc.)
Chales II. Davenport OF l3rattleboro
is q wellknown leader IN thc Demo
cratic party. His attitude in party
affairs is always one of honest inde
pendence, because he accepts no oliices
or distinctions for himself, but is al
ways untrammelcd by considerations
of favor.
The Globe correspondent has been
fortunate in interviewing Mr.. Daven-
port and obtaining from him the fol.
! lowing statement, which viii he read
by Vermont Democrats with great
deal of interest:
81 have long believed that the policy
the Vermont Democrats ought to adopt
is one of fight in every campaign, in
every inch of the territory. We have
had IN the last - years succession
of local issues, which a fighting
policy would have utilized to have
made the state doubtful by this time,
and VIC have some good ones yet, Issues
that bear directly on Democratic
principles and the Democratic philoso-
ply.
Zone is the prohbitory law, which
ought to be replaced by local option
high license law, on the Democratic
theory of home rule, bringing control
of all governmental questions as nearly
as possible down to the people.
at would be the best promoter of
temperance itself by the constant agi-
tation and popular thought it would
concentrate upon the subject, and 1t
would put an end to the corruption
and the infinite Generalization that
necessarily increases the farther any
duty Is removed from the people.
This is plain nough, certainly, to all
who believe in Democratic theories,
and ii is crime, almost, for Demo.
Gratis to lie still and see so much evil
flowing from disregard of these princi-
pies. a campaign might ne made on
this issue that would arouse the
people to the farthest school district
in the state.
"In the same line, ard logically
connected with it. is the outrageous
growth of state expenditures withip
the last few years until they have
reached a point nearly double what
they we're just after the war.
''As one illustration, take the present
law for the care of insane. making the
charge one against tho state instead Of
against the towns from which the in
sane paupers come, as ought to be done
on the home rule principle. The re-
suit, of course. is heedlessness and
because no one is nearly
interested to take sufficient
care. The state is supporting any
number of insane people in this way
who are not properly public charges at
all. and who would either be sent |
else or their friends com |
PEELED to care for them if town officers |
and town treasurcrs instead Of one at |
a distance were affected.
"A good many other similar illus.
trations from the school law highway |
aw and in various other avenues
night be cited.
1T was only few years before the |
war that the Democrats got into Il
hopeless minority in Vermont, and that
vas when they stopped fighting and
began to exist simply to hold federal
,ifices when the party should get into
power in national affairs. In the early
part of the century for good many
ears, until the anti Masonic wave
wept over the state, the Democrats
nled it and promoted its growth and
by the application of Demo-
ratio principles, for which there is
lways room and need in human
fairs
THE argument which has so long
'een made against any active cam
aigp, that il would result in stirring
p the Republicans and bringing out
he reserve vote and increasing their
majority, is one that increases every
ear with the policy of inactivity, and
leans the ultimate extinction of any .
arty. If We believe in Democratic
rinciples what sense is there in avoid !
,g their application in our own home :
fairs?'