The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-11-24
Enemies of Their Country.


even wild animals are momentarily
tanned and seek the habitation of men
for safety. The danger passed, their
nature reasserts itself, and their original
ferocity and enmity 10 mankind whose
protection they had sought resumes its
sway.
In the national election of 1896 q po-
litical confagration, like a prairie fire,
was sweeping over the Nation. Good
government, national honor, everything
that is of good repute among God
fearing people, was threatened with
destruction. Appalled, by the fury of
the flames of populism, those wild beasts
of modern politics, the mugwumps,
were momentarily tanned and sought
refuge on the outskirts of the Republi-
can party, then-as ever in all its
history-the sole hope of the govern
ment threatened with destruction or
dishonor. The Republican party stayed
the march of the destroying element.
1t extinguished the fires of populism
lighted at Chicago and famed by the
breezes from St. Louis. For four years
at least the country was assured of
immunity from the danger that had
threatened.
No sooner was this grateful assur-
ance confirmed than the Mugwumps
skunk back to their native haunts and
returned to their depredations upon the
defenders and saviors of the common
veal. The Republican party and ad-
ministration were made the objects of
systematic and persistent railing and
nagging by the newspaper repre-
sentatives of mugwumpism. Because
President Mckinley has not embroiled
himself and his party in bitter factional
fights-such as wrecked Garfield's ad-
ministration on the threshold of it's ex-
istence-by antagonizing party leaders;
because the chief executive has used
tact and discretion-and common
sense-in his relations with the Repub.
lican leaders, with the view to securing
party harmony for the successful &C.
complement of the great mission to
which the people called him, why he is
"weak and yielding"; too "amia-
BILE A" to resist the influence of men who,
the detractors assume, are Harvesting
him to selfish personal schemes. Be-
cause the Secretary OF. the Interior. who
is citizen of the city of New York,
exhibited reasonable and a patriotic
interest in the great struggle in the
municipality of his residence, the Mug
wump organs were In an ecstacy of
grief; the Preside Mt was doing indirect
ly through his Secretary of the Interior
what he lacked the courage to do direct
ly, to wit, interfering in local election.
If there is anything in the wide world
that particularly delights a Mugwump
it is shedding crocodile tears; and if
real occasions for the enjoyment of his
specially do not occur his cunning and
malignity are always equal to their crea-
ton.
Another source of Mugwump grief
and dispair is the circumstance that the
party and the administration have given
precedence to the tariff, rather than
currency reform. Now currency re-
form is the special hobby of the Mug
wump, and any kind OF tariff, high or
low-or any intervening elevation-is
his adherence. Under the Mugwump
theory of government the late admins
tration borrowed $3.50, 100000, for the
most part to supply the deficiency in
the national revenue under tariff
which, low as it was, was yet too high
for the Mugwump's ideal of deficiency
producer. If the deficiency had been
$500 900 ,000-as it might have been
under the measure of 1894, before Sena-
tor Gorman's name became coupled
with Prof. Wilson's in tariff nomen-
clature-there would have been no fly
in the Mugwump's ointment. But a
Renublican President and COnpress