Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-10-09

ating control to the Democratic party
of this city from England through
a dishonored, disreputable and
alien deputy, has only intensified, day
by day, and even if folnd myself to.
night alone in your midst, would
continue until election night to raise
my voice in earnest war ing the self
respecting Democrats of this imperial
city against the unspeakable shame
which surely lies before them if they
now, by their own act, deliberately v re-
store to power the very same and per-
tidious men who, in the past, have
shown themselves to be the obedient,
purchased slaves of greedy corpora
tions, in secretly bartering away
invaluable municipal franchises; who,
in the persons of their poor UNDER
lings, have been again and again con-
victed of corrupting and perverting
that greatest of American privileges,
the elective franchise; who have vilely
prostituted our police department.; !;
who have degraded our inferior courts
of justice, and who, by their own ex-
posed rascallty aud infamy in official
stations, have done the most grievous
injury to the cause of true demo.
cracy."
There were cast in this city last fall
for Democratic candidates for presi-
dent, 1899 votes. OF this number
the free silver candidates had 134,377
votes and the gold standard candidate
5541. Or, taking the gubernatorial
vote, from which the popularity of
William Mckinley was eliminated, the
total Democratic strength in this city
was $50, 100, of which the free sill
yer candidate received 141, 452 and
the gold standard candidate 1857, a ra-
ito of 16 to l. And yet the 1857 are
going ahead to put up gold standard
ticket, spurn the Chicago platform rs
they did in the state committee and
say to the al, 452 that they may take
the ticket and platform or leave it! Is
it to be wondered at that the fifteen
sixteenths resent the arbitrary dicta-
tion of the One-sixteenth and are look
ing to Henry George as the represen-
tative of the great majority?
Kidnapping little children and hold
ing them as hostages for a ransom is
not likely to flourish extensively here.
The two men who abducted the little
child at Albany some time ago and
held it in swamp three days and
nights have been sentenced to four
teen years in the penitentiary. That
is the maximum punishment allowed
by law and the kidnappers deserved
their fate. Only the shrewdest de-
tectivs work saved the parents of this
child from being left to spend their
lives without knowledge whether their
son was living or dead. The actual
of q child would cause his
parents no greater agony than his
abduction, coupled, as in this case,
with o threat that he would be killed
on certain day if ransom beyond his
parents means were not Forthcoming.
Another of the old guard of aboli-
tionists has just died here. He was
nearly SO years old. This was Hezekiah
Davis Sharpe, who was born at Pom
fret, Conn.,, December 8, 1911, and
came to New York in 1887, where he
became intimate with Horace Gree
ley, Henry 9. Bowen, the Tappans,
Tifanys and others. He was engaged
in Wholesale dry goods until about 20
years ago, when he became connected
with the clock and bronze department
of Tiffany & Co. Mr.. Sharpe never
held office, nor was he prominent in
affairs, but he was closely associated
with the anti-slavery men of New
York and Brooklyn, and he it was who
took Lewis Tappan's family out of the
back door of their house while the
draft rioters of 1868 were pillaging it.
With Seth Low in the canvass with
1877, 900 enrolled supporters, mostly
from New York, aud the hundred
thousand additional votes which con-
calculators give him; with
Henry George combining his labor
vote of 68, 900 ten years ago with the
silver Democratic support, which last
fall cast 134, ,377 to 5541 for the gold
ticket; with General Tracy or another
in the field with the solid support of
the Platt machine, and with Tamma-
ny hall ticket made up by Croker
Sheehan- -Scannell, shorn on one side
by Low of decent Democratic votes,
and on the other by Henry George of
silver support-what sane computer
can doubt the result?
Jacob Worth will get no sympathy
in his political extinction by bringing
in the president of. the United States
as contributing cause to his defeat.
In spite of the out-givings from time
to time of Worth's factional enemies,
the president has taken no part what
ever in the factional difficulties on
either side of the river and will take
none. He hopes for q union ticket
against Tammany and for Tammany's
defeat. Beyond the expression of
that hope the president has remained
silent on the present unfor-
tunate condition of municipal affairs.
The fight of the Metropolitan Street
Railway company and the Third Ave-
nue. Railroad company against each
other, and the fight of the people
against both, over the practical mo-
nopoly of Amsterdam avenue by four
lines of track for underground trolley
roads, continue along parallel lines.
KSICKERBoCKER.
:=.i.is.
Is 1t compliment or a treat to this
country that England is constantly
her naval forces in
American waters? Every ship Oh the