Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1897-02-05
THE SPIRIT OF THE PRESS.
ARBITRARY INTERFERENCe.'


ARBITRARY INTERFERENCE"
Here's more trouble for Senator Jones
of Arkansas, the statesman who as chair
man of popocratic national committee
conducted the late campaign with such
brilliant success that he had Mr.. BRYAN
elected for several days after the votes
were counted. Sixteen of the eighteen
democratic members of the Idaho legis-
lature have signed a despatch to Jones
denounCing his "arbitrary interference
in local affairs as violation of the con-
stitution of the U1ited States and a
crime against free institutions" This is
"hot stuff in the way of language, but
the Idaho pOpocrats or democrats, or
whatever they call themselves, are in
the habit of expressing themselves warm
ly on the most ordinary occasions.
Jones's offence appears to be that in his
capacity of chairman of the national
committee and general manager of the
party he advised the democratic men,
bers of the Idaho legislature to vote for
Dubois for United States senator, Du-
bois being-well, it is hard to tell pre-
cisely what he is, except that he is not a
republican. He was elected senator as a
republican, but left the party in the last
campaign and is now 'sloshin' round"
between the Democrats, the populists
and the free-silver republicans without
very definite relations to or hold upon
any of them. But Jones for some rea-
son or other thought it would be good
politics upon the expiration of his term
as a republican to re-elect him as
democrat. Jones has been very much
mixed ia his notions as to what con-
stitutes a democrat ever since the nom
inatiOn of Bryan and the adoption of the
Chicago platform. For that matter, so
has everybody else.
His advice to the Idaho democrats, as
may be gathered from the despatch, was
not well received. At least we infer as
much from their denunciation of it as
"a violation of the constitution of the
United States and crime against free
4 ihStiluNlOhS' IhO5 ~ Ou " say lldI
"the adoption of your suggestion to
support Mr.. Dubois would stultify our
party and forever damn in the estima-
tion of our constituents every democrat
legislature" In this vigorous state
ment the climax is reached. They
might be able to stand the violation of
the constitution aud crime against free
institutions, and even the qualification
of the party to such things, though they
be rasping to the sensibilties and Sc
we're upon the emotion of patriotism,
they are not unused. But when it
comes to being eternally damned in the
estimation of their constituents they
feel that Jones is carrying 1t too far.
They say that to vote for Dubois would
bring upon them this calamity, and they
kick accordingly. Moreover, they say,
with reckless prodigality, considering
the telegraph tolls between Boise City
and Washington, that Secretary Walsh
whoever he may be-in "seeking to
set aside the entire machinery of our
State organization before the campaign
and now" has been guilty of "a most
hgh-handed, unwarranted proceeding
and unparalleled in the history of our
American politics.
If all these things are true-as they
must be, otherwise these sixteen states
men would not have gone to the expense
of telegraphing them to Westinghouse
seems to us that Jones should be i'm
peached for an arbitrary interference
in local affairs" involving "a violation
of the constitution of the United States
and crime against free institutions"
He should not be permitted to run at
large, to say nothing of sitting in the
United States senate and acting as chair
man of the democratic national commit
tee. AS for Walsh, who has set aside
the entire machinery of the democratic
party in Idaho-no punishment is too
severe for such a wretch-he should be
compelled to read William j. Bryan's
new book through without stopping aud
then to hear him lecture. Meantime,
, though we cannot help feeling sorry for
Jones, who seems to have hard luck in
putting his large Arkansas foot in it at
pretty much every turn in current