Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1898-01-07

ried along by party influences
then the party and its members
are plant tools of a selfishness
which takes from the common
stock and gives to avarice.
When a party is used to create a
wave or a current on which indi- !
vidual enterprise can successfully |
ride it is then used for dangerous |
purposes. Currents are created .
and individuals are turned into I.
them too readily. There is a
slavish desire to follow where
probabilities of success lead the
way. An impression that a man
or scheme will be successfulis too
often more potent than argu-
ment.
Now as these conditions work
among small men and in lesser
communities so will they operate
with the whole country and its
people collectively. Appointment
and continued development and
internal improvement of this
country has produced an immen-
sity, permanence, abundance,
strength and unity beyond the
most extravagant dreams of its
founders. But men are getting
uneasy, as they always are when
prosperity attends them. In the
midst of ample opportunities for
development at home they are
stretching their arms out to sea
for more, and to succeed they
speak of sudden acquisition as if
it was already accomplished SO
as to create a following along
the lines of probable success.
They speak of it as an enterprise
of a party, or as a party meas
ure, as though desirable possess
ions belong to a party and not
to the whole country posterity.
Will it succeed? We are not
quarreling with its accomplish
: ment but feebly contending
against the means employed.
We had an example of similar
methods recently i'll which the
! heads ofall New Englanders were
! turned directly away from the
! real conditions of an important
local campaign. A city election
= was being had. One of the can
didates for mayor was said to be
incompetent and otherwise unfit
: for the position, that he was so
regarded by the best and greater
; part of the sentiment of the city
and that his defeat was beyond
: question. Another candidate was
said to be in the full confidence
of the people, capable, honest,
u efficient, and sure to succeed.
Still a third one, although sill
verite, many would lay aside
! their scruples in that respect and
! he would be largely supported ;
i and so he being an aggressive
man was egged on for party pur-
poses. Now if New England,
{ which only heard the partisan
clamor oftha campaign and saw
: the representatives f"those who
had been there and knew best, v
5 had been called upon to vote for
mayor of that city it would prob
: ably have buried the first men
: toned candidate beneath an
overwhelming majority for the
4 second, while the people "who
had been there" Just reversed
such result, The people also re,
> Trained from seeming to recognize
= the silver element by giving the
third candidate very small vote.
= So in two very notable and sig
nifcant instances the thoughtful
u sentiment of the voting masses
prevailed over hue and cry and
! loud manifestoes uttered for the
purpose of creating public senti,
= ment-once in the instance above
named and once before in New
i England during the last presi.
: Dental canvass.
T Now if the whole country is tC
) depart from a time-honored pol
{ icy land we are not discussing
n the wisdom or folly of such de
u parture) let it be the result of q
e candid and temperate discussion
/ of the subject by the public; but
e may it never be accomplished
u either as a partisan measure OF
+ by imaginative eclat, or yet by
= creo+;,,r -, ;,,,r.ee;o, that # &c