Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1898-10-07
Gssrx County 9rrald.
ISLAND PoNB. OCTOBER 4.
A Probable Turning Point IN the Des'
tiny OF the Country.

tain trims his sails, looks out for
his course and eudeavors to prop
erly adjust his ballast. Twice
has Capt. Mckinley had to do
his utmost to keep the living
ballast on the ship of state from
rushing to one side of the old ship
even to the waters edge. This
ballast always crowds to the lee
rail ibecause such kind of ballast
can't go against the wind). At
times the vessel is almost in dan
ger of being enguled. A surging,
shouting, tramping and pushing
crowd were rushing the noblest
sons of the country, unprepared
and unprotected into the tropics
from northern air, subsistence
and habits into malaria fevers,
the worst contagion and death;
and that too in the very season
of the year when pestilence and
contagion held high and ghostly
carnival. Impecunious adventur-
ers saw in this an opportunity,
but none sooner than those who
appointed or procured appoint
ment to positions which gave the
care of the brave and the conhd-
ing men who went to battle to
incompetency and rapacity. A
glorious victory was won and
sensational sheets which made
quick sales of garbage in the
markets, camp followers, noto-
rietv seekers and officious med
dlers and pretenders still pretend
to have contributed to it. Then
like children pleased with the
novelty of tropical fruits the
mass went wild at the prospect
of possessing a thousand or two
islands to be garrisoned by the
best men in this country, leaving
their own homes and that of their
descendants perhaps for centu-
ries on an almost unlimited from
tier, unprotected and prey to
any invader while the brave and
efficient defenders of their own
country are off either defending
or subduing a race of beings who
eff Satan kept black cattle,
This were herd for him."
Even ministers for time closeC
their bibles and with their con
gregations ran along the out
skirts of the throng proclaimina
that Providence had opened {
sublime and glorious mission fo1
America, namely to gobble up ;
thousand and more islands, ant
give their incompetent inhabi
tants an opportunity to estab
lish self government.
But there is change in the at
mosphere. The throng is begin
ming to disperse. 1t is divided
up into sections which are her
and there taking up the solemn
march behind the hearse tina
bears the victims ofinconsiderat
haste and incompetency to thei
last resting places. 1t did seen
for a time that everybody wa
being swept along by the full It'd
of enthusiasm and passion. Lag
CARDS were hooted On and revile,
with epithets of disloyalty, in
difference and a lack of enterpris
and progression. Philosophers
statesmen and legislators wer
almost swept off their feet. Man
in silent astonishment seemed t
be acquiescing in the movement
Conservative men even in Vel
mont trembled at the silenc
of representative men. Scarcel
anything but the reflection tina
once on a time such men suddenl
all became Mckinley men whe
the people arose, gave them hear
and hope. But that is all pas
now; and people are beginnin
to reflect that government
neither make nor civilize mer
but that men make the govern
ment; that self government b,
longs only to those who are c;
pable and willing, that the powe
of self government must be inhe,
ent and that it is not in the n;
ture of things for one Cover,
ment however powerful and wis
it may be to establish self GO
eminent for or among anotht
people. They are beginning
reflect that it is not possible fe
such strong nation to guarants