Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-07-14
Senator Chambers Declaration.

Senator Chandler has set the New
Hampshire politicians agog by declaring
that he will not seek a reelection. He
is willing to return to the upper branch of
Congress, however, If he is the unanimous
choice of the Republicans of the Granite
state. His third term will expire March 8,
1901. He says he believes the people of
New Hampshire should be perfectly tree to
decide upon the succession. He has ar
rived at this conclusion from a variety of
reasons. He is not in accord with the Re-
publican leaders of the Senate on several
important public questions, and therefore
believes that without any motion on his
part the people of New Hampshire should
be entirely free to determine whether they
desire to continue him in the Senate or
send another to that body who will fully
subscribe to every tenet of the Republican
doctrine as it may be enunciated by eau
Gus of the party. He is opposed to trusts
and at variance with many members Of
his party on the question of regulating
railroads. He also differs from a number
cal questions, notably the regulation Of
railroads and the prohibition of the sale of
intoxicants.
He is decidedly against changing the
money plank in the platform of the party
as adopted in 1896, "from the advocacy Of
bimetalism to permanent acquiescence in
the single gold standard, discarding and
disapproving all attempts at furt er eff
forts to restore the double standard He
says he will never vote in the Senate to
cease efforts to reestablish silver as well as
gold as standard money. He believes that
because the times are prosperous, money
easy, gold plenty and the Republican par
ty strong it will be the height of wisdom
to seize the favorable moment for remon-
etizing silver; doing so if France is will
ing, with a change of ratio, and finally
getting the vexed question out of politics.
He says the large corporations destroy in
dividual enterprise and when the combina-
tioDs become huge, economy ceases, ex-
travagance and enormous salaries take its
place, and the consumer has to pay more
than he did before. He believes the state
Legislatures and Congress must bring all
large combinationssof incorporated capital
within reasonable limits.
He says . great combination of rail-
roads dominates the politics of New Hamp-
shire, and through money and free passes
controls most of the politicians of the
state, that nearly all Of them are retained
by the great railroad, and no man can be
nominated or elected until the railroad
managers think he has bowed the knee
and put on the railroad collar.
He says that attempts have been aban-
doned for enforcing the prohibitory law in
the cities and large towns of New Hamp-
shire, and that the police commissions are
the combinations for regulating the sale OF
| liquor to drink rather than the instru-
ments for enforcing the existing laws OF
| prohibition. He says that if the temper
ance Republicans cannot bring the party
promptly and willingly up to impartial en-
| forcement of the laws in country and city
alike and destroy hypocrisy, evasion and
open rum selling they had better give up
the fight and enact local option and high
| license laws.
Senator Chandler's declaration reads
like high-minded and laudable declara-
tion, but he has established such reputa-
tion for erratic turns that it is not taken
seriously by leading men of his state,
some of whom believe the statement COW
ers deep-laid political scheme.