Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1899-07-14
Some Reflections on the National
and Local Political Squabbles
Just Ahead OF US.


Just Ahead Of US.
There are certain influences in gov
ernmeni by the people that work 50
noiseless as to grow into great prolor-
tions and power before they arr fully
apparent to common observation. The
country is full Of individual purposes;
aud men acting in concert in kindred
pursuits and purposes exert power and
influence which is not always readily
traced to its source. This is one reason
why 50 many are often deceived about
the result of a presidential election. The
influences working in a campaign are
not always apparent. The intention of
a majority of the people being good the
general trend of public opinion is in the
right direction unless the people are de-
ceived. No people ever went knowingly
and voluntarily into designs or purposes
detrimental to the public good or de.
structive of their government. The
great thing for the people to know is
what designs to encourage and 10 what
extent to carry them. Certain things
like loyalty. patriotism, and the like
cannot be carried too far, nor can unity
in our government he oyerrated. This
is why political parties run along general
lines and why one party can remain in
power as long as it is apparently in pro-
per control and in possession of designs
which seem to the people to be working
out the best results for them.
The republican party has been for a
long time quicker in taking possession of
the wisest theories of government than
have its opponents. In days of threat
ened dismemberment it took such sud-
den and enthusiastic action in favor of
unity that the democratic party was
staggered by the thought that it must
fall in with the current of the times or
seem to be disloyal; and between trying
to oppose the republican party and keep
ing true to the country it did appear to
be disloyal. This was logical. The
great need of the country was loyalty
and unity. All the tendencies and theo-
ries of the republican party were loyal.
Ergo, anything or anybody which or who
opposed the republican party was in OPP
position to loyalty and unity, and work
ing against the best interests of the
country. This was bad fix for the
democratic party, for it must oppose its
adversary somehow or be swallowed up
by it. This drove it to foolish and
weak protest against too vigorous pro-
secution of the war, but it was soon
swept out of that position by such Wig
orous prosecution of the war as swept the
rebellion and the protest into common
sea of oblivion. But by constantly
striving to get on its feet it succeeded in
temporarily securing control during two
administrations, not consecutively, how.
ever, the last one of which was composed
of such heterogeneous elements that the
president in trying to harmonize them
or to substitute policy of his own, dis
integrated his following and left his
party to the mercy of the widest ele
ments in the country, going off in al
sorts of tangents. Men and things as
sumed meteoric and phosphorescen
character. The country seemed to fill
up with effervescent substances and vol
canoes of suppressed sentiments ready t.
burst forth at any moment And the,
did explode in the democratic convention
and in the midst of a meteoric display il
which ga crown of gold" was exhibited
with perverted reflections. An unknown
being arose, and stirring up disconten
among laborers here, false hopes in tn
minds of capitalists there, the wild ives
show went on and captured the conven
ton, turned the portrait of the demi
god of the democratic party, Cleveland
to the wall, and went out into the coun
try with the most brilliant demonstra
tons that ever captured any considerabl
portion of the American people, presag
ing victory so vociferously as to awake
in the minds of candid men in both pa,
ties fear that the capture of the cor
yention would be followed by that of tn
country. Imitation, expansion, exaggel
alton and intensity created by will
demonstrations seemed for time to b
moving the country to crisis. But III
fortunately for the cavalierly and roman
tic adventures the republican party ha
got possession of those theories on whic
the industries, the politics, and all tn
material interests of the country s
much depended. In vain did the assai
ants charge that the protective syster
was pregnant with evil and disaster fo
out of it soon came the greatest oppo
tunities both to labor and capital tia
had ever been presented; and equal
unavailing was the cry that the govern
ment was in league with manufacturin
monopolies because they were shoutin
it in the midst of the most industriou
and developing conditions the countr
eyer saw, and just in time when tn
fallacy of their wild financial scheme