The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1900-03-28
How, When and Where.

vention, is rather amusing. They say that
the party policy is "fixed" on this subject.
How, when and where? 1t is usually sup
posed that the people constituting party
have something to say in fixing" policy
and they have not spoken or acted yet, and
they have carefully been prevented from
giving any straight xpression.-Brattle-
boro Reformer
The Reformer's own columns have
quite recently contained testimony of
the unanimity of Republican sentiment
on the great questions of national poll
cy, so conclusive that it has given up
in advance of the marshaling of the
forces for battle all hope of defeating
the party in the coming election. The
contemporaries evidence was drawn
from the result of the various elections
since and including 1885, Its state
ment of the facts OF the situation in re-
spect of public opinion on pending ma
tional issues was a jeremiad whose
gloom was illuminated by no ray of
hope for the Democratic party. Its
diagnosis of the political situation was
reproduced in these columns and was
recognized as almost cruel in its fidelity
to the dismal facts of its party's recent
political history and future prospects.
Not following the Reformer's queries
in the exact order in which they are
made, and without going into details,
it may be answered, further, that the
party policy, and that of the American
people at large, in respect of the late
Spanish possessions, was "fxed" by
Admiral Dewey, at the battle of Manila
Bay, May /, 1898. This answers COM
prehensively and defnitively the Re
formers triplet of interrogations, which
are querulous in spirit, and are raised
not at all by sincere desire for infor-
nation. 1t was "fixed" then and
there that the United States would
keep the Philippines and Porto Rico,
and that Cuba would come under the
guardianship of the United States. If
there was any doubt on this score it
was cleared up by the finishing blow
in the extinction of Spain's sea power
at Santiago de Cuba. From May to
November the naval and military de-
termination of the policy of the gov
eminent was prevailing with the PEG.
pie, and was as directly before them at
the fall elections of that year as if the
question of retaining the captured
hod han nx,
submitted to their approval.
When the Paris treaty came before
the Senate for ratification, almost with
one voice the Legislatures of the States,
from Maine to California, said to the
Senators, and in no uncertain note,
"Ratifyi" In the fall elections of 1899,
in those States in which the support of
the Administrations policy of "expan-
sion" or ''imperialism" was the issue,
its policy was sustained, and with de-
cisive emphasis. The votes of the
representatives of the people in Con-
gress, on all questions involving the
fundamental principles of the admins
tration's support, are still further in
forming on the how, when and where
of the whole question of abiding by the
responsibilities imposed upon the Unit
ed States when its naval and military
forces released certain peoples from
SPANS oppression and misrule. The
Reforner is better informed than it
suits it's present purpose to appear to
be.
AS to Vermont Republicans, the con-
temporary appears to have made a can
vass of their standing on the question
of expansion, the thing which has be-
come fixed and irrevocable, and is con-
coded to be so by Mr.. Olney and many
Others who would have ordered some
OF its incidents otherwise. The Re-
former says:
1t may be, as the Montpelier Waterman
asserts, that the Republicans of the State
will be united" in sustaining the admins
tration, though any one who will take the
trouble to talk with life long Republicans
will find fully three-fourths OF them con.
demning or at least deploring, the admin
lbtrauOn'5 course.
This is more or less important, &C
cording to circumstances. Who are
"life-long Republicans?" Why the
Imitation How, when and where did
the contemporary poll these Republi-
cans. Or is It's statement sheer bluff
The Republican editors of Vermont
seem to be fairly united in support of
the administrations policy of expan-
sion. Why should they not be9 A
Vermonter fred the first gun for that
policy and they are not going back on
Admiral Dewey. The Free Press ia
the only black sheep in the fold, and
its anti-imperialism is tinctured with
suspicion of personal disgruntlement.