The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1901-02-20
Better Side of Senator HOar.

The great patience of Massachusett
with Senator Hoar, Notwithstanding
that he misrepresents four-afths of his
party, is accounted for in good me2-
sure by the quality and tone of his Lin
coin Day speech at the State House.
That address was not at all devoted to
Lincoln, but to present and future
problems of Massachusetts and, Incl
dentally, of the rest of the country.
For, like true son of the Bay State, 3
Senator Hoar holds that il Massachu-
sets heads right the rest of The country
is sure to tag along in the same direc-
ton and to come'under the wire in time
for national salvation. State pride, as
it existed before the days of railroads
and telegraphs, has been greatly modi-
fed through the country at large. But
the old passion holds with all the old
intensity in some Southern states and
in Massachusetts, and Senator Hoar is
its greatest exemplar. The people of the
State re-elect Senator Hoar and even
revere him, because they know that be
believes with all his heart to at, however
wrong they may be on the Philippine
question, they are UNNECESSARILY great
er than the people of any other State
can possibly become. 1t is difficult to
resist that kind of hattery, and in Mass
achusetts they do not try. They SIM
ply crown the flatterer with laurel
Brooklyn Eagle.
The Eagle then exhibits another side
of Senator Hoar's character and his
course in public life. In the EDITORS
view he strikes happy balance in COM
bining faith in party loyalty with the
right to differ from ones party without
rancor. Precisely from what point
this view of the erratic and emotional
Senator is obtained is not clear. In
his speeches in Congress on the ques-
tions in respect of which he is opposed
to the administrations course and poll
cy, no Senator has exhibited greater
rancor. His structures on the govern
ment have not been less reprehensible
because clothed in language somewhat
more classic and ornate than the blunt
outspoken utterances of Pitchfork Till
man. BY reason of his standing in pol
itics, he has probably done greater in
jury to the government of his country
and to the general cause of humanity
than all the Tillmsns combined The
bullet which General Lawton sale
would lay him low, if he should fall il
the war, would be winged by the anti
imperialists at home, was fired by meI
of whom Senator Hoar is a representa-
tive.
The Senator "believes that the coun-
try and his party is fundamentally anC
eternally wrong on the Philippine mat
ter, but he does not believe that eithe
his country or his party is going t.
eternal smash for that or any othel
reason. Therein Senator Hoar sets
fine example to other critics of the ad
ministration in Massachusetts and mucl
nearer home"
Senator Hoar believes, further, tina
"the country has been governed by it
serious second thought from the begin
ming, and that it will continue to be g.
ruled" but it does not appear that, il
recent years at least, he has contrib
uted greatly to that "serious secon
thought" He has harangued the Ser
ate, denounced, incriminated, GRATED q
great length, and the only persons VIII
have derived even the semblance G
aid or encouragement-fatal delusion
all-from him have been the enemies o
his country, in arms against it's author
ity; and the lengthening list OF name
on the death roll of those who hav
fallen in the war to repress insure,