The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1903-01-14
REFORM EXTRAORDINARY.

ing with bold John Barleycorn? Or
was the Star Eyed the innocent vic
tim of conspiracy to WOO and then
to tilt her? The latter is more chart
table, and probably the more reason
able explanation of her ''quirks and
pranks and wanton wiles." Certainly
the Goddess was in bad company and
suffered the inevitable and injurious
consequences of "evil communica-
tons. She emerged from the COM
pany that had taken her in, her jew
elled eyes bedimmed her hair dishev-
elled, her shining garments tattered
and torn. If her hosts had any really
good and gallant intent, they suffered
their guest to be very shamefully mis-
treated
The caucus bill washer chiefest jew
ell. OF this her entertainers stripped
her, then ungallantly tossed her in
blanket and cast her out into derid-
ing lobby.
The divinity appeared at the door of
the Senate, the anti-pass bill in her en-
IIbutluR IluuNl. Nlbll SldOlOuS lllCIl
and all-according voice the Senators
bespoke her fair and babe her to their
chamber In smiling innocence she
entered and right joyously they well
coined her They attuned their harps
to notes of virtue and smote their
golden Tyres and gave their hautboys
breath. 1t seemed the Goddess tri-
umphal hour. But Mepho was in the
lobby, he tipped the wink to Discord,
who reared her horrid head; the
harps were unstrung The Tyres lied,
the hautboys squeaked and squealed.
Dismayed the Star Eyed petitioner fled
and all her fears confessed.
She prof Tered the Solons a railway
commission bill seasoned with the ele-
ments of wise efficiency, and they
rudely rebutfed the divinity Thrice
and again the assembled wisdom and
virtue of Vermont laughed the God
dess to scorn, but in a spasm of cou-
scienceful conjunction they proffered
her cup of very thin Cruel. saltless,
in IAN act to prevent corrupt prac-
tees in matters relating to elections. {"
Having hedged about with prohibi.
tions any person who seeks to pro-
mote his nomination to office, or the
nomination of another, the newspapers
are take" in hand i'll the subjoined
section of a law redolent with the
affectation of virtue:
Sec. 3. No publisher of any news
paper or other publication issued at
regular intervals in this State shall
directly or indirectly receive or accept
money or other valuable thing in pay
ment or compensation for the support
or advocacy in such newspaper or pub
LEGATION of the nomination of any per-
son as candidate for public office in
this State.
Pardonable would be the accusation
of the unknowing that the Star Eyed
was drunk. INDIANA BILE do the know
ing hold her who saw her, when this
watery measure of Cancellation was
pressed to her lips, gather her robes
about her, pass out into the Grecian
pnrtico, shake from her sandals the
accumulated dust of sorry weeks of
travail, sorrowfully salute Ethan AL
len, descend to the terrace where frown
the Spanish guns that proclaim the
glory Vermonters may win away froiu
home, wave an adieu to her sister
surmounting the dome of the Capitol
and fling her objurgations back to the
aggregation of defaulting and poker
cfnt rha 10
fawned upon and then betrayed her.
In respect of this corrupt prac-
tees" act the inquiry is pertinent,
Why did not the Solons drive their
pillow of reform to the end of the fur
row? Why did they not deny to the
Governor the appointment to office of
any person who in any degree sup
ported him in caucus, convention, Oh
at the polls And why did the mo-
tive power of the pillow give ont at the
caucus or convention? Why was not
more power added to prevent corrupt
practices at the elections, as the
title sets forth?
Why make a crime of praiseworthy
pun pooO anu SlOIb W tAlllDlb I'LL SlueS
of a question while nominations are
pending? Or if newspaper publishers
are so venal and so dangerous to
good morals, why not prohibit the
publishers from discussing nomina-
tions and related matters at all? Or
better still, compel the publishers to
suspend publication pending the max
ing of nominations, lest between the
lines of the reports of dog fights and
the publication of neighborhood GOSSIP
corrupt practices be found lurking
Interrogation might be extended
quite indefinitely, and it is worthy OF
remark in closing, that this "corrupl
practices" act bears the imprint OF
hands smirched with corrupt practices,
and the possessors of the hands, wher
adm onished. refused to wash theil