The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-02-17

| ternal question can be effected without
such a breach of the party as to pre-
vent our presenting an unbroken front
to the enemy. We among the Repub-
leans may be discouraged when we
consider our own dissensions, but
when we look to the possibility of
united action on the part of the Dem
ocrats for any policy or any line of
| policies we must take courage. 1t was
Gen. Grant who said that when he
first went into battle he had great
deal of fear. but he overcame that feel
ing by maintaining in his mind the
constant thought how much more
afraid his opponent was And, so we
who find ourselves at times given over
to the thought that Republican con-
troll is at an end should not forget to
consider not only our own factional
strife but also that of our ancient en-
envy.
"If the Democratic party were SOL
id, cohesive opposition, guided by one
principle and following the same econ
omic view as they hold, the situation
would be far more discouragng than
it is. The Republican party has been
the party responsible for the govern
ment for the last II years. 1t his dis
charged those responsibilities with
! WOIutIlul SutCtSS. ne DIODltIuS
growing out of the Spanish War and
those which have come from the rapid
accumulation of wealth and the greed
for power of its accumulation, it has
fallen to the party to meet, and while
they have not yet all had perfect solu-
ton, the record is one of which we
have no reason to be ashamed.
81 am far from saying that the Re-
publican party is perfect. No party
which has exercised such power as it
has exercised for the last II years
could be expected to maintain, either
in it's rank and file or in it's manage
ment, men of the purest and highest
motives, and I am the last one to adj
vocate any halt in the prosecution and
condemnation of Republicans, howev-
er prominent and powerful, whose
conduct requires criminal or other
prosecution or condemnation 1t
should be well understood that with
the Republican party in its present
condition, with the various divisions
subjected to the cross fire of it's own
newspapers and its own factions, any
halt or failure on the part of those in
authority to punish and condemn cor
ruption or corrupt methods will be
probably visited upon the party itself
however many good men it contains"
This is good advice. If there are
discussions in the Republican ranks
there is decentralization in the Dem
ocratic party which in recent years
has become so sincerely weakened
that in order to get into a really in
teresting scrap" Republicans have
been obliged to fight each other rath-
er than the common enemy.
Particularly wise is the intimation
that the party cannot afford to shield
any guilty members of its own house
hold This is significant in view of
the disclosure made in connection
with the Allds-Conger investigation.
1t is a we'll known fact that only a
small portion of the disgraceful tale
| of corruption has been told. The
Republican party management in New
York, against which Governor
Hughes has battled so strenuouslv,
, undoubtedly has been stencil in
the nostrils of decent and honest
people. The safe thing as well as
the right thing is to go to the bottom
of the whole affair
In a speech made at the same ban
quet Governor Hughes paid this sig
nifcant compliment to the Presi-
dent:
= The American people are fail
enough to recognize a great man, fill.
inc a nncition 1nin Ia &c I,,4
with absolute fidelity. And for that
reason President Taft will be renomin
> ated and reelected"
3 Gov. Hughes said there need be M
, fear for the Republican party. 1--WE
have just to keep on saving through
the sound oak as Lincoln did year!
e ago, to achieve our purposes" he said
5 1T would be impossible" he went on
>, to minimize the fear and uncertaint,
caused by certain events but the Re
l publican party is made up of Republi
can voters and there are no peopl,
+ more DESTROYS of fair and Just admin
istration of government"
THE Republican party is hurt NOR,
by misrepresentation than anythin.
e else" he said. I'VE must get back t,
the high moral purpose which charac
terized the party in its earlier days
> This is no time for covering up. Thi
;. is no time to retire in dismay from an,
= disclosures. The party can stand any
, thing but being dishonest with itself
The party needs to purge itself of evi
e and get rid of what is not good in it
q We must go forward, showing that tn
n party is not represented by aught o
evil. ! come to you with a word o
cheer, The time in partys life tina
L. seems the most critical is often the oc
casion for the greatest opportunity.
takes times of great stress to bring on
great qualities"
We have no great scandals in Vel
bont politics at the present tina
Il but it is well for all candidates t.
& remember that the standards of pol
e itical morality have been raise,
= very materially during the past few
i years, and that the opening of "bar
: rels" and the pursuit of old tim,
v questionable methods will not be tol
Il Grated with the same easy going spir
: it in which these methods would have
= been viewed few years ago. Thu
situation in New York is a strikinr
. object lesson of the appropriateness
i of the old time practical" politics
and this lesson should not be confined
| %,