The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-09-22
principle for granted.

Ten years ago, we were at war in
the Philippines. Aguinaldos rebellion
/ provoked a sympathetic rebellion in
and about Boston, and there were
many persons who regarded anti-im-
perialism as the overshadowing great
question of our future. President Nc
Kinley was portrayed in cartoons as
an emperor. We had not settled the
status of Cuba. There was still the
old treaty with England that practical
ly forbade our cutting canal across
the lsthmus of Panama Mr.. Roosevelt
was Governor of New York. Senator
Hanna, of Ohio, and Senator Plat, of
New York, who with Senator Quay, of
Pennsylvania, held the machine power
of the Republican party (and there
fore of the National Government) in
their hands. Mr.. Cummins and Mr.. La
Toilette were incipient Insurgents and
were regarded as negligible. The Dem
ocratic party was what Mr.. Bryan
commanded it to be.
Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Column
bia, Chicago and California universe
ties, not to mention a large number
of smaller colleges, had presidents
that have since retired or died; Mr.
Carnegie had begun his building of
public libraries although the formation
of the steel corporation had not yet
made him one of the richest two or
three men of the world; and Mr.
Rockefeller had not begun the whole
sale disposal of his fortune to further
education.
The Panama Canal, the Govern
ment's great reclamation work in the
West, the policy of conservation, the
change of the Dingley tariff, the Jap
anese-Russian War-these were all in
the future; and how long ago 1900 was
may be measured by recalling that
Queen Victoria was still on the throne
of England"
This magazine review might be car
ried much further without eXhausting
the possibilities of interesting COM
/ pal isons. The automobile was not
cor sidered an important factor ten
yea ago and airships were still
lara y in the Darius Green flying
machine class. The North Pole was
still undiscovered and Lieut. Shackle-
ton had not come within striking dis
lance of the South Pole. The warfare
on tuberculosis had not assumed an
important place and the pure food agi-
tation had not yet begun. The good
roads movement and the interest in
scientific agriculture had not assumed
important proportions.
/ The political doctrines and the gov
ernmental policies that are considered
! conservative today would have been
considered violently radical, net to say
Socialistic, decade ago. Charles f.
Hughes was an obscure lawye and
the insurance companies and other big
corporations We're contributing to O.
litical campaign funds as a matter of
course.
i In Vermont there was no Public Ser
vice Commission and the Railroad
Commission had no law with teeth" to
enable it to control transportation
matters in the interest of the public
The larger school and highway poll
cies whereby State aid is secured for
permanent roads, union school super
vision and the measure for abolishing
railroad grade crossings had not been
adopted The prohibitory liquor law
was still in force and the Clement cam
paign had not been seriously predict
ed. We have travelled a long way in
ten years in State affairs as well as
on a broader scale 1t is impossible
to predict with any great degree of
confidence what the next decade may
accomplish. Probably there will be
important developments in aerial nav
igation and it is to be hoped that some
the nations of the awful burden of mil
itarsm. The Panama Canal will be
completed. Electricity is likely to be
used more extensively. Farming ought
to become more scientific. Business
corporations will be less likely to in
terfere in politics and speculation in
the necessities of life will not be per-
mitted to such large extent as at
present. Industrial disputes may be
arbitrated. The next decade ought to
be altogether the best and the most
progressive the world has ever known.
That the country may be better as
well as bigger and buster is proper
desire to express in wishing for the
! future.