The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-03-31
POLITICAL HOUSECLEANING.

In a recent editorial the st. AL
bans Messenger said:
THE hour has struck for the Re-
publican party to begin the long-de-
fefred house cleaning that shall es-
tablish itself more powerfully than
ever in the confidence of the American
lpeople. All the logic of events and
circumstances points to it as the rail-
lying place of the level headed pro-
gressives who are to meet successfully
the great and serious problems of the
day. The people are demanding new
lleaderships and more liberal policies.
The opportunity is at hand and it
must be seized before it has passed.
The deposition of Speaker Cannon
| from the Committee on Rules in the
House of Representatives after one of
the most spirited parliamentary con-
tests in recent history is but the
merest prelude to the struggle that is
before the party. More of the old
leaders, more of the representatives
OF the distrusted interests, more of
the Bourbons and Standpatters must
be deposed and their policies scat
tered to the winds, before the work is
done. Not revolution should be the
watchword, not crazy uprising of
embarrassed resentment that newt
ably makes of Incorporate reaction a
worse condition still, but a wise and
mastery coordination of far-sighted
craftsmanship with clean and lofty
public purposes that shall work out
through deliberate and judicious evo-
luton the salvation of the party anc
the greater good Of the nation"
The foregoing statement is an adj
mirable one and embodies good advice
! for Republicans The party is
is prominently the party of effici-
ency and progress, and because it
/ has been able to do things and has
been so powerful and its opponents so
weak, certain evil influences have
crept into the ranks which need to
I be eliminated. While it is true that
/ the Democratic party always is more
/ successful in carrying elections at
this time of the year, by anticipation,
than at the polls in November, it is
also true that the outlook for Repub-
lican success this fall is not as good
as it ought to be.
4 The curtailing Of Speaker Can
mons powers is a step in the right di-
lrection, but liberalizing influence is
needed in ether quarters. 1t is I'M
necessary and unwise to go to the ex-
tremes advocated by some OF the most
violent of the Insurgents so-calleo
but their insurgency is due to the
strength of the "Standpat' influence
in the party which is not in keeping
with the best thought of the times
| is useless to deny the fact that there
is very widespread dissatisfaction
with the Payne tariff law, East as
well as West. 1t is an improvement
over the Dingley act, but thousands
OF good Republicans believe that il
did not reduce some schedules as
much as they should have been re-
duced, and that the whole method oil
tariff making is not sufficiently un-
biased and free from the great pres
sure brought to bear by powerful in.
terests, seeking unfair advantages.
We have been threatened with a dis.
astrous tariff war with Canada, oul
nearest neighbor. We do not need
high tariff walls against country
whore wages and prices are so nearly
similar to our own. II would seen
to be the part of wisdom to make
/ trade with the Dominion easy instead
of hard. Our people want to see the
business interests of the country pros
per and expand, but they do not wan
those interests to dominate in State
or Nation Special interests have hat
too much power in Washington anC
the great thing for which posterity
win write large the name of Theo
dore Roosevelt on the pages of Amer
lean history is his courage in at
lacking the improper influence ant