St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1913-07-30

sion tho undoubtedly very much
surprised" at once got busy some
where, and in a few days presented
a report which, II Tc mad been de-
signed to have been a full and hon
est one, must necessarily have con-
sumed two months of fully occupied
time.
The dishonesty of the entire bluff
is attested by the notorious fact that
the star performer and swiftest wit
ness before the public service COM
mission grand jury was made the
head of the investigation" the
leading complainant was made the
foreman of the jury when the case
came to trial. This is such a mon
strous travesty on all fairness that
no comment can possibly render it
more nauseating to any citizens
sense of justice. Well, the rumpus
was kicked up before the public SER
vice commission as pre-arranged, the
committee was appointed as pre-
arranged, the jury went out and i'm
mediately returned with such a YER
dict as was desired, and the curtain
went down with the progressive"
occupying the centre of the stage
and singing For he's a jolly good
fellow, after ALI" God save the
state!
| am not a standpaLter, in the
wild steer vernacular. Neither am l
progressive" of the hydrophobia
order. Twenty years ago l was
earnestly advocating in my papers
real progressive measures, most of
which Vermont is just now, after
these years, seriously discussing. l
might mention among these Eugen-
les, marriage and divorce reform,
reasonable extension of the voting
franchise, a state agricultural school
on practical lines, vocational educa-
ton, and mine was the first Vermont
newspaper which ever strenuOusly
and continuously advocated local
option. In the light of these and
other facts which might be mention
ed can any mouse-colored hybrid
flaunt his political ''progressivism"
in my face?
1t is refreshing and we'll at times
to call things by thee= right names.
During the past few years Vermont
has been made an object of ludi-
crous and at the same time sorrowful
pity by horde of vociferous and
flamboyant fiannel-mouths, who
have swashbuckled from Beecher's
Falls to the BattenkilI, from Hoosic
to Hillwest, calling on the .'enslaved
to arise in their blind
might and smite the trusts and the
interests and the Octopus and Pre-
datory Wealth and Malefactors of
vast accumulations! The people
have been taught and told that any
man who paid more than a polltax
was a suspicious character, and that
IN
lating a little property by industri-
Gus endeavor, was probably a Pluto
crat in disguise Property was
crime, and vagrancy was a merit.
Every time a hen came off one of
these scintillating ''progressists"
leaped into the azure, cracked his
heels together three times before he
lit, and yelled for the legislature to
instantly enact a new law to dis
solve the pinfeather trust or tax the
skunkskin industry! Meanwhile the
blind led the blind and Good Old
Vermont has been skidding toward
the ditch
"The Peoplei" What mischief
asses have committed
in their namei What shame the
of these political epilep-
tics have brought on the state and
country According 20 their itany
is indictable and any associa-
ton of honest and honorable gentle
men doing business as a corporation
Is, because of that fact, an infamous
thing! Have the real people leased
their reason to these demagogs, that
the latter find followers? No, the
era of the muckracker is well-nigh
past, and the professional 'tprOgres-
sive' transformer will be out of a
Job. All the people cannot be fooled
all the time.
AS to the merits of the accusa-
tons against the telephone compan-
les 1 know nothing and care less. 1
can talk enough without asking the
public service commission for as
sistance. 1 have not attempted to
discuss the real facts in the case. l
have simply pointed out the "how"
and the why of that famous-or
-commission, only called
attention to what all might note, the
cheap political inwardness of
he whole pitiable transaction. The |
allegations against the companies
may or may not be found to be we'll |
founded after careful and honest in |
7estigation, if that can be had, but !
LII this cheap political comedy for |
1 cheaper purpose will settle moth |
ng. Much less a United States SEN
atorship.
Finally, the people, in the serious |
and honorable sense, can be trusted |
latter life's fitful fever" and sad |
experience under popcorn leadership |
to take good care of their own best |
interests. They at last realize that |
progress" is not always reform or
A demagog and a |
1rindle pup with a can tied to his |
all are both progressive, but they |
ret nowhere in particular. Safety |
ind sanity is preferable, after all, |
md, above all, moral and political
honesty.
J. e. HARRIS.