Sentence:  Babbitt was frightened, but he had an agonized instinct that if he yielded in this he would yield in everything. He protested: “You're exaggerating, Colonel. I believe in being broad-minded and liberal, but, of course, I'm just as much agin the cranks and <WSD>blatherskites</WSD> and labor unions and so on as you are. ...” 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A voluble purveyor of nonsense; a blusterer.