796 



VERMONT. 



Several lines of ocean-steamers touch at the 

 Venezuelan ports : the Hamburg line, the 

 French line from Saint-Nazaire and Marti- 

 nique, and a branch line of the Royal Mail. 

 There is at present no direct steam connection 

 with the United States, and all the trade be- 

 tween the two countries is carried on by sail- 

 ing-vessels. 



The inland trade has lately been much facili- 

 tated by new cart-roads ; and very soon a net 

 of well-constructed roads will cover the whole 

 country, while five or six years ago there were 

 but two roads, namely, from La Guayra to Ca- 

 racas, and from Puerto Cabello to Valencia. 

 In the year 1875 more than $1,500,000 was 

 spent in these public works. The total length 

 of roads already finished is about 1,000 miles. 

 Venezuela has not yet any railroads. The 

 building of a line between Caracas and La 

 Guayra has been resolved upon ; the survey ig 

 made and the preparatory work almost con- 

 cluded. 



The postal-service is well organized ; tele- 

 graphic lines connect the principal towns 

 (Puerto Cabello, Valencia, La Victoria, La 

 Guayra) with the capital, and other lines are 

 in course of construction. The republic has 

 postage-stamps of one, five, ten, and twenty 

 cents. 



Periodicals printed in the country are free 

 of postage. 



VERMONT. The Republican party of this 

 State assembled in convention at Burlington on 

 the 29th of March, for the purpose of electing 

 delegates to the National Republican Conven- 

 tion to be held at Cincinnati. As delegates at 

 large, L. P. Poland, of St. Johnsbury ; Whee- 

 lock G. Weazey, of Rutland; George Howe, 

 of Brattleboro; and George H. Bigelow, of 

 Burlington, were elected. The following reso- 

 lutions were adopted by the convention : 



Resolved, That in this centennial year we again 

 affirm our devotion to those fundamental principles 

 upon which the Eepublican party was founded. 

 Among these are : 



1. The preservation of the liberties and equal 

 rights of all citizens throughout, and the impartial 

 and vigorous administration of the laws in every part 

 of the country for the protection and enforcement of 

 public and private rights, and tbe punishment of 

 violence and crime. 



2. The pure and economical administration of 

 every department of the Government, so as to pro- 

 duce the greatest benefit to the people, with as little 

 burden of taxation as may be consistent therewith. 



3. The safety of the republic depends upon the in- 

 telligence as well as virtue of its citizens; and it is 

 essential that the public -school system shall be 

 maintained, in order that every child may receive 

 such education as will fit him for useful citizenship 

 and we are unalterably opposed to any division of 

 the public-school money for any purpose whatever. 



4. We rally to the standard of the Republican 

 party as the only one under which we can obtain an 

 honest and effective maintenance of the Government, 

 as well as for the defense of the Treasury against 

 the unjust demands and expenditures growing out 

 of the rebellion. 



5. The best interests of all citizens, of every con- 

 dition and pursuit, imperatively demand the speediest 

 return to a specie basis of values and currency, and 



we hail with gratification the act of the Eepublican 

 Congress definitely providing for that end ; and we 

 are firmly opposed to a repeal thereof, or to any step 

 backward in the matter. 



6. We are in favor of the untiring prosecution and 

 punishment of public frauds and crime wherever 

 existing, and we repeat the declaration, "Let no 

 guilty man escape." 



7. We demand that our national candidates shall 

 be men of tried integrity, who will carry out this 

 policy of reform, and preserve inviolate the great 

 results of the war. 



STATE SEAL OF VERMONT. 



The Democrats of Vermont met in State 

 Convention at Montpelier on June 1st, to nomi- 

 nate their candidates for Governor and other 

 State officers; also for presidential electors, 

 and to appoint ten delegates to the National 

 Democratic Convention at St. Louis. With re- 

 gard to the State ticket, W. H. H. Bingham, of 

 Stow, was nominated as candidate for the 

 office of Governor; for Lieutenant-Governor, 

 E. B. Baldwin, of Sharon, and for State Treas- 

 urer, James B. Mattocks, of Danville, were 

 nominated. As Democratic candidates for 

 presidential electors, there were nominated : 

 W. L. Rodman, of Bridgewater; Lucius Rob- 

 inson, of Newport; George L. Waterman, of 

 Hyde Park ; Amos Aldrich, of Woodford ; and 

 Stephen L. Goodell, of Brandon. The delegates 

 at large to the National Convention were: 

 Marcus D. Gilman, of Montpelier ; Bradley B. 

 Smalley, of Burlington; Jasper Rand, of St. 

 Albans ; and Phineas S. Benjamin, of Wolcott. 



The following platform was adopted by the 

 convention : 



Whereas, The Democrats of Vermont, in conven- 

 tion assembled, recognizing the present deplorable 

 condition of the morals and business interests of the 

 country as the result of a departure Jrom the funda- 

 mental principles of government as taught and prac- 

 tised in the early days of the republic, and that_ a 

 return to those principles, and a radical reform in 

 the administration of the Government, are absolutely 

 necessary for the relief of the people and for the 

 preservation of our free institutions, cordially in- 

 vite the freemen of the State, of whatever political 

 predilections, to unite with them in the following 

 resolutions: 



1. Fidelity to all the provisions of the Constitution 

 of the United States; thorough retrenchment and 

 economy in Federal and State administrations ; the 



