St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-08-21
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CLEVEL1NU'S LETTER.

cleveland lettcr or acceptance has one
very essential and notable point of superiority
over all the other messages issued by the
candidates, and that is that it is short enough
to be read by the people. Buffers ponderous
pronunciamento covers an entire page OF the
average daily newspaper; the letters of
Blaine and Logan arc equally long, while
that of Cleveland is contained Id a space a
little over single column in length. 1t is not
probable that one per cent. of the partisans OF
the Republican nominee, or of the Green
back, anti monopolist, workingman's candi-
date has read the acceptance of Blaine and
Butler. The brevity of the letter of the can
didate of the Democracy insures its reading
by a majority Of his supporters, and by a
large element of the opposition.
If the people of this country should con.
clude to elect Cleveland simply on account
of the brevity of his letter of acceptance,
they would not show lack of wisdom, for
in this difference there lies an indication of
supreme lin portance. 1t is to the effect that
the Democratic nominee has confidence in
the practical sense of the people. 1t shows
that he believes in their intelligence, and
that they do not require labored volume to
place before them the issues of the
hour. He takes it for granted that the
country knows what are the evils of
the political situation, and what are the
needed remedies. He simply restates, as it
were, the situation, and the practical meas
ures for its relief. The effort of Blaine is so
long, SO prosy and so involved that it would
seem that the writer was edeayoring to COM
plicate in place of explaining the matter at
issue. 1t reminds one of the speech of Mr..
Tough IN the well-known case of poor Peter
PEBBLES versus Plainstones. Mr.. Tough
was 'deep-mouthed, long-breathed and per-
tinacious, taking pinch of snuff betwixt
every sentence, which other wise seemed in
terminable. The veteran pleader (Blaine)
prosed over all the themes
BY Fairford. He quietly applied all the rub
bish which the other party cleared away, and
succeeded in restoring the veil of obscurlty
and untelligibility which had for years dar-
kened the case of PEBBLES against Plainstones
Cleveland is the Fairford of the present sit
uation He lucidly and in few words
placed the case before the jury of the country
so that no one who listens has any excuse fol-
claiming ignorance of the issues which are
on trial.
The difference in the length of the various
papers presented by the candidates is not all
that distinguishes them. Buffers document
is in the nature of the utterances of vixen.
He shows himself a modern Thersites
whose purpose is the expression of splenetic
waspish, shrewish sentimenst, and nobody
would feel much the worse should his can
tankerous diatribe bring on him the fate O.
his ancient antitype. The time is not ye
when the people of the country are to bt
driven into or out parties by the clamor
Gus, paroxysmal tantrums of virago, well
named ''Widow Butler.''
The papers of the contestants are nov
before the people. That there can be an.
difference of opinion as to their value is no
possible. Every fair-minded person who ha
not already made up his mind must con
cede that the only paper thus far ISSUED
which indicates the hand of a statesman ant
the brain of a thinker, is the letter of Cleve
land. The able editors of the Republican
press, will, as a rule, meet it by calling it
collection of ''glittering generalities" (vid
the Chicago Tibuae) and will further comba
its powerful assertions and vigorous conclu
sions by some illusions to the Widow Halpin
But there is no likelihood of their bcin!
able to answer it in any other way. Mean
while intelligent people, who do not get thei
opinions from partisan press, will have n,
difficulty on reading Cleveland's letter il
reaching the conclusion that it is mani
document which stamps its author as MAJ
filed with political craftsmanship, with
modesty unusual among candidates, and
can be no doubt.