Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-08-01


Admitting. for The sHl>cof thcargumcui.
what is not for Il moment to d" otherwise
admitted. that there i. no difference bc-
tween the two great parties, and
that the ISSUE is solely between the per
sons on the National tickets, let Us consider
which are the better CnuditDtCs This we
will try to do with truthfulnesS and ca n
dor. Beginning with the heads of the
tickets, oi course the best candidate for
President is the one who will give the
country the best administration. 1t will
hardly he denied that Mr. Blaine has the
advantage of Mr.. cleveland in natural
capacity and in experience of public affairs :;
and it is reasonable to suppose that he
would he the ADLER President Ability is
not everything, however, and ii is feared
that Mr.. Blaine would he reckless, cspc-
cially in matters relating toforrign affairs
Who knows but Mr.. Cleveland would he
quite as reckless There is the recklcSSncsS
Of Ignorance us well rs of hardhoOd. Mr.
Cleveland might exhibit the former if
not the latter. Which would surround
himself with the best advisers 1t is fair
to expect that if Mr. Blaine is prcsi-
dent he will call to his cabinet
men of the stamp of senator lIoar, Gen.
Hawlcy. Gov. Long. Mr. Evarts, Senator
Harrison The very fact that he is charged
with rccklcssncsS may lead him to form Il
conservative cabinet Mr. Cleveland. if
he should be elected, may be expected to
select as his heads of departments such
men as Wade Hampton, Randall, MOrri-
son. Smith VI. Weed and other thorough
going Democratic partisanS We do not
believe that any cabinet that Mr.. Clcvc-
land could or would form, would be likely
t. bcthr equal of the cabinet which Mr..
Blaine Will call around him. With regard
to minor appointments no sweeping
change is to he expected under Mr.. Blaine.
Under Cleveland. there would be clean
sweep. His associate ON the ticket Mr..
Hendricks. has intmated that the mum
Der of Republican onccholdcrs whose
heads would ut once drop into the bucket,
to make places for hungry Democrats,
would be .ftty or Sirty HoHNuhd But
there is no reason to suppose that the pro
cess would stop short of an entire change
of all the federal offices. Mr.. Cleveland.
of course could give no personal attention
to II hundredth part of the new appoint
ments. The Offices, if he is cleo
ted, will be parcellcd out by his
workers. and managers. In Vermont
Hiram Atkins and b. b. Smalcy will
he in effect the appointing powers. In
New York state. Dan Manning and
Hubert O. Thompson, who managed Mr..
! Clcveland'S canvass at Chicago. will have
more to say about the allotment of offices
than anybody else. Both of these were
former associates of Boss Tweed, and men
after his own heart. But they are Mr..
Cleveland's confidential and intimate adj
visers Mr. George William Curtis and
his Independent associates may help Mr..
Cleveland all they will. they will not he
allowed the slightest voice rs to the con
duct of his administration or rs to the Sc
lection of Il single postmaster. In every
State, Democratic party hacks. confedcr
ate brigadierS and pot-housc politicians
will parcel ont the spells. This, if the De
mocratic party comes into power, ssimplN
inpN liable The accession of the DemOC
racy will be the end of civilservicc re-
form Other probable features of the TIVE
administrations might be compared ; but
in none of them do we perceive that Clcvc
lands would be likely to be better than
Blaine's.
Is there. then no respect III which the
Democratic candidate has the advantage
our independent friends tell US that he has
the Clcancst personal record But this is
not absolutely clear. There are charges
in circulation and in print, apparently not
coming from Republican sources, seriously
affecting Mr.. Cleveland's private charac
ter We shall not rehearse them till
it becomes plain, as it may, that they
are not campaign ISLANDERS. As to other
points in his character, he is Il thorough
going, out -and-out Democrat Grown to
manhood and admitted to the bar when
the war broke out, nothing in the great
struggle led him to cut loose from the
party which comprised all the traitors and
rebels who were striking at the life of the
nation. He remained a Democrat, and Il
Democratic Office holder, after the
war. He sprang suddenly into
notice when nominated for Governor
of New York He was elected by
the help of the anti-Conkling Republicans
of the Empire State and at once became
IA possible Democratic candidate for Pr es-
dent and went into training for the po-
stion. 1t was polite for him to conciliate
the independent Republicans land, conced-
ing that, Us Governor, he rendered good
admitted that it was policy for him SO to
do, in the light of his aspirations to Il
higher Office. 1t does not follow that it
will he his policy to render further service
to the rcformcrs, after they have served
his turn. Mr.. Blaine it is said, represents
machine methods MI Cleveland is by no
means above such methods What howl
would be raised if ii private letter of Mr.
Blainc's should turn up, in which he APP
Piled to a notorious boss, To defeat a Ger
tain candidate for state senator who was
crsonally obnoxious t. him, Blaine, Yet
GOV. cleveland wrote such letter to Boss
Kelly, and the latter printed it, The
character of GOV. Clcvcland'S right-haud
mcn-thc Maunings, Thompsona,' Eel
lowscs and the lil,e-atlords no sign of any
very delicate scnsihilitics ON his part. Bar
num- of Morcy letter infamy, was his