Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-10-23
Cleveland to Thurman.

The democratic rally at Columbus was
the occasion of inducing Governor Cleve-
land to write another letter. His accept
ance was notable for its vacuity. 1t
satisfied no one, for it defined his posi-
ton upon no open question of the day,
dealing instead in the veriest platitudes.
This supplemental letter was addressed
to Judge Thurman, and there certainly
ought to have been inspiration in that
very fact A bourbon of the bourbons,
Allen G. Thurman is yet fine specimen
of American citizenship about whose
name clusters all the party associations
of which any honorable democrat could
beast But the Letter is, if possible,
more empty and ursatisfymg than the
acceptance
One word tells all there is in this let
ter: Change. The Republicans have been
in office 50 long that the Democrats
ought to have a chance. The people are
tired, he says, of Il rule so long con-
tinued that it has bred and fostered
class standing between them and politl-
cal action!" He deprecates the raising
of any other issue and his climax IS
reached when in the plentitude of his
fathefly care for the dear people, he adds
to his observation that a pure and hon
tol hiliiilliolldN ID IA N0pocti y ~ y iiAN
show them the way to til S, and warn
them against cunningly designed efforts
to lead them into other pa hs of irrele-
want dis ussion.
Mr. Blaine tersely indicated those
"other paths of irr levant discussion
when he said at Rochester Thursday that
the Republican party embodi in its
Gee four distinct and important doc
tri es: 4. Pea, with the whole world;
2. Commercial expansion in very prac-
icable irect o B Encour cement of
every form of American lndust y; 4.
Protection to every citizen, native or
naturalzed, at home or abr ad, 1t IS
for these great and practical ideas that
the Republican party stands and when
a candidate for Pr, sidstt att mpts to
confine the public I'M crest to the dema-
gogical cry which the minority party
always raises. as a matter in course, he
wholly mistakes the character Of the
American people Everybody knows its
real meaui. q and sees beneath the thin
! gauze that hideou5 monster, greed for
| spoils, or as Mr.. Cleveand's friend Cur
| It's expressed it, " The Democratic party,
| very hungry and, as you may welt be-
| lieve, very thirsty.
! Grover Cleveland is the hast MN
who can, with any show of SINGER
! ity, pretend that the republican party
has, by long continuance in power,
! bred and fostered a class standing be
| tween them the people and their polit-
! zeal action" He has only to recall his
own good fortune of two years ago to
! see what twaddle that sort of talk is.
! And the political action which placed
| HIM in the gubernatorial chair was not
] T., 1,,t ,,,t
the country, and to-day there are only a
bakers dozen of republican governors
out of the thirty-eight. If the people
wish at any time to make a change
nothing could be easier than for them
to do it. That bred and fostered class
of which Cleveland pirates is merely
| grass before the wind. Whichever way
the wind blows the offices must incline.
1t is surprising that even Bourbon can
not see the folly Of this everlasting
whine about change, especially during d
| campaign which involves such great is
sues as those suggested by Mr., Blaine at
| Rochester
The only explanation of this contin-
ued effort to dodge the real issues of the
day is that the democrats have no faith
in their own doctrines. They have no
positive convictions on which to make
appeal to the country. They are afraid
to discuss the tariff squarely, and by the
wisdom and thoroughness of its own
craftsmanship the republican party has
practically occupied the entire field OF
politics. leaving TIE democrats the alter
nate of either joining the republicans or
contenting themselves with snarling at
their heels and denouncing the agitation
of great principles as other paths OF
irrelevant discussion Inter Ocean.