The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-07-24

nOmlnaliOn. we & love MIN
most of all for the enemies he has made"
The hostility of Tammany and Butler.
and III fact whatever is basest ond most
demagogic. in his own party, is of itself
tribute of which any public man might
well be proud. But he is by no means
dependent on this negative kind of tests
mOny.
The enmily of corrupt intriguers might
mean after all simply that his intentions
were good, and that he merely feared that
he would, if put in power, fail to answer
their purpose. Cleveland has, happily,
something far stronger than the promise
of a strong character to commend him to
the suffrages of good men of all parties.
He is tried administrator. One of the
Blaine organs, in its great agony, has tired
to relieve itself by calling him "a man
destitute of experience OF one kind of
neutrality-suspicious. in political trick,
cry and manipulation, and in the art of
making money for himself and his friends
out of politics. he is, indeed, destitute.
But the present extraordinary political
crisis is due to the profound and growing
popular belief That this kind of experience
is too common among our statesmen, and
that the republican candidate in particu-
lar is too rich 10 it either for his own Or
his country's good OF one kind of exper-
fence which the present situation in ma
tional affairs most imperatively calls for,
experience in administration, Cleveland
has more than any one who has entered
| the White House since 1860, more than
| any man whom either paaty has nomin>
ated within that period, except Seymour
| and Iilden-- more than Lincoln, more
than Grant, more than Hayes, more than
| Garfield, more than Arthur. He laid at the
start that best of all foundation for Ameri,
can craftsmanship, by becoming a good
lawyer. He began his executive career by
| being good county sheriff. He was next
intursted with the administration of h great
city as severe a test of mans capacity
| in dealing with men and affairs as any
American in our time can undergo. In
both offices he gave boundless satisfac'
| ton to his fellowcitiZens of both parties
His nomination for the governorship ot
| this state came in due course, and at 6
crisis in state affairs which very closely
resembled that which we arc now wit
| Messing in national affairs. His election
by an unprecedented majority is now an
| old story. 1t was the beginning of rev
olution. 1t was the first thorough frigh
the tricky and jobbing element IN politics
ever received here. 1t for the first tint
in their experience gave reform an air Of
reality. But it might, had Cleveland
proved weak or incompetent man, have
turned out very bad blow for pure poll
tics,
Luckily he justified all the expectations
aud even all the hopes of those who voted
for him. No friend of good government
who, in disregard of party ties. cast his
vote for him, has had reason to regret i
for one moment. We owe to his vigor'
GUS support large number of reforma
tory measures which people in this state
for forty years, had sighed for with littl,
more expectation of seeing them enacted
than of seeing the millennium. In othe
words, he has arrested the growth OF
political despair among large numbers
both old and young voters in this state
His messages, too, have been models o
| sound common sense and penetrating sa
| gacity, clothed in terse and vigorous En-
glish which shows that there is man AM
not windy phrasemonger behind the pen
Though last not least, his best work ha
been done in utter disregard of the hos
tility of the element in his own party
which for so many years has made it a
object of mingled hate and fear to tn
best part of the American people. He i
in truth q democrat of the better age o
the democratic party, when it was par
ty of simplicity and economy, and nigh
almost have put its platform into tn
golden rule of giving every man his due
minding your own Business, and askin
nothing of government but light taxes
and security in the field and by the fir
side. No one who has entered the Whit
House for half century, except Lincol
in his second term, has offered reformer
such solid guarantees that as Presiden
he will do his own thinking and be hi
own master in the things which pertai
TO the Presidency.
The true question for the voter to as
AihloCit hDOlb a
especially in crisis like the present, whe
there is no substantial difference betwee
the bids which the cOntending partie
make for the popular support are;
what way will he probably behave in th
proper sphere of presidential duties
What kind of nominations to office wi
he send to the senate7 What considera
tions are likely to prevail with him i
making removals? What sort of me
are likely to surround him and be listene
to by him at the White House? VIVA
is likely to be his attitude toward tn
) moral and intellectual currents of the day
and toward the upward movements i
American politics and society? Ho7
does he feel about money and rich me
and about the money-maklng enterprise
which are the great snare and temptatio
r of modern life2 Has he the sobriety {
judgment, the steadiness of temper, til
maturity of character, and the patier
deliberativeness which high places an
great cares imperatively call for? Is he
sound and prudent man of business, an
has he a keen eye for the remoter const
quences of legislation? Will he de-
with foreign nations with the quiet an
manly self>respect which becomes tn
s representatives. of an industrious con
' mercial people, among whom swast
bucklers and military adventurers al
despised or unknown
These questions can, we believe,
I answered as regards Mr.. Cleveland in
f way with which every friend of GOO
o government may be fully satisfied, an
we commend him especially to Il
younger voters all over the country WI