The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1884-12-03

not. Any man who would forsake the
exalted profession of Jaw to become a
sheriff must either doubt his own abili.
ties. if he has any, or he has not the
ambition that a profession should carry
with it. Once in a while, even though
a man does what is apparently iniudi-
cious, he finds that his folly is yet the
means of his future, and so it was with
Gov. Cleveland, who began to grow
strong politically from the time he com
menced to open courts for the judges OF
Erie county. He never made any won
derful record as sheriff, but he was care
full, intelligent, honest and obedient.
In an old community like Erie county
nothing more is required. He hung
one man.and made a clean, good job OF
it; the scaffolding did not break and
everything passed off quietly. Probably
no president before or hereafter will
ever do as we'll in this particular, but
such a record is hardly what would
AS mayor of Buffalo he made no more
than an ordinary record, and his nomi-
nation for governor was one of the lucky
strikes that a lucky man might enjoy
in a lucky country. The republicans
had made a fiasco in their convention.
1t was an off year, when republicans
stay at home. Cornell. who would in
all probability have beaten Cleveland,
was offended, and every opportunity
was his. Cleveland's merits were not
urged, but the republican farce was x
tensively advertised, and Secretary Fol
ger, embarrassed at the position he was
in, made no canvass to speak Of, but re-
NAMED at his post in Washington, and
this was everything in the democrats
favor. Cleveland's fate would have
been any other quiet democrats for
tunes. Since he was governor he has in
every instance been partisan, and harsh
ly so in some cases, notably when he
removed a republican judge whose term
was only a few months longer, to make
room for q democrat. His veto power
is remarkable for his disapproval of
numerous laws which were calculated
to help the poorer men and curb grind
ing corporations in their oppression Of
laborers. He has never said anything
or done any act that showed a knowl-
edge of government or familiarity with
the issues that must be agitated by con
gress.
His availability secured him his nom
ination at Chicago, but his availability
was not grounded on his official records,
but solely upon his having once carried
New York and the prestige that his past
victory would secure for him this year.
Looking at Cleveland from any fair
standpoints, wherein lies his greatness ?
tempted to express a view upon the con-
duct Of the government, upon tariff,
commerce, finance, foreign relations
and the like; nor does his past permit
of the belief that he holds any views
nnon these subjects. He once said that
puulIo Office is d public trust,o and the
sentiment, which, by the way, is as old
as that honesty is the best policy" is
proclaimed as the utterance of the Abe
Lincoln of democracy!
We prefer to judge the man calmly
and from his career, not by blind party
hero worship, and from a proper stand
point Cleveland is a very mediocre man,
cold-blooded, unframed, with little
learning, considerable tact, of no studied
or solid views on any of the questions
which men like Bayard or Thurman
have for years grappled with, and a
democrat without any real idea what
democracy is or what it is meant to be.
We truly hope for the best in him, but
it is only natural to expect that his adj
m~inistration will, if he has the negative
strength attributed to him, be like Jas.
K. Folks or r. B. Hayes'-a blank in
history; while if he is as ordinary a
man as we fear him to be, he will be in
hGenced by the rabid element of his
party and will stir up bitter feelings be-
tween the two great sections Of our land
and will restore the republicans to power
without doubt. Cleveland's one great
act SO far in his life has been to have de-
feated Blaine, and we assert that in that
he himself and his friends were more
surprised than would be a prospector in
the Little Rockies at striking another
genuine Alder gulch.