Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-08-12
CLEVELAND AS EE Is.

CLEVELAND AS BE IS.
HIS RECORD, PURE AND sIMPLE-EvERY
| QUIBBLING FAULT-FINDER FULLY AN
| swKRED-THE TRUTH THAT CANNOT BF
| AssAILED
| At the great ratification meeting held il
the Leland Opera House in Albany on the
night after the committee appointed by the
Democratic National Committee to notify
Gov Cleveland of his nomination had dis
charged their duty, among the severa
speeches. delivered there was none that car
ried with it more truthful force than that o1
| Patrick A. Collins, chairman of the Demo
cratic State Committee of Massachusetts,
1t refutes so completely the base and un
grounded quibbles of Republican partisans
that it should be read by every American
citizen. We republish it from the New
York Herald of the following day:
"Mr. Collins commenced by calling at
tention to the results of the election of 1876.
when Tilden and Hendricks were counted
out Of the respective positions to which they
had been elected by the popular vote of the
country, and alluded to the great leader,
who, in letter fraught with wise counsel
and sage reflection, took his leave, and bade
the Democracy look elsewhere among their
leading men for candidate for the presi-
dency. The speaker continued:
est was great body to whom the task
of selecting was committed. Itrepresented
the intelligence, enterprise and wealth of
more than half the people of the United
States; but, more than all, it represented
the masses-the laboring people, as the
| Democracy ever has-with all their activi-
ties, purposes and ambitions. From the
calm Judgment of that convention, unsway-
ed by the clamor of the galleries, unmoved
by open threats or whispered conferences,
came Grover Cleveland and Thomas A. Hen
bricks. Applause. These are the only Dem
ocratic candidates that are or can be in the
field this year. They are our candidates, ii
we are Democrats. am, and always have
been, Democrat, and unless the .Republi-
can leopard can change its spots Democrat
I remain. I therefore come to this initial
meeting of the canvass to pledge my hearty
support to the party and its candidates and
to join with you IN congratulations on our
coming victory at the polls.
| ,BLAINE's DESPERATE EFFORTS.
CATER alluding to the characteristic
adroitness and not overscrupulous methods
of Mr.. Blaine, the speaker continued:
"'You can imagine, then, what his can
vass has been and will be in his third des-
perate attempt to reach the presidency
| He has at last accomplished the first step,
by securing his own party nomination. His
next is to break down or injure, if possible,
his only competitor. For, mark you, not
three, but thirty or three hundred candi-
dates, might run under one set of colors or
another but it would still be race between
Cleveland and Blaine. Bear this in mind
and choose between them. If you wish to
throw away vote, do it..with your eyes wide
open, [Cries, "Wo will not."] The first
form of attack came before tho convention.
Il was manifestly intended TO prevent Gov.
Ceveland's nomination by frightening the
convention into tho belief that the Governar
had become the slave Of monopolies, the
enemy of labor and the sworn foe Of the
Irish and the Catholics. | must confess
that these wholesale charges, coming so
suddenly, almost took my breath away at
first, and left an impression which forced a
full and careful inquiry. If that inquiry
had not resulted in demonstrating the en-
tire falsity of the chargesa from beginning
to end, would not be here tonight to ask
you to vote sor Grover Cleveland. [Great
applause at Cleveland's name. But not
only ask yN1 to vote for him because the
charges are false, but to work for him with
might and main-especial those of you
who have been misled-because he has been
slandered and wronged in vile and malig-
nant way-not in the interest of political
Justice or political morality, but solely to
promote the political fortunes of daring
political gambler.
GROVER CLEvELAND's RECORD.
"Let the record speak for ITSELF Anti
monopoly and labor 60 together. The most
grievous offence alleged against Governor
Cleveland is the veto of the Five Cent fare
bill, )" so-called, prescribing uniform five
cent fare ON the elevated railway system in
the city of New York. This is alleged to
be against the interest of the working classes.
Yet not murmur has come from them to
this day, though the message was written
on the End of March, 1888! Why because
the workingmen and working women of
that city, as we'll as all others, can ride any
distance on those lines for five cents from
half.past 5 to half-past A. M. and from
half past to half-past P. M, by virtue
of commission rule. During six hours each
day they can ride from the Battery to One
hundred Land fifty fifth street, eleven miles,
over the most expensive railway on the
planet for about one-half the actual cost of
transportation, and during the rest of the
day all can ride the distance for ten cents
cheaper than any first-class transportation
in the world. The veto, therefore, did not
strike as the working classes. 1t only af
fected the well-to-do, who came late and
went early. The bill was passed in great
haste, as threat or measure of reprisal, the
cause of which had passed at the time the
bill reached the Governor. It was proved
beyond doubt that all passengers could
not be carried at the reduced fare; that the
roads could not pay their interest, taxes,
land damages or wages; that ruin to the
system would inevitably result; so the sub
ieet was remitted to the railroad commits
sioners, where it belongs, for such action in
the future as will give the public the largest
accommodation at the minimum of cost and
protect the rights of all. There was no JUS
tice in the bill [Cries, 'That is so'' no pub
lie demand for it; it wasdenounced by May
or Edison and others, and Mr.. Simon Sterne,
one of the most eminent of the anti-rnonop-
olists in the country, not only justifies the
veto, but gives most cogent reasons why he
should, in the interest of the people it was
supposed to serve, veto it if he himself were
Governor. Is there man in all the land
who will vote against Cleveland on this ac-
count? If there be, he is not fair man. =
He wants somebody else's property or wants
somebody else to pay his fare.
CONDUCTORS AND DRIVERS BILL.
"oThe nConductors' and Drivers bill''
was not asked for by single conductor Or