Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-10-02
CLEVELAND'S VIEWS.
Boldly Expressing Himself AT Last
on the Tariff Question.

new Ork tribune.
nterviewer-Governor, would you have
any objections to stating for publication
your views on the TARIFF
Mr.. Cleveiand-None at ali I am free tc
say that the Office of president is essentially
executive in its nature
Interviewer-I am to understand, then,
tharyou are cordially in favor of protect
ing American industry
Mr.. Cleveland-ln order to make nv
meaning perfectly clear, it is proper that
should explain that the Office of president,
being essentially executive, is neither legis-
lative nor judicial.
Interviewer-Ah, seei ] misunderstood
you You desire to be reported as a thor
ough-going free trader. Am correcti
Ceveland-Well, it's Just here. The office
of president being essentially executive, l
put it to you as a man of sense that it can
not properly take TO itself the functions that
go with the legislature or the bench. Dc
you follow me?
Interviewer-You are lucidity itself
Your words admit of but one construction
You desire me, as a faithful scribe, to record
you as an earnest horizontal reductionist,
first last and for all the time Shall make
such a recordl
The Governor-To exclude the possibility
of my being represented. and in order that
there may be no doubt OF my entire frank
ness in this matter, let me recapitulata
First, the office of president is essentially
executive; second, the Office of lawmaker il
essentially judicial Now 1 am running for
the presidency. The presidency being the
Office of the president it follows that 1 am
running for an essentially executive Office.
Interviewer-Thank you very much for
your mastery exposition. You mean to tell
me in so many words, do you not, that you
think that the Democrats who were re-
sponsible for reopening the tariff question
in the last house ought to be taken out and
shots Surely I've got it right this time!
The Governor-1 fully appreciate your in
tention to do me perfect justice; it does you
credit and will cheerfully assist You to the
best of my ability. l have reason to believe
that fiendish attempt is being made to
convince the people that have character
lied the Office of president as not being
essentially executive It's a campaign lie
of the most revolving sort, and if Manning
agrees I'll denounce it as such over my own
signature. l have always contended ever
since / was boy that the Office of president
was essentially executive Am l running
for congress just nowl Or for chief justice
of the United States? Most certainly not,
for the good and sufficient reason that
neither the office of congressman nor that of
judge is executive. certainly cannot run
for an Office that is not executive when the
office Pm running for is an executive office.
Interviewer-You have placed me under
great obligations. You have enabled me to
read your mind, so far as the tariff is con-
cerned, with absolute accuracy. You de-
cline to commit yourself in regard to its
foaN I,,& - &1,.%
you were sternly opposed to reducing the
tariff on wool. That covers the ground,
does it notl
The Governor-Speaking of American in
dustries in the aggregate, but more par
ticularly of the wool interest, have not
the slightest hesitation in asserting that
believe l stand for the truest craftsmanship,
and therefore the most fervent patriotism
in expressing the conviction that the Office
of president is essentially executive. And
right here let me say that yesterday re-
ceived the following dispatch from my
private secretary. Pulls out telegram and
reads.
EXECUTIVE CHAMBER,
ALBANY, Aug. p, 1884. I
To Grover Cleveland, in the woods:
1t is being reported here that you have
stated that the office of president was not
essentially executive. What shall doa
LAMONT
In THE WOODS, Aug. %, 1884
To D. Lamont. Executive Chamber, Albany:
Tell the truth. 1 never said so.
G. CLEVELAND.
Let me add, Mr.. Interviewer, while on
this point, that l.
Note.-The governor was still engaged in
defining his position on the tariff when we
W, mt to press.