Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-05-20
THE NEW ADMINISTRATION
MR.. RANDALL's VIEWS.
h"ee' or Presidents Cisveinsd's PsiIey on the
Demscratle Parry,

Demscratte Parry.
| !, a Washington special of the 10th to
the New York Herald says: Your cor
respondent had to-day q very interest
ing conversation with Mr.. Samuel j.
Randall, which, with his consent, was
later written down and is now, with
ms permission, sent to the Herald, after
bis revision.
IL VIII be observed that Mr.. Randall
speaks with entire freedom and frankly
oil the political situation, Of the Presi-
dent and the Administration, and Of
what, in his Judgment, lies in the future
as TO parties and politics.
Your correspondent asked E" What
DO you think Of the new Administra-
| tion!n
Mr. Randall replied SIN nv judg-
ment it is going on as we'll as possible,
and ! am certain that it is making A
good impression on the people. / no
tee some fault-6nding here and there.
but notice. also, that no one pretends
to doubt the sincerity and honesty OF the
President'sintentions. When so great a
change comes about as change ofparties
after squarter of a century, it is impos-
slble but that some minor errors
should be made. But the people do
not deal harshly with public men for
small mistakes in Judgment. if only
they see them to be honest and sincerely
DESTROYS to serve the general interest.
| don't believe that any one of either
party doubts the Presidents honest and
patriotic purposes, nor his ability and
determination to serve not merely his
party. but the whole country"
- You think well of the President.
then?"
Yes, and the more | see of him
and the better get to know him the
more ] perceive the sturdy honesty of
his mind, the single-hearted conscien-
tiousness with which he acts. Some of
our men say he moves too slowly. That
is true, but he has an immense work
and responsibility upon him. Of all
reforms administrative reform is the
most difficult. To ascertain where in
the immense Government establishment
bad methods prevail and incompetent or
unfit persons are employed, and to i'm
prove the methods and substitute faith
full and competent men to do the
work, is huge task, for which even a
single presidential term is scarcely
adequate. What has been accom-
plished in the two months and half
since the 4th Of March is necessarily
only the beginning. The President and
the Cabinet have not had time to look
closely into the machinery of the Gov
eminent. They are at work, and re-
ports from different and numerous
points and places are coming in and
will be intelligently acted upon as re-
ceived. All his public experience as
Mayor and Governor has fitted Mr..
Cleveland in very especial manner for
his present task"
"YOu believe, then. that with suffi-
cient time the President will secure the
confidence and approval of his party
and of the people at large"
- believe he has these already, and
feel certain that he will gain more and
more entirely their undoubting trust.
will go further and say to you that if
he goes on as he has gone. in his own
way, following his own ideas of his
duty to the public, he will be in the end
one of the most acceptable Presi-
dents we have ever had. He will.
through his success, by the year
1888. as the public administrator
Of a great trust. be renominated and
reelected, and am satisfied that the
party can do no better than faithfully
stand by him and cooperate with him.
The work of reform confided to him
can hardly be completed in a single
term. The country will re-elect him to
secure the completion of that work and
give il the permanence which it, ought
TO have for the general good"
"Do you mean that the true policy
for your party is to give the Admins
tration a united end cordial support
with the distinct object of renominating
Mr.. Cleveland in 1882"
THAT is my view Of the political
situation. On general principles it
must be plain to any one that we can
more easily reele:t Mr.. Cleveland than
elect new man. Or, to put this in a
different shape, if we cannot reflect
Dir. Cleveland, he having accomplished
in part or in whole the reforms desired
by the people, then we cannot elect any
one. We must cluster around him and
his Administration, and thus keep our
party together, strengthen it, and en-
able it to meet its opponents in 1883
with solid 'front.'
"What do you say about the tariff"
"As to the tariff, the Administration
should be guided by the spirit and let
ter of the utterances of our platform
on this subject. and faithful execu-
ton of those declarations without cayil
will unite our party everywhere and ac-
complish the tariff reform which both
platforms asserted TO be necessary.
Changes occur in the conditions exist
ing in our country and in the countries
with which We exchange productions
more rapidly than is supposed. These
changes must be provided for through
notifications in our tariff laws, and
the best time to make these alterations
is Immediately following the informa-
ton and results shown by our system
Of census returns
This was the end Of the converse