The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1885-11-05

and he mistrusted his ability to crush
his opponents. He was candidate
for the Presidency, against Lincoln,
in 1864. History will probably accord
Mcclellan the place to which he is
entitled, but with the evidences now
at hand, it does not seem at all posi-
BILE that he will ever be placed on an
equal footing, as a great Commander,
with the Grants, Shermans, Thomases
and Sheridans.
*s*
The word ''excuse" is perhaps one
of the most troublesome, if not the
most dangerous, words in the English
language. If legitimately used, or If
resorted to only when actual necessity
arose, it would be shorn of all it's OBJ
iectionable features But people are
wont to find an excuse for such course
of action as may suit their pleasure
and convenience, and if no excuse nat
urally arises, they hasten to make one.
II deal with nothing but facts" said
the public speaker, II aoiU deal with
facts-even if | have to manufacture
the facts" So it is with excuses.
People will have excuses, if they have
to make them out of the most incom-
prehensible material. We have before
us a man, whose name we will call
Wavering. Father Wavering is. a
very devout Christian. At least he
is willing to admit it himself. But
that smiling countenance is never seen
in Church. It is perhaps none of our
business, but we will ask him the rea-
son. "Well," he replies, "the room is
too cold" "But we've had a new
heater put in.'' ''Yes, SO hear-but
when they do get the room heated up,
they get it too warm for me-" 'The
ventilation is perfect" "-"Yes, yes,
but I don't like the preacher; he talks
too long," "Our pastor talks but lit
tie over half an hour, you could stand
that" "Yes, I know some Of them
preach for shorter time than others,
but it is scarcely worth while to walk
all the way to Church to hear such a
little bit Of Sermon And so the
excuse goes on from year to year.
Pursuing this line Of excuses, we dis
cover that Wavering has not been to
Church for years, never heard the
present Minister preach, and scarcely
knows how the inside Of the Church
looks. The same rule applies to other
departments Of life as well as'Church-
going. For every failure in life comes
the ready excuse. For every willful
perversity comes the manufactured ex-
cuse. Tt is indeed rare experience
to find the prompt, manly admission
of human frailty Yet the world
would perhaps be better if the word
"excuse" were more of stranger.
**
Much has been said both in praise
and condemnation of President Cleve-
lands manner of making official ap-
pointments, and an effort has been
made. occasionally, to create the i'm
preston that system of non-partisan
appointments was aimed at. But
beneath all the tinsel and glitter of
vehement profession glares the un-
pleasant fact that the spirit which
moves Cleveland is the old, bitter,
Copperhead spirit. In making ap-
pointments he has searched out some
of the most detestable characters of
the Rebellion, and placed them in
prominent positions before the coun-
try. The meaner the Rebel the better,
has been the idea upon which the
President has acted. The Chicago
Tribune is to be credited with calling
attention to the history of one Of these
appointees-Israel Green, of Dakota
which marks indellibly the infamy of
Cleveland's conduct. This man Green
was Lieutenant in the u. S. Marines
when John Brown was prisoner at
Harper's Ferry, and assaulted the un-
armed old man with a saber, brutally
beating and hacking him, and leaving
him for dead-and this while the old
manswas a helpless prisoner. This
fellow afterward deserted the service
Of the United States and joined the
Confederate Army, where he served
through the war. He had been lost
sight of for years, but Cleveland has
dragged him before the public again
in the way of public official The
old soldiers who marched to the tune
Of John Browns body" will admire
this appointment of the great Reform
President.
**
Among the many old theories that
are being exploded from time to time,
Lieutenant Day, of the Ninth Cavalry
who has been in pursuit Of the Indian
chief Geronimo for several months,
furnishes one In most Of the writ
ings with regard to Indian life, the
idea has been advanced that Indians
as rule are treacherous, blood-thirsty
and cruel. During long chase after
the hostile chief the Lieutenant was
the only white man in the pursuing
party, the remainder being Apache
scouts who had been enlisted for the
work. There were several running
fights during the chase, yet Lieuten-
ant Day declares that the scouts were