The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-12-12

ALL that is good in President Cleveland's
message is un- Democratic, and all that is
questionable, and that has been questioned, is
what has been done by Democrats, and is in
harmony with the traditions and current
thought of the party. In truth, Mr.. Cleve-
lands whole political existence has been and
Democrat to any Office by purely Democratic
votes, and as President the Democrats view
him askance, not knowing precisely what to
make out of him. The questionable parts of
his remarkably prolix message-the assertion
that the action of Austria in refusing to receive
aslobbering ass who had nomore sense than to
publicly insult the king to whose court he had
been appointed as minister, is disfranchise-
ment Of large class of American citizens; his
assumption of responsibility for the extra
legal work of his bumptious Postmaster-gen-
eral, with respect to the foreign mail steam
ship service; and his like defense of his Naval
Secretary for the premature attack upon John
Roach, for which the Secretary himself pro-
fusely apologies in his own report-these are
what may be called Democratic portions of
the message, and they are precisely the por-
tons which do Mr.. Cleveland no credit
Those portions of the message in which he
argues against the continuance of the coinage
Of silver dollars, in favor of civil-service re-
form, and against the evils of polvgamous
Mormonism, are directly and distinctly in
opposition to the almost universal tendency
Of his party. Without intending to 60 so far
in their utterances upon the silver and cur
rency questions, there can be no question
that whatever of soundness there is in their
views is because of decided variance with the
expressions of the party to which they NOM
inally belong, and to the furtherance of
whose fortunes at the worst estate in
New York they have so recently and
so VIGOROUSLY contributed of their
political and personal influence. When
Mr.. Cleveland's message was read in
the Senate, the passages to which we have
adverted caused CONSERVATION upon the Demo
cratic side of the chamber. A like confusion
came upon the Democrats in the House
those who could understand it-and they have
not yet recovered sense or speech. 1t was
said by one section, in extenuation Of its great
length, that when Mr.. Cleveland attempted to
answer the utterances of the whole party
during a period of at least ten years, he must
be accorded plenty of time. And that about
expresses it. On the silver and currency
question, the message is practically an answer
to the record and utterances of Mr.. Cleve-
lands party for whole decade. What has
been done for civil-service reform has been
done by the Republican party against nearly
the solid Democracy. The same is true re-
specting polygamy. And SO we say that
about all that is good in President
Cleveland's message is in opposition
to current Democracy. The strength of
the President is because he is in opposition to
his party This is an anomalous condition Of
affairs. But it affords strong and striking
reasons why the people Of the country cannot
afford to trust the Democratic party in con-
troll Of the government, and why they should
sturdily repel any further attempt on the
part of the Democracy to entrench themselves
in power, even though they do disguise them
selves under false pretenses.