The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-12
-------------------
COARsENESS AND BRUTALITY.

The Presidents lack of appreciation Of the
character and magnitude of the disaster that
overwhelmed the city of Charleston, to the
relief of which he contributed the sum Of $780,
was characteristic of the man. It was in per-
feet harmony with the fippant and brutal
words he uttered when he vetoed the bills
passed for the relief of soldiers disabled in the
service of their country. He seems to have
no conception of distress, no idea of suffering,
so dense are his powers of perception and so
coarse his nature. Il was like him to send
500 to help the suddenly impoverished people
of Charleston because his nature did not
reach to the height necessary to an adequate
appreciation of the pressing needs Of the peo-
pie. 1t was like him to do that, for it was he
who unfeelingly ridiculed the idea that
number of Union soldiers were injured by
being thrown onto the high pommels of their
saddles, though it is fact that this was
found to be so prolific of serious injuries to
cavalrymen that the old-fashioned saddles
with high pommels were dispensed with and
new ones substituted that had no pommels at
all. The Presidents cold blooded sheer that
''those saddles were very dangerous contri-
vances," was the truth as discovered by hon
est service in the field, though the reform
in the shape the saddles was not made till
many a good soldier was permanently disabled
by them 1t was like this man who sent 500 to
jeer at another veteran by declaring that
whatever else may be said of this claimants
achievements during his short military career,
it must be conceded that he accumulated a
great deal of disability" Many man has
the first few days of his enlistment. This
phlegmatic President has no adequate concep-
ton of the possibilities of war, and laughs at
the men who to-day are MANNED and crippled
by reason of honest service in the armies of
their country. This is the kind of man the
President is. He can have no idea of the finer
sentiments that move nigh and noble minds to
quick and generous sympathy. Fat-witted
and slow to move, except to minister to his
own appetite he has proved himself to be any
thing but high-minded and sympathetic Up
there in the woods, lazily enjoying himself in
the way most agreeable to him, he heard of
the ruin of Charleston without the least exhi
bition of interest, and the only tidings that
came back from the President of the United
States were that he had on this day caught
trout weighing few pounds, OF on that had
tried to kill deer; that he had amused HIM
self playing cards on days when the weather
was unpleasant for outdoor sports, and so on,
butnever word from him in sympathy with the
people thrown out of their crumbling homes
and suddenly compelled to camp in such mis-
cradle contrivances as they could devise out
of the scanty materials at hand. The gov.
eminent of the United States, with con-
temptible Indifference, cid absolutely nothing
to relieve the awful distress felt by the people
of that city This is the '1ucky man from
Buffalo, This is he who has never been
moved to give utterance to noble or note
worthy sentiment in his life that was not
thrust into his mouth by some Of his subordi-
nates who act as guardians of his conduct,
as far as that is possible. Grover Cleveland
has said or done nothing in all his life that
has been for the good of the people who