The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1886-08-01
NOT THE PARTY LEADER.
President ClevciandS Mistake In Refusing Consult
With and lIreeI Cnnxrcsx.

President Cevcands Mistake In Refusing 10 Consult
With and Direct Congress.
The average sentiment about Washington con.
corning the President and his methods has never
been so clearly expressed as In the following letter
from amcmbcr OF Congress to the New York Herald:
To TuE EpIToR or THE HERALD: Your Washing
ton correspondent some days ago made list OF
measures recommended by the President and either
rejected or moi acted on by the House OF Repre-
scnativcs, and thcrcfrom drew the deduction that
there existed among the Democrats of the House q
caba OF conspiracy having the intention to mortify
the President, and bring him into contempt ! think
this conclusion wide OF the facts that ask you for
space TO state what believe to he the real reasons
for the differences which, rs your correspondent
showed, have arisen between the Democratic Exccu-
tive and the Democratic party IN Congress That
such differences sh QUILL exist H. Iamt matter for
grave alarm In all who desire the party to prosper.
AS q member OF the House I am willing to grant
that we might have had abler leaders, and that our
leaders might have had an abler body OF followers.
But admitting all that, the fault OF the unionbted
alienation OF the President from his party as 1t ex-
lists In Congress lies not with Democratic Congress-
men OF Democratic leaders IN Congress, hut with
MIR. Cleveland himself with your permission,
will try To make this plain to you.
Under our political system the President is not
only the chief executive ofcer OF the whole coun-
try but In another aspect he s the head OF the party
which has elected him. lie Is to execute the laws
for all but when we come to policies he Is, OF course,
to further those OF the party which elected him TO
onicc. Whatever influence he has-and the Prcsi-
dent has more power than any ruler In the civilized
world except the Czar OF Russia Tho Is bound to uso
that influence to advance the )icles OF his party.
don't think that can he disputed. Now, how are
party policies or public policies advanced under
representative government? How arc they made
to prosper' Plainly think by rallyIng the party In
Congress to them, by leading 1t to unite upon them,
and that Is the ofce OF leadership. party In Con-
gress has Inevitably many men OF many minds;
even Its leaders do not naturally agree together,
because they are moved by personal ambitions, by
the pressure OF local interests, possibly by anm0si
ties. But the head OF the party In tho Presidency s
like powerful moderator to such an assembly as
his party In Congress.
1t Is his function not to plant himself on ideally
perfect policy and let the party go to pieces but to
bring 1t to an agreement upon course which, II not
Ideally the BEST shall yet he In the line OF Its duty to
the country and on which they can act together In
doing this he and all others have probably to con.
cede something, hui, after all, something gets done
also. A President who understands and Is not above
this important part OF his functions produces such
general agreement and harmony by gaining the In
timacy, the confidence the friendship of the leading
members OF the party; by consulting with them
freely and frequently, comparing his views with
theirs and theirs with each other, and thus ascer-
talning what can be dOne-what the party as 1t Ia
eons'''u'eu IN congress can ne Drought 10 agree
., up'' a'' M ..eh ,oy"y s'an""s ny '"eu 'or t"a.'
Suo. ~" ,''o'o",se ". ne1s oc,ween 'ne rres''
"eh' a"n .ae hemoers oi MS party Is aosouey hec-
o'''y '.ey are MI 10 co-ope!a'e 'or u common
puIposo. III 'hc co",se VI .hH rresiueht heces-
sarly learns great deal. lie gets Informed Of the
peculiar interests, vews and dprejudices OF all parts
OF our vast country he learns what Ia possible and
,.. VIA, ,'',posa"lo ms owa views anu peme's Ne
au 90 '"oI arc i"P.esSe" upom '"e men
nv, nv .',. ., ."o. ae s"Ie "'so W I'o'y tnems'
..su, u, "stccheu. upon ptact
20. poney uone"o'"' '" '"c c""h'ry anu s'fehg'hen
''s 'no p"'y.
No", ''c great ,aui' o' NIT. oie'eiahu Is 'hat he
""' never putsue" '.s coutse. oh the contrary he
mas from the beghning TIL now. not only held him
SCH "ioot from tue mempers OF MS party IN Con-
gress' out MS general treatment OF them haa been
o"ens've !" 'heir just prue. iie mas drought mere
10 washington the ineas anu 'he manners nc ac-
qureu III uea''uB Win Tue common council OF bul-
'lio ahd Tue Legislature al Albany Ills attituue
mas beeh one OF suspicion anu ofcon-
'emptuous 0pposltlon-the attltude OF schOol-mas'
ter, anu not tiat OF companion IN arms, man be-
eVhe III the hohest ihehtlohs OF MS Iellow-Demo-
cras' oeieVhg' you choose' that most OF them are
ools or wrong, yet desir0us for the country andh
partys sake 10 brng them anu hlmscf together upon
acourse pehehciai 10 all anu reahy 10 be instructed
MT. oieVeiah' mas from tue hrst isoateu hlmseI
from the leading minds OF his party In Congress-.
lie mas not consulted with them or made any Efforts
toward securing harmony OF views anu action
among them, or between them anu himself. lnthat
Important respect ne feihinus mo- and others as
wei, very much OF Andrew Johnson.
Like master' ike man, isan old and true saying;
and the Cabinet live In equal Isolation from tho party
with Mr. Cleveland. do not believe the whole OF
them have influenced ten votes I'm the House anV
question. In fact, II they had been able To. Mr..
Morrison would have got his bill considered In the
iiou e, and wOnld probably have presented q bill
that the whole party would have supported Like
MIR. Cleveland, his Cabinet have no intimate,
friendly confidential relations to leading OF their
party In Congress In fact. they have no relations al
all to them of mutual interchange OF ideas AMI ad-
vice ahout public measures IL any OF them feel an
interest IN the success and the future OF the party
they have managed to conceal 1t. II results that
the Administration exists, as 1t were, within high
wall, or In another part Of the globe far as 1t
Affects the party councils and the party action. Ift
were Republican administration 1t could not show
less interest In the welfare OF the party than 1t has
and does.
The result Ia what your cOrresp lnlent justly
criticises, but nnjnstly blames upon Congress- MIR.
Cleveland's narrow and illinformed mind has never
tried to grasp the opinions of the whole country.
lie regards New York as the country, and that Is
very bad mistake. Besides that he thinks men who
do not agree with him are either insncere or lacking
In sense and that Is another bad mistake. His ati
tude toward the party has weakened 1t in the coun
Try His chosen Isolation has OF course led him Into
mistakes. III he had the habit OF hearing what
members OF his party say ami drawing out what
they think he would not be keeping crOss-rOads
lawyer from Arkansas In the Attorney Generals
ONCE, and he would know that some other changes
besides that one wonid strengthen the party.
DemOcrAtA