Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-11-25
CONCERNING PRESIDENT CLEvE-
LAND.

Such measure of discomfort as some
\ portions of the Democratic press areex-
hibiting toward President Cleveland
does not impress us as either very sound
or very dangerous. The world has
always been, and always will be, full Of
gEOwlers; but the Pilgrim in his Pro-
gress found, as he kept quietly along In
his straight and narrow path, that the
animals were chained on either side,
and that all he had to contend with was
the noise.
There have been many things in
President Cleveland's official course
that the Enquirer could not but con-
denim; many that have met with its
hearty approval. The sincerity of his
purpose and the firm disposition to do
what should seem to him wisest and
safest are beyond question. 1t is almost
idle to say that he has had much
to contend with. Certainly no Presi-
dent before him, in 'ime of peace, has
been called upon to face so tremendous
a task, and one so burdened with com
pIeX and dangerous possibilities. In
deed, the peculiarities of his position
render Democratic precedents of very
little avail. Let us O/over some few
of the many things which render inn
practicable comparison between this
Presidential era anu those of say Jack
, son and Jefferson.
With President Cleveland a Demo
cratic Administration came into power
for the first time in a quarter of CEN
tury. His party, hungry with an a6.
stinence of twenty-five years, moved
upon him in a mass solid enough as to
numbers, but varying like the colors
of the rainbow, in views and in pur-
, pose. There was the old generation,
which had learned little and forgotten
nothing. There was the new growth,
with all ofthe overweening knowledge
? of youth and ineXperience. And he
tween the two were half dozen widely
differing shades of political teaching,
: to all of whom there was scarcely more
g than one thing in common-a desire to
4 take immediate possession of the long
promised land and to show the Presi-
dent exactly how the ship of State
D should be run.
7 This ''taking possession" was a prob
. lem far different from any ever before
! presented in this land. The long Re.
publican rule, together with the pecu-
liar influence of the war, had filled the
offices almost entirely with one party
i a situation never before obtaining since
the Federalists went out. These offices,
= too, had grown, from mere handful in
. the days of Jefferson, and but Il small
brigade in the days Of Jackson, to a
. vast army of more than one hundred
u thousand men and women. A clean
| and sudden sweep of even such as were
not protected by law would have in
sured national confusion, if not nation
al disaster. Indeed, the mere clerical
q work of making removals apd appoint
e ments, to say nothing of examining in
f to the fitness ofapplicants, would make
" the task one Of slow progress and long
duration.
But there were also grave party rea'
u sons which forbade undue haste in this
= matter. Setting aside, if you will, the
r resolutions of the last National Demo
!, cratic Convention, and the pledges
. given by Mr.. Cleveland in the cam.
J. paign of 1884, there remains the un
t questionable fact that the greatest perl
Il Of the Democratic party lay in the pop
It ular distrust of its business ability t.
properly manage the Government un
der its changed conditions. Since i
10 was before in power our revenues haC
= grown from trifiing figure to the great
o est of any nation in the world. Oul
public debt had risen from some one
W hundred millions to upward of three
}. thousand millions. Our Civil Service
IL roll had swelled to more than one hun
e dred thousand places. For many years
d the Republicans had shrieked alout
,r that the Democrats were incompeten
|, to manage this vast machine-tha
" national and commercial disaster wouIC
I follow the attempt. In many cam
le paigns our defeat was traceable to thi
le cry. The occasion has now come t.
10 see if the charge was true.
"a To refute it was not so easy as i
~ might seem. In nothing was the Dem
= ocratic party more divided than o
Z, great economic questions. On tariff
,r on internal revenue, on paper currency
#. on silver, on banking, we varied, an
- still vary, greatly among ourselves
~ Among these conflicting views it wa
os necessary to persue straight pat
which should utterly overthrow tn
le Republican ISLANDERS, and give to tn
ID new Democratic Administration tn
. confidence of financial centers, and O
III the business community. This was tn
T. first great work in hand. 1t was absC
J. lutely vita! to the Democratic part,
" 1t has been done, and we'll done. Coul
,s it have been possible amid the confuE
ion of q wholesale change of offices
~ u, amid the disturbance to public Interest
I'll which would have followed the gener;
le replacement of experienced Officer
e. with inexperienced? We think not.
10 1t is more than three months befol
we enter upon the second half of Pres
" deut Cleveland's term. In but litt
pc o,'"ra n year and a half he has accom-
as y ~hed the first great work intruste
~ ',im-he has convinced the countr
os that its financial and commercial in
terests have nothing to fear from Den
g Ocratic rule. There remains to hin
TX now, another task ofalmost equal prC
,g portions-to bring the leaders of til
f. Democratic party, politicians, if yo
,a will. about him in thorough amity an
'o accord. In this he has been veal
Disguise it as you will, explain il {
r. you may, the fact remains that, alway
ID under the surface, and often above, th
ne dissatisfaction has been widespread an
bitter. Nor is this work-the work {
reconciliation imperative than th
a, great one already accomplished. If
DO party may not remain in power witt
out the confidence of the financial an
n business communities, so must it il
- evitably be wrecked without the activ
w and earnest support of those whom th
III L. IT. t1