New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-06-20
MR. CLEYELANUN CHOICE.

MIR. Cleveland has arrived at the parting of
the ways. The final judgment of contempt
raries, as of pOsterity, depends not upon easy
aspirations where the right involves neither
effort nor sacrifice, but upon the few decisions
which man makes where the struggle is most
severe, where the rewards of right action seem
most remote and doubtful, and where duty has
to fight almost single-handed against an army
of prejndiccs, ndolences, and hungry sef-n-
terests. President Clev cand has found it ex-
ceedngly easy to pay regard to the principles
of Civil Service Reform, when it seemed clearly
for his interest or convenience to do So IL was
the easier way to promote faithful official, or
to retain a possibly helpful Republican, when
any other choice would have involved the
hatred and active hostility of one or the other
of strong factions in his party. and it was the
easiest way to observe Civil Service rules where
he had no personal preference to satisfy, no
friends to reward, and no enemies to punish 1t
was even easy to refuse any use of patronage to
support his recommendation in regard to silver
coinage, at a time when it suited his convent
ence or ambition to appoint to places OF high
trust and large power men who had opposed
that recommendation, and when it became clear
that nearly all the members of his party were
ready to make unsparing war upon him if he
attempted to push repeal of the silver coinage
act. Then ho delighted ninc-tenths of his
party by his declaration in January last that
no favor at the White House would be refused
because of financial heresies to the Ten who
advocated dishonest dollar or debasement of
the currency. Shrewd men saw that whether
the President was right in principle or not, his
prrtext for refusing to prefer onest-m0ney
Democrats to regulators was a convenient way
of escaping a breach with his party.
But now his sef-inteicst pulls the other way.
He has urged radical change of tariff. He has
taken care to Outbid any other leader for the
favor Of the ultra free traders. The support of
prOtecionists and moderates he has forever
alienated. If he fails to get the favor Of the
extremists; if the votes of members go far to
indicate that he is not sincere in his pro-
fessions, or prove that he is impOtent to help
any cause, even with members from his own
State the President sees that he will have no
place left as leader in his party, and No chance
of future hDnOrs. Comfort and convenience
pull the same way. 1t Is infinitely easier to
swim with the tide More than four-iifths Of
his party demand that he use all his power to
PASS the Morrison bill. THIS time, pleading
Civil Service principles will not please but will
anger the great majority of his political assOci-
ates. Mr.. Morrison serves notice that he means
to force this dilemma upon the President until
the close of the session, even at the cost of
blocking other public business, unless the
President uses powe: to secure Democratic
votes for the pending measure.
On the other hand the President sees that he
mn. ctu if, al ia 70, ,,iy
preference to Democrats who agree with his
cOnv lotions on the money question, but con-
SCENTS to use patronage to enforce his own Opn-
ion the tariff question. That would make
him appear a time-serying politician Of the
lowest order. Moreover if he refuses to Use
patronage to help his party over tie obstacle,
lie will be savagely criticised by the party if he
after ward uses the patronage to pay his private
debts or to promote his private ambitions.
The favor of the Mugwumps he tightly reckons
of no value but he knows that there are many
independent citizens III both parties whose good
opinion would be worth something, and that
their good opinion he would forfeit by dsre-
garding the principles he has ayowed. He
knows, too, that the earnest advocacy of free
trade ideas would make him an almost impossi-
Bile candidate for Democratic delegates from
Eastern States.
The choice is not easy. Because it is not
easy, it will 90 far to disclose the Presidents
real character, and to define his pla, % public
opinion and in history. 1t is for HIM to say
whether he will let 90 the Civil Service anchor,
and trust as spoils politician in his power to
shape the fight of factions to his own ad-
vantage.