Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-08-18
THE PRESIDENTS FRIENDS.

Mr.. w. A. Croffut, OF the Washington
Post, called ON Mr.. Cleveland recently
and asked him if Collector IIedden OF
New York City had resigned, and was
informed that he had not. The same
afternoon, when the Post had gone to
press, the news was bulletned in the city
that Hedden had resigned and that
Magone was appointed in his stead. Mr..
Croffut in his next paper says:
at was not necessary for the President to
answer the questions put to him concerning
his acts or intentions. The contemplated
change was strictly his own business, and 1t
would have been easy to say i am not
ready to speak concerning this matter yet.
Icannot say anything, and wish you would
not mention this interview His request
would, of course, have been respected. But
to be distinctly told that no resignation had
taken place, and to be led to believe that
one had never been talked of, or thought of,
and then, as soon as the Post was on the
street, to have the announcement made that
Hedden had already been superseded-this
is bewildering."
In commenting on the recent letters
from the President to Kepplar OF Puck
and Jones of the jacksonville Times, in
connection with this alleged untruthful
action toward Croffut, the New York Sun
comes down from the editorial height, to
take place among the namby-pamby,
goody-goody writer's, and reads the Presi-
dent lecture on morals in the following
double.barrelled fashion:
There is much less deliberate lying done
in tI,a, Mr gnn
there is much less of reckless and malicious
Justification in the newspaper press than is
charged in his two incorporate and rather
boyish letters on the subject.
If, however, there is, as Mr.. Croffuts
charge implies, growing disposition on the
part of the President to resort to indirect
and insincere forms of expression, let him
check it before it becomes habit Let him
struggle manfully against the temptation to
be, even by suggestion, untruthful; and if hi
needs inspiration and support he can surely
find it in the clear, honest eyes of the lady
who is his wife.
Here we have the work of two mer
who are accounted-and justly, too-a'
two OF the ablest journalists in the land
and also fast friends OF the Administra
ton and the Democratic party, and ye
they scatter broadcast through their col
umns, the imputation that Mr.. Clevelanc
lied when he told Croffut that HeddeI
had not resigned. In view OF this griev
GUS and gratuitous wrong, the Presiden
might well exclaim, "Save me from m.
friends" Here are two men daily AM
hourly in communication with the Whit
House, one in person and the other b.
&,o;
men on the ground to gather up all tn
crumbs of news to be had, and yet boil
descend to base imputation, made NOR
insulting by the added lecture, instead O
trying to arrive at the facts in the case
and in consequence every cross
roads lawyer in the communit
will treasure up the fact tina
these men charged Cleveland with lying
Who among the millions OF business men
having heavy affairs OF business upol
their hands, does not daily feel compelle
to use evasive answers to direct and i'm
pudent questions, rather than expos
their interests and purposes at tim
when it is necessary to keep them fror
the public? Who, OF all the illus
trious men who held the Presidents
office has not done SO thousand times
Why should Cleveland be selected rs tn
first man to bulletin for what is know
to be dire necessity in his position, rel
dered so by the spying proclivites an
injudicious utterances OF professe
friends? Only because Croffut lost
good item OF news which he had no rigl
to more than dozen other men, an
only because Dana is desirous OF workin
harm to Cleveland in the guise OF a gre,
personal friend. Dana scored Halstea
numerically recently because he allowe
his personal feelings to crop out in h
foolish Columbus convention, and no
he turns himself upon Cleveland for til
same cause and in manner too, tn.
makes it difficult to combat, as prove
by the poets words:
"a lie, that ID all lie,
Can be met with and fought outright:
But lie that is half lie,
Is a harder matter to fight"
Moreover, as time wears on, the frienC
OF the President and of the Democrat
party will learn whom to trust in the con
ing struggle, and it will be SO fierce an
sweeping that half-hearted supporter
will be relegated to position where the
goody-goody proclivities can do no harm
The filings OF these men are small ma
tiers in themselves, but fraught wit
great harm to the party, if not sun
marily exposed.