The Washington critic., 1888-06-06
"oNE.MAN poMER,n

Many of the readers of The Critic
will remember that shortly after the
war there was good deal of talk in
this country about Imperialism"
and the MAN on Horseback.
There were those who believed that
the liberties of the people had only
been rescued from the perils of dis
union to be crushed under the tread
Of military despotsm. We were
told that the election of General
Grant to the Presidency would result
in the erection of one-man power
upon the ruins of Republican institu-
tions, and that the war for the main
tenance of the Constitution would
sooner or later be supplemented by
centralized government superior to
the Constitution.
Looking back over the lapse of
years il seems strange that political
alarmists or conspirators were ever
able to excite such sinister appre-
tensions of the future, for great MS
the strain of reconstruction undoubt-
edly was, there was never q time
when the people of the United
States could have been cajoled or>co-
creed into a surrender of their free
principles to the domination Of king
or emperor.
Yet we have been gravely assured
within the last few weeks that what
the oracles prognosticated of Gran
twenty years ago has to certain ex-
tent come true in the relations of
Grover Cleveland to the party which
elected him; and that to-day, by the
exercise of one-man power, he holds
the great Democratic party in as
complete political subsection as
though the vague dreams of impe-
rialism were shaping themselves into
living facts.
All which is quite as absurd in 1888
as it was in 1868.
. One-man power is something not to
be feared in this country by either of
the great parties and much less by
the people at large.
Least of all to be feared is that spe-
cies of one-man power which threat
ems neither the Constitution with
overthrow, nor the sovereign rights
of States with onsolidation-which
assails no solemnly chartered fran
chises, abridges no mans freedom
and endangers no mans security; but,
by wise enforcement of law and a
careful administration of official trust,
commends itself to the continuing
acceptance of the people.
Such it strikes us is the sort of one
man power attributed to President
Cleveland, or, as certain Democratic
politicians are pleased to call 1.-THE
autocracy of the White House-all
eliminating in a unanimous renomi-
nation to the Presidential office.
To the rational and reflective mind
however, nothing can be more plain
than that the unanimity of Mr.. Cleve.
lands support at st. Louis is not due
to any arbitrary or imperious demand
on his part-in fact, he has never sig
nified either intention or desire TO be,
come candidate-but rather to the
fact that the rank and file of the party
and thousands outside of the party
are so well satisfied with the Presi
dents administration as to render his
nomination for second term the
height of political wisdom, if not il
the nature of public necessity.
Let no one be deceived in this mat
ter by scheming and mercenary poll
ticians. 1t is the voice of the people
and not the one-man power OF Mr.
Cleveland that is behind the Demo
cratic National Convention.
Whether the tide will set in tn,
other direction between now and No
vember depends in great measure
upon the ability of the Republican
to secure formidable concentration
of "one-man power for the head o
their Chicago ticket.
A ,-rtsr .VNu, THr