The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1888-06-13
CLEVELAND RENOMINATED.
Daniel DOugherty's Bash Statements Ii.
the st. Louis Convention.
from the Chicago Tribune.l

Of 1888. The national convention of his
party assembled at st. Louis rencminated
him by reclamation and amid the usual
party enthusiasm Wednesday. That the
affair might not be an empty form Daniel
Dougherty was persuaded to lend his elo-
quence to the occasion. He eulogized
Cleveland and the convention ratified the
eulogy. But, despite the eloquence and
the enthusiasm, this portion of the pro-
ceedings had all the Characteristic marks
of perfunctory affair. The Dougherty
speech may be taken as Clevelands per-
sonal platform, and was doubtless intended
to make up for any shortcomings in that
presented by the Committee on Resolu-
tions TO the convention.
Ever since Cleveland's election, as the
result of a bigot's blunder and personal
accident in New York State, it has been
evident that, despite his reputation of
second term in his letter of acceptance,
he would be the candidate of his party at
the expiration of the first term. He was
the only candidate the Democrats could
have won with in 1884. They readily
came to the conclusion that he would be
their safest candidate in 1888. He was
willing to forego his prediction pledges,
and it is no injustice to him to say that he
has been candidate for second term
since 1885. His public policy has been
| directed in aid of that ambition. His prin-
cipal appointments have been made in
! furtherance of it. His partisans have skill
| fully cultivated the idea. His success is
necessary to their supremacy in the party
councils and their retention of office.
Their plans have been promoted by the
! lack of capable and available men In the
party. The managers of the organization
/ had to 90 to the brink of the grave for
their candidate for Vice President. 1t is
noteworthy that two of the men spoken of
most favorably IN connection with the
/ Democratic nomination four years ago
| Villas and Bayard-have been politically
wrecked through service in Clevelands
cabinet, while third promising candidate
of that time Mcdonald of Indiana, has
! been ignored by the administration, and,
in fact, driven from participation In the
party councils by the manipulation of
/ Cleveland's henchmen. The Democrats at
! St. Louis were, under the circumstances,
compelled to nominate Cleveland. They
could not help themselves. They had no
other available candidate. 1t was matter
Of necessity with them.
But a nomination does not mean re-
election for Cleveland, as Mr.. Dougherty
and the other Democratic orators so con-
fidently predict. Mr.. Cleveland stands
before the people now in different posi-
ton from that in which he stood four
years ago. He was then the fortunate
politician who had been elected Governor
of the great pivotal State by an over
whelming majority, and who had proved
himself a conservative and moderate State
executive. He made abundant pledges
| of civil-seryice reform. No man was to
be turned out except for just cause. He
profited by the personal jealousies and
discussions within the Republican party.
But he will have to make his campaign
this year on his bad record against wha&
promises to be united and harmonious
opposition party chastened and disciplined
| by four years exclusion from power. His
broken performances will be compared
with his tlorid professions. They will not
stand the public scrutiny even in mug
wump eyes.
The rash statements made in Mr.. Dough-
erty's nominating speech of Cleveland
will at once suggest many of Cleveland5
broken pledges and faithless promises.
His candidacy for second term is in di-
rect opposition to the principles and po-
litical doctrines set forth in his letter of
acceptance. His professions of civil
service reform have been so f1agrantly
violated that an organization Differed by
his most influential supporters of four
years ago, including George William Cur
tbs, its President, charges that the admin
istration's disregard of the notorious and
hagrant defiance of the executive circular
of July II, 1886, warning certain officers
Of the Government against pernicious
activity In politics, and the Presidents
letter of Nov. 2, 1887, advocating the
choice of a particular candidate Eel
lows) in a municipal election, have
seriously discredited the cause of reform
and have merited the public condemna
ton which they had received; that the Sc
we're judgment of the public in these mat
ters was a hopeful sign of reform; that
the enlistment of otficeholders for the
benefit of faction was perversion OK
the purposes of parties; and that the
Presidential term of four years was pro-
life of intrigue. The President, despite
his professions and pledges, has so motor
iously surrendered to the spoils faction OF
his party that the civil service law has
become a mock and by-word among the
spoilsmen themselves. The law has been
prostituted to party ends, and tens of
thousands of Independent voters who
supported Cleveland four years ago on
the strength of his pledges will now
feel it their duty to vote against him
for his treacherous betrayal. So fragrant
have those violations been that even the
party organs have denounced them as
calculated to injure the Democratic
party"
Nor is it in these matters alone that the
President has failed to fulfill his pledges
or the promises made for him by the
spokesman of his party. Several branches
of the public service have been democrat
lied by the character of his appointments.
The Postal Department, the most efficient
branch of the Government service four
years ago, is now deplorably inefficient.
The Department of the Interior seems tG
have been differed in the interest of mo-
nopoly, and, despite Mr.. Dougherty's boast
that this administration has rescued the
public domain from would-be barons and
cormorant corporations, the facts remain
that the faithful officer who tried to effect
this reform was removed on account of
his aggressive honesty in defense of the
public rights, and the Secretary who
removed him was given seat on the Su-
preme Bench, where he may have the OPP
portunity to confirm the plumber claims
of the barons and the cormorants.