New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-09-08
AN HISTORICAL PARALLEL.
MARTIN VAN buren, AND GROVER CLEvE
LAND.
LETTER FROM THE REV. DR.. EDWARD EVERETT
HALE-THE OLD COMBINATION TO TIE
FORE AGAIN-rrME FOR ANOTHER PoP-
ULAR UPRISING AGAINST SEC.
TIOSAL DOMINATION.
TO the Editor orThcTrt0rnc

/ tHt T. u 4 70 OF ! u z TiONNc
Sir: We agc launchod in a now political campaign,
with the advantage % successful namc a railying
cry. To Us Old people. the recollection Of the Old
name and the Old campaign Is good omen
4 In 1s4o the President and the coiesis around him
az Washington as sure that lie would be cclectcd
as that be would 1--we 10 the election days Days
for in those times, the election took place on
several different days in November. And
there never was more disappointed
or surprised than the President was when
be found be had not understood the people. 10 was
New York politician, and tbs most adIoIt Of his time
OF craftsmanship In the large American sense, he
never showed any idea from the bcgnnln. to the end
OF his career But he understood perfectly how to
manage conventions, and how TO man pulatc
states Ry this sort Of management ho had stepped
forward adroltly and quietly, from point to point
until he found himself IN the White House Now
man can got along very well in the White House Tor
many years without doing anything. mere cipher
can get along IN tho White House, and can secure his
reelection, II no VIII only let the people alone to 90
what ihey want TO do But this particular President
could nor resist interfering with tho business macnn-
cry Of his time. lie madc the mistake OF the whole
southern school in thinking that men OF business
are i'm some sort a low crowd, and not much to be at
tended to. The consequence that the whole
people. tie People with large =. were entirely Hs-
cu.icd with him and his and put hm out IN the cleo
]
q the Democratic line, from the DAY when Jefferson
was elected to the day when James buchanan was
turned out That IS to say, it was the union OF
solid south. or South nearly solid with The state Oh
Ney-Yolk. which is fos this reason called the EMPIRE
siafca Al tha; wa needed 90 secure tbs combna
I ton was O. a. yon should have Northern man Win
southern principles 10 De a. the head OF tho ticket
such q man was Martin Van buren, or James buchanan
or Franklin Pierce: and dis combinahen-a very
simple Onecicced them all, in each case to the great
uuhappne,s and Injury Of the country.
All the above has been written Of Martin Van Hu-
rem Now. whichever VII take TIE pains to read II
again. ana pat iu Grover Cleveland es the ife'
leut spoken of VIII lnd 10 IS Just as true % him as
i, vas II Little Najiy.' a. ths adio.t Now-forh poll
ucian was called lu thar canvass Tie combination
which chose Grover Cleveland 90 the Presidency was
a-asn the combination % the solid souih Win '"'
-ta-c of New York These southern gentlemen such as
,,oo. f,r instance ON commencement day az
Columbia COLLEGE IN South Carolina. and determine ior
fbe wear what thc politics OF South Carolina ana 81
,hc United States shall Doc. have, after little sur p-
/ caused by the unuica-an'ncss Of loo'' ooisr''"
kindly 10 take Tire joD Of governing tie country again
,,cv looked around 10 fud q Northern IAN WIN
Southern principles in Network, and they iouh"
him. lie was every Whit adrot politician a
Martin Van Buren, lie Knows as well as NJ Van
uur.n knew Who are the directors IN each particular
state and how they to be soaced As MI
Cir, and tho other Civil service reform leaders say
so kindly he knows in what state it Is desirable 10
favor Civil Service reform, and he also knows ]"
what States It would not 90 TO favor IT,
Like Nj Van Buren, too, he has tried his hama al III
torrorirr with the business arrangements o. the
country. one really scarcely knows why lie has nos
had time enough % bring such CONFUSION d. 'Aal
of 1897 was nor has be had the obseQulous majority
which Nj Van Buren, had IN both houses OF Congress,
but he has had time enough TO show what he wanted
TO DO. go
lie males Therefore. very exact parallel with
the poltcan WHO was TT the head Of the Government
from l-3T to 1-4l. lie was chosen by The same
combination: as well a. he could he has done the
same thing; indeed. he IS very much tie same sor'
of man. lie IS undoubtedly much more obstinate Than
Martin Van Buren,. whom nobody ever accused Oh
oastiuacy: but you have about linn the same annoy
ance which YOU always have when you have fl'si-
don't who seems really ignorant Of the history Of lie
country and Indifferent 90 is larger inerests-to what
I Iuiclt call its vital affairs. Thus tie whole mes
SAGE Of this year arguci on simple dollar and cent
footing as If money getting were the only ouIect ol
man or OF "a nation
Now. 10 has always proved rather diiHcult 10 rouse
the working people Of The country TO frequent changes
IN National affairs. Sen o. business, because Trey
are men Of business do not 20 TO caucusas or con
MENTIONS great deal II is for tbs reason that. On
the whole the Southern planters. who HE'D politics
and lad ,arai deal OF time hanging on their hands
a.rat., q Tie Northern States. But when the work
Ing rsorlo o. TIC cou.fv have taken matters in
their own hands. d. they d@ ia 1910. and a. they
did a~ain IN 1867. they lave Lad matters very much
IN their own vav I'm the last twenty Eve years. fer
instance they rave established tie American system
Il, Mr. Clay used 10 call it, quite thoroughly II j.
no, .-.riy 2 system o. protection II D. system
of general ctcatau - open promotion. % free home
stcads q rapid ue.slt. %! easy communication De-
tr...n ocean AID ocean, RI uniform currency. Of l'H
ro-tara 81 wide education by means Of The mails ana
Of many other things, all knit together. such a.
latclIiy gent men o. affair propose wren thry nave
bccn called ito tie Administration Tie abolition
of slavery I'm the vag only ono OF many changes
I'm the social order Of tho United sa'es such as r.
suited from the assumption Of government BY tie
Northern men Of affairs, when It had been In the
hands Of Southern theorists and Northern men With
Southern principles.
Almost by an accident in the height Of prosperity
the mon of affair, Jet Grover Cleveland slip into the
administration three years ago. What followed Of
course was AZ effort make changes which were even
radical changes. in tie system which had been well
set on foot I'm five and twenty years
If the Administration has not achieved anything Of
Importance n was because they were all looan- back
ward and not forward. ard knew tcrg Nitie Of tie
real demand Of the country. At bottom for instance
the solid south does want universal c'ucai'on ~
bottom 81 does not want pro.peron, manufacture a.
bottom IL f.. Indifferent 10 immigration from Europe
Al bottom its leaders DO believe In promotion from
tie ranks AT bottom they would Ike TO carry on ID,
country ln the good Oh way, when fifteen or twenty
OF them directed its policy and put IN, a the head Of
the Administration, some such man a. Franklin Pierce
or Martin Van Buren,, who was, in the happy phrase
which r, have cited Northern man with southern
principles
The terrible disaster Of 1897, which throw into
bankruptcy hlf the business establishments OF the
country walked up the people Of tie North and the
West 10 the folly Of leaving the adun.stra-
ton OF tie country 10 the combination we
have named. The West was young and nared
a. . candidate man who identified
with the prosperity Of the five Northwestern States lie
was not great ran. but be had lived IN great tlme
aaI lad bscn q leader ia great things. he had seen
uo-s I've states como lato existence, which were
1ce-bofn7 a. Nr Hoar says so proudly, and NE W.