New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-06-29
M CLEVELANLpS SPEECH.

Tn his reply to the address Of the committee
who Informed him of his denomination, Mr..
Cleveland made some curious and egotistical
remarks to the effect that he had reformed
the Presidential Office. This is q new claim on
his behalf The country was already aware
that he had reformed the Department of JUS
tce in the interest of Mr.. Garland's telephone
company and the band Of "impecunious gen.
temen" who sought to speculate upon the Gov
ernments name and influence. 1t was known,
too, that he had reformed the Department OF
state in the interest Of Canada and her fish
cries. He is entitled to all the credit that can
be extracted from reformation of the Pen
sion Office in the interest of the rebel senti-
ment in The South, of the Land Office in the
interest of spectators as against settlers, and
of the Indian Office in the interest Of traders
as against the Indians. His reforms, such as
they are, have undoubtedly been numerous.
for the Administration to-day is as different
in its aims and methods from those of his Re-
publican predecessors as night is from day, but
we did not suspect he meant to lay claim to
a reformation of the Presidency as an office.
Mr.. Cleveland is evidently unwilling that
his personality shall be eliminated from the
campaign His speech set out boldly with the
pronoun al" and it was one long strain of
Standardization. He referred to the distin-
Guished men composing the committee as " mes
sengersn who had come to summon him to duty,
the duty being to bear the Democracy " proud
standard high at the front of battle" Having
thus assigned the committee to its place, and
having assumed his own lOftier PEDESTAL he
proceeds to declare that when he entered upon
his Office four years ago he found it perverted
from its true position with relation to the
pcople. He was surprised to learn how far it
had been taken away. lie had no idea how
necessary the Democracy, with himself as It's
exponent, was for the restoration to the
people of their safety and prosperity" He
was utterly amazed to discover how many
abuses had crept into the management of pub
lie affairs, and he left his " messengers aghast
at the calamities which would have befallen
the Republic had he not jumped in at the right
moment and grasped the tiller ropes.
This sort of vanity is very droll and very
characteristic of Mr.. Cleveland. He should
remember, however, that he occupies place
which compels the voters of the country to con-
slider his remarks seriously. The absurd rhet-
oric to which he gave expression was probably
intended merely to impress his own pomposity
upon his awed and trembling " messengers"
but it contained insinuatiOns which are Just
at this time of interest to the country. -Four
years ago he and his partisans were possessed
Of an intense and passionate desire Ito get
at the books" We suspected at the time that
what they really wanted to get at was the
loaves and fishes. The books were handed
a hoe m
or less breathess expectancy for those promised
exposures. Nobody wanted hurry Mr.
Cleveland and his partisans. They were well
understood to be mob of hungry patriots, and
nobody expected that they could find time to
do much with the books until they had first
appeased their appetites at the public crib.
But they have long since had ample oppOr-
tunity to spread before the country those sick
ening revelations Of Republican corruption
which they so loudly proclaimed were in the
books. How strangely silent they have been
on this subject! In fact, Mr.. Cleveland's
bombastic talk to his % messengers" is the first
we have heard of it for many months.
The country would like to have more ex-
plcit statement from Mr.. Cleveland. The
Republican party challenges it. He could have
no Detler tlnie So Lar DIS MS OWL IOrIunS' arc
concerned, for making it than the present 1t
will be much to his advantage, and he stands
in need of all his resources just now, if he can
show that his eminent predecessors III Office
perverted the Presidency that the safety
and prosperity of the people" had gone and
that he has restored" them; that "abuses
and extravagances'' had crept into the public
administration, and that he has weeded them
cut. These things are precisely what the voters
want to know about. In his overweening de-
sire to glorify himself, he has dared to repeat
the old Cry of corruption and has gone so far
as to assert that he has found and checked it.
He must either give out the specific facts or
confess what is patent to the public, that he
is talking false and pretentous driyel