Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-03-01
ANINTENSE DEMOCRAT
PRESIDENT CLEVELAND DECLARES HIS
SENTIMENTS.
He Believes That the True Principles Of the Demo
cratic Party are Essential to the Well-Bsiug Of
This Countrywide RAGS Question
and Tanf Reform.

and Tanf Reform.
NEW YORK, February 2s.-President
Cleveland yesterday gave long interview
to correspondent of the Herald. AS a
result of the interview the correspondent
telegraphs the following:
have had a long, and need not add a
very interesting talk with President
Cleveland. It was really a talk, for Mr..
Cleveland offsets to formal interview.
He preferred to chat in familiar and
friendly way about the various topics
which involve the national welfare, and
then gave me free pen with which to de-
scribe what | saw and what heard.
Mr.. Cleveland referred to the last four
years, and then declared his hope that the
Republican party, ON It's accession to pow
er, would pursue no course that could in
any way rehabilitate the sectional animos-
tiles which have been dying out. l was
anxious to know what he would say of the
future prospects of the Republic, and
therefore led the conversation to subjects
bearing upon this question. He spoke
with the utmost frankness. He said:
81 am a Democrat, with all the word
implies am, moreover, an intense DEM
ocrat, in that believe that the true prin-
ciples of the Democratic party are essen
tial TO the highest well being of this coun
try;
During the war;" he added, the Re-
publican party had supreme and unques-
toned control Of public policy. No one
will question the service il rendered at
that time, but the rank and file of the
army was composed largely of Democrats.
The generals who won renoWn were also,
many of them, Democrats. While there
were among the Republicans small min
ority of bot hesds who found fault with
the Lincoln administration, and among
the Democrats an equal number of fossils
whose timidiiy was national misfortune,
the great bulk Of the people from East TO
West, without respect TO party affiliations,
were sOlidly patriotic and ready for any
necessary amount of sacrifice for the pre-
servation of our institutions. It is folly to
claim that the war was fought by either
Republicans or Democrats; it was fought
by the American citzsns of the North.
"But it is plain" he continued with
great seriousness, "tha. under Republican
administrations there has been given
fresh dangerous impetus TO monopOlies,
trusts and combines. Immense fortunes
have been accumulated, unknown in the
days OF cur fathers. They are q peculiar.
ity Off pOst-bellum times, and the control
which they arbitrarily exercise over the
cost of existence is direct menace to the
welfare of the workingmen and of our
farmers
On my suggesting the race question in
the South, Mr.. Cleveland naturally hesi-
tated before answering, because, as he
said. sit is the most delicate subject now
before the people The South has partly
recovered from the effects Of the war, and
for twenty yeats and more has been put
ting al It's energies into the soil and into
manufactures. Ii has risen from condi-
ton approaching ruin to a degree of
financial and practical enterprise which
renders 1t in some industries 4 sharp COM
petitor with the North. The sudden and
marvellous recovery of the South in in
dusirial interest is fact in which the
nation may well take pride. And this
feeling OF pride would be universal if the
professions 80 often made Of complete
cancellation and desire to join in hearty
united effort to work out our destiny as a
nation were sircsIe. The new relations
between the whites and the negroes st the
South are gradually arranging themselyes
Ie must, however, be work of time-and
of long time-before an entirely satisfac-
tory result can be reached"
While Mr.. Cleveland believes that man
ifest wrongs, either to whites or blacks,
should not be tolerated, be has by no
means lost confidence in the fair-minded
average public opinion of the South to do
the best which the circumstances allow.
They know the situation ia all its bearings,
aud to distrust their ability to deal with
il il TO distrust their sincerity and fairness.
When | suggested some questions as to
the difference between the incoming and
outgoing administrations, Mr. Cleveland
was quick with an answer Evidently he
il in no wise disturbed by the fortunes OF
political warfare that have beiallen him.
He is downright goodnatured over his de-
feat. "The people alone he said, "have
right to rule the country, ami their will
IS law. Their is no appeal from their de-
cisiOn, and there should be none. What
they desire, they should have, and ought
TO have"
While the President firmly believes that
the tariff reform measures which the Dem
ocratic party stands fer are for the best IN
terests of the whole people, aud while he
neither sees nor desires to see the least dis
position on the part of the Democratic
party TO rsCeie from the position which 1t
has taken, he accepts the result OF the
election with the placidity of the philoso-
pher and the calmness which the minority
should always possess. The people can
not be deceived by false logic in the long
run. however The workingmen seem al
resdy 10 understand pretty we'll the ques-
ton submitted to them at the last election.
Mr.. Cleveland has no fear that the DEM
ocrstic policy OF an adjustment of the tar
if 10 the wants and circumstances OF those
of cur pe pie who work for a living, with
a due regard to all other legitimate inter
e.ts and enterprises, will not ultimately
commend itself TO the American people
What will help the people ana make their
burdens lighter is what they will have II
the end; and there need be no fear that
thew will not discover the way TO this end
or that they will fail to attach themselves
to the patty which consistently and hon
esiIv offers them relief.