Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-03-28
cLEvELANp.s RECORD.
A Man Found Wanting In Brains, Popular
fty and Judgment

"A MAN round wanting In Brains, Popular.
ity and Judgment
1t is easy to anticipate the verdict of
history with regard to Mr.. Cleve-
lands career as President The facts
are of kind which interpret them
selves, and make certain conclusions
inevitable. His record from first to
last is without single feature of first
class merit The Office was too large
for him from every point of view, and
his efforts to fill it were q success
sion of disappointments. melancholy
at all times, and frequently ridicu-
lous 1t is true to say of him that he
had courage of a given k:7d. and in
dustry of a special sort; bat what did
his courage accomplish, and in what
way was his industry justified? He
was brave only in the sense of that form
of self-assertion which is vanity rather
than wisdom; and he was busy only in
connection with matters that he
might more proftably have left to his
subordinates. It is notorious that he
scorned the advice of men more COM
petent and experienced than him
self. and insisted upon having
his own way regardless of those con-
siderations of prudence and expedience
which all successful statesmen care
fully respect; and it is equally sure
that he often so manifested his dill
gence as merely to show that idleness
would have been better alike for the
country and for his own reputation.
There has never been another Presi-
dent who, with SO many opportunities
of usefulness and distinction, achieved
so little that is worthy of remembrance
He did not devise any policy that Sc
cured public Approval; he never Iaade
a recommendation to Congress that led
to definite and beneficial legislation;
he did not associate his name with any
enterprise of substantial progress.
Where he should have been resoluts
and aggressive, he was Indifferent and
supercilious; and where he should
have made concessions and sought
compromises, he arrogated to himself
the right of supreme judgment, and
thus raised up enemies when he
needed friends. The leaders of
his party were not permitted to
counsel with him, or to know what
he proposed to do in any instance. He
persistently acted upon the theory that
to modify his opinions in obedience to
the requirements of public sentiment
or of political safety and sagacity was
to forfeit some degree of his official
authority and Importance. His
knowledge of men and of the means
by which they can best be employed to
attain desired purposes was of the
most inaccurate and Ineffective de-
scription. He had none of the neces-
sary qualities of leadership, but only
a boundless gift of egotism that drove
men from him instead of attracting
them to him. The advantage OF per-
sonal popularity was never his, be-
cause the methods which he pursued
were always selfish and always die
tatorial. He was beaten for a second
term on account of his individual de-
fects quite as much as by reason of the
false attitude of his party; he could
not have been reelected on any kind
of a platform. His election to the
great Office of President was an acct
dent and a misfortune; and history
will certainly characterize him as one
who, being tried, was found wanting
in all that entities a man to National
admiration and gratitude. Louis
Globe-DemOcrat.