Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-01-31
DEMOCRACY IN POWER.

1t Had Fair Trial and the People
| Found Ii Corrupt and Inefficient.
| The New York World gives the I'M
usual emphasis of a double-leaded
leader to an effort toward explaining
that the Democratic party has not
been given a fair trial in Office. 1t
may be well to let the World speak
for itself, and consider the value of its
plea after hearing it:
1t was not a f'.Ir trial.
Because the Democratic party neither con-
! trolled nor lays calm TO having controlled the
| administration of President Cleveland.
| Therefore, It can not be held responsible for
| the results OF that adm niStratiSh, neither for
the injury lis vacillatng course has done to
the cause OF Cvil-Servce reform, nor for doing
1.-THE right raing at the wrong time " in pre-
cipitating the tariff issue on the perilous edge
OF Presidential campaign, nor for the other
multiplied mistakes of the President, nor for
his obnoxious personal acts or characteristics.
And again:
The Democratic party, as is now well estab-
lished, really carried the States which will cast
majority Of the electoral votes for General
Harrison, and so the candidate, and not the
party, were defeated in the recent election.
Neither of these conclusions of fact
are well founded. New York went
for Hill, indeed, but it does not follow
that it went Democratic; the local ques-
ton OF license carried Hill, the purely
National questions of tariff and South
ern suppression of the ballot carried
Harrison through New York. And it is
fair to suppose that they would have
carried any Republican candidate.
The test of party strength in New
York was on the Presidential vote.
MIR. Cleveland lost in 1888 most of the
few Republican votes that went to him
in 1884 and gained few of the votes
that had come into existence since
that year. Besides which at least
four States in the Southern tier were
not really carried" but only really
counted by 1.-The Democratic party"
Nor is it fair on the part of the
World to charge that Mr.. Cleveland
did not surround himself with Demo-
cratic counsellors. 1t is true that he
called no one to his Cabinet from New
York City, but New York City had no
Democrat whom any man of any pre-
tension to prudence would have called
to it New York was carried for
Cleveland by the Mugwumps, not by
the Democrats, and Mr.. Cleveland
knew this. He also knew that it was
the working of the leaven of Tilden-
ism which made it possible for the
Mugwumps to temporarily affiliate
with the Democrats; he, therefore,
chose one of Tilden's favorite lieu
tenants to be his Secretary of the
Treasury; and in Daniel Manning he
found the most able and careful fnan-
cier of the Democracy. He rewarded
the Muswumps with the post-office
of the chief city of the land. And the
New York post-office and the National
Treasury under Manning's administra-
ton have been the best managed de-
partments of the public service. Mr..
Cleveland was not defeated because he
nominated Manning and retained Pear
son.
He was defeated because he and his
Administration did fully and fairly
represent the Democratic party, which
is the solid South. Bayard, Garland,
Lamar, this trinity of Southerners in
the Cabinet, was eternal proclamation
of the supremacy of Democracy of the
old-fashioned stripe. In the Senate,
Vance and Vest and Beck; in the
House, Reagan and Mills and Brock
inridge were the authoritative expo
nents of the Presidential desires and
policies; Northern members of either
house were in few of his councils;
even Voorhees, was not in high favor
at the White House. The South gave
the votes; it was the Democracy, and,
therefore, was controlling influence
upon the Administration. The tariff
policy was championed and suggested
by the South. 1t was a fair trial; by
an accident Mr.. Cleveland was elected
to the Presidency; of set purpose he
placed himself and his Administration
under Democratic control. He debased |
the civil service, he increased public |
expenditures, he favored direct taxa
ton. he was opposed to protective tar
ifs. All these are manifestations of |
Democracy; the country endured them
for four years, and then by its vote re-
strained their further display. 1t was
a fair trial.-Chicago Inter Ocean.