The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-05-29
STATESMAN AND POLITICIAN.

GROVER CLEVELAND has been making
another speech. 1t was at banquet given
in his honor on Monday evening by the
Young Mems Democratic club in New
York. There were five hundred guests
present, among them being some of the
brightest men in the Democratic party.
A synopsis of the effortwa printed in
Tuesdays issue of THE HERALD. On the
occasion of the centennial banquet last
month, Mr. CLEVELAND responded to toast,
delivering a speech which was universally
admitted to be not only the address of the
evening. but one of the most brilliant eff
forts of the decade. The New Y ork papers
were enthusiastic in praise of it, and the
people of the nation generally We're proud
of the speech and the great man who ut
tered it. They were more proud of him
when they read the Mandy pamby ut ter
ances. on the same occasion, of the man who
succeeded him in the Presidential -ofice
The centennial speech was broad and
statesmanlike, and proved that the mind
which conceived twas that Of a statesman.
The Monday nights address was none the
less statesmanlike, but it was the states
manship Of a partisan.
For a long time GROVER CLEVELAND
could not get it out of his great and good
head that men, and especially men in pub
lie Office, should be above political parties
in the partisan sense The first three
years of his administration he lived up to
his peculiar theory, and did his utmost to
forget Il a there were parties; he re
-, u, I
deavored TO carry on the government as an
Independent. The last year of his term it
dawned upon him that he had made mis-
take. 1t came to his mind by degrees that
parties were not only contemplated in the
very organization of the government, and
in many of the laws, but that they were
essential to good republican government
and the welfare of the nation Parties
watched each other, and were a check on
each other against the abuse of power.
They were a safeguard against corruption.
and were, in fact, necessary feature of
our system of government Experience
having taught him great truth, and cured
him of an idea which was correct enough
in theory, but worthless in practice where
men are but human and as such lovers of
power and workers for gain, CLEVELAND
changed his course, and the last year of
his administration was by far the most
brilliant and most statesmanli1e. His delay
in learning practical political wisdom cost
him the Presidency, his party long years
of administration, and the people good
government for at least four years.
But Cleveland learned the truth at last,
and to CAV he stands forth a pronounced
partisan and the foremost Democrat in the
republic. He now talks like true Demo
crat, and frankly and manfully confesses
that he erred in clinging to theory and
acting according TO the dictates of vain
sentiment His Monday evenings address
was an open announcement that he has
come to be Democrat, not merely in the
dictionary definition Of the term, but in the
party sense. There need be no fear. after
this, that if GROVER CLEVELAND shall be
returned to the White House. he will be
anything but a Democratic President,
recognizing the voters as partisans who
place him there, and giving an administra-
ton which will be known as Democratic in
something more than the party name Of the |
chief executive. All his recent utterances
are d guarantee InaJ ne mas learned that |
the people are the rulers, and that when |
they pronounce in favor of one political |
party or the other, they mean that the
policy of that party shall be carried into
effect by its partisans.
It is encouraging to know that GROVER
CLEVELAND has been converted; that he
has outlived his impracticable theories, and
that his heart is all with the organization
in which he is enrolled. 1t is encouraging
for the reason that every political indica-
ton points to the nomination of Mr..
CLEVELAND in 1892 and the assurance
which he has given lately of having learned
political wisdom by expensive experience
will go far towards re electing him. Four
years of such an administration as the
country is threatened with will turn many
Republicans into the Democratic ranks,
and CLEVELAND is making himself loved by
all factions in the great party to which his
political honesty, but impracticable ideas
did so much injury.