New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-27
THE CLEvELAND DELUSIOM.

LIE CLET MIAMI 1e@~~~
Within few weeks Mr.. Cleveland VIII re-
tire from office, and one Of the most singular
and, in q way, interesting careers IN American
politics will probably come to an end. IL Is
possible, of course that in its dearth OF leaders
and policies the Democratic party may put him
forward again in 1892 but judging from the
feeling with which he is at present Regarded
by it, this is not probable. There is NIUE
doubt that the great mass of Democrats believe
that they owe their defeat to Mr.. CleVeianus
personal blundeB growing out OF his intense
egotism and lack of experience in pu6hc NE.
The precedents, so far as they 60, are againsO
his success in being either nominated again
or elected. Only seven of our Presidents have
been reelected, and in three OF these cases
those of Washington Lincoln and Grant
the circumstances were phenomenal. All were
reelected while in Office, and no president mas
succeeded in regaining the place after having
once retired from it. Van Buren,, who was
defeated for reelection by President Harrison's
grandfather, was afterward twice candidate,
once for the nomination and once before the
people, but was unsuccessful upon each occa-
sion. No ex-President has ever been renom-
mated by his party after term of retirement
the nomination of Van Buren, in 1840, Just
referred to, being in fact bolt by means OF
which his own party was defeated.
The feature of Mr.. Cleveland's career that
will always attract most attention is the
extraordinary good fortune which carried HIM
in six years, by series of happy accidents
from the Mayoralty of Buffalo TO the resi-
dency of the United States Another remark
able feature, and one which we venture to be-
lieye will be remembered quite as long, is the
singular degree of confidence which he succeed
ed in inspiring in men with whom he had no
tastes or sympathies in common. The CleVe-
land delusion will take its place with the III
den delusion among the strange receptions oil
American politics. For time MIR. Illden was
regarded by large class as the hope oil the
country in administrative reform, but those
who cherished this belief were bitterly unde-
ceiyed. Something like the same hallucina-
ton concerning Mr.. Cleveland has existed
among a most intelligent class OF our citizens,
among them many men of high literary attain
ments, though often without much experience
in public affairs. These men did moro than
10 idealize Mr.. Cleveland. They canonized
him before he had worked a single miracle TO
establish his sanity character, but simply on
the strength of their belief that he could and
would work miracles. Looking back upon 1t
all the future student of our political history
will be puzzled to know upon what basis this
confidence rested. There was nothing in Mr..
Clevelands personality nor in his political or
private associations to encourage it.
1t is difficult TO conceive of more striking
contrast than exists between Mr.. Clevelands
personal qualities, his attachments, and all those
complex elements that go to make up the char
acter of a man, and those of the writer's OF
books presidents Of colleges and ministers OF
the Gospel, who have showered upon him an
admiration which even he might easily have
been puzzled to account for. IL is easy TO SEQ
now, if it was not before, that there has been
no time in his career that he has not been gov
erned by the prompbngs Of ambition to quite
the same extent as the most mediocre poll
tician, and that the Cleveland in whom these
men so fondly believed was purely creature
of their own imaginations. While he was
Mayor he looked to the Governors chair at
Albany. He had no sooner been inaugurated
Governor than his appointments and his policy
were shaped with a view to the Presidency.
He had not long been President before it was
apparent to all but this class of blind idolators'
the victims of strange infatuation, that he
was laboring for his own reelection. Success
might have left undisturbed the false halo
which softened and obscured the true aspect
of the object of their worship, but the rude
wind of defeat has dispersed it forever.