The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1891-08-01
Reception to Ex-President Cleve-
land at Sandwich, Mass.
III Honor of Hi, Becomine SUMMER
Resident Of Barnstabie County
MIR. CIeveland's Response to
the Address OF welcome:

Z. Iacher, OF armOuth- After short
speech of welcome by Mr.. Thacher,
Mr.. Cleveland responded upon the sub
ject of "Ex-Prcsidents of the United
States" saying:
aESi-More than 500 years ago a lawyer
pettiy asked the Divine Teacl1eri "And who
is my neighbour The answer given to this
question is quite familiar to us, and Is EN-.
bodied in the parable of tile Good Samafi-
tan. hasten to assure yOu that this para:
BILE is here introduced for tile lesson II
teaches rather than for the purpose of sig-
Eesting that its incidents have any appro-
priateneSs to this occasion or its surround
ings. see no Similarity between my situa-
tion and the man vino went down from
Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves.
l suppose that when you greet me as your
neighbOr to day you have in mind the fact
that / have come among you to spend at
least a large part of each year. and that
intend to maintain this sort of residence
here as long a3 the expense OF farming and
fishing enable me, from slender purse, to
meet your rate of taxation and the cost of
provisions ln the meantime declare nv
Intention to become a good nrlghbOr. No
luatrfls can arise over MY line fences. for l
have none hep no chickens, and my
cattle do hot ruin ht large. suppose have
Judge from tile election returns of this coun-
ty that they are not such as have hereto =.
fore received the utmost sympathy and en-
couragement in this particular locality.
Notwithstanding, however. my positive
knowledge that the large majority of my
new nciShbOrs are in sad state of delusiOa
politically, shall not quarrel with them on
this subject. nor permit myself to become
a political scold. / must be peace
full and neighbor;y. even if see
MY neghbors go to political de-
.iTuction before my ewes. Besides. there are
prudential reasons why should. I'm present
circumstances, be politically docilc. To be
sure have not. like the man who started
for jericho. fallen among thieves; but
know perfectly well that havs politically
fHllen among those who are too many for
ME, and that only MY own peacefulftcss or
MANY conversions to my side in Bdrnstable
county can secure me immunity from being
stripped of my political raj nent and wound
ed and let half dead rs was the case with
the man front from Jerusalem. While l
do not want to tempt such fate. l
confess that my political convictions
are SO fixed that ! can hardly avoid
dwelling upon them even here. Some things
we can certainly do safely and properly.
We can DE tolerant to one another. We can
constantly test our political beliefs by the
light of patriotism, good citizenship and
true Americanism, and we can be brave
enough and honest enough to follow where
they lead. We shall thus elevate our polit-
ical efforts ami lind incentives to activity In
a determination to aid In making
our country n great as 1t ought
TO be, and I'm securing to our
selves and our fellow .countryIen the lap
pincss and prosperity due to- all of us under
a free government by the people. II dur
political endcavur is thus directed, we shall
rid Ff ha hlinHnasl ntrp
which accept unrcasoning party association
as a sufficient guide to political action, and
which count the spoils of partisan success
the sole object of political struggle: So,
though may differ in party afiiiiation, il
we thou.htfully and sincerely believe an d
act, may still he the best of neighbOrs,
bound together by an unsclfish willingness
to ioregO special advantages which can only
be gained at the expense of our fellows, and
all engaged with hearty cooperation in the
achievement of our country's high destiny.
With 4 IA, art full of gratitude for the cor
diality ami con-dcrIt on which you have at
all times extended to me, have, with the
utmost sincerity, attempted to demonstrate
my appreciation of all / enjoy among you,
and to prove myself In your sight as worthy
to be admitted to free fellowship IN the
Cape Cod community.
must remember that you have not only
kindly spoken of me as your neishbor. but
have also referred t. me an eX president.
/ have never failed to he profoundly
sensible of the generosity and con-
ldencc of my countrymen in making me the
recipient of the greatest honor that can be
bestowed on anv man; but what remember
most yividIy in connection with the great
Office of president are its responsibilities
and the labor and anxiety attending an at
tempting to do the work which the people
had intrusted to me. The impress made
upon the mind and heart of one who stands
d;Sly face to face with the American peO-
pie, charged with the protection of their
rights and the advancement Of their varied
Interests. can never he effaced, and scarcely
gives room for the qualification naturally
supposed to attach to high and exalted
places. I am led to mention in this cUnnec-
tiOn, a spur to official labor AMI as sign
of political health, tie watchfulness of the
people and their cxactOns from their chosen
representative to whom they have confded
their h ghcst trust. II they are exacting and
critical. sometimes almost to the point of
Injustice, this Is better than popular heed
leSsness and indifference concerning the
con duct of public servants.
1t has always seemed to me, beyond the
greatness of the Office and the supreme i'm
portance of Its duties and responsibilities,
that the most impressive thing connected
with the presidency is tine fact that after its
labor and responsibility are past, we simply
see that II citizen whom the people had Sc
lected from the ranks to do th, bidding
for a time and to be their agent in the dis
charge of public duty has laid aside the
honor and the work of the highest Office in
the world, and las returned again to the
people, to resume at their side the
ordinary duties which pertain to
every .dav citizenship. Here he Is,
or should be. subject to the same rules
of behavior which apply to his fellow
coUntrymen, and should be accorded the
same far and decent treatment unless he
has in some way forfeited it. But it must be
admitted that our people are by no means
united in their ideas concerning the place
which our cx xpresidents ought to occupy or
the disposition which should be made Of
them. of course the subject would be re-
lieved of all uncertainty and embarrassment
IL every president would die at the end of his
term. This does not seem, however, to meet
the views of those who under such an ar
rangement would be called upon to do
the dying. and so some of them continue to
live, and thus perpetuate the perpleXity Of
those who burden themselves with plans for
their utilizaiion or disposition. A very
amusing class among these anxious souls
make us useful by laying upon our shOul-
ders all sorts of political conspiracies. IL
they are TO be believed we are constantly
engaged in plotting for our own benefit and
advancement, and are quite willing. for tine
sake of reaching our ends, not only to de-
stroy the party to which we belong,
but to subvert popular liberty and
utterly upset our free American
institutions. Others seem OF the opinion
that we should be utilized as orators at
county fairs and other occasions of all sorts
and at all sorts of places. Some think we
should Interfere in every political contest,
and should be constantly in readiness to cx-
press an opinion on every subject OF n
political character that anybody has the
ingenuity to suggest. Others still regard it
as simply dreadful for US to do these things,
and are greatly dis, urbed every time an ex
president ventures to express an opinion on
any subject Not Il few appear to think we
should simply exist and be blind, deaf and
dumb the remainder of our days.
In the midst of all this vast majority of
the plain American people are, as usual,
sound and sensible. They are self-respect-
ing enough and have dignity enough to ap-
preciate the fact that their respect and con-
ddence as neIghbors Is something which an
ex president NAV well o0vst, aud which,