The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1891-02-13
Grover Speaks.

F,,p months the Republican and the Demo
cr.r,c enemies of ex.President Cleveland nave
neon awfuIly anxious that he should speak
on the silver question. To be sure there was
no excuse for misunderstanding or question:
ing his attitude. He declared It IN Ietter
before his inauguration which Samuel D. III
den pronounced to be one OF the braVest anu
best state documents ever Issued. Inc wno'e
course of his administration had shown IT,
and had made so absolutely hopeless the
cheap money cause that every attempt 10 '"h'o'
free coinage upon the country was given UP
until he was out Of office. There was not
man In the United States but knew he would
meet free coinage bill with veto. Ana 81
the catastrophe which the last Repuohcah
secretary of the treasury went out OF office de-
c)aring that no human hand could avert, was
held back for four years by the courage ana
the skill of the Cleveland administrator.
1t might seem strange that the men whose
trucking and putterlng and paltering on the
issue had started the avalanche again, shonld
seem 40 anxious to hear from Mr.. Cleveland,
Int they reckoned 1t to be good politics.
Knowing that tho division on the subject Is
sectional rather than political, that the DEM
ocratic stroneholds Of the south are clamor.
GUS for silver, IS Is also the whole west where
the Democrats have made such astonishing
rains they thought 1t just the way to upset the
d .mocratic prospects and to still the over
wbelmiug demand for Ceveland's nomina-
ton, to get him to antagonize this demand OF
the south aud west. And II he should refuse
to reiterate his views, and persist In confin-
ing his utterances to the tariff reform issue
which he, more than any other man In the
land ,personifies, It would give great chance
tn undermine the confidence Of the east In
him. to circulate lies about "a change In his
views. ;" and taunts about his lack of courage.
He was cornered where he must ''blundeI"
| whatever he did. So reasoned these political
ca!culators.
Their error is always that of mere poft'-
clans In taking no account OF moral 1orces'
Grover Ceveland's greatness consists IN his
caoacity of seeing and doing what Is right re-
CARELESS of all other considerations. II 1t Is
sbrewdness It is the highest kind and ever
lasting,y sure to overlap that OF mere tenn
porizers. 1t Is the quality which he showed
in graphing with the long'terrifytng tar'n
question, 1t cost him something for the time,
bat It reunited and Refrigerated party with
high purpose. and It go clarified public inteIli'
gence that In two years defeat was tut ned IN
to the most sweeping political victory ina.
American history had seen for 70 years. II
Is the quality that has marked Grover CleVe'
lands public career from its earliest steps al
sheriff out In Buffalo.
He wrote to the reform club meeting al
New York Wednesday regretting bis inaoii
ity to attend, but saying:
am glad that the business interests OF
New York are at least 10 be heard on this SUD
iect' II surely cannot be necessary for me 10
MAKE a formal agreement with those VINO De.
ljeve that the greastest peril would be invited
h., the adoption of the scheme embraced IL
the measure now pending In congress lor 'nt
unlimited coinage of silver at our mlnts. !.
we have developed an unexpected capacltl
for the assimilation of largely increased
volume of this currency, and even II we nav
demonstrated the usefulness OF sucn an III
crease, other conditions fall lar snort OF ~
surfing us against disaster II In the present 81
nation we enter upon the and inde
, | pendent silver coinage.
, The silver question, as Carl Schurz so we
said few weeks ago, is one that only need
to be met openly, boldly and frankly, as tn
, Initiation mania was met II years ago, t
bring the people on the right ground. 1t
strength to-day Is due to the fact that the 81
yer advocates have not been met. Dlscussio
full end free on both sides. will dissipat
the errors that surround IL, convince tn
labor and the productive energy of the cour
try that 1t will be the sufferer by cheapenin'
money and that whatever the merits OF silve
in the abstract, this country cannot agalnf
Europe hold 1t to a parity with gold, an
Cleveland will be more than ever the admire
of the American people because he has le'
, them out of their own errors.