The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-04-17
GROVER CLEVELAND.
orry zrrrER TO JUDGE STABLES.
MA. o,,,..,,o,s 20 the FIX President Consid-
cred and Answered In Dot"i'-""S '"o
South should Stick to Cleveland.


To Judge Waller X. Stapies'
SRI was prevented for two or three days
by business engagements nom reading care
fully your interview in the Dispatch OF Aprii
10th last Having since done 80. found IN
usuch food for inquiry and suggestions as 10
sustify me. think, in writing to you thisv very
open letter
Doubtless you did not expect your genera
statement, that there are several ooJecs'o"S
20 the nomination of Mr.. Cleveland 10 nave
much effect unless the reasons which 20"
then proceeded to give should be found 10 DO
correct as well as ingenious.
LOADED FoR Mr.. CLEVELAND.
One would presume from the Introductory
remarks of tho reporter that your Vows Weie
given ex tempore. Does not sueI o'aoh
do Won Injustice You would hardly SPEAK
an spch a manner and on such subject VIII
out having fully prepared yourself. In TACT
Judce we're you not IF you Will pardon
slang word loaded" for Dir. cleveland
Had You not gathered all the oblecuuhs
which our mutual trends. VINO admire Mi,
Hill had been yoclferously shouting ioT
couple Of months Wereyou not expected TO
mt new life into those well-wOrn objections
by the effect of your name our frlends are
willing to admit that If the task had not oeen
an impossible one you might have sncceeqeu'
y
baps upon your answers may depend. with
those whom you wish TO bring forth into the
full life of wisdom, in which the Dispatch
thinks that you stand. the decision. whether
you have not uselessly attached your name to
an upattractlve cause.
oLKyELAND's NEw YORK MAJORITY.
Speaking of the large majority which Mr..
Cleveland received when he was elected Gov
ernor in.lSS2 YOU stated. "On the same ticket
with him was Governor Hill. candidate for
Lieutenant Governor, and also Democratic
candidate for the Court of Appeals OF New
York Both of these received as large vote
as Mr.. Cleveland. Governor Hills vote beng
perhaps largely in excess OF either
You must have been 80 told by some warm
sdmirer of Mr. Hill. Pardon me for suggest
ing that hereafter you accept with doubt
laudatory remarks coming from such source.
Hillism is not history. ON page 24l OF the
American Almanac. compiled by Mr. Spoford.
Librarian of Congress you will find 1t stated
that in that election Mr.. Cleveland received
353ls votes. while Mr.. Hill received 534, 636
votes. You will not hereafter believe that
Dir. Hill's vote was largely IN excess" OF Mr..
Clevelands.
You next cite the fact TINT in 1854 he only
carried New York by about ], 100 votes. How
did II happen.that you forgot to mention that
at the preceding presidential election New
York went Republican by 1000 majority. not
withstandng the fact that the popular soldier,
General Hancock was the Democratic nomi-
nee. Even you would not insist, would you,
Judge. that he should have done more than
overcome such majority:
cLEvELASD's FAILURE IN 1885.
You suggested q reason why Mr. Cleveland
failed to carry New York in 1888. have seen
in print reason for Mr.. Cleyeland's failure TO
carry New York in 1883, which | submit to
your consideration as more favorable than the
one you offered You will remember that III
w. L., md
material elections took place at the same time.
The Republican party in their State platform
had plank for high license upon the liquor
business. The Republican candidate for
Governor vas Warner Miller. After his de
feat he made q statement, which was. 10 sub
stance, AS follows: That he had not expected
TO be elected; that he had run for the pur-
pose of making the fight On the question
of high hcense that he had done SO for the
purpose of bringing the Prohibitionists into
the Republican party, and thereby elect Mr..
Harrison; that il the preceding election the
Prohibitonists' vote had been about 10000.
and he feared IN the election of 1888 1t would
approach $4,000. He claimed that he kept
the Prohibition vote down 10 10000 and
thereby elected MIR. Harrison. Under such
circumstances you can readily understand
that those whose business was threatened
with increased taxation had more interest in
the defeat of Mr.. Miller than in the election
of Mr.. Cleveland. This reasonable eKplana-
ton would indicate that MIR. Cleveland lost
New York in 1883 not because of personal
unpopularity, but because of State issue
over which he had no control. The correct
ness of the explanation il confirmed when we
remember that while in 1884 Mr.. Cleveland re-
ceived 563 04S votes In New 0rk in 1883 he
received 635, 75l.
yIRGINIA's VOTE IN 1884 AND 1883.
You next remark upon the fact that while
In 1884 Mr.. Cleveland had IN Virginia ma
jority of about 5000 he had in 1888 only ma
Sority of about 1889 There is some inter-
vening history between those two dates which
you forgot TO mention. In the congressional
elections of 1856 1.-THE Republicans by congress
sional districts carried Virginia by nearly
$4,000 majority. Ia that election only three
out of the ten Democratic candidates for Con-
gress were elected. Perhaps Mr.. Hills ad-
mirers will charge that to Mr. Clevelsnd, for
unless the present controversy be soon ended
we may expect them to charge that Mr.
Cleveland brought death into the world and
al our woes
Remember Judge, that the disaster in 1886
was before Mr.. Cleveland issued his tariff
message That fact ~ worth remembering
when we come to notice how many congress
men we elected in 1888 after his tariff mes
sage was issued.
In the legislative elections of 1887 the total
Democratic majority in the State was only a
little over 400. The next elections III Virginia
were the presidential and congressional ones
of 1888. 1t was at this election you say that
MIR. Clevelands majority had fallen to the
mortifying majority of 1888" Doubtless if
you had recalled the above noticed facts as to
the elections of 1886 and 1887 you would have
been saved your distressing modification
You would have remembered that Mr.. Clevs-
land instead of cutting down the Democratic
majority in Virginia had nearly quadrupled it
over that of the preceding year. And this
notwithstanding the fact that in presidential
elections there are in Virginia many people
who vote againstus, who iii State elections
vote with us.
You would have also seen that while in the
congressional election of 1856, held before
MIR Cleveland issued his tariff message and
when he was not before the people for re-
election, only three of the Democratic nomi
nees in this State were elected yet in the
election of 1888 after Mr.. Cleveland had
issued his tariff message and when no was be-
fore the people for reelection, six Of the
Democratic candidates for Congress were
elected without counting Messrs. Wise and
Venable, who were turned out by Republi-
gan House of Representatives. What do such
facts suggest!
FORGOTTEN FACT.
And. Judge, there is another little fact
which you failed 10 tell US. that in the cleo
tion Of 1883 Mr.. Cleveland received from fifty
10 one hundred more votes than the total
number of votes cast for ell the Democratic