Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1892-04-29
An Evening With Cleveland.
THE CLEVELAND CLUB HAS SOME
FINE SPEAKING.

The Cleveland Club had an enthusiastic
meeting Monday night at the City Hall.
1t was in high glee, and at some periods IN
the remarks of the two speakers, Col.
James H. Skinner and Capt. James Bum
gardner, applause followed almost every
sentence When Col. Skinner, who rarely
appears at public meetings, made his ap-
pearance in the room he was received with
a round of applause. President Carter
Berkeley presided, and among the audience
were several Cleveland delegates elected
from the county who brought the news OF
the way old Grover had swept the county
on Saturday, and they were in high feather
over it.
THE DESIRE OF OUR HEARTS.
Col. Skinner said he came there moved by
profound sense Of public duty, the dnty
that every citizen owes TO the government
of his country. 1t was the dearest desire
of his heart that he might see Grover Gle
veland once more inaugurated President OF
the United States. Loud and prolonged
eheers). That man who lowered like
Saul abovehis fellow men, iapplause). lie
presumed that all in the room were OF one
mind on that point. He had read the letter
of Cleveland saying that he sometimes
doubted whether it was best for his party
to nominate him, but he felt like saying IN
reply to that, as Cicero said to Cato: Ill
Cato does not need Rome. Rome needs
Cato" (Applause). To make a speech
advocating Cleveland seemed to him to be
superfiuOus. Was there one public duty
that he had neglected to perform? Was
there one promise that he had not faithful
ly carried out? Why then should we be
asked to turn from him to public men
yet untried His administration was
familiar to them all, and on that
record he is enthroned in the hearts of the
Democracy. He can make a stronger
run to-day than he ever could. Eighteen
months ago there was no doubt about his
nomination. It was conceded by all, until
the bad ambition Of one man arose. "A
falcon towering in it's place was hawked at
and destroyed by a housing OWL" (Great
applause Hawked at by one who, we all
must see by this time, cannot be nominated
and cannot be elected if nominated.
We all here feel that whoever may be
nominated by the National Democratic
Convention we shall support him in prefer
ence to the Republican nominee, who will
be the candidate Of a party which, at the
North, lives on bitter malignity to the
South, and at the South exists on dense
ignorance. There is no trouble about we
of the South supporting whoever the Chi
cago convention may nominate, but for all
that we want our choice, Cleveland.
HE LED THE CHARGE OF TARIFF
REFORM.
Col. Skinner spoke of the celebrated
Tariff Reform message of Cleveland which
had been so much discussed. He said it
was his duty to send it in to congress. He
had been elected on Tariff Reform plat
form, and he looked upon a platform as
something not alone to get in by, but also to
stand on (great applause.) 1t was his duty,
and when was Grover Cleveland ever known
to shirk duty? (applause.) 1t was also
good policy; for that fall Tariff Reform
was an issne in Ohio, Iowa and his own
State of New York. He knew that he was
doing his duty and he knew that by doing
it he was imperilllng his chance for the
Presidency, and he chose to do right Zap
plause.) He went in advance Of his party,
and like Aurat threw his hat and plume
forward into the ranks of the enemy that
his own troops might charge and rescue it.
Repulsed in ;ss, they did rescue it in go in
a victory unparalleled in this country-a
victory won on Tariff Reform, the white
plume of Cleveland. Even the repulse of
'ss was only made possible by the Dudley
s'blocks of five'' in Indiana, and unfair
dealing in New York. The issue made by
Grover Cleveland in 1888 gave us in 1890.
for the first time since the war, a congress
in which a majority was composed of
Northern Democrats.
CLEVELAND ON CIVIL SERVICE.
Cleveland was the only President in a
quarter Of a century who had turned the
mind of the North from war Renaissance
and given it something else to think about.
He was the only President who said and
enforced that public office was a public
trust, and that officers of the government
should not use the positions and pay Of
that government to defeat the will of the
people with. (Applause). In the speakers
judgment the retention Of Pearson as post
OF Vorl1 Of ocf
strokes of policy of Cleveland's admins
tration. In it he showed the people that
the Democratic party had something high
Ell and better in it's mind than the mere
suoils of office. (Applause). He gave the
people of the North an opportunity to see
that the Democratic party was not mere
spoils party, and he strengthened and con-
firmed it in the good opinion of every man
in the country whose opinion was worth
having. (Applause).
INSTRUCT YOUR DELEGATES.
Col. Skinner said the Democrats of
Staunton were soon to elect delegates to
represent them at the State Convention
and his advice to them was to send them
instructed. You know your own minds
and you want them to represent your
minds. If they 60 uninstructed. the smooth
eloquence of hackneyed politicians they
will meet at Richmond may warp their
judgments. There are some politicians
who hold that this is government OF the
people, by the politicians and for the poll
ticians. (Applause). There was one man
who came across their path, and that was
Grover Cleveland. He showed them that
President of the United States had higher
functions than 'smending the fences" Tor
two Oh three hundred congressman at the
cost of the public treasury-making the
public treasury pay for electing congress
men by offices placed at their disposal ln-