The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-04-17

! Look at your remarks aoo'', IL ~ - I'LL .nd
conrsa ma 10 the River and harDor oh' aho
tho R,air hill. Did you MT consider tnoso
acts only in the light that they tended 10 1850
On 1n Tho other hand. did you not sresk OF his
"snhli,nated patrotlsm:' Does that mean pn-
tr,otism which some of us cannot attaih' an1
which. therefore, We comfort ourselves Win
sncering at 49,.
AMI ngain Judge. do you not think that IN
teos Mr. Cleveland lost votes in those States
| because of his courageous and honest course
in refusing to senction what YOU rightly term
fraudulent Federal pensionsI" ] notice
| that YOU denounce the pensions. but also
notice that you have not one word OF com
mendaton for Mr.. Cleveland. who. although
"A Northern man. firmly prevented tho pay
ment OF hundreds of fraudulent pensions
! You aliege that his foolish veto OF the RIVER
aud Harbor bill. one of the most liberal
passed by Congress for many years, gave
/ great offense 10 many Of his followers in thus
State Did you ever examine that OH;
! Judge to see whether. besides being liberal
| II was not wasteiui; whether II was not put-
posely made wasteful by a Republican Ben.
ate Ii II was wasteful tell us what ought
he TO have done Should he have signed IL
with that belief? May be 80 far personal as
TO AJAX you whether you would have done 80
with that belief
MAY also ask you from what source you
got your information that his vote gave sIeae
ohense to his followers IN this state! Inc
returns from the three Congressional districts
upon 1idewater in this state, snow iDat IN
each of them the Democratic vote was larger
in 1888 than in 1884 They also show that
while in the Second district the congressional
candidate received about ten votes more tnan
Mr. Cleveland. yet in the First and 1hird as
tricts Mr. Cleveland received more votes tnhh
the respective congressional candidates IN
those districts. DO not such facts seem TO
disproye your assertion!
INTERNAL REVENUE LAWS.
In your effort to show that Mr.. Cleveland
had lost his popularity IN Virginia In lSoo-a
belief on your part which | submit the re-
turns above noticed do not justify you com
ment on Mr.. Clevesnd's opposition to the
repeal of the internal revenue laws. Is 1t not
fact that Mr.. Cleveland held that 1t WAS
better to lower the tariff taxes than to take
off the revenue duties upon tobacco: Is IT
not fact that in most of the counties OF VIZ
giDia scarcely any tobacco. II any at all. Is
raisedy is 1t not also fact that the tarin
taxes bear upon every farmer in every county
in this State? Then will you tell us whether
under such circumstances. Mr. Cleveland was
not wise and lust when he held that II was
better 20 reduce the tariff taxes when pore
upon all than 10 remove the tobacco duties,
which bore upon tar fewer people:
AN EXPLODED CHARGE.
You also bring up the old charge that he
ought not 10 have brought forward the tariff
question At the time he did. You minated
that he did so merely tor the sake OF In
structng the people in certain line. OF
policy" Gould you not imagine his having
been Influenced by any higher motive than
that? Are you not the first one to as
cribe such a motive 10 him! Others
have said that 1t was unwlse at the
time. but have they not always admit
ted that be so acted becaused he thought
IL WAS his duty TO hasten the removal OF the
tariff taxes under which the people were bur
dened? But did 1t ever.occur TO you that Mr..
Cleveland could not have forced the issue
upon the party if the representatives III Con
gress had not been in favor Of it, The Presi-
dent has no power 10 offer bill. much less
to enact law. Is it not fact that the tariff
issue. as presented IN 1883. was found In
what was known as the Mills bill, and not the
Presidents message?
But suppose that his message did hasten
the conflict did it not give us the issue upon
which we gained in the congressional tight of
1890 so many Northern and Western con
gressmen. DO you recall any Democratic
candidate who did not in that campaign per-
s:stenty cite Mr.. Cleveland as the man who
had brayely demanded that the people should
be relieved from the burden of tariff taxa
tom If that was true then 1t Is equally as
true now.
You do not know, do you that the Western
and Northern congressman were elected upon
the issue of the Force bill or fraudulent pen
slons? Do YOU think it would be wise to
arouse the distrust of the Northern and West
ern voters by refusing to nominate him who
gave the issue and who, the people believe,
Will never see IL abandoned until they have
obtained the desired and needed relief? Con-
cede that the issuance of his message may
have been a temporary mistake. but shall
not our party make greater one If we refuse
to seize the present advantages which 1t gives
us VIII the people have as much confidence
IN the party's declaration to reduce the tariff
when they see that party set aside that
leader who sacrificed himself in the effort to
bring about such reduction Which would
be wiser, to have the peoples confidence or
their distrustt Even II purity organization
ana political management IS as effective. as
you you seem to think, yet you will not deny
that IL is always more effective when backed
by the peoples confidence.
CLEVELAND AND THE FORCE BILL
You also comment most unfavorably upon
Mr.. Clevelsnd's course as to the Force bill.
You 90 to such an extreme rs TO say that in
your opinion Mr.. Cleveland would have pre-
ferred the adoption OF the Force bill rather
than the enactment of law tavoring free
coinage Can you point to any act Of Mr..
Cleveland by which he has ever shown that
he regarded pecuniary benefits financial
matters as Of greater importance than human
liberty aud human rights. On the contrary,
has not every official act Of his shown that he
regarded the latter a. Of paramount impor-
lance Surely TO justify your charge you
should have offered ample and reliable evil
dence.
On the contrary. you seem to base your
charge upon tho allegation made by You that
when the Force bill was upon Its passage
Mr. Cleveland took occasion 10 announce his
views upon the silver question i respect
fully submit that you should have first made
certain OF your facts and dates Surely your
basis should first be correct before you de-
duce your presumption. The Force bill was
not under discussion when Mr.. Cleveland
wrote IN a letter that he was opposed TO free
and unlimited coinage OF silver. The Senate
Silver bill had been passed nearly month
before Air. Cleveland wrote that letter
10 Mr.. T.. Il. Anderson. That bill was living
in committee OF the House. smothered by
the will OF Speaker Reed. The Force bill was
defeated on January 26. 1891. 10y motion of
Senator Molcott 10 take up a bill for de-
telIniniDg the representation each State should
have in the House of Representatives 1t WIS
never taken up again in the Senate Mr.
Cleveland wrote his letter on February 10.
1891, about month after the Senate Silver
bill had been passed. Hence il was impossi
bic for the Democratic members OF the
United States Senate" 70 have adopted those
views" And as the Force bill had been
dead for about two weeks. | submit that you
are not justified in intmating that in
writing that letter Mr.. Cleveland showed that