New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-08-31
4 HOLE IN Tile HISTORY.


in what is called by persons who kindle the
emotions of their fellow-nen by word of mouth
"perorationn And we are free to say it
was a rafting good one. Ii spoke OF Mr..
Cleveland as a man whose leadership was
matchless and who had "wrested from the
grasp OF those who had robbed you OF your
heritage eighty millions of acres and restored
it to the public domain" We do not now re-
call the circumstances under which this wrest-
ing and restoring were done. Very likely Mr..
Steyenson's audience had, as rule, forgotten
them, if indeed they had ever been aware OF
the transaction. If we were in the line OF
LAYING wagcrs we should be willing. In the
phrase of people engaged in that branch OF
productive industry. to bet dollars to dough-
nuts" that there were not fifty men in tho
audience who knew for fact that they had
been robbed of their heritage; not more than
twenty five who could recall with distinctness
the circumstances Of the robbery or the names
of the suspected persons, and that nobody out
side the Democratic town committee was
aware that the matchless leader had wrested
it from the grasp of the robbers and restored 1t
to the publ; domain. We do not mean by
this to critcise the peroIation. No man can
be expected to descend to details when he Is
perorating, and if any one had called for names
and days and dates and map OF the heritage
while Mr. Stevenson was stirring all hearts
with this recital the committee in charge OF
the demonstration would have been justified
in either hustlng him out or taking him INTO
a corner and walking all over him. NO man
in free country should ever be called down
in a peroraton simply because he monkeys
with facts. AS piece of oratory it was hne'
II might indeed be called !" burst"
But what has excited our special curiosity
and interest in this opening speech is the para
graph which just precedes the perora'loh. Inc
pcroration proper is devoted, OF course, to the
matchless leadership of Mr.. Cleveland, as IL
should be- Everything leads up to him. as
tho greatest man, by all odds, who ever con
descended to take n Presidential nomination
from his party. The speech naturally cui-
inmates in him. The paragraph leading up 10
him includes some history. 1t contains appfo-
pirate brief illusions to Jefferson Mauisoh'
Jackson and Stephen A. Douglas. IL tells now
much the country is indebted to the Democratic
marty for what happened during the FIRST haii
century OF the Nations existence WINE .ha'
marty stood at the helm of state" and then
proceeds. not by easy stages, but by sort Oh
hon skin and jump to say that the proper
tb;no for the voters 10 do this year is to turn
ovcr the Government To the party which has
done so much for the country by purchasing
Louisiana and establishing the Monroe Doc
trinc 1.-The party as he eloquently remarks
(which in the early morning and IN the moor,
~ this century gloricd IN the leadership OF
,.tt.
Jackson and OF Douglas" etc The ear!
morning" and the noon OF TINS century are
all very well but as we are now say about
2 o'clock in the afternoon OF II, what : inc
matter with making some reference 10 what
has happcned since noon. say half-paSt TO )
~ .ome Of us remcmber--the hottest part
-, rho davp inst here there seems TO be hole
in Mr. StcvcnsOn's historic period lie points
with pride at jefferson and Madison and Jack
son and Douglas: nj the dawn ana all tbe
forenoon of the century. bur stops SNORT a'
about half-past Il of il, and makes clear
iump from 1860 over to lsS4-from James
pu,hanan TO the Great Leader OF 1872.
Mr. stevenson thinks "the interests OF all the
neople Of these United States arc bound up
in the success of the party that came in with
IeGersonr lie forgets to say that 1t went out
with buchanan.
There's hole twcnty-four years broad in
Mr.. Stcvcnson's appeal to history. twenty
four wears full of business. Twenty -four years
in which this country made greater advances
in all things that concerned its prosperity. the
welfare of all its inhabitants, and its standing
amony the nations of the eartn than in all It's
previous history. Twenty -four years in which
Mr.. Stevenson's party was not III IT. excep'
TO block the wheels OF progress and obstrucf
every measure that tended to build up the
Nation or promote the public welfare. Mr..
Stevenson forgets that about the noon OF the
century the Democratic party handed over tho
control of "A Government, rent asunder by
fighting factions, with disordered finances,
staynant industries. rotten currency. a bankrupt
Treasury. and all its departments honeycombed
with corruption and treason, to new party
lie forgets that it cost the Nation million
lives. thousands Of millions OF dollars, and UNI
told hardship and sacrifice to raise the country
ont of the depths into which Democratic mis-
rule had plunged it, Something has happened
in this country during the present century be-
sides the purchase OF Louisiana and the promul-
oation of the Monroe Doctrine happened too,
since the clock struck T. And several per-
sons have been concerned in the administration
of tbe Government besides General Jackson
persons who really cut something OF Inquire
in history. Why leave them all out? Why
the great gap in the record and the long jump
from Stephen A. Douglas to Grover Cleveland?
We are aware that any reference to the
period referred to is considered offensive and
cruel. but really if Mr.. Stevenson is set on
pointing with pride to the past of his party, it
seems proper that he should not jump from the
noon Of the century TO its afternoon when so
many interesting and important things were
shortly after the party of Andrew
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