The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1892-03-18
A Letter from Cleveland.

MILWAUKEE. March 1I-Ceneral Ed
ward :. Bragg, father of the famous
phrase: We love him for the enemies
ne has made has been sIrging eE-PrcSi
dent Cleveland to make public an avowal
in connection with the approaching
Democratic presidential convention.
Under date of March ; he wrote a letter
to DIR. Cleveland from Fon-Du-Lac, con-
tanning the following paragraph.
The danger To pubic interest which
4 failure of the Democratic party would
irry olive seems To now require the avOTal
OF your Willingness To submit To any ser
vice to which your party may assign You.
Many entertain the belief that you may
decline further public duty. which none
hut you can effectually remove, and
your voice Will everywhere be heard with
benefit and effect. | believe your use
fUlneSS To- the nation may toe greater now
than ever in the past to carry To- victory
the cause of tariff reform and 10 restore
the blessings OF good government 10 our
people. This a. your fellow Democrat
and fellow citizen | ask YOU to say To-
your party and the people that your
name be p .e>cntcd to the national Demo
cratic convention for it, nomination To
the presidency and that you will accept
that nomination II the convention shall
make II and again undertake the duties
Of president if the party shall, az be-
lieve they will. choose you for that Of
fee
Ia reply, the ex-pre-ident wires as
follows:
"L,KEwooD, y. j., March .
Hon. Edward :. Bragg,
"DEAR SR:-Nuur letter of the 9TH
/ inst. J. received have thought until
now that | might continue silent on the
subject which, under the high sanction
| of your position ~ my fellGW Democrat
1 and fellow citizen. and in y0ur relation
/ as a true and trusted friend, you present
/ to me. II in answering your question /
/ might only consider my personal desires
/ and my individual ease and comfort, my
response would he promptly made and
without the least reservation OF difficulty
But if you are right in suppOsing that
/ the subject l. related 10 a duty ! owe to
/ the country and 10 my party, a condition
/ exists which makes such private and
/ personal condition entirely Irrelevant.
1 cannot, however, refrain from declaring
1 to you that my experience in the great
/ office of president has 10 impressed me
| with the SOlcmnlty Of the trust and it,
( awful responsibilities that | cannot bring
/ myself to regard candidacy for the
/ place as something to be won by person
al strife and active self assertion.
! have also an idea that the presidency i
pre-emincntly the peoples office and l
] have been sincere in my constant adyO-
cacy of the effective participation in po-
litIcal affairs on the part Of all our cItl-
zens
Consequently | believe the peopl,
+ should toe heard in the choice OF theiI
party candidates and that they them,
, selves should name the nominees as di-
I rcctly a. l. consistent with open and
fair party organization and methods.
| speak of these things SOlcy for the pur-
pose Of advising YOU that my coucep,
ton Of the nature Of the presidential Of
ticc and my conviction that the voters ot
our party should be free in the selection
of their candidates. 1t precludeS the
possibility Of my leading and pushing
-elf-~cekIng canvass for the presidential
nomination, even if | had desire 10 be
again candidate. Believing that tn,
complete supremacy of Democratic prin
clpleS means increased national prosper
i-y and the increased happiness of oul
people, | am earnestly anxious for tht
success Of the party.
Il am confident success l. still within
our reach, but | think this Is a time fol
Democratic thOughtfulncsS and deliber
alton, not only TO candidates, but con
corning party action upon questions O
immense interest to the patriotic anC
intelligent voters OF the land. who watcl
| for assurance of safety for their conf
dence and support.
Yours very truly,
GROVER CLEVELAND.