San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-09-29
cLEvELANo's LETTER.

the democratic press az an able and
patriotic document; "clear in its ex-
preston upon the great issues"
"lucid ana foreeful," leaving mo
doubt upon his views" and "fittiDg
into the Chicago platform as q sound
Interpretation of democratic doc
trine." II the meaning be "sound"
Interpretation as opposed to "sense"
then the eulogy may stand, other
wise not. 1t is safe to say fIom COM
parison'of the letter with the Chicago
platform, that 1t was written with
the very and express purpose of ex-
pressing nothing lest in 80 express
ing it should betrsy the writer's lack
| OF agreement with the very peculiar
document put forth by the national
| democracy at Chicago. In this at
tempt to speak and say nothing,
Cleveland has not only succeeded,
but he has succeeded aJ the expense
of the Anglo.Saxon tongue in q way
that paralyzes criticism, and begga rs
description. Some of the sentences of
this letter will be the wonder If lot
the admiration of after generations.
should they ever read them. They
stand q monument of meaningless
words and testimony to the trans
cendant abilities of Dan Lamont, who
on former occasions licked such speci-
mems of English composition as this
letter into shaps, and gave the coun-
try the erroneous impression that
Grover Cleveland understood the
use of his mother tongue. In
speaking of that particular hobby
of his, "civil service reform" this let
ter of Growers says: Through it's
operation worthy merit in every sta
tion is recognized and it's application
tends to raise the standard of politi.
cal activity from spoils hunting and
unthinking political activity to the
advocacy of party principles by reas-
OH and argument" If this sentence
means anything it means that offices
are to 60 to the fellows who argue on
party principles and not to those who |
do the buttonholing business OF ward !
politics, but what bearing 1t has on
civil service reform which, opposes
the distribution of offices as q reward |
for party services, it is difficult to
cay. The whole thing is as clear as
mud. Speaking of the tariff this
inimitable letter says: "Such pro-
position is so clear TO the contrary |
to the spirit of our consti-
tuition, and so directly encourages
distur Dances by the selfishness and
greed of patriotic sentiment that its
statements etc." AS Dick Swiveller
would say, Here's richness" "the
selfisbness and greed of patriotic sens
tment" is immense. No one but the
candidate of the great democracy
would have evolved such an idea from
the depths of his unrefiectiveness. II
it means anything it means that
patriotic sentiments give birth to
greed and selfishless. This may be
true from democratic stand point
but will not be accepted by republic
cans. Patriotic sentiments yield gen
erous fruits of unselfish good to the
nation, not greed and selfishness.
Speaking of paternalism also, Cleve-
land says it is symptom
of misrule manifested and unsuthor-
lied by unwaranted control" This
sentence is either nOnsensical, or
Pathological and at the same time so
much like both 1T were difficult to
say to which class 1t legitemately be-
longs. Closing his conundrum, the
would-be president says. "In an in
complete and imperfect manner I
have thus endeavored to state some
of the things which accord with the
creed and intentions of the party to
which 1 have given my life long al
legiance." If this is irony 1t is good.
If intended for q serious statement 1t
is hugh joke. If the positions taken
by the letter on tariff, banking and
the currency are in accord with the
declarations OF the Chicago platform,
the fact is not discernsble to the closest
observation. The whole letter is
string of words calculated to deceive
the reader into q belief that the writer
stands squsrely on the Chicago plat
form, when in fact he stands squarely
upon nothing and fronts both ways
for Office 1t is a remarkable docu-
ment, issued at remarkable time for