The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-03-22
THE ENGLISH OF 1T,

Nothing better could be fairly ex-
pected of the English than that they
would take all the tentative PROPOSE
tions in Mr.. Cleveland's inaugural to be
positive declarations, and all his sup
positions conditions as statements of
fact. Following this general plan. and
by judcious brief quotations, the Spec
tator has built up an Interpretation Of
the inaugural which might indeed go
wider of the mark but which could
scarcely be expected to.
According to this modern masker in
an honored suit, Mr.. Cleveland read the
American people lecture upon their
shortcomings which was naughty"
and "free spoken" and conceived in a
very "lofty spirit" but which yet made
them out to be an aggregation of fools,
knaves and thieves, guilty of almost
every conceivable sin, destitute of com
mon sense or patriotism, with no aim
above enrichment of self at the expense
of the public.
The Spectator concludes that Mr.
Cleveland is "an undeveloped auto
crat," and after it has painted the
faults of Americans, as revealed TO it
by the inaugural as vividly as it could,
it proceeds to inform MS what he will do
as President, being disposed to give
everybody time"
"He will reduce the tariff till Nc
Kinleyism disappears from il; he will
in December stop further purchases of
silver; he will abolish the bounties and
duties which protect the trusts; he
will sweep off the [pensionl list every
man who cannot prove wounds. disease
or heavy losses due to the civil war he
will, by insisting on examinations and
tests of competence, render the 'spoils
of victory of comparatively little value
to politicians. In short he will set
"a tone"
II is easy to agree with the Spectator
that Mr.. Cleveland will "set a tone.
Ii may be assumed that he has done SC
already, and that the tone" he has set
is one that vibrates agreeably upon the
tympani of our English friends who
have been listening for it anxiously
ever since Washington took Cornwallis's
sword at Yorktown.
While the Spectator has interpreted
the inaugural too closely along the line
of its desires, it is certainly made mp OF
extremely tempting material and an op
portunity thrust upon it to beguile it
self once more with the seductiv,
strains of the prophecy of the instabil
ity Of this government and the stupid
ity of this people. This opportunity
was deliberately created by Mr.. Cleve
land, and the material was CAREFUL,
prepared by him.
What warrant has Grover Cleveland
for thus inviting such criticism upor
his country and its peopleS Does hi
own past sustain his pretentions to ex
alted goodness? Does the part his part,
has played in the history of this coun
try give IL right TO arrogate to itsel
the task Of reviewing and paradinl
alleged weaknesses of the American
people? These queries will occu
TO greater number of peopl
as time passes, and with addi
tional force. as it is developed
that the President and his party hav,
not the power to raise the standard o
American citizenship. because TN
Democratic standard is far below tn
average, nor to effect the governments
reforms they appear TO deem needful
because their own conception Of tn
functions Of government are below th,
lowest point ever touched by any ad