The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-01-03
1t Not Only Reopened the Old Fight in tie
Empire State, but Made Certain the Elec-
tion of the Man He Wanted to Defeat.
Presidential Dictation ins Local Affairs
a Thing the People Won't Tolerate.
Besides, 1t Is an lnsidious Invasion of the
Sacred Democratic States Rights Doc
trine, and Is Sure to Be Resented
COSTLY POLITICAL ERROR.

Cleveland Likely to Find that His Meddiing
in Senatorial Elections Was a Blunder.
Special TO the Indianapolis Journal.
NEW YORK. Jan. 2.-The meddlIng of the
President elect with New York senatorial
affairs has involved his party IN bitter
controversy. This controversy can have
but one conclusion. ana that Will be ex-
actly contrary to the one desired By the
friends of Grover Cleveland. AS if to en-
phasIze his own discontinue. Mr.. Cleve-
land has formally made public his hostility
TO the election of Mr.. Edward Murphy to
the senatorship. less politically shrewd
man than Mr.. Cleveland, un blinded by the
glare of his own personal magnifcence,
must have foreseen that such a course as
that adopted by the President-elect would
wished to avoid. Worse-for it not only
makes the elevation of Mr.. Murphy to the
Senate more certain. but it reopens old
factional sores in this State. sores prac-
tioally healed in the recent election. AS
to this feature of the case-the least i'm
portant one-Mr. Cleveland might well
have profited by the experience of PreSi-
dent Harrison and long line of Presi-
dents before him, and scrupulOusly held
himself aloof from State politics.
There 10 an unmistakable sentiment Of
hostility in the popular heart to the exer-
else OF even the color of presidential in
fuence In local affairs. and this feeling is
not confined to New York. In my opinion,
while | sympathize with the President
elect in his dilemma 1t is very proper
against the encroachments of arbitrary
power. The people are right in resenting
any eXertiOn of federal influence In local
elections, no matter whether the election
be by the people direct or by their Legis-
latuIe, chosen for that purpose. In that
Mr.. Cleveland was elected President upon
that explicit platform. and by the party
which owes its existence to consistent
adherence TO that doctrine, his recent
course is the more reprehensible and lncOm-
prehenslble.
Looking back to 1886. / remember the
cele ebrated controversy between the Presi-
dent of the United States and the Senate
of the United States as to their respective
prerogat1ves 1t arose just six years ago
the coming week. 1t continued for some
two months ana came to an open rupture
with the Senate that set the whole coun-
try aglow with excitement. Certain Sena-s
tors were opposed to the President politlc-
ally and desired to hamper HIM In the OK
ercise of his functions as chief executive
by requiring his reasons for the reno Il of
certain federal Office-h0lders. The fIesi-
dent resented this interference in with
holding the information and appealed TO
the country In message to the Senate on
March l. He set forth in clear and ringing
language the differences between himself
and the Senate and incidentally defined
the respective powers of the Senate and the
executive branch of the government.
HE HAS CHANGED HIS MIND.
haf Aop fta
land. In his message OF that exciting time
Mr.. Cleveland particularly emphasized the
danger of tolerated encrOachments OF one
coordinate branch upon another. The
governmental system contem plated and
recognized three distinct and coordinate
branches of governmenJ-the administra-
tive, the legislative and the judicial 1t
never was designed and was never claimed
that one branch should be in political har-
mony with the other. The powers and
duties were sufficiently we'll defined, and.
according to President Cleveland. there
was no excuse for the encroachments of one
branch upon the other.
By tho light of the controversy of that
time it would appear that Presldent-elect
Grover Cleveland differs materially from
the late President Cleveland. For he is
not only engaged IN the effort to mold the
people of the state of New York TO his will.
doctrine that the Senate of the United
States should be chosen with the direct
view to serving the purpose of the Presi-
dent. l am told, on what appears 90 be
good authority. that his course with regard
to the senatOrship in this State Is bnt q
part OF q systematic effort to secure Sena-
tors personally agreeable TO himself wher-
ever Senators are to be chosen. Ii Is
serted by those who consider that course
legitimate that Mr. Cleveland has entered
nd inti O<
public patronage III every State where a
Legislature makes a Democratic Senator
possible. If this Is true. and the astound-
ing pronnncIamento of last week gives
color to the statement, the President elect
has assumed position in connection with
the presidential office that no other man
has ever dared to assume-Dot even the late
rantsnkerous Andrew Johnson-aGd one
which the party he misrepresents should
frOwn upon.
1t is true, Mr.. Cleveland Is not yet Presi-
dent. But il is quite as true that those
who urge his right as private citizen in
this connection are balancing q very slen-
der cuibble. Mr.. Cleveland is exercising
the intluence of President of the United
States just as IL he were actually in the
presidential chair. AS such he knows that
his emissaries have been travelling all over
this State coaxing and threatening men,
bers of the Legislature with promises of
federal office or with tho refusal of pub
lie Office. TO defeat the election
of Mr.. Murphy TO the senator
ship If such an outrageous
perversion OF executive power should be-
praotIced by Republican President the
Democratic party of the whole country
would be up in a howl against it. There
would be no limit TO the denunciation OF
such interference save the limit of the En-
glish language. But 1t is one of the curious
anomalies of American politics that il is
left for Democratic Presidents TO make the
most serious Inroads upon the rights of the
States Andrew johnson was the last
President who undertook 10 bend the legis-
lative branch Of the government to his
will. But even Andrew johnson. though
he threatened to use the military forces of
the United States to force his DEGREES upon
the Congress- never had the hardihood to
go into the States to manufacture q Con-
gress to suit himself. Trained in the old
fashioned Democratic school, he recognized
the right of the States TO choose their Rep
resentatives IN Congress without executive
interference.
MUGWUMPs WILL BE TAUGHT LESSON.
/ have not heard that the people of the
United States have. In any degree, abdi-
Gated their rights by the election of Grover
Cleveland to the presidency. Perhaps Ii is
natural. under the circumstances, for Mr.
Cleveland, and his super-ardent admirers,
to assume that the usual governmental
forms shall give way to their idols great
personality. and that the rules tha have
been imposed upon other executives Dy the