The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-08-15
CLEVELAND AND CONGRESS.


1t is quite right to criticize any act or
utterance of the President or other officer
OF the government that is open to objec-
ton. 1t is not right to charge either OF
them with language or conduct which
there is no proof has been spoken or
committed. CLEVELAND IS views on the
financial question nave been plainly
stated. People who disagree with them
may freely antagonize them. Nobody
will endeavor to stifie their free speech by
voice or through the press. But they are
not justified in endeavors to misrepresent
his words or to attribute motives to him
which are pure invention.
CLEvELAND's ''deadly hostility to sill
yer" and his opposition to the platform
of his party'' exist; in the minds of his
enemies and appear in their attacks upon
his message, but they are not to be found
in the document itself. The repeal OF the
purchasing clause of the SHERMAN law
is demanded in the platform of the party.
That the President present is as something
of immediate necessity. He called Con-
gress TO meet for that purpose. The
maintenance OF the parity between gold
and silver as money is also demanded in
the platform, and the President has au-
nounced his desire for its accomplish
ment.
His tdeadly hostility to silver'' has not
yet appeared. Let those who disagree
with the Presidents ideas as to the man
ner in which parity is TO be maintained,
wait until he declares that he wants to
destroy silver as money before they attack
him further on that point.
4 few days ago he was accused of TAX
ing adTantage of the power vested in hira
as to 'patronage'' in the Offices to bull
doze members OF Congress into support OF
his measures. Not scintilla of proof
has been offered that he has attempted
anything of the kind. Besides, this re-
commentator to repeal the debated
clause in the SHERMAN law is not his
measure, but party demand and the
united demand of the great body OF the
people of all parties and classes.
We are now told that President CLEvE
LAND ''enjoins upon the anti-silver fac
ton that there must be no compromise, -
and that this assumption of control
over the action of the House is not only
unwarranted, impertinent and a just
subject of resentment, but contains in
itself a most dangerous menace to free
institutions. Working itself up to a
fury on bare rumor without shadow Of
proof IN its support, a local opposition
paper declares that Never before in the
history of the country has the Executive
so openly overstepped the bounds of his
Office -
| All this is predicated on mere piece of
gossip. Some newspaper correspondent
has stated that it is understood the
President has expressed himself in that
way. When, where and to whom is not
stated. All that is known is that the
President has convened Congress, de-
livered his message and gone away from
the capital. The rest is mere conjecture,
and the commissions of local contempor-
airy over this Executive interference, -
menace to our institutions, - and ''con-
duct full CT peril to the. liberties of the
people, are nothing but the offspring
Of a vain and impure Imagination.
Such partisan rawlings are despic able
and pusrile. There is plenty OF room to
dispute with the President on his known
utterances concerning the question now
before the country. There is no need to
invent anything further. As to his ac-
tions in reference TO Congress there must
be sheer invention in order to find fault,
| Congress is perfectly free to fully debate
the propositions before the two Houses
and nothing that the President has saio
or done or attempted, SO far as is capable
OF proof, stands in the way of that full
liberty.
/ We anticipate good TO arise to the silver
cause out of this extra session and the
discussion which it brings of the financia
Iquestion. But we are sure that no helI
viii be afforded to the silver cause by at.
tacks on those who disagree wit
our view OF the question, and thai
only harm can come from These
unjust and unfounded charges agains
the President, first because he is a Demo
crat, and next because he does not tax,
any further step on the road to bimetall.
ism than to recommend the clearing GU
of the way OF the most serious obstruc
ton, in his view, to a sound and stabl,
financial system.