San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-08-11
DISCUSSING GROVER
Cleveland-Who Has Repudiated
His Chicago Platform-The Mes
sage Negative Document.

Ills ShiCdSO 1ldeiOth - hc MICS
sage a Negative Document.
| Special Correspondence OF the LIGHT.
AUSTIN, Tex, Aug. 10.
Well, it has come, and Austin
patriots, both Hogg Democrats and
Clark Democrats, have been busy
perusing and talking over Cleve-
lands message. What have they
found in it? They have found that
it is short and pithy, but it's defect
is in the fact that it makes no
clear and vigorous recommendation
to congress for any aggressive
movement looking to the relief of
the country from the fearful condi-
ton in which we find ourselves. He
discussesIat considerable length the
silver question and traces as he
thinks all our woes of the present
back to the Sherman act passed
by congress, July IA, 1880. He
says: 81 believe these things are
principally chargeable to congress
sional legislation touching the
purchase and coinage of sill
yer by the general govern
ment." This Sherman act may
be remembered was at the time
of its passage a truce or compro-
mise between the free coinage and
the silver men and the ants whom
Mr.. Cleveland styles the conserva-
tives. To this compromise Mr..
Cleveland thinks he traces the
long train of disasters which have
come upon our nation and recon-
mends its unconditional re-
peal without pointing out any
other mode of relief or in
short the whole message is
a document in the negative. No OPP
pressiVe policy as every one had
right to expect from Mr.. Cleveland.
When we take into consideration
the fact that the Sherman act was
a compromise after long struggle,
what will be the legitimate effect
of its repeal without something
in it's stead of betterment to the
people?IhWill not things relapse
into the same mong struggle" to
result in some other compromise
Mr.. Cleveland very charitably
says, "This matter rises above the
plane of party pOlitics"-thus
makes his first kick at the plat
form upon which he was elected,
"tbat gold and silver should be of
equal values as standard of cur
rency. Mr.. Cleveland's misfortune
is that he has never been
a Democrat after the Chica-
go platform style. And now
out of the two parties he is trying
to make to himself a Cleveland
anti-silver party. This might be
we'll enough if he had anything to
show up or show down for splitting
his party on this issue, by de-
claring that it "was above the
plane of party politics." The
fact is, Mr.. Cleveland takes
the position that "the plane
of party politics" is high
enough for a fellow to seek
office on, but it is not high
enough to bind him in the func-
tions of the office after he gets it,.
One of the curious facts is that
during the caucus for the nominal
lions and then for the election, we
were told by the astute
political managers, like Roger Q.
Mills and German, and others,
that silver was not in it-that
silver would take care of itself at
the proper time. But the great
issue-the one issue-the Cleve-
land idea, was the tariff reform.
Now that the election is over the
President is forced to call an extra
session upon that issue, which was
to take care of itself, and the
burning question of that hour
is relegated to the second place.
Mr.. Cleveland says: "But while
tariff reform has lost nothing
of it's immediate Importance and
must in the near future engage the
attention of Congress, it has
seemed to me THAT the financial
condition of the country should at
once, and before all other subjects,
be considered by your honorable
body. Last spring Mr.. Cleveland
and Wall street said issue gold
certificates. Mr.. Carlisle said no.
Does Cleveland intend to make
Congress do that which Carlisle
refused him? A.G. 5.