The herald., 1893-09-11
MR.. CLEVELAND AND "NO COMPRo-
MISE"

Whether it be for good or i'll no presi-
dent Of the United States has ever at
tempted to impress his will so directly
upon congress as the present respected
incumbent of that Office. An exception
has been made by SONS persons who are
disposed to comment on this fact in favor
of Andrew johnson; but, as matter of
fact, the Tennessee statesman was kept
busy guarding his own constitutional
prerogatives and from being yanked
bodily out OF the presidential chair. II
all the stories told about Mr.. Cleveland
were to be taken as true he would be &C.
cepted as sort OF American Tsar, and
would push the late autocrst Rsed far
in the background. But are they true?
Outside OF most remarkable directness
in pointing out what he looks upon ss
for the good of the country, there are no
alarming indications that he proposes
to override the functions OF either house
of congress. 1t has been asserted that
the president is withholding his ap-
pointments in order that he may thus
exert coercion upon doubtful members
of congress. 1t would be hard to furnish
any evidence of this statement. Mr..
Cleveland has at all times shown him
self to be very deliberate in his exercise
Of the appointing power. He has acted
almost uniformly on the idea that MEM
bers OF congress ought not to meddle in
that function of the government, and he
probably still retains this opinion.
That the president is man of deter
mined character is shown by glance
at his resoute face. His career has
been such as to encourage feeling of
self-reliance that ia natural feature of
his temperament. What public man
has ever been go lucky as he? Entering
upon his second term, he is no older
than most men have been in the past
when they first ventured to direct their
eyes in the direction OF the White
house. His experiences il the last elec-
ton were of nature to turn the head
of an ordinary man. His triumph was
90 complete as to make his career
unique, recalling the tremendous vic
tory in the gubernatorisl election in
New York that first brought hin, under
the notice OF the people at large. This.
added to bis decisive character. is apt to
give very peremptory air to all he says
or does. That he is thoroughly per-
meated with the idea that all the
measures he favors are right there is
scarcely any room to doubt. He has
much OF Jackson's force of will,
although, in the judgment OF many
persons, good Democrats at that,
and on the whole staunch admirers of
Mr.. Cleveland, in financial matters he
is disposed to employ it in lines dame
tricslly opposed TO those which were
preferred by Old Hickory. Wonld the
sage of the Hermitage, If alive, favor the
repeal of the purchasing clau,e Of
the Sherman act without some
square recognition of bimetallism
Would he allow his secretary
of the treasury to write to congress call
ing upon that body to allow the national
banks to increase their circulation to
the face value of the bonds deposited
with the secretary of the treasury {?
Would he allow his director of the mint
to publicly proclaim the fact that he
looked to London for the real quota
tions OF silver, thereby losing to the
treasury of the United States nearly
ninety thousand dollars in one week ?
1t is pretty safe to say that anyone
familiar with the career of Andrew
Jackson would answer all these qrfes.
tions in the negative. Yet all these
things hinge around single question
of policy, upon which there is great
division of opinion in Mr.. Cleveland
own party, and he has right to hold
and enforce his opinions on all these
heads, always bearing in mind the faci
that the representatives of the people
are the ultimate judges of this issue
and that as to himself. he is bound by
the platform OF the Chicago convention
to bimetallism.
The newspapers have represented Mr.
Cleveland as saying that he would not
kol IN hor