The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-07-31
Grover Cleveland's Mistake.

In the opinion of many New York
politicians, the greatest single falling
of the present president, apart from
his Incorporate self-coniidence and
self-esteem, is his inability to rise
to great political emergencies. 1t
is conceded that in things where par
tisanship is subordinate he is, for the
most part, strong-willed and coura-
geous. This was illustrated no later
than during the Chicago strike, when
his firmness and accurate Judgment
displayed themselves to conspicuous
advantage. But where party interest
is concerned, where there is room for
diplomacy and tinesse as well as back
bone and obstinacy, it is the predom-
inant belief of those who have studied
Mr.. Cleveland most thoroughly that he
is weak, almost fatally.
Those who coincide with this opinoin
will concur in the assertion of "Hol-
land,n that if Mr.. Cleveland had kept
his hands off the tariff and permitted
senatorial jobbery to do its worst until
an ohjectional measure had been con-
veyed to him for his signature, he
could have accomplished one Of the
neatest pieces Of political strategy that
has ever come within the opportunity
of any president. He could "have sent
the bill back to congress with his dis
approval, accompanied by comments
which would have brought to him the
acclaim of the great body of the Demo
cratic party, and at the same time he
could also have pointed to the political
effects which would follow the betray-
al Of the Democracy by the senatorial
cabal inspired by the Sugar trust. He
might have reminded congress that on
the issue of revenue reform, as it is
called, there followed an election in
1892, by which an overwhelming ma
jonty was returned to the house and q
small majority to the senate of Demo-
Gratis, and by great plurality Demo-
cratic president was elected. To tam
per with that issue, to betray the
people who voted for these principles,
would be, the president might have
said, simply to tempt reversal of the
popular judgment. Then Mr.. Cleve-
land might have said that he returned
without his signature the bill, awaiting
calmly the verdict of the American
people at the November elections, and
predicting that such verdict would be
such condemnation of the Democracy
as might compel it at the next session
Of congress to pass swiftlya genuine
tariff bill"
BY this simple strategy the effects
Of the almost certain Republican vic
tories next fall would have been dis
counted, and the Republican press
have been outgeneraled and silenced
at one move. The inability Of the
president to perceive this extraordin-
ary strategtic advantage has, instead,
been followed by an exactly antitheti-
cal blunder which has solidified
against him the brains of his own
party without bringing him strength
from any other source. The conse-
quence, while ludicrous enough to his
opponents, has been most awkward to
his supporters; and we are not
surprised to learn from "Holland"
that scores of eminent business and
professional men in New York city
who would, two years ago, with en-
thusiasm have deserted their private
affairs to organize mass meetings in
support of Mr.. Cleveland's smallest
wish are today Indifferent or openly
hostile to the man and shame-faced
concerning his party and his recent
associations. We are fast nearing the
end of the Cleveland myth.