New-York tribune., 1894-04-28
THE PRESIDENTS RESPONSIBILITY.

President tlcNclauu lS ldhluE III '''''' III
tcrcst in the manocuyrcS Of the tramp bniiallonS
now marching upon Washington from the West
and Southwest lie assumed personal rcspon-
sibility for the measures adopted by me war
Dopartmcnt for the arrest and disarming of The
Montana lawbrcakcrS by a detachment of III"
Regular Army He has received reports from
the Secretary of War upon the situation In IN"
States Of Washington and Oregon. and has au-
thorlzcd the employment Of regulars for IN"
protection Of railway property now mcnaccd
by train-siealcr- He is also consulting with
General Schofcld respecting precautionary
measures for the suppression Of laWl"-sn''S IN
the National Capital whenever tn advance
guard Of the Coxcy brigade may appear. II Is
even intimatcd iha, II the city police and the
District militia unable 10 rcpreSS disorder
he will not hesitate to exercise his authority aS
Commandcr-in- chief II Tho Army AMI Navy II"
IS certainly justified in taking very serious
view OF the present state Of affairs. We d" not
doubt that he is deeply concerned in the maintc-
nance Of public order. and appreciates IN" no
ccsslty Of unccaSnG vigilance and rcsoluic cour-
age in dealing with the Populist iSobs now
swarmng In nearly every Western Aate.
But we are not by any means conAlcnt that
the President. while fully alive 10 the obliga-
tions Of his high office in securing the abatc-
mcnt and suppression Of lawlcSSncsS throughout
the country. understands his own responsibility
and that Of his party for the social rcstlcsSncSS
N which Coxcyism Is the direct result. TIL"
first signal for the Democratic campaign ~
1892 was the speech delivered by Mr.. Cleveland
IN Providence in which he quoted the Eighth
Commandment OF the Dccaloguc against the
Protective system; and from the same platform
he listened approvingly 10 Ex-Governor Camp
bells declaration that every poor man ought 10
vote against the Republican party because he
was poor and because 1t was the party of the
rich. Then he accepted nomination from
convention which denounced "Rcpublican Pro-
lection AZ n fraud and robbery Of The great
majority Of the American people for the benefit
Of the few" and The Mckinley tariff as the
"culminatng atrocity OF class legislation foS-
tcring "no industry so much as ii does that Of
the Sheriff" In every speech and uttcrancc of
that campaign Mr.. Cleveland laid stress upon
the INEQUALITIES and Injustice OF the Pro-
tcctive system, and promoted and instigatcd
social rcStlcssncSS hy declaring that farmers
and wagecarncrs were not getting their fair
share of the prospcrityof the country. but were
overwhelmed and paralyzcd under the weight
of monstrous. inequitable tariff taxation.
Moreover the President was elected by nm
open alliance OF his party vic the PopulisS.
who In their platform had appropriated his own
idea that Protection was contrary 10 the Eighth
Commandment. "Thc fruits Of the toll Of mill
ions" they said, 'are boldly stolen to build mp
colossal fortunes for few and from the
same prolific womb Of governmental injustice
we breed the two great classes tramps and
millionalrcs" "Thc National power 10 create
money" they declared. "is appropriated To en-
rich bondholdcrs'; "the supply of currency is
purposcly abridged 10 fattcn usurcrs. bankrupt
enterprise and cnslavc industry; and n vast
conspiracy against mankind has been organized
on two continents" The powers Of Govern
mcnt. they asserted. should be expanded ito
the end that oppression, injustice and poverty
shall eventually cease in the land" II was
with the cooperation Of the Populists, breath
ing out fire and slaughter against the interests
of property and industry and boldly proclaim
ing Socialism In It's rankeSt form, that Mr.
Cleveland was elected and when he was in.
augurated he expressed his obligations by offer
ing the leading place in his Cabinet to Judge
Gresham. the man whom they had sought 10
nominate for the Presidency; and In his Deccm
Der message he advocated the Populist policy
of income taxation.
1t Is we'll 10 remember these things at a time
when after year Of Democratic rule the Sher
IFS industry is indeed the only one that Is
nourshlng in the land, and when the tramps
are marching on Washington from every point
Of the compass Mr.. Cleveland and his party
were sowing the wind in 1892 when they were
fostering social discomfort, arraylng class
against class, and conspiring with Populists
and Socialists to wreck the fortunes Of the
country. They are reaping the whrlwind now
when they have made Democracy and Popullsm
almost Identical. prostratcd every business in
terest in the Nation. and set in motion over
the face Of the continent struggling bands of
fanatics and tramps. crying aloud for Govern
ment issues Of money for the unemployed and
for the abolition Of poverty by legs>s ton