The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-08-30
THAT LETTER.

President Cleyeland's last letter, like
| its predecessors, was private, but some
how got into the papers. The simllitude
is carried further by being more incon-
sistent than any others to date. In fact,
if anything was needed to put the seal
of "perfidy and dishonor" upon the
work of the president and his congress,
it was supplied in this letter 10 Catch
ings.
He evidently sat down 10 write with
| the assumption that the tariff bill, as
passed, was rrevocable-that having
passed, no power on earth could change
or hinder It's becoming a law. True, his
ruling passion-nbOrn stubborness-was
| mildly asserted in his refusing TO sign 1t,
/ but the exercise of his veto seemed a
blank in his capacious mind. How MS
/ good, right hand must nave lost its
/ cunning since the closing scenes of his
| first administration, when it was his
daily custom to blot out some dozens Of
/ private pension bills.
La the preamble Of this letter he tells
the civilized world, through Mr.. Catch
ings, that he is no better than his party.
This will be so universally accepted that
we migat as well call it unanimous. TIE
utter uselessness of the statement, how
ever, is in the generally conceded fact
that nobody ever said he was.
Mark his franknesS in the admission
that ''there are provisions in this bill
which are not in line with honest tariff
reform, and it contains inconsistencies
and crudities which ought not to apper
in tariff laws or laws Of any kind.
Besides, there were, as you and l we'll
know incidents accompanying the pass
age of the bill through congress which
made every sincere reformer unhappy,
while influences surrounded it in its
later stages and interfered with its final
construction which ought not to be
recognized or tolerated in Democratic
reform councils" Due credit should be
given the president for this Outburst of
candor. The ''incidents" are fresh in
the mind of every reader of the dis
patches. and can refer to nothing less
than the shameful seilOut TO the sugar
trust. The facility with which he re-
fuses to be separated from his party, the
free admission that these said scenes and
incidents" are all "chargeable to Dem
cratic effort" actually read as if the pres
ident was growing penitent, and that he
would array his party-congress included
in the sombre hablaments of sack
cloth. There is hope for even boodling,
repentant member OF the Fifty-third con-
gress while he brings the fruits of re-
pentance. The old Methodist policy of
SIX months probation, however, might |
prove test of faith.
The grimest joke of this epistle is in |
his thurst at the combinations and |
trusts, whose Vaccinations have pre-
vented us from reaching the success we /
deserve" 1--WE shall recover" saws the |
president, "from our establishment at
their exhibition of power" This revela- |
ton viii take away a load of appre- |
hension from the public mind eve" |
are not only TO ''recover from our aston |
ishment," but "we will accept and settle
that issue as one involving the integrity |
and safety of American Institutions" |
knowing that ''we"-thiS great apostle |
of free trade and his partY-are to sac !
cept and settle" this great issue, this |
nation may now retire to blissful dreams |
of that elysian day which is to equalize |
and adjust the fame and fortune of all |
American citizens.
The president exhorts the millions
who have fought bravely aud well for /
tariff reform to meet the changed condi- |
tons to every humble home in the land |
and the blessings of increased comfort ]
and cheaper living" How these bles-
sings and cheaper living are TO be /
brought about by party perfidy" or by !
incidents which ought not to be rec
cognized' is not stated. A few things
in connection with this letter may be
First, it is genuine; next, the
president is authorized to speak for his
party; next, the tariff bill contains pro-
visions mot in line with honest tariff
reform" And, further. it sets forth
that the sacred and Over-shadOwing pur-
pose of this congress was set aside and
defeated by the Vaccinations" of a
wicked trust Bus the involuntary cues
question which Will not down.
Is: why did the president allow all this
deviltry TO so on and ripen into law
without the exercise of his constitu-
tional privilege-the veto power?