St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-02-04
PRoFITnEss DISCUSSIONS.


Success as Presldent?" is answered in
the affirmative by James jeffrey Roche.
and the negative is sustained by John
Ford.
While the GLOBE admits that this
class of articles possesses certain in
terest, 1t questions their utility or per-
manent value, and regards it as exceed
lngly problematical if the interests of
truth are served by them. When man
Is assigned to the duty Of defending an
officials conduct, the inevitable result is
that he eXaggerates his virtues and
dwarfs his faults. The equally leglti-
mate motive of the opposite party is to
distort the motives, misrepresent the
actions and mislnterpreu the effects of
the conduct OF the person in controversy.
Both articles are absolutely valueless,
Tor neither Is written in judicial spirit;
both are biased by prejudice of the most
baneful sort. And the reader is not led
TO just estimate of the person or the
measure in controversy, for the bias on
each side is So manifest as to induce in
creduiity for tho statements and coll
tempt for the conclusions of both.
In the article in question Mr.. Roche
Shows that he is-perhaps for this oc-
casion only-a blind worshiper at the
shrine of Clevelandism. He admits in
a perfunctory way that the president
has made mistakes. and will probably
make more, but regards this fact as
adding to instead of letraeting from the
nobility of his character. for it simply
that ha l., hrrs 10 fa
think that his errors were not only ex-
cusable but commendable, and he de-
mands admiration because of them.
This is folly. An error of Judgment or
policy i'll one who should be superior 10
influences tending to error is more in
eXcuSable than in one surrounded by
influences that prompt to unwarrant-
able conclusions. Mr.. Cleveland has
made his own policies and has chosen
his own surroundings. That they are
to his own liking we have abundant evil
dence. That they are not wholly to the
peoples liking, anu sometimes inimical
To the public good, does not ad nit OF
question. LII other words they are hu-
man beings.
Mr.. Ford enters upon his side of the
controversy with manifest prejudice,
not untinctured with malice. He is
sweeping in his denunciations of the
president and dIctatorial in his assertion
as facts of theories and conditions that
are yet uncertainties. We need look for
little fairness from man who starts
out with the declarations:
Grover Cleveland is not courageous.
He is simply obstinate. Grover Cleve.
land is not honest He is merely a
preacher OF reforms which he hypocrit-
lcally evadeS in practice. Grover Cleve
land is not patriot. He is selfish
and self-centered man, who lacks that
first element of American patriotisni--a
regard for and devotion to the will
and the interests of the people.
Simple assertion Is not proof, and
there will be few Americans who will
lndorse this estimate of Mr.. CIeveland's
character. Starting from such premises
"a wildly exaggerated, and even mali
cious Misrepresentation of the character
of the person whose merits are. under
diScuSsion-it is not surprising that Mr..
Ford should reach the conclusion that
If the president ''is allowed to dominate
our party until the next presidential
election. l believe the people, fully
awakened to the hypocrisy. the selfish
ness. the needless mot to say ignoranD
Obstinacy of the man and his unpatri-
otic, un-American tendencies, will hold
the party responsible, and will put us
farther back than we were in 49,"
The GLOBE repeats that such contro.
versies are poWerless of accomplishing
good. The prejudice or both sides is
so apparent that IN neither argument
may the truth be found. And it is diff
cult, after reading both sides, to strike
1.-THE happy mean" which shall repre-
sent the truth. 1t is not for the critics
OF the present day to estimate the char
acter of Grover Cleveland. The effects
OF his administration of public affairs
are not yet determined. Even Specula-
ton as to their probable influence is
necessarily based upon uncertainty
The results Of the silver legislation and
of the tariff amendments are yet i'll
definite. They will be inappreciable,
perhaps. for years to come. They will
only be seen in their completeness after
the lapse of years-perhaps generation
will have passed before we will fully
know and be able to Judge of the wisdom
of these acts.
People can afford to postpone judy
menI upon the character of the presi-
dent until after he has passed from the
stage of activity. As long as he is
factor in public policies he will have
champions, no matter If he should per-
petrate the browning infamy of the
ages; and he will have enemies if all his
acts are dictated by the purest motives
and inspired by wisdom approaching
the divine. We can only now argue
from the standpoint of present expedi-
ency, which may be future folly. A
quarter of century hence, when the
existing partisan animosities shall have
passed away and passions shall have
cooled, judicial view may be possible,
but today it is out of the question.