The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-07-24
The President and the senators.

oAO OA1oti SCo AN ~
German, Vest, Jones and Harris
against President Cleveland. Ii they
are to be taken at their face value, the
President would appear to have been
guilty of treachery and double eai-
ing of an amazing and assuredly OF a
dastardIy kind. If the President is to
be acquitted of this blame, the Sena-
tors stand before the people veritable
monsters of vengeful and malicious
falsehood. There is hardly any mid
die ground ON which to adjust the
case. Misunderstanding Of the mag
nitude involved in this dispute are
hardly within the bounds of credible
ity. Either the President deliberately
led the Senators into a tariff trap and
having caught them therein proceed
ed to slaughter their influence and
reputation, or else the Senators hav-
ing received an almost death blow
from the President in the Wilson let
ter, made up their minds that it was
a case of his destruction or theirs and
so entered into a conspiracy to black
en- his reputation beyond cleansing.
Now. the Presidents side of the case
has not been heard yet, and he is in
this difficult position that he can
only reply to this Senatorial attack
by indirect means. But in the alb
sence OF his statement, or explanation.
or denial, there are several considera-
tions which will occur to every one,
and which will at least prevent alb
soIute acceptance of the Senator'S
story, except by those who are going
about open-mouthed, eager to swai-
low any attack upon the Presidents
character. The first of these con-
siderations is the absolute absence of
purpose or motive for the conduct i'm
puted to the President. He is accused
of deliberately ~consenting to the SEN
ate amendments in conversation with
Senators at the very time when he
had written a letter condemning these
very amendments. This is y charge
on its face hardly credible. What
was tine President togain by it? How
did such action advance his W per-
sonal interests, or how did it aid the
caus in which we presume no one
will dispute he was concerned with all
his energy?
It would mean nothing to many
people to say that such duplicity as
is alleged is in direct variance with
the whole history of the Presidents
life. Many things have been said
about him, but cowardice, duplicity
and treachery have never been count
ed among his faults. Yet the charges
made by the Senators involve all
these abominable vices in an abom-
Unable degree, and besides they as
sumo a folly which would ordinarily
not he credited to a schoolboy of
average intellect, for if the President
had pursued the course of double
dealing described he must have known
that exposure was an inevitable re-
suit. and be should be insane to think
that exposure would be followed by
M sentiment save public execration.
Yet we are expected to believe that
the President, without gaining the
smallest advantage for himself, with
the certainty of making new enemies
for the bill on whose passage his
IaGle Is Stdhcui QeiIOCl NbOiy y ootAO
the policy of his life, altered his very
nature, as it were, and seduced Ger.
tain Senators to take UP o vulnerable
position SO that he might infiict a
severe injury upon them, all the time
having before his eyes the certainty
of speedy exposure and hopeless
condemnation at the Hands of the
people. ssgs
Perhaps we may pc pardoned for
being very slow to believe any such
thing as this. Jca
1t is painful to think that four or
more Senators oil, the United States
have coolly and deliberately con-
epired to blacken the President by
falsehood. IT is almost equally pain
full to think that they have AL allowed
the violent passions III their breasts
to SO blind and deceive them that
they have done this thing in a frenzy
OF vengeance and terror for their own
futures. This is indeed sad to think.