Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-08-09
a Poor Defence, out a Magnificent
Tribute.

Sieahu 10 not WONDERFUL. 10
call 1t feeble is no injustice to MIR.
Villas.
Mr.. Vest. Mr. Harris. and Mr.. Jones
OF Arkansas are probably every one of
them as anxious for free coal and free
iron ore and free raw materials oener-
ally Us Mr.. Cleveland ever has been or
ever can be. These three Senators
have told what the country believes to
be the exact truth about the Pre=i-
dents attitude toward the Senate COM
promise bill up to July .. the date OF
the letter to Wilson, and even after
ward. Repeatedly lie gave them to
understand that although he would
have perfcrred free coal and free iron
ore. just as they themselves would
have preferred free coal and iron,
could they have had their way, he, the
President, was nevertheless ready to
accept the bill as it stood, and to sup
port it with all the influence of the
Administration. If the statement of
Senator Jones. Senator Vest, Senator
Harris, and Senator German needed
confirmation, they would have it in
the notorious and publicly avowed eff
forts of Mr.. Clcveland's Secretary of
the Treasury to help along the compro-
mise measure and TO commend it to the
Democracy.
Why, this must have been the TN
derstanding of even Mr.. Villas himself,
close as he says he is to Mr.. Cleveland.
AS recently as July 3 Mr.. Villas was
informing the Senate as to what the
Secretary of the Treasury did aud did
not desire with regard to the amend
ment of the bill in the matter of barb
ed fence wire. AS recent as May p
Mr.. Villas was recorded as voting
against proposition to put iron ore
on the free list. AS recently as June
IS he voted against a proposition TO
put coal on the free list.
Mr.. Vilas's argument is that Mr.
Cleveland could not have been guilty
of willingness to see raw materials
taxed. Can it be presumed" he
asks, THAT that distinguished man
would idly lay aside that great princi
ple?" Well, Mr.. Villas himself was
willing to lay it aside. Mr.. Vest Mr..
Harris. and Mr.. Jones say that MIR.
Cleveland was willing to lay it aside,
for the sake of getting a bill through.
Mr.. Villas says substantially that the
testimony of Vest. Harris, and Jones
Is worthless; that it is ..heresay in its
nature;" that delicacy prevented Mr..
Cleveland from demanding free coal
and free iron ore in his talks with
these Senators; that their cOnversa
tions with the President must have
related rather to general principles
than specific items; that Vests testi- |
mony, for example, "would be exclud-
ed in a court of justice" and so forth.
1t strikes US. on the whole, that Sena
tor Vilas's argument leaves Mr.. Clcve- !
land in a predicament worse, if any
thing, than that In which the evidence |
of the tariff reform Senators put that |
distinguished statesman.
But it was great speech, neverthc-
less; great as a eulogy, if weak as an
argument. The spirit of personal adj
miration, not to say alteration, in
which the Hon. William +. Villas dis
cusses the Presidents greatness and
goodness is worthy of Private Secreta-
ry Thurber himself. Read this declar-
alton of Vilas's humble gratitude for
the privilege of having been permitted
to sit at the council table with Mr.
Cleveland:
81 have often said that of the rewards,
few and stinted, which come to labori-
Gus public men, one of those, greatest
to me and in my estimation, was the
privilege of participating in the up
right. lofty and faithful councils of
that distinguished man in his efforts to
render useful public service to his
countrymen in his day and genera
tion."
And this almost fearful rebuke of
Senator German for the temerity of his
language concerning the Hon. Grover
Cleveland:
ITO assault the President is to strike
at the republic, to insult him is to af-
front every good citizen, to asperse
him is to sting the heart of every true
American. Not only in his official ca
pacity, but now also in his admirable.
his wonderful individuality, tried in
the sternest ordeal and known to eve
ry man of intelligence and strength of
mind. Grover Cleveland stands perfect
ly recognized as himself the full meas
ure of man worthy of his great Office.
The Senator from Maryland, l fear,
must suffer, and l do not wish to add
to it, but Grover Cleveland can suffer
no impairment of his stature in history
from this unfustifiable assault. He
will stand, as he deserves to stand,
conspicuous in the noble line of illus
trious public servants of his country.
and long years hence. when the actors
of to-day's tempestuous scene shall
have passed away"
We must say one thing for Senator
Villas. Although, by voting along with