The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1894-07-23
The Presidents Letter.

|
The Presidents Letter.
There are many things i'll the recent
letter of President Cleveland to Chair
man Wilson, of the ways and means
committee of the house, The Constitu-
ton heartily approves, but it does not
seem to go far enough on the line of the
redemption of all of the democratic
pledges.
Every word that the president says
in urging the redemption of democratic
pledges should be heartily endorsed by
| every democrat. He makes a careful
| and correct gauge of public sentiment
in his statement that democrats are
downcast under the assertion that their
| party fails in ability to manage the gov
| eminent, and they are apprchenstve
that their efforts to bring about tariff
reform may fail. But they are much
more dOWncast and apprehensive in
! their fears that democratic principles
| may be surrendered.* All aban-
| donmcnt of the cause or the principles
| upon which it rests means party per
| fidy and party dishonor"
| All of which is well and truly said.
| The democratic party stands before the
country pledged to do certain things,
not only with the tariff but with the
| finances of the country. Every word
| that President Cleveland has said about
| the tariff applies equally as we'll to the
| financial pledge of the democratic plat
| form and also to the pledge to repeal
| the 10 per cent tax on state banks. If
| it is perfidy to fail to do one OF these
| things it is certainly as pertidous to
| fail in another promise equally as oblig-
atOry.
Hence we regret exceedingly that in
his letter emphasizing the Importance of
redecmng the tariff pledge of the party
| the president did not also stress the I'M
| portance of redeeming other pledges
to which the party is committed. we
earnestly trust that this last letter of
| the president will be followed by others
on the financial pledge, and on the re-
/ peal of the 10 per cent tax on state
banks. The president argues so well
and SO forcibly on the pertidy involved
in the violation of the tariff pledge OF
the party that he must, of course, be
| impressed with the diShon0r and deGra-
dation that Will attach to the democratic
administration ii after two years OF
service it can be shown that neither
| the 10 per cent repeal plank nor the
| financial pledge has been redeemed.
There is vastly more responsibility rest
ing Oh the president as regards the two
latter questions than the tariff, for
| with the tariff he has emphasized upon
the people, the party and congress the
importance Of redeeming the pledge to
reduce the tariff to n revenue basis. If
congress does not do so, it viii not be
his fault. and he will have the conscious
ness of having done his duty. With
the financial question and the 10 per
cent repeal, however, the president
| should let congress understand its duty
lust as he has done with the tariff. AS
it stands now he has said nothing, done
nothing. asked for nothing looking to the
| redemDtion Of either of these two
pledges, which are of equal, if not more,
importance as the tariff. Vet those
most intimate with the president on
| the floor of congress, violently opposed
the repeal of the 10 per cent tax on
| state banks and defeated the measure.
and likewise, by an astutc combination
| of the eastern democracy with the re
| publicans the pledge to use both silver
| and gold as standard money was per
| fidiously yiolated-we say perfidious be
pledge, and the president says it is, it
is certainly perfidious to violate any
other pledge of equal Importance.
We earnestly trust that the president
will follow this letter with another one,
commencing the free coinage Of silver
the coinage of both gold and silver
without discrimination against either"
rs pledged in the democratic PLATFORM
and that he Will also urge With equal
earnestness upon the repeal of the 10
per cent tax on state banks. This done
and the president insisting upon the
redemption of every plank of the demo
cratic platform as earnestly as he is
| striving to secure the redemption of the
| tariff pledge, and he will not have
mere active champion in the country
than The Constitution. But no party
| and no man can be honest in one respect
| and dishonest i'll another and at the
| same time maintain the full respect of
the people. 1t is best to be honest in
| everything.
The Office of Coroner.
1t IS now almost settled that the New