Birmingham state herald., 1895-12-29
HON. WILLIS W. GARTH.
Decided Opinions of Distinguished pemc- crat on President cl.yeand's
 Messages.

Hon. Willis W. Garth of Huntsville, who has been spending several days in Birmingham, was seen at the union pas senger station yesterday by a State Her aid reporter, to whom he talked enter tainingly while waiting for a north bound Louisville and Nashville train. MT. Garth has long been a leader of polit- ical thought in north Alabama, and fa- nous among his friends for his devotion to Thomas Jefferson, and for remarka- ble familiarity with the teachings of de- mocracy's patron saint. That he is in all seasons an ardent advocate of bimetal- lie currency goes without saying to those acquainted with MT. Garth. He was member of congress from the old Eighth Alabama district, when John G. Carlisle uttered his famous phillipic against the demonstration of silver, calling it the greatest crime of this or any other age"
 What do you think of the two mes sages?" the distinguished Alabamian was asked.
 He responded that he liked neither one of them. He confessed he had not thor oughly studied the issue as to the Ven ezuelan boundary dispute, but 1t at pres ent impressed him as not involving the Monroe doctrine, or the spirit in which it's policy originated. In any event it seemed a small matter for two great na- tionS to go to war about. '1 would not like to be president and author of such a message as MT Cleveland's on that subject l don't like it's tone. It is a provoking and dangerous message.
 As to the bond message and the finan- cial attitude of the government, MT. Garth said he agreed with Chauncey M. Depew, that within three days MT. Cleve- land had caused a loss to business of $1 .000, ,000, 900. Ridiculing MT. Carlisle's statement that the retirement of the legal tenders would not contract the currency, MT. Garth said "he must take people for a set of fools. You might as well say taking s1 100000 from $2,000,000 would not reduce the sum. I am tired of hearing such reflections upon the intelligence of the people"
 MT. Garth said he did not believe con- gross was going to help the president. "The only remedy I can see, is to get more money by opening the hints to the unlimited coinage of both gold and silver without charge or discrimination against either. Talk about war, MT. Jefferson was right when he said a government has itself most to fear. A people must first govern themselves. The idea is old and as sacred as the Scripture that lauds the greatness of the man who rules himself. That is why I don't ap- prove the tone of Cleveland's message. It shows lack of that self-control that marks the rule Of men entirely great Cleveland's career-and I was foolishly one of his ardent supporters in 1892 since he showed his true colors at the ex- tra session of 1893, has been that of man who is contemptuously indifferent to such prudential considerations as that in the multitude of counsels there is wis dom. Why, If Thomas Jefferson, Benja- min Franklin, Daniel Webster Henry Clay, John c. Calhoun and Andrew Jackson could be resurrected in body and spirit to confer with MT. Cleveland he would arrogate to himself superiority to their counsels."
 MT. Garth was going to work in some thing from Thomas Jefferson, but the gong sounded and he had to hasten through the gate to take his train.