Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-04-27
ETTERS OF A.
! LOCKER ON.
vExATI0us VANISHING VISION.
Called Forth by Mr.. cIeveiand's Chi
cago Letter.

Called Forth by Mr.. cleveIand's Chi
cago Letter.
CHARLES Town. W. VA,
/ Apr. %, 1895.
To the Editor OF the Herald.
My last week letter took up line
of thought which / intended to con-
tinue through several numbers of the
Herald; but as it was subject which
had more than an ephemeral interest
it may be laid aside for awhile to make
room for matters which must be seiz-
ed as they pass with the passing day,
am only Looker-on, snapshot
sketcher of the present as it untolds
its panoramic scenes before us.
The newspapers Of this week are
commenting on President Cleveland's
letter to certain gentlemen in Chicago
who recently invited him to address a
public meeting in that city on the
pressing necessity the Democratic
party finds for an Immediate and en-
ergetic propagation Of sound and
wholesome financial doctrines. 1t is
rather late in the day for Mr.. Cleve-
land to redebate this question; how
ever he fmp,o0es the occasion by hand
ling the subject with his usual ability.
AS he seasonably intimates, the ques-
ton is one of momentous importance
to himself as we'll as to all of us. 1t
is evident that he expects nothing but
disaster and ruin. In fact, if we did
not happen to know that his present
position is one calculated to make his
forecast of coming events gloomy and
depressing, that at best he must view
the future as through a glass darkly,
his doleful prophecies of possible
national bankruptcy and the conse-
quent advent of an millennial era
of darned stockings, patched panta-
looms, scant underwear, and empty
stomachs is positively enough to
make the whole land incontinently
take to the utmost austerity of ascetic
fasting and bowling repentance in
! cac.-c1oth ord ocbac p,,t tlo.,Ivc - =,
kind dispensation of Providence the
presidency affords no guarantee of in
fallible prophetic gifts. We may,
therefore, indulge faint hope that
spring showers and summer rainbows
will not be Immediately discontinued,
and that seed-time and harvest will
still recur as usual.
1t may seem invidious to criticise a
letter, even though written for publ
cation, as we would a public docu-
ment professedly treating on national
affairs. But really there is in the
present letter, both as regards subject
matter and the language in which the
sentiments are expressed, so much to
excite our wonder without compelling
our admiration, that comment is hard
ly avoidable. The most energetic OF
all the productions of Mr.. Cleveland
pen is unquestionably the protest
he lately put forth against one who
had traduced his character. 1t was
manly, straightforward denial of the
charge, and as one man the country
applauded his prompt self-justifca-
ton. 1t would have been well had
his letter to the Chicago gentlemen
been written with the same frankness.
That it is not so written almost the
first lines of the letter plainly indi-
cate. He says: My personal incli-
nation is strongly in favor of accept
ing your fattering invitation, but my
Judgment and my estimate of the pro-
prieties of my official place otlige me
to forego the enjoyment of participant
ing in the occasion contemplate.
Pausing here moment to consider
what the difference is between ones
judgment and ones estimate of propri-
ETY., or between personal and an i'm
Personal inclination and to wonder
how such phrase as ''the occasion l
contemplate ever got entangled in
the tail-end of the sentence, we may
gather this much, that the President,
while on one hand pleasantly contem-
plating good time, could not on the
other hand, consistently with his con-
viction OF official duty. contemplate
making the proposed trip to Chicago.
The excuse, like most polite excuses,
might be thought slightly equivocal;
but be this as it may, certainly the
self-denial of the resolve to forego
the pleasure of the visit was most
wise and praiseworthy. In fact it
may be said this polite course was
one of the wisest and most polite of
all wise aud polite courses it has fall
en- to his lot to pursue. Chicago has
proved snare and deadfall trap to
many great and good man; but no
one can catch our President that way;
he is not going to be caught making
trips to Chicago-not just now, any
how
But the Chief Magistrate was not to
be baked in having his say after ALL
He continues: a hope, however, the
event Il contemplate 7? will mark the
beginning of an earnest and aggres.
sive effort to disseminate among the
people safe and prudent financial
IDEAS"
Dear me, how miserably blind and |
unteachable '1he people" must be. of
course Mr.. Cleveland does not in
clude us pig-headed Republicans
among the people,; we are incorri
gible beyond all hope of amendment;
sinners lost beyond the saving grace