Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-05-09
MUST NOT GO TOO FAR.
Cleveland Writes on the Limits ai
viiifieatiou Effect OF Silver on
the Future OF the Two
Parties.


him by President Cleveland, under
date of April 20. The following il the
full text OF the letter.
Executive Mansion, Washington
u. e., April rs, 1895 Hon. John N
Stone, Governor, etc: Dear Sir-Youi
letter OF the 2ist inst. In at hand.
did not feel inclined TO find fault with
your criticisms, but think the mat
ters you refer to should be judged il
the light of the circumstances exist
ing at the time the things were done
| never had an idea of building up o.
fostering a personal following, but, 90
far as politics should properly infiu
ence me in making appointments,
have tried to be Democratic and no
proscriptive. am glad you are franl
enough to admit your participation
in bringing about a condition in office
holding which may not be all tina
could now be desired. Whether
those appointed to place shall il
speech and action behave decent,
towards the administration under
which they hold Office must remain
to a large extent, a matter of TASTE
and good breeding.
"There are, however, some officials
who devote themselves SO indus
triously TO utilization and abuse o.
those under whom they hold office az
to indicate that their fidelity cannot
be trusted for the performance o.
their duties in a manner creditable to
the administration, and who, appar-
emily, assume they may spend the
time they owe the public service in
doing political mischief. In the in
terest of good government, such
officeholders must not be surprised if
they are summarily dealt with.
"When / received your letter l had
finished reading a letter of yours, in
which you explain to the citizens Of
Mississippi your views on the currency
question. 1t seems to me you have
! in that letter contributed in the best
possible style and in a most valuable
way to the fund of argument in favor
of sound money. / have never ceased
to wonder why the people of the
South, furnishing so largely, q they
do, products which are exported fol
gold, should be willing to submit tt
the disadvantages and loss of silver
monometallism and to content them
selves with a deprecated fuctuatins
currency, while permitting others tt
reap a profit from the transmution o
the price of their productions from
I silver to gold. 1 hope this letter o
yours will be given the widest pos
sible circulation, especially among
our Southern citizens, and they viii
be permitted to see the pitfall which
is directly before them, who madly
rush toward the phantom light of free
unlimited and independent silvel
COMA ge.
eff we profess fealty to the Demo
cratic party, are sincere in III devo'
ton to it's principles, and if we are
right in believing that the ascendency
of those principles is a guarantee O
personal liberty, universal care fol
the rights of all, nonsectional, Ameri'
can brotherhood and manly trust in
American citizenship in any part o.
our land, we should study the effects
upon our party, and, consequently
upon III country, of a committal o.
the national Democracy to this silver
arbitration.
If there are Democrats who suppose
that our party can stand on a plat
form embodying such doctrine, either
through its affirmative strength OF
through the perplexity of our oppo-
nents on the same proposition, or i
there are Democrats who r willing
to turn their backs upon their party
associations in the hope that free and
independent coinage of silver a wiz
a victory without the aid of either
party organization, they should de-
ceive themselves no longer, nor lon
ger refuse to look in the face the re-
suits that will follow the defeat, if not
the disintegration, of the Democratic
party upon the issue which tempts
kthem from their allegiance. II we
should be forced from our traditiona
doctrine of sound and safe money oul
old antagonist will take the field OF
the platform which we abandon; ant
neither the votes of reckless Demo
Gratis nor reckless Republicans viii
avail to stay their easy march to pow
er. This is as plain as anything car
possibly be. 1t, therefore, becomes
the duty of every Democrat, whoeve.
he may be, to consider what such
victory would mean; and in the ligh
of a proper conception of it's results
he should deliberately shape hi
| course. Yours very truly,
GROVER CLEVELAND.