The San Francisco call., 1895-12-18
WE'LL DONE, CLEVELAND.

By his message Of yesterday Grover
Cleveland assumes the rightful position of
President of the United States He
maintains the dignity of the Nation. He
asserts the principles of true American
ism. He places himself at the head of the
people. He speaks the popular will in
language not to be mistaken. He gives
notice through Great Britain to all the
world that in American affairs the United
States is and must be supreme. and that
obsolete while our Republic endures.''
This firm and clear declaration of the
determined will OF the people of the
United States to maintain the indepen-
dence of all American countries and to
guarantee their soil protection from Euro
pean aggression is the more satisfactory
because it comes from an unexpected
source. The Americanism of Mr.. Cleve-
land has been SO conservative that
not infrequently it has been doubted
whether he fully appreciated or SYM
pathized with the true grandeur OF
the Nation. 1t is in the highest degree
gratifying to learn that these doubts were
unjust and that where the interests and
dignity of the Republic are threatened by
foreign power he is capable of worthily
upholding the precedents established by
the illustrious men who preceded him in
his high Office.
Strong and vigorous as are the terms of
the message it is nowhere unfair or i'm
moderate. Indeed the conditions of the
Venezuelan affair are now so critical that
nothing is left to the United States but to
surrender the Monroe doctrine or to act as
the President advises. AS he himself
says:
Having labored faithfully for many
years to induce Great Britain to submit
this dispute to impartial arbitration, and
refusal to do so, nothing remains but to
accept the situation, to recognize its plain
requirements and deal with it accordingly" ;"
That the President will have the hearty
support of Congress and the people goes
without saying. In fact, it is well under
stood that had he delayed longer the Re-
publican majority in the House of Repre-
sentatives, fresh from the people, would
have compelled him to act or known the
reason why. By its platforms, by its
pledges to the people, by its traditions,
by its sentiments and instincts and
by the memory and inspiration of all
its immortal leaders from martyred
Lincoln to glorious Blaine, the Republican
party is, in a special sense, consecrated to
the maintenance of that Pan-Americanism
of which the Monroe doctrine is at once the
animating spirit and the embodied creed
On this issue, therefore, the President has
only to go forward, and he will have be-
hind him all the great forces of the Repub-
lie. There will be no partisan dissenslons
to hamper him in the contest, for with
this struggle before us there are no longer
Republicans, Democrats or Populists, but
all of us are Americans.
We are not among those who believe
that war is imminent. Modern diplo.
macy has many ways of avoiding an APP
peal to arms, and it will doubtless manage
TO find one in this case. Our satisfaction
is that it will not find one in any weakness
on our part, nor in any lack of resolution
TO defend the Monroe doctrine and protect
Venezuela in the possession of her rightful
boundaries. Peace will continue, but it
will be peace with honor, and for that the
people will for once commend Mr.. Cleve-
land with the honorable praise of Good
and faithful servant, well done"