The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-02-09


and it is one of the interesting facts Of
the situation that they of all men should
accord him high praise. ''Unauestion-
ably very able man. says Mr.. Bryan
of Nebraska, "but he cannot escape the
influence of his New York environ
Went.
Variety Of Praise.
cleveland is, says Mr. Sayers of
Texas, "a man of distinct and wonder
full personality, of very great ability.
All the chances are in favor of his rank
ing high in history" Several southern
silver men say: Cleveland is certainly
a man of destiny" despite his many
faults, he is the greatest personality of
the times. F" 1T reminds me of jackson
and the notification times Just after
New England had exhausted her store
of vituperative eloquence ON him she
suddenly went wild in his praise, gave
him the grandest ovation of his career,
and her big college capped the climax
by making him a doctor of divinity
SIT is a case, says Mr. Money of Mis-
sissippi, "where we admire a man who
is nobly wrong more than one who is
meanly right. Many Republicans are
equally strong in Endorsement of his
honesty and good intention, while they
condemn almost every feature of his
policy. Mr.. Mccall of Massachusetts
sums up opinion on that side thus: ''He
is an honest man, with plenty of back
bone, and anxious to do right, but not
qualified by experience or native ability
to point way out of this trouble
Even the Populists are coming to be-
lieve in his honest intentions, but as
they consider all New Workers and New
Englanders raving lunatics on the mon
ey question they of course regard the
president as the boss monomaniac of the
lot They sum it up like this: "When
a man says that silver has deprecated
one-half while gold has stood still, it is
conclusive proof that on that subject he
is incapable of reasoning and ought to
have a guardian, and, as Cleveland be-
lieves that, we purpose to keep him un-
der guardianship as far as our power
goes and not let him do any more harm
than we can help
Jerry Simpson says: '"The one thing
particularly like about the presidents
message is this: It puts the alternative
plainly while the national bank men in
this house and everywhere else are try
must see that if the gold basis is to be
maintained our currency must be con-
tracted one-half, and we must sell our
surplus produce at less than present
prices. The farmers see it plain enough,
and [ believe those eastern goldbugs see
it, too, but they won't admit it. The
president sees it and blurts out the truth
like an honest man, and by so doing he
has rendered the country great service
The sooner we bring this thing to an
acute crisis the better. So the present
situation just exactly suits me-. r"
The Test OF Time.
After all these contradictions and half
Endorsements it may interest the reader
to have the opinion of one who is recog-
nized as a cuckoo of the unmixed
breed. Hon. Josiah Patterson of the
Memphis district has been from the
| start an unwavering supporter of every
policy of the president from the Hawai-
| ian perform ance and repeal of the Sher-
man silver law down to the proposal to
retire the $498, 900, 900 of greenbacks
and treasury notes and issue $500, 0O0,-
| 600 in bonds specifically made payable
! in gold. He says: ''There is not par
ticle of doubt that Cleveland will rank
in American history with the foremost
of our presidents and the very reasons
! they bring to the contrary are to my
mind the strongest reasons for taking
this view. It is first to be remembered
that the policy which bears the test of
time is seldom or never the policy which
accords with the passion of the hour. If
you doubt that, consider that our presi-
| oil 10 Io6
while in Office have, with possibly one
or two exceptions, been those whose fame
has steadily grown since their retire
ment. Washington may be counted as
an exception to general rules, as the
popularity he brought over from the
Revolution carried him through, but the
opposition denounced his attitude to-
ward France even more viciously than
they have that of Cleveland in Hawaii
or any other foreign country. The three
presidents who literally lived in storms
and tumult were Jefferson, jackson and
Lincoln. Jefferson was repeatedly
threatened with death, and even the re-
ligious people were bitter against him.
The life of Jackson was attempted once,
if not twice, and he was once assaulted.
Lincoln was constantly threatened and
finally assassinated. It is too soon to
compare Cleveland with any of his
predecessors, and I only cite these in
stances to show that current criticism
furnishes no guide whatever to the
Judgment of honest men when cool re-
Election takes the place of present pas
sion. The Hawaiian policy was simply
the rigid rule of honesty in individual
affairs carried into International affairs,
and history will so record it.
''As to this money business, it is, as
Mr. Warner says, plain case. We
should simply declare positively that
we will pay our debts in honest money
and go at it. and then we shall have
gold enough. Our people, mean now
in the south-will sell from this on
6. 600. 900 bales of cotton yearly to the