Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1895-03-22
Two Years Of CIeveIand's
Administration.
IFrom Harper's Weekly, Ind.

Administration.
TFrom Harper's Weekly, Ind
The 4th of March closed the first half of
Mr.. Cleveland's Presidential term. Our po-
ltical history hardly presents a period of
struggles more confused and disappointing
than those two years. Mr.. Cleveland owed
his nomination and election in 1892 to an up
rising of the moral forces in the Democratic
party. His character and record put him far
above the common run of practical politi-
cians.'' They appealed to the best impulses
of the Democratic masses as we'll as to the
sympathies of men of independent ways of
thinking. and ELECTED a popular movement
in his behalf which, with the power of genu-
inc enthusiasm, irresistibly overwhelmed
the hostile manOeuvres of machine bosses and
spoils- hunters. He was known to stand for
sound money and civil service reform, but the
observation-disclosures and the patronage-mongers
in his party found themselves forced to sup
port him III spite of themselves Thus he
was triumphantly elected No American
President save Washington, had owed his
election more to the prestige of his character,
and not one had entered upon his high Office
more completely unfettered by political obli-
cations to any man or any set of men. All
this seemed to promise an administration sim
gularly Independent of the base influences
which are apt to divert those in power from
their highest aims.
But the action of the moral forces which
put Mr.. Cleveland into the Presidential chair
did not at the same time correspondingly
affect the legislative branch of the Govern
ment. The machine politicians and spoils
jobbers, overrdden in the election for Pres
idency. had largely kept control of the local
party organizations which nominated candi-
dates for Congress and for the State Legisla-
lures And thus it happened that the House
of Representatives, elected at the same time
with Mr.. Cleveland, contained only small
contingent of men who sincerely shared his
principles, opinions and aims, while the
Senate remained under the leadership of
selfish political intriguers, who represented
all the political evils against which Mr..
Cleveland's election had been protest. The
Senators from his own State belonged to this
class, and there were many others reluctant
to support him in anything that would not ac-
cord with what they conceived to be the drift
of opinion among the politicians of their States
OF with their own interests. On the whole, the
Democratic majority in Congress was, with
very few personal exceptions, singularly
deficient in capacity of the higher order, and,
especially in the Senate, either without sim
certify OF without courage of purpose.
When MI. Cleveland entered upon his du-
ties he had at once to meet a critical state of
thinOc 1ot
Republicans was bearing its fruit. The con-
fidence of the business community was seri-
ously disturbed. The repeal of the silver
purchase law had become a matter of imme-
diate necessity. In our opinion it would have
been wiser had the President called special
session of Congress without delay. He put
off the call, perhaps because he distrusted
the temper of Congress as to the required ac-
ton until it should feel the full pressure of
the stress of circumstances. Meanwhile he
had to determine upon the manner i'll which
he himself would endeavor to make his in
fluence in Congress felt. Was he to prop-
tate Senators and Representatives in the old
spoils fashion by yielding to their demands
for patronage? Or was he to rely upon the
enlightened public opinion of the country to
sustain him, and thus to coerce Congress to
do its duty he himself boldly proclaiming
his own creed that the Offices of the Govern
ment should be treated, not as patronage, but
as public trusts, with sole view to the pub
lie good? Mr.. Cleveland thought that he
could do both things at the same time; and
this was the most serious mistake of his adj
ministration. He might have completely
overawed the spoils politicians in Congress
by energetic appeals to the public opinion
standing behind him, which was 1.-THE true
source of his power. But every concession he
made to spoils politics weakened him in that
public opinion, and everything that weakened
him in public opinion strengthened and en-
boldened the spells politicians in Congress
who were openly OF secretly hostile to him,
He succeeded in driving the repeal of the
silver-purchase law through Congress, not by
adroit manipulations of the patronage, but by
standing with infiexible firmness by that
which the public interest manfestly demand
ed And for this indomitable fidelity he
cannot receive too mnch credit On the other
hand, whatever he did in the way of political
management Of the lower sort served only to
lessen his prestige and power. He did not
win any reliable support among the spoils
politicians, because he did not give them
enough, And because he gave them too much,
he lost much of the support of that public
opinion by which he might have overawed
and coerced the spoils politicians. HIS infu-
ence with Congress dwindled from day to
day. He became almost completely isolated.
1t seemed to be sportive amusement to his
Democratic enemies to spite him, and hardly
any President has been SO feehlY defended
by his few friends. With regard to the tariff
bill, his repeated efforts to impress his opin-
ions upon Congress utterly failed of success;
and when, recently he called on Congress to I
do its part in saving the country from finan-
cIal disgrace and disaster, it almost appeared
as if his appeals served rather to provoke than
to ahate opposition.
The sterling qualitiese Of Mr.. Cleveland S
oh "a otar StOnd forth most strikinplV when