The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-07-16
WHAT'S sucn AMAN TO BE cALLEDg

sell.
WHAT Is SUCH A MAN TO BE CALLED?
The caricaturist. Thomas Mast, who.
some years ago. exercised very gl'at
Influence with his pencil upol Iuhhc
| ooinion, Is not often hra-! 0. now Bot
in the last issue Of Harpers WecNIJ he
| las a particularly felicitous picture OF
! that nondescrpt Of Kansas. JOHN ). In
gals who says the people Of No'fck
mistook him for Sarah BcrnharJt, and
nobody is much surprl sed That They ca
In the picture we see ingalls, head
| drawn in perfect resemblance OF him'
with a serpents forked tongue issuing
from his mouth. The head rests upon
foot or two of a snakes neck. Under
| reath the picture is its title, "A venom
Gus reptile" and under that. the fol-
loving extract from a letter by ingalls,
TO the New York Tribune Of June 22d, to-
wit:
HE cleveland has reached the loiti-
| est positions with less ability than any
| man whom history records. He has not
| tho slightest constructive capacity. men
| he went into office his ignorance OF every
| public question was dense. abysmal. pro-
| found. but he went at them with all the
| confidence Of ignorance
The Times can find no miller word TO
| describe man who will deliberately
write and publish such statement as
| This than that good old one which first
| arises in the mind when a person says
] ,fat f.r al,
1t is positively foolish. at the middle
OF Mr.. Clevcland's second term, 70 ind
i n man Of any knowledge or experience Of
public affairs whatever, saying that Mr..
| Cleveland has less ability than any man
| whom history records" This is rather
an awkward expression, but Of course
ingalls, means to say "of whom history
las preserved any record and TO say
that Mr. Cleveland has less ability than
the many fools Of whom history tells
us. proves conclusively that the man who
says it is the biggest fool Of the lot.
| If Mr.. Cleveland were the fool that
| this man represents him. how would 1t
have been possible for the Democratic
| party to nominate him a second time at
the end of his first term, when ne had
been for four years filling the public eye
! TO the exclusion, almost. of all other men!
| How would it have been possible to in
| duce the party to nominate him third
| time. or to induce the American people
TO elect him by the overwhelming major
| itv that they gave him? The world turns
| ms
| deliberately makes such an utterance as
| this.
We have never thought Mr.. Cleveland
man Of extraordinary ability, but he
| has lust the character of mind TO make
| safe Executive. lie has sound. common
! sense. an evenly-balanced judgment, and,
| what is of more value than everything
| else. an invincible disposition of mind 10
! cling to the foundation principles Of or
| der and justice with a tenacity that
| knows no relaxation. We do not hesitate
to say that that turn Of his mind has
saved this country in the crisis Of the
past two years when it is possible that
disasters which cannot be measured
might have been brought on it If a weak
er or less resolute man had been in his
| place
| We say this much, although we are not
| an unqualified admirer of Mr.. Cleye-
| land. He does things in the presiden-
tial office which we reprobate most en-
| phatically. Amongst n number, we may
mention his use OF government steamers
for his hunting expeditions. lie has no
more right to appropriate the lighthouse
| tender Violet to such a use than he would
have TO use the cruiser New York. This
is a fragrant. outrageous abuse Of pow
er. which is most dcmoralizing in its
tendencies, and Mr. Cleveland should be
far above doing it, We may mention
| also his promotion OF Captain Eobley
| Evans from the command Of the Violet
to that of the New York. Captain Evans
had accompanied him on his duck-hunt-
ing jaunt, and had made himself agreea-
BILE and this was his reward. But the
| New York is the finest ship in our navy
and every officer in it aspires to its COM
| mand. The discipline and traditions OF
the navy bring such commands to de-
! serving officers as rewards for long ana
| honorable service. We 30 not mean TO
question Captain Evans merit as an Of
ucer. He may be enurcly tttod for
such a command. But. when he comes 10
IL in this way. other deserving officers
who have done their duty with the ex-
pectation that their services Will be rec
ognized. are set aside. and Captain Evans
takes a place righ,fully belonging to
another through the favortism of an ~
bitrary power.
\ thing like this is most disAoartening
to those mortorious officers Of the navy
who spend their lives in devotion TO thu
duties of their profession. and it tends 10
encourage II en- TO look for promotion to
wire-pulling rather than to good conduct
as officers.
Mr. Cleveland has done a number oi
things in his office as President which
are far from satisfactory to The Times.
but the Times recognizes. nevertheless.
that he has given the country two safe,
/ clean. and honorable administrations.
that will shine out on the pages OF MIS-
tory. in comparison with the corrupt adj
ministrations that the Republicans have
given IT, like stars in black armament,