Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1896-01-19
STANDS FOR THE RIGHT.
Why President Cleveland's Posi-
 ton Is Unassailable.
The Inside History of the cafTery Letter Tho Administration Stands Be- tween Congress and National
 Bankruptcy.


 into the mire, it begins to revive the nnimosities of the civil war. and to wave the bloody shirt. This fact has recently been made apparent by the scribblings of an intensely partisan re- publican correspondent in this city, who is proclaiming that the democratic party is opposing an increased appro- priation for pensions, and declaring that the union soldiers are objects of attack by democrats in congress and in the executive departments.
 The history of the appropriations made during the past four years, while there was q democratic majority in the house, will demonstrate that great lib- erality was shown to the pensioners of the republic. Col. Savers, of Texas, who was chairman of the committee on appropriations during the sgd and 53d congresses, says: "Fhere were never such large appropriation bills passed for pensions previous to the year 1s91 When the 59d congress met in Deeem- Der, 1891, it was claimed that the pen sions would be cut down and the old soldiers made to suffer. As a matter l of fact, while l was chairman of the committee the appropriations were larger every year, until last year, when 1 it was presumed that the highest point in the history of pension legislation was reached. There was never any partisan wrangling over pensions. | do not think that misrepresentation ever hurts any individual or any party. On the contrary, it always recoils upon it's author. The republican party will gain nothing, and the democratic party will lose nothing by all the lying that can be done about pensions appropria- tions, for our record is made, and it is a clean one"
 Did you read the letter of President Cleveland to Senator Gallery. of Louisi- ana, concerning the bond issue? I saw the letter to-day, and can tell you that it was written by Cleveland's own hand. and was evidently dashed off when the president was in hurry and in the mood to write. There are only two erasures in the six pages of fine chirog Iaphy. MT. Cleveland does not dictate many letters to stenographers He usu- | ally writes with his steel stu3 pen, and has his public documents copied by an expert penman.
 The letter to Senator Caffery was written on Sunday, on the day pre- eeding the announcement of Secretary Carlisle that bonds to the amount ot S1o0, 100000 would be issued There had been constant and malicious mis- representation of the president for two or three weeks preceding the boud issue. With calmness almost stoieal. President Cleveland endured the villi- fications of mendacious newspapers, and the vaporings of small partisans; but when the United States senate be. came the seeIfe of misrepresentation and villiffcation, and when the honor of the country was thus put at stake, the president concluded that it was his duty to put an end to the islander and abuse. Having reached that conclu. sion he promptly took his pen in hand and squelched the demon of injustice.
 It has been q long time since an ad. ministration has been confronted with such serious problems. There is revolutionary majority in the house of
 
 majority in the senate; so that the congress is in a deplorable condition. and not legislate, because it cannot. 1t is the duty of the administration to uphold and maintain the good faith and credit of the government. This must be done without congressional aid. It is a condition which might ap- pail any other than q strong and cour- ageous man. The task is of the most difficult and the most delicate nature Men interested in the welfare of their country, and in the honor of the na- ton, will uphold the hands of the ad. ministration at this juncture. Surely they are but little better than vile and venal who will at such time resort to islander and all manner of unfair in- nuendo, to weaken the president, to dis credit him, and thereby discredit our country.
 President Cleveland has endured without resentment all things which have been said and printed against him. He did not write his letter to Senator Gallery in defense of himself. 1t is a matter of personal knowledge to me that President Cleveland had no inten- tion of defending himself in that let ter. l have seen note from him to an- other senator, in which be says: I want you to understand that 1 made no defense of myself and intended none. 1 felt that it was my duty to refute prevailing islanders solely because it seemed to me that those islanders were likely to injure the standing of our country before the world.D
 That manly statement deserves pulp lication as a supplement to the other letter. It shows that our president is looking to the defense of our common country, and leaving his own record for his defense. He will reply to no per sonal attacks.
 There is but one way in which the national credit can be maintained, and that is by the issuance of bonds. The gold reserve must be maintained, and