The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-09
AND PREsBYTERIAM.

PRESIDENT AND PRESBfTERIAM
As good Presbyterian, interested in
mission work, Mr.. CLEVELAND may have
been justified in his remarks before the
mission body OF his church publicly ex-
pressing an opinion OF the kind of people
there are in the far West-of whom, how
ever, as President of the United States,
he may well have spoken more consider
ately, not to say tactfully. The Presi-
dent, however, las way of sacrificing
a good many things to the framing OF a
resonant phrase and the manufacture Of a
glitteriny generality, and he took big
risk OF arousing some public indignation
among some OF his fellow citizens in the
views he expressed before his Presbyte-
rian brethren in the following paragraph.
Said the President, as a Presbyterian OF
authority and frank severity;
"No one charged with the duties and
responsibilities which necessarily weigh
upon your chief executive can fail to APP
preciate the Importance of religi gious teach
ing and Christian endeavor in the newly
settled portions of our vast domain. 1t is
there where hot and stubborn warfare be-
tween the forces of 60 d and evil is con-
stantly invited. In these days the van
guard Of occupation in new settlement
is never without its vicious and criminal
element. Gambling houses ana dram
shops are frequently among the. first es-
tablishments in new community. 1t
must also be confessed that removal from
old homes and associations to q new and
more primitive home has a tendency
among honest and respectable settlers to
smother scruples and to breed toleration
of evils and indifference to Outstanding
and eievating agencies.
1t will be noted that the President drew
upon his alleged experiences as chief
executive for these remarks to the Pres
byteyian body. In sense he told tales
out of school. In his capacity of a Pres
byterian simply he could not have sex
posed" the conditions he cited with the
same authority that his words were in
vested by reason of their coming from the
lips of President of the United States
who had become, by reason of his posi-
tion, into possession OF the Know-All
book.
A little intelligent thought brought to
bear on the language of the President will
expose its absurdity as we'll as its sland-
erous nature. This. quite apart from the
viewpoint OF the fitness of things, in that
the President OF the Unite1 States took
occasion to publicly insult the intelli-
gence and morality of section of his
country, in sweeping generality. We
do not think the President has personally
seen much of the far West, but on the con-
trary, lie must have had his opinions
formed from a reading of the dime novel
literature Of his early youth. At all events
il it is true that "the vanguard of occu-
patton in new settlement is never with
out its vicious and criminal element" it
is likewise conspicuously evident that
the old and longsettled communities Of
the East are by no means without their
"vicious and criminal element, and that
shot and stubborn warfare between the
forces of good and evil is constantly in
vited" quite as much in the metropolis
as in Butte, Montana, or Tombstone, Ari-
zona, for example. 1t gambling houses
and dram shops are frequently among the
first establishments in new commu-
nity,p the President ought to also know
from long experience as sheriff Of Buffalo,
that these places are also among the most
lasting establishments in an old and we'll
settled community.
The Presidents sonorous language will
not bear even the most superficial analy-
sis TO show that it was nonsense. And the
sturdy inhabitants in the "new" commu-
mites may be pardoned If they permit
their dander to rise.
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