The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-11-17
MIR. C~LEVELAND'S WORK.
A Democratic Administration that
Helped.to Elect n Republican Pres
iIent.

A Democratic Administration that
ident.
Columbia State.
The defeat of Bryan is as much the
work of Grover Cleveland as of Mark
Hanna. Not all the ~corrupting mil
lions of the Republican fund could
have prevailed against him had not an
administration elected as Democratic
set itself to rule or ruin the Democratic
party.
The purpose to do this manifested
itself last year in the promotion by
Messrs. Cleveland and Carlisle of the
defeat the free silver Democratic
candidate for governor of Kentucky,
and the preveL tion of Joe BIackburn's
reelection as United States Senator.
The administration was behind the
conspiracy to turn Kentucky over TO
the Republicans rather than permit
the Democrats to make effective their
policy on the coinage question.
Ever since then President Cleveland
and his cabinet have been doing like
work for the Republican party. They
knew that the masses Of the Demo
cratic party were for bimetailism, and
they must hove forseen what intelli-
gent outside observers cOuld readily
foresee, that the party in its national
convention would declare for the free
coinage Of silver. But, realizing this,
they applied every official influence
possible to promote an opposition
which could only have the effect Of
dividing the party. Had they really
been in doubt OF the determination Of
the Democracy to insist upon making
silver the issue the result of the early
nDn vnnflrno fpl1St hnxyn cnttcEnl t,a,,
But they continued the struggle long
after the hope'essness of stamping
their financial policy upon the party
platform was made plain to them
they fought in the final conventions as
desperately as in the early ones. Fed
eral oficeholders, in violation OF the
civil service reform doctrines Mr..
Cleveland had himself laid down SO
dogmatically, devoted themselves, with
the encouragement Of the administra-
tion, to thwarting, by fair means or
foul, the will OF the party.
1t cannot be pretended that these
things were done in the hope Of sue
cess. There was no hope of success
for the gold standard after the Ken
lucky and Tennessee primaries. 1t is
only conceivable that the fight was
continued in order to inllame the feel
ing between the gold and silver ele-
ments and prepare the FORMER for the
further step which was taken at
Chicago and the final action at Indian
apolis.
The fight for gold rronom etallism IL
The Chicago convention was, as we be-
lieve, planned and promoted by the
administration. 1t could not win, that
was plain, but it would tend TO empha-
size the division and make acquies-
onnnn hu tho f,itNrif,, 1@,, ,,~l>, ll,
The Presidents friends profcssed TO
believe that they coulu divert the con-
v%ention from its purpose and thus eX-
cited hopes among the gold men in the
east which only served to make their
disappointment moro bitter and their
resentment more profound.
Then came the INDIANAPOLIS v
tion, the final device OF the same men
to wreck the party. it never would
have been held but for the encourage
ment given it by the administration {:
it could not have been held save for
tho train OF preparation laid by the
administration. a WORD OF discourage
ment from President Cleveland would
ing that, all who took part in il felt
that they were commencing them
selves 10 his highest favor.
Tho scheme worked we'll. TeuS Of
thousands of Democrats in the doubt
full States, who, while preferring the
gold standard, would have acQuiesccd
IN the decision of the party aud, at the
most, refrained from voting, wero led
on and on, fed on falsehood and fury,
committed first to the decoy ticket and
then at the last moment delivered
Owe to the Republicans. Trained in
the preparatory school Of Republican
ism and encouraged by the administ"a-
ton, they gave their votes to Mckinley
n elected him.
There can be no doubt that the vote
so stimulated was the deciding factor
in the middle west. But for it the
free silver aud Populist accessions
would have given the Democracy the
States needed for the election Of
Bryan. For the result Mr.. Cleveland,
as much as Mark Hanna, Is RESPONSE
Bile.
Grover Cleveland has had the
highest hOnors his party could bestOw.
Nominated for the presidency three
times in succession and twice elected,
supported in defeat as in victory while
the party thought his heart was with
the people, he will go out o. Office with
less of confidence or regard than any
President since Van Buren,. He has
Hio fShSSoiSS oh ITO parry
for revolving against his mastership,
but what he has done will destroy his
own fame. He has not gained the
favor even of the Republicans he has
served. To a small class who regard
more their own privileges than the
welfare Of tho people he will remain
for o time an idol, but this sort OF fame
is not broad nor lasting. Posterity
requires moro in O hero than service
to the rich and strong.
Mr.. Cleveland has thrown away an
opportunity which ONE 20 but few
men. The Donors of his tariff fight
are blotted out by his alliance with
the very element from which that re-
form was wrested. He has turned
against tho people, and the people will
not forgive him. Such affection as is
held for tho memories Of Jefferson and
Jackson will never be his. Bryan's
name will live with the millions while
his does with the thousanus.