The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-06-19
COMMENTS on MIR. CLEvELAND's
LETTER

Mr.. Cleveland's letter to the New
York Herald on the silver question
has brought forth various comments
The San Francisco Examiner prints a
column and half of them. Its own
comment is that apparently. he would
rather jeopardize the party's success
on third-term proposition in which
his own ambition is concerned than
see it risk the chance of defeat on
free silver platform
Thomas c. Plat has no doubt that
the Democratic party will declare for
free silver, and says it would have
been more interesting had Mr.. Cleve-
land said what he would do in the
event of such action by his party.
Chauncey NJ. Depew believes that
this means that Cleveland will be
ready to run on a gold platform if he
gets the nomination. He is surprised
at Cleveland making this proclama-
ton at this time. but there is no doubt
in his mind as to the intention and
meaning of it. He says President
Cleveland will accept nomination for
president on gold platform. if his
party declares for silver.
Russell A. Alger thinks that Mr..
Clevelands statement is not a plea for
a third term. but if the Democratic
party declares for silver that Mr..
Cleveland has read himself out of the
party.
NIL. 1r,,,,,a loae not +biy,l- tl,at tho
statement can be construed into an
intimation that Mr.. Cleveland would
take a nomination for a third term.
Such is also the opinion of General
Grosvenor He says: 1T is a patriotic
proclamation, full of Republican senti-
ments"
Major Mckinley merely said: II
must POSITIVELY refuse to discuss the
matter in any way"
The New York papers, such as the
World, Herald, and Times, generally
commend the president with no refer
ence to the question of a third term.
Not so the Journal. 1t says:
President Cleveland is sincerely con-
WINGED that the victory of silverites at
Chicago would be disastrous alike to
the party and the nation, and in words
admitting of no misconstruction he
calls on all to oppose it. But at this
point he recalls widespread belief that
he aspires to a third presidential term.
and he sees, perhaps, that a political
summons from him which should not
set this doubt at rest would be worse
than impotent. His answer to the
question which has been on every lip
he makes only indirectly. as chance
phrase, in rhetorical rhapsody, and
even detached from its surroundings
and set forth in its naked weakness
the response is not one of denial, but
rather a modest mincing of one ready
and expecting to be urged. 1t would
not be beneath the dignity of the
president of the United States to de-
clare his positive refusal to seek or to
accept a third term. Two of the great
est of all of our chief executives have
already done so. 1t would be en-
phatically beneath the dignity of the
president to invite proffer of third
term.
Mr.. Cleveland has recognized this
fact, and, accepting it, has gone as far
as possible, under the guise of self
abnegation, toward asking once more
the highest honors the nation has to
give. His is a letter at once of invita-
ton and of acceptance, put forth at
a shrewdly chosen moment, and couched
in shrewdly selected phrase. None can
misunderstood its meaning-those who
know Mr.. Cleveland least of ALL
1t was certain to be the case that
Mr.. Cleveland would be charged with
third term ambitions. A predisposi-
ton of mind can easily find abundant
evidence in his statement to the New
York Herald that he has that ambi-
ton. 1t is not at all improbable. Less
than month will tell. His letter will
probably evoke as many comments as
did his famous tariff letter of 1887