The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-02-03
TnLMAN AND CLEVELAND.

AACA dlu llldI White uOI dQQIlI2 MI
Humans style of oratory The Herald
indorses his attack upon the president?
His most serious charge, stated in
plain terms, is this, that President
Cleveland in negotiating the last sale
of bonds made personal profit out of
the transaction; in other words used
his position to rob the American peo-
pie of millions. The senator cannot be
called to account for his charge be
cause it was said in debate % in con-
gress and is privileged. Has he, or any
one else. a scintilla of proof upon
which to found even a suspicion for
charge, that the president ever made
mill out Of the transaction? Dare
Mr.. Tillman make such a charge over
his own signature in a newspaper? We
often hear such insinua tons by mean
spirited, small potato politicians. It is
the favorite method of such men when
they fail in argument with those who
differ with them to attack their mo-
tives
Unusually when I hear such accusa-
lions made without proof, or any
semblance Of it. set down the speaker
either as partizan parrot who re-
peatS such statements as he hears
them. until he comes to half believe
there. may be some truth in what he is
saying; or he is one who believes it is
venial sin to rob the American
people If one does not get caught and
knows that if he himself had a chance
to do it without danger, he could not
resist the temptation.
1t is no light thing to accuse a man
Of unblemished reputation for honesty
, in private life, of robbery, without any
proof.
It is ten thousand times worse,
damnable and cowardly to so ac-
cuse a high official Of the government
upon mere suspicion with no proof. 1t
saps the very foundations Of our gov
eminent; it deoauches the moral senti-
ment of the people; it degrades and
disgraces US in the eyes of the world
And the ser timents so expressed by the
South Carolina senator are those of a
cowardly bully who skulks behind the
protection of his position, to attack
with a baseless charge a man who is
precluded both by his position and by
the constitution from defending him
self.
Is there a fair minded man or woman
in the United States who has posted
himself in regard to the reputation Of
the two men for personal honesty who
would think Tillman worthy to be
named in the same day with Cleveland?
Many of US hate Cleveland because he
doesn't agree with us on the silver
question, and therefore are ready to
believe all manner Of evil against him,
but we might remember sometimes that
politically he owes Utah and the silver
states nothing since no one of them
gave him a vote And also that he an
nounced both before and after his
nomination. and before his election
that he was not in favor of the coinage
of silver except on such terms as to
make a silver dollar equal in value to
a gold dollar. He was elected in spite
of the people of the silver states. He
does not believe that a silver dollar
coined at the ratio of 16 to l will be
worth as much as gold dollar. MANY
of our people do He may be ignorant,
preiudiced and bigoted, but a ma
jority of the people Of the United States
believe he acts I'D to his convictions If
he is wrong in his convictions let us
combat them with every legitimate
argument we can bring forward. But
for the honor of the American people,
let US not attack or approve attacks
upon his personal character for hon
esty, made without anv evidence.
1 believe in time all decent fair
minded people. will look back upon the
spectacle of a man upon whom the
people of sovereign state have
sought to confer the honor of a SEN
atorship. as disgracing his state and
the whole American neorle. oh
shades of Rutledge, Pinckney and
Calhoun look at the rio+''rn'
FAIR PLAY.
Salt Lake City, Jan. 81.
In answer to the question with which
the above communication opens, we
may say that we expressed our salts
faction at the speech of Mr.. Tillman
We are glad that he made it. and eX-
pressed the belief that while it was
proper to honor those to whom honor
is due. yet it was a good thing that
those who stand in high places be re-
minded once in a while that they are
not above criticism: that they are not
the masters but the servants Of the
people; and that it is a good thing for
the country that on occasion there
comes from the ranks Of the people
someone with sufficient spirit to take
to task the officers who are unfaithful
to them and untrue to their interests.
For these reasons we expressed our
qualification at the speech of Mr.. Till
man. but we are to be understood as
this; and we distinctly disclaim agree
nent with his political views. We GER
tainlv do not accept his Populist doc
trines in respect to finance, nor his
views on state control of liquor dis
pensaries.
And now in respect of Fair Plays
protest against Tillman's attack upon
the president He states that the SEN
ator's ''most serious charge, stated in
plain terms, is this: that President
Cleveland, in negotiating the last sale
of bonds, made personal profit of the
transaction; in other words, used his
position to rob the American people Of
millions" In thus reducing to what he
considers a plain statement the chief
charge made against President Cleve-
land by the senator we think Fair
Play" had not dealt fairly with Mr..
Tillman. Looking over the speech
again, we find but two passages from
which there could have been tortured
what is called the chief charge stated
in plain terms" They are as follows:
With relentless purpose, he has ig
nored his oath OF Office to uphold and
obey the law. and has paid out gold in
stead of coin, and issued bonds to buv
more gold. by both actions overriding
the law and giving no heed to the in
terests of any but moneyed friends-I
might say his owners or partners.
The second passage is this:
For the purpose of pointing out the
q nj CHI 81