New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-06-11
THE "UOPTGAGED CANDIDATE"

THE "MORTGAGED CANDIDATE"
And now President Cleveland has taken a
hand in the discussion OF Republican candidates
for the succession lie also Is solcitous lest
tho Republicans may make blunder in their
National Convention Selfconsclous and un-
embarrassed he offers to a Republican CON
cressman the gratutous suggestion that MI
NcEinley's nomination will he unfortunate
adding with characteristic lack OF delicacy
and of the rules of propricty, though with
clear foresight as TO the ultimate event OF the
oIection that "he will find this Office no place
for n mortgaged man" We assume thar Mr.
Cleveland was not speaking out of the disap-
nointment OF n "mortgaged man," who in his
occunancy of this office" had shattered into
fragments the party which elected him. ana
made the most dismal failure on record in the
history of parties and of the Government The
most natural Inference Is that he looks upon
his Administration as success, and that us
success IS due TO the fact that he did not enter
upon this office" as "a mOrtgaged man.
We'll. we do not think he did. And for THIS
reason: The party from which he took this
office" was made up of such heterogeneous. in
concruous and incohcrcnt elements that they
could not undertake to agree upon IA mortgage,
bnt had TO 90 il blind. And they have all been
fooled
But he mistakes If he thinks that this office
is no place for mortgagcd man. The Amcri-
can people have got through taking on trust
man who is so much better than his party
that his party's record * entirely ignored
through taking candidate forced upon
party bv an Insignificant. but bolstcrouS ana
persistent minority, who threaten ruin unless
they are appcascd They want man who
actually is mortgaged Mortgagcd 10 his party
by the security he has offered in n public career
! thoroughly I'm accord with the principles II las
| ALWAYS avowcd and the record II has made
! Mortgagcd TO the whole country and all the
prople hy constant regard for the best IN
| tercsts Of the country and intelligent devotion
! 10 the welfare ana prosperity Of the people
Mortcaged by answering fidelity To principle,
| stcadfast adherence Ia Tie right. "A stainless
character and unhcmlShcd reputation. Mort
gagged by such unqucsiioncd security to the
Republican party and the American people.
| such is the mortgage and such the security
upon which William Mckinley Will I'LL this
Office" which Grover Cleveland. looking back
upon m unsuccessful Administration ana Il
broken and distracted party comrlaccnty says
| Is mo place for mort gaGcd man
| To any one not familiar with political his
tory It may seem ut first blush tribe strange
that such Intense sollcltulc concerning the Re
publican nomination should b" manii"si"d 10y
Democrats and Mugwump~. who have no idea
under any circumstances Of supporting the Re
publican nominee. whoever he may BE- But II
l. not strange. after all. The leaders and or
gans Of the party which has done NOR" than
any other to dcmoraliZc public sentiment on
financial subjects and promote the present I'll.
yer craze are following precisely the precedent
established in 1861. Now they are greatly eN-
erciscd lest the Republicans may Nominate a
candidate who is unsound upon finance. with
the fac, staring them In the face that their own
convention il absolutely certain to adopt free
silver platform and nominate frcrsiivcr can
didatc They tried the same game in 1864
Then they were in "A great state Of mind because
Mr. Lincoln had not vigorously prosecuted n
War which they themselves had brought on
though, as everybody knew, the War was
against the larger part of their own party
After making great ado over this, they nom
mated an unsuccessful Union General and put
him on a platform which pronounced the Wnr
a failure. 1t was queer complication. But
that seems to he what these queer people, call
ing themselves the Democratic party, most
enjoy.
Their own National Convention Is TO all ap
pcarances absolutely certain TO nominate Il
frec-silvcr candidate on Il frcc-sllvcr platform
But they are all Of them, from The New York
Evening Eczema" up 10 the President OF III,
United States, worried beyond measure lcs
the Republicans may nominate candidat,
who will not before his nomination stand on his
portico or open his bedroom window and shout
to every wandering space-writer who calls him
out or wakes him up that he is down on silver
and has not n silver spoon in his house They
are an uncommonly queer lot. And they could
hardly find better representative than Presi
dent Cleveland lie caps their climax.