Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1897-03-09

secure q second term were Il malign in
/ fluence, lie already had in mind such
| Cabinet construction as would remove
all rivals for his own second nomi-
nation.
''Then, too, there was the strange
John Kelly ep.ode. With extraordi.
nary skill, end, as it seemed, reckless
audeci,y, Cleveland had been able TO
iUpress democrats everywhere that he
was intolerant of K=lly's influence and
defied i'm and all MS Tammany follow
Jog; and ye', almost uuder cover Of
the night when il WAS clear that Tam
many proposed TO see 10 it that Blaine
had enou.h votes il New York city to
give him the ell cioral votr, Cleveland
sougl Kelly, going 10 him and remain
ine with hun il secret.
"When Kelly came forth from that
meeting he at once sent commands to
all his district leaders that they see to
it that The organization voted straight,
u command that came too late to be
thoroughly obeyed but it was the CON-
mand which elected Grover Cleveland
i'll 1851.
"Is has always been felt here that it
was as politician rather than the
stal esnan OF broad view and spt knowl-
edge of his country that Cleveland was
revealed upon that excursion through
the west when he compimented the
ctizens of every city through which he
passed with plagiarisms from the en-
cyclop9 liza : description Of their towns,
and although The incident fad more
of humor than importance in it, yet it
mas seemed to upfejudiced students of
Mr.. Cleveland as though it threw some
light upon his character.
'PrJfessor Harry Peck. of Columbia
College, one OF the most brilliant men,
bers Of hat faculty, applied the test
of scholarly cri icism to one distinguish
ed characteristic OF Mr.. Cleveland, his
pond, rous peculiar method OF plati;u
dinous public utterance.
professor Peck subjected the ad-
dresses of Mr. Cleveland 10 an analysis
similar in its methods 10 those en-
ployed in editing the writings OF the
masters ofthe Latin and Greek tongues.
He discovered from the internal eyi
dence that these addresses furnished
something deeper than the self con-
scious perfection which to superficial
reader is the spirit in which these pa
pers were written, and, strange 10 say,
Professor Peck's analysis agrees exact |
ly with that estimate OF Cleveland
which many of the abler politicians now |
entertain.
For to his scholar, these speeches
to their artificial, ponderous style |
are the forced, deliberate verbal ex-
preston OF one who is without real sim
cerity of purpose, but vino has appre-
hended al impressive way Of present.
ing self evident and homely truths as
though they were new discovery. |
No one would do tat whose motives |
were not personal.
sit Was from May of 1892 until the |
election of that year that Mr.. Cleve- |
land made very surprising exposures
of himself as "a master politician to |
many who had thought him lifted far
above the plane Of politics.
"When Van Allen at time Of des- |
perate poverty for The national commit
tee contributed $4,000, and knew
when he did that that he would
NO dppOlutCu W tiS
understanding wes not an exceptional
incident Of that campaign. for although |
it was Mr.. Cleveland's habit |
when campaign pledges were NEIL
toned to him to say See Quincy
meaning lhst adroit and cold
blooded politician who afterward dealt
out consulates with lavish prodigality |
for past or future political service, yet
be could not thus throw upon other
shoulders all responsii ility.
"And the echoes of his l.enox Lyccum
speech in which he denounced with char
actcristic diction the use Of money in Political
campaigns, were still ringing in the ears OF
his hearers when be was listening to the p ans
involving expenditures in Colorado and other
western States by which alliance, direct, or
Indirect could be made with populists so that
the rcpnb lean electoral ticket might be fully |
defeated.
1T is the opinion Of profound thinkers
here that no man whose public utterauccs
were bora of sincere conviction could have
been borne to the Presidency as Cleveland
was in 1892 without carrying into admins
trativc and legislative effect the spirit of tn sc
utteranc 5, and it is by this failn'e that |
Cleveland Will be judged by and b; to have |
been the most successful politician OF his time |
SO far as personal aspirations were concerned, |
and yet successful py the employment of
something which, if not false protense, was
rare and skillful phase OF demagogy."
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