Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1897-03-14

him give you a list of twenty books, in-
Guiding the biue-back speller which he
has read. But, says a cukoo, How about
his message and letters?" Those who be-
lieve that Grover ever writes these are
afflicted with q species of juvenile sim
plicity which leads little children to
think that Santa Claus comes down the
chimney to put candy and fire crackers
in their stockings" and that doctors
find babies in hollow logs and peddle
them around at night to expectant man,
mas" Oh. no! When Grover diseourses
unsound politics in three-column letters
through the newspapers or fires stale
rhetoric at Congress- he does it like he
saved the Union by substitute.
There is but one clause of the Constitu-
ton which he seems to have read, and
on this he has made a record. In the sense
hOrsemen Use the term. That is the
clause comforting the veto power; and he
uses this more as the club of Culaban
than as a discretionary power conferred
on the Executive for the wise purpose of
serving as check or balance to the leg
fslative branch of the government. Pen
sion bills are the chief target on which
he Yields this club, and his reason for 1t
is obvious if one will only look at the
composition of the two houses of Con-
gress. The South sends a full third of
the members Cleveland, in his little
ness. imagines that these members, who
mostly fought on the other side. are dom
mated by the same feelings of petty spite
which go so far to make up his own
personal chara cteTistfcs and, therefore,
they will sustain his veto. That he has
any perception whatever of government
economy or of common justice is dis
proved by the fact that he will veto a
pension for some poor devil from way
back one day. and on the next, without
authority of law, contrary to all prece-
dent and to the sea ndal of the nation.
will take a government revenue cutter
or light house tender at cost to Uncle
Sam of 5000 day off for two weeks
duck shooting on the Chesapeake whose
cost for fuel alone would pay dozen
such pensions! He uses it as the weapon
of the man; and as tyrants are always
arrant towards, he confines it's use to
where there is the least danger of its
being overthrow He cursed the tariff
bill with all the anathemas which He
brew patriarch would be supposed to full
inmate against power which would limit
the profits of Nova Scotia coal field,
but he didn't dare to use his veto.
His Sycophants are wont to speak in
glowing terms of what they are pleased
to call 'Clevelandesque firmness. This
firmness, when you analyze 1t, he pcs
sesses in common with the jackass and
the mule. Sensible people denominate it
bull-headed obStinaoy, founded ON the
e9otism of very small intellects. man
with more brain than bowels is always
open to conviction and is often convinced
that he is in error. Fools wrap them
selves in the impenetrable mantle of self
conceit and are as interchangeable as the
instincts of a hog. Whatever Grover
wants to do, with him. is right, and the
wisdom of the whole world. all the rules
of logic the dictates of reason or of COM
mon sense are as utterly wasted on him
as they would be IL pleaded before a
wooden Indian. Not being susceptible of
listening to reason, he never attempts to
use 1t on Others. Fenality is the only
human attribute he ever deigns to appeal
to when he wishes to carry point. Pub
lie patronage, gold. stocks and bonds are
the only argument he can understand,
the only logic he ever uses. What more
could we expect from an animal built as
he Is? A man who wears an IL collar
and number hat, with the shanks
of Cassius and the paunch of FalStaff,
could not possess the keen and polished
wit of Voltaire, the clear analysis of Ba-
con or the concise and elegant vocabu-
larry of a Rousseau. When we go to a
pig stye We seek pork. not a philosopher.
Though not possessing that low order
of talents necessary to make money, or
rather to accumulate money, he retireS
from office the only President in the his
tory OF the Republic with a large for
tune. This he has achieved by the same
fortuitous circumstances as he attained
political advancement, luck. A. set of
sreWd real estate spectators found him
useful in forwarding their scheme. Bond
syndicateS saw in him the instrument by
which they could work the suckers on the
stock exchange. They were willing to
divide the swag. He was not scrupuious
about preserving the dignity of his high
office, and this comprises the whole story.
The office of President has been to him
an Alladin'S lamp which 1t was only nee
esSary for him to rub to summon all the
benefcent genii of Wall street to his pres
ence. who would at beck or nod, lay
fabulous treasures at his feet--no con-
scientious scruples stood in the way of
rubbing-he rubbed early and often and
retireS q millionaire.
But his most acrimonius critic cannot
accuse him of nepotism. His colossal sell
fishness stood like a flaming sword in the
path of Balaam and saved him from this
sin. No rela tive of his ever crossed the
threshold of the White House. and he is
the only American in history who could
successfully get rid of a. nlot'her-in-aw!
We presume his relatives knew him to
begin with. and the mothar-in-law early
found him out. His home relations may
be as serene and loving as dove cote
for aught we know or care, but the man
who can ignore all the ties of blood and
Inca ge, Spurn with contempt the rela-
tionship which protected his childhood, is
beast which none can defend, even. if
a man cannot be a patriot because the
love of family is the basis of all love OF
country but 1t is Just such a nature as
would toady TO the dusky queen of a
semi la rbarous island dance attendance
on the wishes of a decayed Gothic mon
archy, bow obsequiously to the purse OF
wealth and might be toasted by that para
gon of concupiscence and bestiality the
Prince of Wales. but it Is one that no
reverence to. applaud or condone.-Euro-
clydon, Nashville.
Cnlipt Coal Ua and Ala