The San Francisco call., 1897-03-03
THE LAST DAY.

This is the last day of the Cleveland
administration. and as such is the only
day of that administration which will be
completely satisfactory to the people.
Whatever view future generations may
take OF Mr.. Clevelands second term, there
can be no question of the judgment pro-
nounced upon it by contemporaries. Men
of all parties and the people well nigh
universally condemn it. With the excep-
Iion of few men who constitute a clique
confined almost to New York City, there
is hardly a citizen of the Union who ap-
proves the policy pursued by Mr.. Cleve-
land, or commends the manner in which
it has been maintained.
The whole four years OF Mr.. Cleveland s
second term has been period of depres-
SION and disaster. Every industry and
every trade mas been injuriously affected,
and every intelligent student OF events
has perceiyed that the greater part OF all
these injuries has been due to the false
theories and dogmatic course of the Presi-
dent
Born without any faculty of sympathy
with the people, or with the aspirations
OF the Republic. MIR. Cleveland has of late
what he is pleased to consider his freed ON
from popular influences. During the war
he shared none OF the patr lotto sentiments
of the people, nor did he care enough for
The preservation of the Union to join the
armies which fought to sustain it. Even
in those times he stood aloof from his
fellow citizens and was Indifferent 10 Ma
,ional emergencies. These defects OF his
youth have increased with age until now he
has become a man almost colossal in his
egotism, and so self-complacent that he
prides himself on his lack of sympathy
with his country and his fellow-citizens.
To these personal characteristics of the
President we must attribute most of the
disasters which have befallen the country
during his administration. 1t was not
that he did not see that help was needed
during the panic which followed his in
auguration, but that he scorned 10 give il.
He found delight in showing his indiffer-
ence to popular clamor, and was 80 far
consistent in his course that he ignored
his own party as well as the people gener-
ally. He made himself, il possible, more
obnoxious to Democracy than to any
other portion of the people, and such was
the effect of his course that he reduced the
Democratic organization which had been
successful in elccting him to the Presi-
dency to such state of generalization
that to-day it hardly exists as potent
factor in the politics of the country.
Tomorrow will be the glad day Of the
year 10 Republicans and to the people
generally, because it will be the day of
the Inauguration OF Mckinley; but to
Democracy the gladnes, of the day will
consist in the fact that it is to bs the last
of Cleveland. The men who voted for
him will be best pleased to see him retire
from office under circumstances which are
tantamount to his retirement from poll
tics. During his administration he has
injured every cause which he advocated.
He has ruined the free-trade propaganda
and blighted the hopes of those who de-
sire to see the retirement of greenbacks.
To every cause which looked to him for
leadership he has proved the worst OF
enemies, and even among his former
friends there will be rejoicing to-day, be-
cause it Is the last of Cleveland and of
Clevelandism.