Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1897-02-18
A President Without A Party.


A Washington correspondent OF
leading daily paper told quite pathet-
ic story, few days ago about Presi-
dent Cleyeland's sense of political isola-
ton. This chronicler represented nm
az feeling deeply hurt and chagrlned by
the fact that he approaches the end Oh
his second term without substantial
support in either house of Congress
and with few influential leaders III the
countrv at large. Although he mas
generally appeared Indifferent to pop
ular criticism, he is now said 10 ieel
keenly the common public expression
of satisfaction at the near approach OF
his retirement to private life. Sun tne
official head of great Nation, ne hnds
himself unvisited, neglected and snuo-
bed by the leaders of the party that
twice made him President and an ob-
iect of indifference to all Vanity OF
vanities. saith the Preacher; all Is vanl-
tv." and the President of the United
States mernfully echoes the saying OF
the preacher
1t is possible that this reportoriai
picture of the Presidents state OF mind
NAV be overdrawn; but certainly there
are abundant political reasons for be-
lieving it to be in the main accurate
Mr.. Cleveland is to-day a President
without a party. His nominations OF
public officers-many of them Tor I'M
portant posts-are hung up in the Sen
ate by the score, and no Democrat cares
to move their consideration. Bills 10
which ne has objected are returned 10
the House and quietly passed over MS
veto almost as matter of course ana
without public comment. Congress
men declare openly that no member OF
either house who has any sense or self
respect can afford to call on the Presl-
dent. 1t is doubtful if Andrew john
son or John Tyler at the close OF their
respective terms had fewer friends than
has Grover Cleveland to-day.
Both Tyler and johnson were pollti-
cal accidents, elevated to the Presl-
dency by the unexpected death OF the
men chosen by the people. Mr.. Cleye-
land has been twice the deliberate
choice of great party, and he has mad
some reason to regard himself as the
only possible choice OF that party.
Both Tyler and johnson were denounc-
ed as traitors to their party, and MT
Cleveland now shares their fate he
is charged with driving from him the
chief men of his party. He is taunted
with lack of political tact, to say
nothing of craftsmanship. 1t IS alleged
n. L I11 h rfx an
the tariff and the financial issues. There
is an element of truth in these charges,
but they are not true clear through.
Mr.. Clevelands party has indeed
been divided ON both the issues named;
but that division was more the fault of
the party than of its President. Mr..
Cleveland was no doubt sincere in his
demand for tariff for revenue only,
but his party was not sincere 1t car
ried the election of 1892 on that issue,
but when it came into full possession of
the Government in 1898 it did not live
up to its proclamation. Its Tariff bill
as it passed the House was not a pure
revenue measure, and before the Demo
cratic Senators got through with 1t 1t
became bill of sale to the trusts-an
act of perfidy and dishOnor, as Mr..
Cleveland aptly described it. Recog-
nizing as he did the nature of that bill.
Mr.. Cleveland should have vetoed it.
He would have done good thing for
the country and for his party if he had
done so, and his failure to do that was
one of the noticeable blunders of his ad-
ministration That blunder led to the
Supreme Court decision knocking out
the income tax, the great loss of reve-
nue. the consequent increase OF the
debt and finally the demand for the
coinage of cheap silver dollars.
On the financial issue Mr.. Cleveland
has been sound and consistent. He
was no doubt partly to blame for the
prominence of that issue; but when 1T
became prominent he met it manfully
and stood faithfully by the sound cur
rency doctrines or Jefferson, jackson
and Benton. Our readers will recall
the jaunty indifference and recklessness
with which the Democratic organiza-
ton in this State turned its coat ate
its own words and repudiated its own
record last summer 1t is sheer impu-
dence for the men who took part in
that grotesque political somersault
barely six months ago to charge Mr.
Cleveland with the division of the
party on the financial issue. They are
the men who by their own cowardice
and faithlessness split their party in the
last campaign. And at the same time
they convinced the country of the
party's fatal lack of character of com
mon honesty and of political sense.
1t is true enough that Mr.. Cleveland
is to-day President without party.
That fact is due partly to his lack of
political tact, and partly to his person
al temperament. but largely to the
fckleness and faithlessness of the party
that stuck by him while he had offices
to distribute and deserted both its Pres
ident and its doctrines when the folly
of its own lawmakers had made the
hard times harder by the passage of
Tariff bill that well merited Mr. Cleve-
lands stinging denunciation. The ex-
piring Administration has been in the
main failure. But the disgusted and
discredited leaders of the free silver
Democracy cannot make him the scape
goat ofa party whose recklessness and
political faithlessness have been so re
Gently demonstrated before the eyes of
all the people. Wellsboro Agitator.
GAME is ge tting so scarce in this
State that the Game Commissioner has
decided to overhaul the laws in an
effort to secure the nreoorvatiou of uybat