Smyrna times., 1897-03-10
GROVER CLEVELAND.

The retirement from public Office of
man who has for fourteen years held
so conspicuous a place in the conduct
OF affairs in the State and in the
Nation as President, is, naturally
enough, made the occasion for a gem
eral summing up of his career and pro-
nouncement of judgment upon his
policy, his acts and his character
This has been going on in magazines
and news papers past. AS might he
expected, too, his friends and adj
mlrers- greatly reduced in number If
must be admitted, during the last four
years, but, it must also be admitted
intensified in their personal devotion
as their number decreased. These con-
trlbutlons to current literature. from
two opposite points of view, do not bv
any means represent the deliberate
judgment Of the mass either Of Mr.
Cleveland's friends or his opponent,
though, perhaps, if an average were
struck between them it might furnish
far expression of public opinion. He
Is not so transcendently great and wise
and good as his admirers represent
him, nOl is he so insignificant. SO oh
stlnately stupid or 80 irredeemablv bad
as his angry opponents descaibe him
The opinions of The Tribune regard
ing President Cleveland's Administra-
ton, its foreign and domestic policy
It's strength and it's weakness. have
been frankly expressed at all times
and do not need to be repeated now.
For the tixity of purpose and stubborn
determination with which he comDell-
ed his own reluctant following in Con
gress to carry out his will in the repeal
OF the silver coinage law. We can but
give him merited and unstinted praise
Now that his official term has expir-
ed and he is passing out of public life.
1t remains to be said that he has made
an Impression upon the history of his
time which cannot be gainsaid. and
which it would be foolish to ignore.
Leaving out all other considerations.
the man who has occupied for two
terms the position Of President of the
United States cannot be showed aside
as an accident of politics, or dismissed
as an unimpOrtant factor in the history
OF his country during a stirring and
eyenttul period. Contemporaneous
Judgment is hardly ever entirely Just.
Opinion is biased and vision distorted
by proximity. History requires per
spective. But when all is said, certain
facts will remain clear upon which it
will appear, without question, that the
career of this man has been unique
without parallel in the political history
OF the country. No other man has been
the candidate of his party for the Pres
ldency three times in succession since
the custom of nominating by National
conventions began. But it is not so
much this unprecedented circum-
stance as the further fact that in every
instance he has been nominated in the
face of the most bitter opposition from
the leaders of his own party, and es-
pecially from his own State, that has
made his political career the most re-
markable in the history of parties. He
has upset the traditions of his own par
ty and confused the logic of politicians.
Coming up out of absolute obscurity to
be Governor of New York, he astonish-
ed the men at Albany, who thought
they made him, by a degree of self-as-
sertion and stubbornness that angered
without awing them. They determin-
ed to get rid of him. They couldn't
Instead, they saw him nominated and
elected President. At Washington he
took the same attitude toward Demo
cratic statesmen of National fame and
experience. They, too, were surprised
and disgusted, and determined to have
done with him at the end of his term.
He was not easily turned down.
And all this time he has borne him
self with a self-assertion and robust
egOtism that might almost be called
magnificent. To treat him as a person
of no significance or of no remarkable
qualities of mind and character, though
it may not be belittling the people who
twice chose him as their Chief Magis-
trate, certainly belittles and degrades
the party which, in violation of all its
traditions and in opposition to its most
eminent statesmen, made him its can
didate three times in succession. Dem
Ocrats certainly are estopped by their
own record from denying his great
ness. Republicans may deny it, and |
only admit that he has the appearance
of greatness from comparison with |
other great men.