Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-06-22

When with face glowing with inten
tity Of feeling and with a lions roar
he shouted, 1--WE have come to the
parting of the ways men knew that
it was war, bitter war, among Demo
Gratis until BANDS principles became
his party creed. He secured only 101
votes, but he had SET in motion forces
which have triumphed in the party and
which under God, will triumph in the
country and throughout the world.
have often regretted that the portrait
of the Grand Old Man could not have
been painted by master hand as he
appeared thai day-the greatest day of
his life, day big with the fate Of
Cato and Of Rome. Such picture
would deserve to rank with the great
est historical paintings of the world.
From that day to this have loved
and revereneed the man, and will love
and reverence his memory always.
Though intimately associated with
Bland, [ never heard him mention that
speech. From that and other facts,
am inclined to believe that he never
had any clear conception Of what a
colossal historic parsonage he was and
greatly underrated the influence which
be had exerted on the destinies Of his
country and his kind
An Able Statesman.
1t was persistently asserted in certain
quarters that Bland was not big enough
for president. That was all bosb. Any
man who could serve in congress rs
years growing constantly, and hoe as
big row as Bland did is big enough
to be president.
The little girl was philosopher who
put an obstacle in the pathway of the
astronomer who was always gazing
skyward, and when he barkod his shins
and angrily asked her why she did it,
replied, Look close about vou, and you
will find beauties nearer home. l com
mend her wisdom to Blands detractors.
Campbell's Pleasures of Hope is
the greatest long poem in our vernacu-
lar. 1t contains one couplet that has
always clung to my memory like
bur:
lis distance lends enchantment to the view
And distance performs precisely the
same office for public men l can give
an accurate rule for measuring them.
Statesmen are great exactly in proper
ton to the square of the distance You
are away from them. Few, very few,
can stand the severe test of personal
contact and close inspection. Many Of
them shrink and shrivel into repulsive
nothingness, like Rider Haggard's (
'sShe." For 36 years any man who
happened to be elected governor of New
York, Ohio or Indiana at once assumed
presidential proportions. As a grower
! Jonah's gourd wasn't marker to any
of them.
have read and studied and thought
somewhat about American presidents
and have endeavored with unprejn-
diced mind to ascertain the caUses Of
their eminence, their mental strength
and educational equipments, and my
conclusion is that if Bland was not as
great as Washington, Jefferson. Jack
son or Lincoln neither was or is any
American of our ger sration. If we
wait for president till the equal of
any member of that great quartet ap-
pears. we are likely TO have long in
terregnum.
As a scholar Bland did not rank with
Madison, John Quincy Adams or Gar
field. He was not a soldier. as were
| Washington, jackson, Taylcr and
/ Grant He was not so much Of a Ches-
terfeld as Pierce or Arthur As a
manipulation he was not in it with Mar
| tin Van Buren. But In common sense.
which, after all, is the best sense. he
had had no superior among our chief
magistrates.
He had more intellect than Monroe,
Van Buren. William Henry Harrison.
! Tyler. Polk. Taylor, Fillmore. Pierce.
Buchanan, johnson, Hayes or Arthur.
He had more reputation than any
man ever nominated a first time for
the presidency except Washington,
jefferson, Jackson, Taylcr and Grant
His name is household word wherever
money cireulates or civilization
abounds
Right Fer Rights Sake.
/ Bland was modest man. He was
very much disposed to hide his light
under a bushel He did right because
hesloved the right and left the conse-
/ quences to take care of themselves He
never seriously thought of being presi-
dent till the people pressed it on him
/ In 1894, when l nominated him for
president in every speech | made, he
/ regarded me as an unruly boy who
i loved him with more zeal than discre-
tion. What Paul said Of charity wonld
apply to him, '.Charity suffereth long
| and is kind, envieth not, vaunteth not
herself, is not puffed up, seeketh not
her own =
He came near being the hero of the
/ Mckinley bill debate by strategic
movement worthy of the genius of Ma
| poleun Not one person ID a hundred
thousand knows that, but it is the
plain unvarnished truth nevertheless.
The last day of the debate Blaud aston
ished the tariff harons and their supple
tools by offering the following amend
ment: whenever American farm
products are exchanged for foreign ar
ticies these shall come in free, or
wherever American farm products are
sold and tie proceeds Invested in Tor
eign articles these shall come in free
The Bald Eagle of the Ozarks ear
ried constrnatien into the ranks Of the
pap suckers. There was a great hurry
ing to and fre just then. Bland Plan
was great chunk of free trade. 1t
made the cold chills run up and down
the spinal columns of all the Republican
members misrepresenting agricultural
constituents, those Janus faced western
representatives with eastern principles
who hold with the hare and run with
the hounds. 1t made the cold sweat
ooze on Major Mckinley. Voting was
to begin at 8 p NJ, but such was the
shock and fear that the Buckeye Napo-
leon had the time extended three hours
in order To whip in and stifen up the
backbone Of the western double dealers,
to send ont and get the eastern fellows.
and, after all they only beat BANDS
proposition three votes
Though Bland came near snatching
victory from the jaws Of defeat in that
tariff fight. he is called man Of one
idea.
Bland was honest as the day is long,
plain as an old shoe, artless as child
l. A. i K. q