The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-08-31
CURRENT TOPICS.

Herald recently wrote to former-PresidenI
Cleveland asking for an expression OF
opinion on the political situation. He said
to Mr.. Cleveland that thousands OF CHI
zens found themselves greatly embarrass-
ed as TO their duty on election-day ana
that Mr.. Cleveland's large experience
would enable him to give such advice as
would solve the problem and make the
way clear. In reply, Mr.. Cleveland sad:
Il am quite sure you wrongly estimate
the value Of any expression l might MAKE
concerning the political situation
Besides. 1 am by no means free from
the perplexity which now afflicts thousands
Of those who love the principles OF true
Democracy In these circumstances l
am not inclined to advise others as to
their present political duty. "A crisis mas
arisen when each mans conscience ana
Informed patriotic sense should be MS
guide.
..Inasmuch, therefore, as neither the GER
tainty Of my ability to rightly advise nor
any call of obligation prompts me to dis
cuss conditions, think I ought to be per-
mitted, in my retirement, to avoid the lr-
ritation and abuse which my interference
at this time would inevitably invite"
It would appear from this that Mr.. Cleve-
land is himself undecided as to how he
will vote.
A correspondent writing from Kansas
City on the political situation says:
can unexpected feature is causing the
Populists uneasiness-the Socialists. The
teachings Of Populism have been in the
direction Of Socialism for ten years. The
leaders of the Populist party are in most
instances avowed Socialists, and their eff
forts have been directed towards spread
no cnoi1 1iStjo doctrines -
The Popnist is a halfway Socialist. So
cialsm is Populisn carried to it's logical
conclusion.
President c. ]. Wittenberg. of the Ches-
areake and Ohio Coal and Coke Company,
recently said in an interview that with
in the next two years we should be in
q position, with fair opportunities for trans
porting our coal, to sell five or ten mil
lion tons of it to European countries an
nual1y-'' President Wittenberg has just
returned from a two-months' tour through
England, France and Denmark.
The Fredericksburg Free Lance says
that the movements looking to the estab-
lishment of an industrial school in King
| George, for colored people. which began
lack of funds, is again taking on tangible
form. We hope that the enterprise will
succeed. Schools of this character are do
ing more for the negro in the South than
AL otncr means, and these people at ,he
North, who profess to be so friendly to
the negro. will do far more fer aim by
contributing to schools of this character
than ty holding meetings and passing &c
solutions about lyEcking.
'.The drug trade generally is awaiting
with a great deal of Interest," says the
New York Journal of Commerce, "tae or
come of the annual meeting OF the Nation
al Association of Retail Druggists. to be
| held in Detroit, September 18th to 14th, in
elusive, especially since it is expected that
at that meeting, or Immediately after, as a
| result of that convention, the plans which
have been under way for two years to
abolish cut-rates and to remodel the pro-
prietary drug trade will be declared ope-
rative. 1t is safe to say that no move
nent in recent years has been SO extensive
or has attracted such widespread interest
| in drug-trade circles throughout the cCun-
try as has this undertaking to better the
| conditions of the trade in proprietary
articles
The louisville Dispatch says that fair
elections constitute the very cornerstone
of all Democratic and Republican govern
| nlents, for when we deny the people the
right to vote or when we permit the min
GRITTY to disregard the majority by force,
fraud and usurpation, cur prelense to
popular Government becomes a sham ana
a fraud. Happy the PEOPLE Of Kentucky
il they only adopt that noble sentiment and
iy,tn ~, olo
law which the Legislature is about to
frame.