Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1901-12-23
CERTAIN STATESMEN AS PHRASE
MAKERS.


A little book called Famous Sayings
by Famous Americans" has been COM
piled by Mr.. James j. Neville of SYRIA
cuse. 1t crowds a great deal into less
than ninety pages. OF the nine fam
Gus Americans represented, not the
least characteristic. IL not always the
most celebrated sayings are those here
selected and grouped:
Theodore Roosevelt in 1899: 81 wish
to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble
ease. but the doctrine of the strenuous
life"
William Mckinley in 1898: Stand up
for America and America viii stand up
for you
William II. Seward in 1852: 81 have a
vision fthe world embraced in a single
great commercial system, ramified by
a thousand nerves projecting from one
head at London. Yet stupendous as the
scheme is, our own merchants. con-
scious of equal resources, and relying
on experience for success. stand here
beseeching us to allow them to coun-
teract its fulfilment. Considering our
superior resources in soil and in the in
fluence of freedom. our enterprise will
be equal to the glorious conflict"
James G. Blaine in 1878: There is
no more hurtful agitation in this coun-
William NJ Evarts in 1877: The
water flowed like champagne
Benjamin Harrison in 1896: 1T is the
story that is woven into our flag that
makes it precious
Grover Cleveland in 1886: "Innocuous
desuetude"
Ulysses S. Grant in 1878: Il think
that IL there is ever another war in this
country it viii be one of ignorance and
superstition combined against educa-
ton and intelligence
Roscoe Conkling in 1877; These men
milliners in politics."
The sensational feature of Mr. Me-
vil1e's anthology is his attempt to
transfer the copyright of the phrase
II am n democrat" from the Hon.
David b. Hill to the Hon. Grover
Cleveland. 1t is true that the words 81
am democrat" were used by Mr..
Cleveland in his speech of October %,
1881, accepting the nomination for
mayor of Buffalo but they were used
incidentally there, and Mr.. Neville
makes his point only by taking them
bodily from the context. What Mr..
Cleveland said was this:
Personal and private considerations
have made the question of acceptance
on my part difficult one. But because
am democrat. and because think
no one has a right, at this time of all
others. to consult his own inclinations
as against the call of his party and fell
low citizens.and hoping that l may be
of use to you in your efforts to ipad-
gurate a better rule in municipal af-
fairs, I accept the nomination tender
ed me-
Probably many millions OF citizens
had incidentally used the four words
Il am a democrat before Mr.. Cleve-
land uttered them as above at Buffalo
in 1881. The authorship of the phrase
might as well be attributed to any one
of these millions as to him. Mr.. Hills
title rests on the circumstance that he
employed the phrase not merely as
commonplace announcement CT a po-
Gtical fact. but as a bold, brief and.
from his point of view. sufficient state
ment of creed and platform. In that
sense he made it his label. his tag, his
plume. Mr.. Neville cannot take it
away from him and bestow it upon the
Hon. Grover Cleveland without pro-
test from this disinterested quarter
New York Sun.