Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1902-06-24
FEEDING ON HUSkS.

Ihursday night, which Is being so gen.
orously commended by the Republican
politicians and newspapers as to raise
an able-bodied suspicion of its genu.
iDeness as containing any doctrne
wholesome for the people.
1t is curious, too, to observe how
comparatively charitable these same
newspapers are in their Judgment of
Mr.. Cleveland. He Is no longer the
"hhngman." or the stuffed prophet
but the statesman" whose oracular
deliyerances ought to be taken by their
political adversaries for what he offers
them,-as the sum of civic wisdom.
"a fellow.feeling makes one won.
drous kind"
We start out. therefore In consider
Ing the ex-President's speech, with a
reasonable doubt as to its Democracy.
The voice Is jacobs voice, but the
hands are the hands of Esau." Mr.
Cleveland in the course Of his remarks
accused the Democratic party with
feeding on ''thc busks of defeat" We
think he ought to know husks when he
sees them, and 1t comes with an III
grace from n man who contributed as
much as. he to the defeats to which he
refers, to charge the consequences upon
those whom he thus betrayed and sent
down TO disaster.
10 the same purport he said some
thing about the party getting "outside
the shadow of predestined defeat"
We know Of no one vino cast D larg.
er part of that shadow than hc. and
he is Introducing novel principle In
political ethics who undertakes to hold
those whom he helped to defeat re-
sponsible for the result of his own
party infdelity.
The entire harangue, with it's inf
mite self-sufficiency, it's talk about
''husks" and shadows" and the like
30 well in keeping with the porcne in
stincts of its author, and it's regret at
what he is pleased to call his own
"hanishment' from the late field of
political activity--all this amounts
to saying, IF you had stuck to my
creed of taritf.reform and let the
money question alone, you might be
In power today"
We should like to know who
twitched" the issue from the tariff TO
The money question. 1t was Grover
cleveland, when he forced 1t upon the
people by calling Congress together in
extraordinary session in 1903, in CON
junction with what England did mt the
same time In closing the mints in In
dia TO the coinage of the money Of the
people. Then, when he stood by and
did not save at least the pledged honor
OF his party by interposing his mega
tive to that monstrosity of tariff reform
by which his now fellow-purists of
the emocracy-together with one now
no more, shifted the exactions of rob.
berry under the forms Of law from the
industries of their enemies to those
owned by themselves, the measure of
his responsibility for the changing OF
issues was complete. His veto would
not have reformed the abuses of the
then tariff law, but 1t would have left
the odium of it's continuance where 1t
belonged and relieved his party from
the responsibility OF assuming it. But
one thing was needed to make effec.
tual the infamy of his treason to the
party which had placed him twice in
power. Following the instincts of the
political migrate that he was, and hav.
Ing kicked down the ladder upon
which he had climbed from obscurity
to prestige. he openly espoused the
cause Of the enemy, and In the cam.
paign OF 1896 directed all the power.
ful machinery Of an Office conferred
upon him by Democrats TO the sue.
cess Of the Republican ticket, sending
the members of his cabinet into the
doubtful states to work and speak In
it's behalf.
The defeat of the Democratic ticket
In that memorable year may easily he
traced 10 this cause. And now the
author OF 1t all has the cffrontcry 10
come forward and charge the unto.
word result OF his betrayal of his party
upon its loyal and heroic leaders. while
he. Its assassin, vouchsafes his coun.
sci as to Its guidance and policies for
the future.
What, In his view. those policies
ought 10 he, Mr.. Cleveland In his Til.
den Club speech points out In some
detail with characteristic self.com.
piacency We have already intimated
our estimate OF his former services A.,