Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-11-06
MR.. cLEVELAND's RECORD
WARMLY DEFENDED


To the Editor of The Journal:
1t is not my purpose or object to In
trude upon your valuable space by pre-
,cipitating a useless discussion through
your columns as to what constitutes De-
mocracy, but 1 should like to reply
through The Journal to the inconsistent
cies embraced in the communication OF
Mr.. E. z. G. Roberts, which appeared In
Saturdays Journal referring to my let
ter inserted in your paper of the Path.
and impugning as it does the Democracy
of ex-President Cleveland.
Mr.. Roberts assumption that obtain
ed any information as to the number OF
presidents elected by the Democratic par
~ within the past (nearly) fifty years
from the Birmingham News or other
newspapers lis merely imaginative, as the
correctness of my statement is as would
be known by any student of geometry,
self evident proposition, and hence it is
not necessary for a person of even ordin-
airy intelligence to refer to a newspaper
for guidance on this point, as it is simply
a historical fact.
1 would remind Mr.. Roberts of the fact
that Mr.. Tilden was never president,
though believe, as do the great masses
of the Democratic party, that he was
elected but deprived of the high office to
which the people elected him by the
electoral fraud Of 1876. But be that as it
may, it is well known and remembered
that the platform of 1876 upon which Mr..
Tilden was nominated was a sound money
platform, and it is beyond dispute that
the views entertained by him touching the
great economic questions agitating the
country were identically the same as
those evinced by the great statesman
whom Mr. Roberts is now pleased to term
in substance as a traitor to his party.
and venture to say that had Mr.. TIL
den imbibed the visionary and dangerous
theories which have taken possession Of
the latter day Democracy that he would
not have received a single electoral vote
north OF Mason and Dixon's line, or west
of the Mississippi river.
I presume Mr.. Roberts while character
izing Mr.. Cleveland as a marplot and a
traitor to his party regards the Hon. w.
J. Bryan as a typical and true Democrat,
and yet prior to his nomination in 1896
he stated most positively and unequivocal-
ly in his public speeches, delivered in va
rious southern cities, that if the party
should place in nomination a candidate
for that high Office whose ideas did not
coincide with his own, as previously ex-
pressed, that he would withhold from him
his support. "Oh! consistency, thou art
jewell"
Referring to the private sale of bonds
to J. p. Morgan & Co.. to which Mr.. Rob
erts refers, if he will take into consid-
Grafton the arrangement which Mr.. Cleve-
land entered into with the syndicate
which purchased the bonds, whereby
Morgan & Co. agreed that they would re-
place in the treasury all the, gold which
might be withdrawn therefrom, exacting
no premium therefrom, he will find by
summing UP the Withdrawals and rein
statements that the deal which Mr.. Cleve-
land made with this syndicate instead of
proving a loss to the government, did
by keeping the gold reserve intact actu-
ally save the government many millions
of dollars which 1t would have been re-
quired to pay in interest on an addition
ad issue of bonds which would have be-
come absolutely necessary had not this
agreement existed.
AS to the perfidy charged to Mr.. Cleve-
land in his acceptance of the presidential
nomination in 1892. it is sufficient to say
that in his letter to the committee notify
ing him of his nomination, he stated dis
tinctly and frankly his position on the
coinage question. and the party voted and
elected him with a full knowledge of the
fact as proclaimed by him that he was
Numerically opposed to the unlimited
free coinage of silver at the 16 to ! ratio,
and hence no reasonable person can i'm
pute bad faith to him in consequence
thereof.
Mr.. Cleveland has ever been just ana
kind to the southern people, appointing
ex-Confederates to positions in his cabin
et to nearly all the highest diplomatic
positions abroad, and upon the highest
judicial tribunal in this country, but I'M
fortunately he incurred the displeasure
of the professional office seekers and poll
ticians in refusing to fill all the places
in the public service with their hench-
men and hence they use the free silver
hobby simply as a pretext to conceal the
zeal cause of their opposition.
CLARENCE T. WALKER.
Atlanta, Ga.