Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-06-21
CLEVELAND CRUC|FED
Henri Watterson Editorially Flags
Ex.President Cleveland in
Courier-JournaI.
Remarks His "Obtuse Selfish.
ness, Ignorant Obstinacy and
Vulgar Self.Assertion."
Says Cleveland Could Not Garry
a Contested District in the
United States.

pears in the Courier-Journalt today goes
after Grover Cleveland with a sharp
stick. The article is entitled "a
Deaths Head at the Feast" and is
called out by Mr. Cleveland's speech at
the Tilden Club in New York last night,
in which Mr.. Watterson sees signs of
Cleveland's aspirations for another
democratic nomination, and honor,
which, it is said. Mr.. Watterson also
looks forward too.
Mr.. Watterson goes after Mr.. Cleve-
land with all his old time vigor. He has
not forgiven the stings of the old feud.
He recounts his various campaigns on
his covert effort for fourth successive
nomination, failing which he stood, as
Mr. Watterson says. "in the middle of
the road and blocking all others"
Mr.. Watterson in his editorial says
in part:
Cleveland has gained largely in pop
ular favor by reason of the ascription
of a sturdiness and integrity which
his panegyrists have assidiously culti-
waited. Neither his honesty nor his
hardihood need be gainsaid in order to
prove his deficiency as party leader
tho both have been most violently as
sailed-and, having no personal i'll will
to crafty at his expense. we shall not
stop to inquire where the trophies of
either may be on exhibition.
1T is enough to declare tina the found
the party what Mr.. Tilden had made it
of fighting men--and that having twice
betrayed tive will not say conscient-
iously betrayed it-for his own selfish
ends, he left it leaderless and divided
to the mercy of the winds and waves of
factionism, called into being by his own
lack of generosity and foresight.
Even down to the Chicago conven
ton of 1896 Mr.. Cleveland stood in the
middle ofthe road. blocking the way
alike to friend and foe who might de-
sire, or seek, the nomination of that
convention. He could not be induced
to efface himself. Whilst he was from
day to day pretending tina the would
issue a farewell address to his party,
taking himself from out of the range of
possibl nominees, a member Of his cab
met, without rebuke, was permitted
earnestly to urge him for a fourth time
upon the party.
1T seems kind of irony that it
should be Tilden club TO welcome Mr..
Clevelands baleful re-entry into polit-
ical activies. Mr.. Tilden died with
words of scorn and contempt on his lips
for Grover Cleveland. He understood
perfectly the coarse texture of Mr..
Cleveland's physical and mental make
up, his obtuse selfishness, his ignorant
obstinacy, his vulgar self-assertion, his
interchangeable duplicity.
THAT Mr.. Cleveland should put him
self forward as a conjectural leader is
proof of self-confidence which would
be sublime if it We're not sinister, be-
cause leadership with him means Office
and nothing but office Such we,,
turned disclaimers as that winch trad
lated his elsewise, aptly phrased speech
of Thursday night man nothing to those
who are familiar with his peculiar
methods They know for certainty
that Mr.. Cleveland never puts himself
to the trouble of a public appearance
without a definite objective point, and
that this objective point always relates
From the day he was one and twen-
ty till now he has been an officesaekar
He never drew disinteFested resp,ra-
ton in all his life. We are not permit
ted, therefore, to see in this artfully
timed and ostentatious temperance
upon the scene from which he With
drew into the conspicuous shade OF a
great university anything except the
organization of a presidential boom as
it is called.
From 1888 until 1892, affecting the
same seclusion. Mr.. Cleveland was IN
shaping his campaign for
the nomination of the latter year. Thru
the tdmirable and tireless management
of Mr.. Whitney he was nominated, and,
thanks to the Homestead riots, he was
elected, and the first thing he did on
getting back to his kingdom was to an
nOunce to the men who had restored it
to him-former officeholders-that they
were not in 1t. Thus he killed two
birds with one stone; he got rid OF
riffraff of importunates and made
new riffraff of expectants; trusting his
luck that in future contingencies the
latter would outweigh the former.
MOIe ludH any Ol HIS ll1lie
he hes understood how to play upon
public opinion and to pose for effect
This has enabled his partisans to ere
ate an ideal CLEVELAND to place this up
on a pedestal, and to fall and worship
their own man of straw. Meanwhile,
the real Cleveland grew to be a yerlta-
BILE upas tree, SO that whoever came
beneath its shadow persisted. The tru,n
is that, tho a whecket of larger craft,
in padding his own canoe Mr. Cleve-
land is most dexterous oarsman.
I'VE rather think the party will agree
without much division that it has had
its fill of Mr.. Cleveland. The idea of his
in 1904 is little short Of Ii
Gculous. He would be hailed by the
as the Diaz of democracy;
that is, as it's only, onliest captain gen
eral. 1t is safe to say that as a can5i-
date for third term in the white
for the fourth time pres.
idential nominee-he could not AIRY a
district in the United States.
THE Tilden Club has decidedly not
put its best foot foremost. Rather, as
the saying is, it has put its foot III it,
The name of Cleveland may still be a
name to conjure with for the rep,lb'i-
cans With the democrats of the Vest
and south it is simply hateful. Address
ing it the party might paraphrase the
familiar words of Rip Van Wrinkle, i
got enough, and l know when l got
tho it would hardly be able to
the sentence and to add, am
glad when / got enough