The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-03-26
THFY ArE eEErNo rHTNos

The announcement that Mir. Cleveland contsmpiates a Western trip has na- turally caused certain of our esteemed contemporaries to whittle new points on their Fabers and turn themselves loose l in . patriotic effort to save the country some more. They see in this contem- plated trip of the great Democrat Cor eons and Hydras and Chimeras dire." to say nothing of snakes and striped nnon- keys. Of course, he can have no other object in view but to lay the wires and prepare the plans for another nomina- ton. He is going to take the National
 Convention by the throat and choke
 nomination out of 1t. They cannot pos
 sibly think of any reason he can have for travelling about the country other than the selfish one of booming his own candidacy.
 Why should the fact that this man wants to see something of his own coun- try be taken by the brethren of the late free silver faction as an evidence that he is trying to rape the Party and force a nomination from it? But. as The Chat tanooga Times says:
 Mir. Cleveland has a perfect right to travel about among his friends If he sees ft and stili he may not be booming a candidacy for the presidential nomina- ton. He has declared emphatically that he Is not in politics for his own personal advancement and that whatever he may do will be solely for the advancement of the principles of Democracy, which he declares will be dear to him so long as life shall last. Mir. Cleveland Is not a candidate. but let us hope that he will be influential in the selection of the cam didate. and then we may be quite sure that we will have a simon pure Demo- crat to vote for next time.
 We shudder to think what may happen to The Times when that editorial Is read vile. However. as the wireless business is not yet in operation, The Times may escape. But the concluding portion of the extract will be red rag to some of our contemporaries. It Is bad enough to have Mir. Cleveland travelling loose about the country, but to intimate that he will or should "be influential in the selection of the candidate" Is a little more than some of them can bear with patience. or anything else.
 And yet. The Times is right. The Cleveland Influence must operate success fully in naming candidate and platform If we are to hope for success. It Is not necessary to rega-d him as a Presiden- tial possibility. Strange and unexpected things happen in politics, and Mir. Cieve- land may be the nominee but we do not expect 1t. nor do we believe he has any such expectation. No one can truthfully say that he is doing or saying anything to advance his own interests. He is conducting himself with as much quiet dignity as any ex-President has ever done. He makes not the least effort to make himself prominent or to intrude his views. He is ready to give advice when asked. as all good Citisens and good Democrats will do. and that is all. But he cannot escape calumny. If he speaks he is accused of scheming for leader ship. If he remains silent. 1t is charged that he Is matching conspiracy against somebody or something. Really, when we read some of the vaporings. suspi- cions and charges of his enemies. we are reminded of shaksspeare's words:
 Get thee glass eyes.
 And, like the sourvy politician. seem
 Frn hA fn@ thnK