New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-08-07
HHo DID TIE "BUNCO sTEERLNGoa

Colonel William ]. Bryan, speaking at Urbana,
Ohio, on Wednesday, described the Hon. Grover
Cleveland as a "bunco steerer," whose election
in 1892 was a huge confidence game" played
on the American people. Il want to say to you,
my friends" declared the Nebraska statesman
in one of his famous bursts of candor, that the
''disreputable man who stands on the street
"curbing and leads the unwary traveller into a
game where he loses his money is respectable
compared with the man who accepts the suf-
'frages of five millions of people and then leads
them into Wall Street"
In his eagerness to strike n blow at Mr.. Cleve-
land Colonel Bryan overplays his rhetoric and
forgets his history. He does not seem to realize
that ne has drawn an indictment not so much
against the Democratic candidate of 1892 as
against the party that Nominated him. If Mr..
Cleveland was prepared to 'buncO" the five
million voters who supported him, what can be
said of the convention which put him forward
for the Presidency with g full knowledge of his
purposes and his intentions?
The Democratic National Convention which
met in Chicago in June, 1892, had unmistak-
able evidence before it of Mr.. CIeveand's lack
Of sympathy with two ideas then bgotedly
cherished by the Democratic masses. Party
opinion in the South and West was already
honeycombed with the free coinage heresy, yet
at Mr.. Ceveland's dictaton the national con-
ventiOn adopted financial declaration not only
demanding the repeal of the silver purchase
clauses of the Sherman act of 1890, but advocat-
ing coinage of gold and silver only when the
dollar unit of the two metals was "of equal in
trinsic and eXchangeable value" And Mr..
Cleveland had only few months previously
reiterated in an open letter his undated hos
tility TO either limited or unlimited silver coin
age.
Mr.. Cleveland's friends had also brought into
the convention a tariff plank singularly at vari-
ance with accepted Democratic sentiment It
advocated a revision of the tariff schedules, but
deprecated anything like heroic surgery. It
gently suggested that many industries have
come to rely upon legislation for successful
continuance, so that any change Of law must
'be at every step regardful of the labor and
capital thus involved" 1t is true that Western
and Southern radicalism would not stomach
such doctrine. and that the convention, by
vote of 5G4 to 342, Overruled the Cleveland man
ayers and adopted substitute resolution de-
nOuncing protective legislation OF any kind as
fraud and robbery"
But in both instances the party had ample
warning of Mr.. Cleyelands views and prepOs-
sessions. 1t was not "buncoed" by any false
pretences on his part 1t could see only "four
years more" in Mr.. Cleveland's candidacy It
nominated him in spite Of what he thought 1t
gave him carte blanche TO lead it anywhere he
chose, even, if he saw fit, to the shearing pens
of Wall Street
If any confidence game was played in 1892 it
was played not by Mr. Cleveland but by the
Democratic party. 1t Ill becomes that party
now to charge the ills or losses it has suffered
since 1888 to Mr.. Clevelands "bunco" leader
ship.