The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1903-07-09
"BARKIS IS WILLIN'."

interviews and contradictions; con-
tradictions and interviews are COM
ing from Grover Cleveland with such
rapidity that we hardly know how to
turn. A few days ago an interviewer
who journeyed to Princeton by ar
rangement with Mr.. Cleveland put
that distinguished Democrat entirely
out of the presidential race, and his
veracity was the next day questioned
in an official statement issued by the
man whom he had interviewed. No w
the Brooklyn Eagle comes along. 1t
has had man.at Gray Gables, Buz-
yards Bay. This particular correspon-
dent is sufficiently secure in his prem
ises to date the dispatch from MIR.
Cleveland's summer home, and claims
to be able 10 speak at first hand and
officially in defining the attitude of
the erstwhile intermittent president
toward the suggestion that he once
again, and for the fourth time stands
for the nomination.
According to his authority whose
alleged official announcement is still
open to the contradiction by the in
terviewer, "Barkis is willin'.n His
formal way of stating this willing
ness is 1.-The keyword to determi-
nation OF what the course of Grover
Cleveland will be is duty. If in the
development of events, it can be made
to appear to him that it is a duty
which he owes to che party and the
country, those who know him we Il
anticipate he will accept another
nomination and obey the call" Save
ing the possibility of a contradiction
of this alleged official announce ment
we are disposed to set it down as be-
ing somewhat adroit. 1t declares that
Mr.. Cleveland is not opposed to the
idea of a fourth nomination. What
he wishes in the matter, and so far as
we can discover, all he wishes is that
fourth nomination be brought to him
on salver, and handed to him with
a prayer that he accept it. In that
case he will not, to be sure, decline
duty which involves the possibility
of another election to the pl esiden-
tial office.
How nice! We cannot within old an
expression of our administration for
the precision with which the Govern
or recognizes his position as Demo
crat of Democrats" He sees with
clearest vision that the party which
placed him in the Executive Mansion
having tired of following false proph-
cts, is disposed to return to the only
successful leader it ever had. And
seeing, he would exact from it some
thing on the order of the "katowing''
that once ruled in the peacock decor
ated halls of the palace of the Chi
nese emperor. He would have his
party humble itself before him, make
its obeisances to his greatness and
pititully beseech him to emerge from
the shell of retirement and once
again assume the active Office of party
leadership and candidacy. Grover is
nothing if not august, and his at
titude toward the suggestion of a
fourth nomination is eminently prop
er in this land of Democratic ideas
and institutions. The man is greater
than his party, and this fact he
would impress upon his partisans by
compelling an act akin to the doing
of pennance.
But admirable as is Mr.. Cleveland's
recognition Of his position what does
his party think of this process?
Among its six or seven millions of vo-
tiers is there no man.who might re.
ceive the nomination at the hands of
his party as an honor conferred that