Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-07
Mr.. Cleveland's Record.

The Chicago Chronicle, the most prOmi-
nent democratic newspaper in that part of
the country. declares for Grover Cleveland
for President in the following terms of very
high praise
During his last administration Mr..
Cleveland identified himself forever with
three noble ideas. which cannot fail to COM
mand the respect of the American people so
long as the republic shall last.
He stood unf1inchingly for public and
private credit.
He stood boldly for the energetic en-
forcement of the laws of the United States
as against mob conspiracies. organized by
desperate men on lines akin to rebellion and
revolution.
He stood like a rock for the principle,
now accepted by all democrats and most
republicans, that the power of taxation
should not be used by government to for
tify monopolistic oppressors of the people"
Let it be admitted that Mr.. Clevelands
attitude when in office on the money ques-
ton was eminently correct He stood for
the public credit, and with the assistance
of the republicans in Congress, and at the
expense of dividing his own party, MAIN
tanned 1t. Let 1t be admitted that his atti-
tude toward Debs was eminently correct.
1t was so correct that 1t was the only pos
sible attitude for a man under oath occupy
ing his position Let it be admitted that
to which he gave his support and tried to
force upon the Senate would not have
raised money enough by hundred million
dollars to support the government
But how stands Mr.. Cleveland on one of
the greatest questions of today? What is
his attitude to enforcing the Constitu-
ton of the United States on the subject of
congressional representation? The impor-
lance of this question cannot be doubted.
The Chronicle itself, not very long ago,
uttered these words:
while the north is no more 'negrophile'
than the south. it is determined that the
south shall not disfranchise the negro and
still continue to count him as basis Of
representation. That is one phase of the
race issue which the north is entirely will
ing to discuss. The south must fish or cut
bait. If it wishes to deny the negro the
right to vote, well and good but it cannot
abolish the negro as a voter and retain him
as a political asset"
Surely we should hear from Mr.. Cleveland
on as momentous a problem as this. The
New York Evening Post recently applied to
him for an expression of opinion. but failed
to get it. The ex-PreSident, in a note of
about twenty words, refused to take an
hour or SO from his summers fishing to put
his views on paper. The Chronicle might
have better luck. The Evening Post, al
though so ardent supporter Of Mr.. Cleve-
land in 1884, 1888 and 1892, has not as yet
declared for him for 1904.
If the Chronicle does apply for an opinion,
it should remember that in all three of his
races for the presidency Mr.. Cleveland &C
cepted votes from the south which had
been obtained by means infinitely more rep
rehensible than the state laws which now
control the suffrage down there. And If
the Chronicles demand for a reduction in
southern representation is correct-and it
is correct and should prevail-what of Mr..
Clevelands chances of election next year?
Disfranchisement by local law in the south
is as essential to him now as fraud and
force were in the two races when he won