The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-03-18

Mr. Cleveland and the South.
The incident 4 n the lower house @
congress last week OF which ReDre-
tentative Webb Of this district was
1.-THE central figure. has been the sub
lject OF general comment In the press
LOT the country. and especially OF the
south. The Atlanta Journal is one. OF
1.-THE papers that had q good editorial
lon 1t. In which. discussing Mr.. Cieve-
|it said this. among other things:
1T has sometimes been a surprising
thing to US. In view OF his sympathy
with the south. and the tact that he
has stood more sQuarely for southern
Ideals and ideas than any other demo-
cratic leader since the war. 20 find that
some southerners have been among
his occasional detractors. But ex-
ANIMATION OF the sources OF this de-
Traction. which a indeed. fallen Sd
llent OF its own feeblenesss. shows that
lit comes not from the people them
selves but from disappointed political
Iaspirants as a general thing who in
realty only lament their failure to
grind an axe at the federal grindstone.
These have. aforetime. made a noise
lout OF all proportion to their numoer
Tor Importance"
We wish this were an exact repre-
l~sentaton OF the facts but The Journal
has forgotten its history. The dis
appointed political a~spirants" and
their allies did their worst for Mr..
tCleveland in 1892 when they sought
to defeat his nomination for the third
time. The people were with him then
against the disappointed and disgrun-
tied. they forced his nomination and
detected him. But even before his eiec-
ition IL was seen that the finances OF
the world were In disorder. Months
before he was i~naugurated the failure
lof Barring Bros. OF London, precipt-
tated a world wide panic which
Istruck this country In 1893 and con-
ltinued throughout the whole OF the
Isecond administration. Cleveland was
held responsible for IT A new polit-
ical cult sprang up. IL was born in
the brain OF political aspirants."
Though these fell in readily with the
policy OF agitation. revolt. New lead
lers arose. n wooed n won the peo-
Iple with schemes OF legislation which
promised, il inaugurated.. to restore
the prosperity which had flown. But
cleveland sat steady In the boat-he
would none Of the new doctrine. The
Ipeople who had stood for him against
1.-THE politicians turned against him; the
lold politicians. seeing that their supre-
lT1dCy was dUOuI " DC "ICSSCu AAo1SA
them by the new leaders. Joined in the
lcry. and amidst the mouthings OF
them all. Cleveland became the best
hated man in the United States and
Invent out OF Office in 1897 friendless and
discredited. Those OF our southern
lpeople who did not themselves join In
the persecution-and the exceptions
were few-heId the garments OF the
llong-haired men and the short-haired
lwomen from Kansas and
who stoned him.
We wish the facts could be stated
differently but we are writing history.
Cleveland had been good to the
Isouth in his first administration: he
was good to 1t even in the second
He put our people in the highest places
lin the land and sent them TO the
highest places In foreign lands: and
we, who had had no recognition IN the
national government since the admin
l~istration Of Buchanan. should have
stuck to him closest. But We went
back on him. There is no need TO
|mince words nor blink facts-we went
back on him. And II was SO unlike
Jour southern people! The Atlanta
journal says cit has sometimes been
Ia surprise to 1t that southern men
have been among his detractors.
Heavens and earth, man! 1t IS reason
for surprise all the time!
1.-THE Atlanta paper is not advocating
the nomination OF Mr.. Cleveland for
president. 1t say that "wQuld perhaps
be a most unwise but IT Ii
lgratifed at the evidences that the
hearts OF the people are turning to
him again, n says this letter OF his
Ito Representative Webb should have
1.-The effect of reminding the sourn
THAT he has been uniformly the friend
lof the south. and of making the people
of the south even more ready TO listen
to his political ~counsels."- Charlotte
IObseryer.