The Wichita daily eagle., 1904-04-10
CLEVELAND AND. PARKER-1891
AND 1904.

that they see a resemblance between his
position at the present time and that
/ occupied by Gov. Grover Cleveland of the
same state twenty years ago. Mr.. Cleve-
land was at that time unknown to the
national Democracy; it was, indeed, re-
ported he had never been in Washing
ton Even in the state of New York he
had been very little known before 1852,
/ outside of Erie county. in which he had
| been successfully sheriff and mayor Of
! Buffalo. What suddenly gave him dis
! tinction was the victory gained by him in
1882 over Judge F'olger by a phenomenal
majority, due largely to the absteQtion
of '-half-breed" Republicans from the
( ballot box. But for that majority which
proved llusory, he would never have been
considered a candidate for the Presi-
dency in 1854 1t is also true that al
though Sanword E. Church, a former chief
judge og the court of appeals played a
! great part in New York politics, and was
often talked Of for the governorship, and
even for the Presidency it is improbable
! that Judge Parker would have been men
toned for either office but for the fact
/ that in 1897, the year after Mckinley
carried New York by a plurality Of 26S,-
/ coo, he was chosen chief justice by plur-
! aIity Of $1,000, a plurality mainly due TO
/ the circumstance that the Low Republi-
cans in New York City did not vote for
his Republican competitor Judge Park
| ers friends go on to argue that, II IN
divided support had been given to Mr.
| Cleveland by the New York delegation TO
! the Democratic convention in 1884, he
would have been received with more en-
thusiasm throughout the nation. and
would not have come within a hairs
| breath OF losing the state of New York
in the ensuing November. They want
| if possible to save Chief Judge Parker
from the pitfaH which so nearly proved
fatal to Gov. Cleveland. by anaying the
opposition of Mr.. Charles F. Murphy,
the leader Of Tammany Hall. and thus
securing a unanimous delegation TO ST.
Louis. There is no doubt that If this
plan could be carried out Judge Parkerf
chance of receiving the nomination for
the Presidency would be materially i'm
proved.
There Is another point Of view from
which the present situation may be in
sturctively compared with that of 1854.
During the campaign of the year last
mentioned, Samuel J. Tildeu was yet
alive. He was believed by his party to
have been elected President in 1876, and
all Democrats also recognized that the
Cincinnati convention had made a grave
bluunder in 1850. when it nominated Gen
eral Hancock. instead OF ex-Gov Tilden.
But for the fact that in 1854 Mr.. Tilden
II ~n hor z1z-
weakened. mentally. and to be. indeed,
very near to death. he would unquesrion-
ably have commanded the jealous sup
port Of the New York delegation. and
would have been the nominee Of the
national convention. No protest on his
part would have been availed. The party
would have conscripted him to be its
standardbearer We need not point out
that, in the eyes Of the national Democ-
racy. Grover Cleveland, the only man
who since the civil war has reared the
Democratic ensign on the White House,
holds today an even loftier position than
was occupied by Samuel J. Tilden twenty
years ago. Moreover, while the latter
was in the last stage Of decrepitude. the
former is still in the prime Of physical
and intellectual manhood. Under the cir
cumstances. Chief Judge Parker is neces-
sarily overshadowed by the ex-President
to a far greater extent than Mr.. Cleve-
land was by Mr. Tilden In 1854
Especially would the vast difference in
respect Of national eminence between
Chief Judge Parker and ex-President
Cleveland be brought ont inlpresSively
should the southern states make ptheir
minds TO exercise at ST. Louis an ascend
ency proportionate TO their contribution
to the Democratic Presidential electors.
What the masses OF the southern whites
think of the ex-President was eloquently
set forth on March Il, In the House Of
Representatives. by Mr.. Patterson OF
Tennessee. when he recalled the memoir
able fact that the only oasis in tn desert
Of misrepresentation which has been the
unhappy lot OF the southern states since
the termination Of the great rebellion.
was 70 be found in the two a6ministra-
tons Of Grover Cleveland. During the
eight years Of his tenancy OF the White
House he never hesitated 10 go to the
south for cabinet advisers or for justices
of the United states supreme court. or for
ambassadors and ministers to foreign
powers Mr. Patterson reminded his col
leagues I nthe house how. during Mr.
Cleveland's first term. the northern press
teemed with denunciatiou Of what IL cali
ed the awful spectacle of the south again
in the saddle Mr. Cleveland, however
withstood the storm Of objurgation. as he
has withstood every other storm that
has gathered about his head. and by his
unreserved recognition Of southern men
did more 10 sxtinguish sectionalism than
any other man has accomplished That
Mr. Cleveland was human and may have
made mistakes M-. Patterson did not de-
ny. but he laid stress upon the fact that
those facts were not against the interests
of he southern people. and whatever
they may have been. they we're but as
specks upon the sun of his high charac-
ter. glowing patriotism. and unblemishei
honor. Mr. Patterson did not mention
Judge Parker's name. For could il well
be hracketed with that Of the ex-Prssi-
dent 1t is. we repeat. I serious disability
under which Judge Parker lahors in the
present csnvas-the facE that the people
cannot forget the sx-Presidant'S record
Thatw as. as we have said q disability
70 which Mr.. Cleveland himself was rot
subjected twenty years ago. because then |
Mr TiIden although Ewing. had under |
gone permanent eelipse.-HaEpeE Neesdy |