Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-19
Mr., Cleveland.

Mr.. Cleveland's SEVENTEEN birthday very
properly brings him many Fluctuations
They come from all sections and from both
sides. Everybody rejoiceS that he is in
health, and wishes him many more years of
1t. he has had a notable public career
and If it is closed for good he has yet LEFT
much for the historian to consider.
There are eulogists of Mr.. Cleveland who
readily run to extremes. He affects them
like an intoxicant. They find it difficult TO
keep their heads in praising him. Take the
case of the New York Times. In a brief
editorial review of his services the Times
says:
He was advised in 1887 that his tariff
reform message would defeat him in the
coming election. He might politicanwise
have devised a policy that would have
caught the popular fancy. But his convic-
ton that cur present tariff laws, the vi
cous. negotiable and illogical source of
unn ecesSary taxation. ought to be at once
revised and amended. remained mistaken
and he was incapable of the moral coward
Ice of deserving that issue"
Now. as a matter of fact Mr. Cleveland
did precisely what the Times praises him
for not doing. He did his best to break the
force of his tariff message. BY his author
ity. and in his name. Senator German and
W. l.. Scott went to the democratic national
convention in 1883 with a tariff plank for
insertion in the platform which in sub
stance was complete surrender of the ex-
IRENE position Mr.. Cleveland had taken the
year before. But Henry Watterson an out
spoken free trader. checkmated the pro-
gram. and AS chairman of the platform
committee held Mr.. Cleveland to his mes
sage. AS a result. Mr.. Cleveland tempo
rarily lost caste with both wings of his
ortN- no u-y-
ed by the message and the Watterson wing
by his effort to abandon 1t.
Continuing. the Times says:
There were trusts in those days. Mr..
Cleveland might have assaulted the combi-
nations formed to maintain the price of
commodities at the tariff point. and so
have advanced triumphantiy to a second
| inauguration through applauding crowds
He regarded these combinations simply as
one more reason why the tariff policy that
made them should be changed.
A neighbor Of the Times. the New York
World. which had helped to bring Mr..
Cleveland back to the White House de-
nouncei him daily for his refusal to assail
| the trusts. and explained his inactivity by
saying that he had put leading corpora
ton lawyer at the head of the Department
of Justice. Protection still marks our tariff
policy. but the trusts have been brought to
book, and are now on their knees begging
for mercy.
This is rich beyond descriptions:
The denomination in 1892 came through
no scheming of his own. and was controlled
by no ambition on his part TIE loyalty
and patriotism of leading men of his party
made him the candidate. The democracy
was approaching its time of division and
peril. He everywhere held to be the
wise and safe man of the hour. The Office
veritably sought the man
The boom which resulted in Mr. Cleve-
lands nomination III 1892 was as carefully
nourished a hot house plant, and was
several years in hand. All the members of
his first cabinet helped. and he himself
wrote hundreds of letters which tickled
their recipients into an enthusiasm for him.
And what Mr.. Whitney did with the aid
of his satchel at Chicago was. as they say
In rural communities. a plenty. No schem-
ing? Everyb body was schemins. There
never was more scheming for anything In
| this country.