Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1908-07-03
Friday, July 3. 1908.
DEMOCRATIC TICKET.
Election, November 3, 1908.
For Congress-10th District,
III. ID. FLOOD,
DEATH OF GROVER CLEVELAND
OF AppOnattOX.

DEATH OF GROVER CLEVELAND
The death of Ex-President Grover
Cleveland last week removed from
among the living the only ex-
president of the United States, and
a man of great intellectual power. He
was the only Democrat who has been
president since Abraham Lincoln sup
planted Buchanan in 1861, and this
fact alone has placed him with some
in the column of great men; since they
believe, or assert at least, that he was
the only man in that party who could
ever have been elected. This question
we will not pause to discuss. We are
not here to say anything unkind OF
Mr.. Cleveland. All that we uttered on
that subject we said when he was alive,
and we shall tread lightly over the
ashes of the dead 1t is undeniable
that Mr.. Cleveland was a great man,
though poor Democrat and devoid
entirely of leadership, but he was as
bold man as ever sat in the White
House, if not the bOldest. He was Sc
lected by united party in the first OF
his campaigns, but when nominated
the second time he was defeated by
Harrison because he had begun to scat
ter the party, by his many unparty
like methods. He began his first pres
idential term by placing ''mugwumps"
in his cabinet and in other offices and
he left in office throughout the coun-
try for several years, Republicans who
were peculiarly obnoxious to those
who voted for him. When his second
nomination was made his party was
lifeless and cold, the fire which boiled
their enthusiasm and kept it hot dur
ing the campaign and while hope lin
gered, had gone out, and embers lay
where bonfires had blazed. 1t was
therefore not hard to defeat Mr.. Cleve-
land with Mr.. Harrison. But Harri-
son was in sense another Cleveland.
Cold, clammy, self willed, and dis
pleasing to his party, especially to the
monied interests. He fell a victim to
party, apathy if not party treachery,
after his first term. Mr.. Cleveland's
Democratic friends were disposed to
forgive and forget in the four years OF
Harrison, so, when the time for chos-
ing candidate again came around, he
was nominated over David B. Hill OF
New York, by large Democratic ma
jority. When the election followed he
was elected by the largest vote any
candidate had ever received. This au-
cured well for Democracy, for along
withlhim was elected a Democratic
house, and he already had the senate
But the party was doomed to disap'
pointment, chagrin and final disrup-
ton. So opposed was Mr.. Cleveland
to his party's wishes and so regardless
of its tenets, that when his last term
expired he was found 'outSide" his
party's pale, with but little following,
save his cabinet-supporting Mckin-
ley, or worse yet, Palmer and Buck,
ner. The party at large never forgave
this, nor his action when he refused tC
pay out the lawful money of the gov
eminent on its lawful obligations. A
panic similar to the one from WHICH we
are now suffering afflicted the country,
of course the hopes of Democrats fled,
and their party was scattered to the
winds. Intense bitterness was engen-
dered thereby, and later in Virginia
convention the name of Cleveland was
Missed, but not by those who opposed
him and supported Hill. 1t came from
his former most enthusiastic supper.
tiers.
There have since been a few who
called themselves Cleveland Demo
Gratis, but they have lived as solitary g
political life as Mr.. Cleveland made his
actual life. Occasionally he would give
utterance to few remarks on the cur
rent topics, but otherwise he maintain,
ed dignified silence. The one instance
in which Mr.. Cleveland was possibly
misjudged was that many thought he
had profitted by the uncalled for and
absolutely inexcusable ''bond deal" he
made with Morgan during his second
term. He had debased silver by his
treatment of it, in refusing to use it as
money, and thus forced condition
which the New York government rob
Der was ready to seize upon to force ;
bond issue. He was thought to hav'
received some of these bonds Thi
seems to have been untrue. Mr.. Cleve
land, since the amount of his estate il
known, will therefore be relieved o
this charge, but his political mistake
In issuing bonds will never receive en-
tire approval except from those VIII
profited by it, or were so blind to hi
faults as not to admit his politica
blindness, if not the political criminal
ity of that course. He died without
following worthy of the name, MAJ
without party.
There are a few newspapers which al
lege that Senator Daniel will not