Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-13
Watterson on the Cleveland Letter.

The Cleveland letter is still a source of
annoyance to some of Mr.. Bryan's sup
porters. 1t was only the other day that
one of them living in Maryland doubted
its genuineness because of the fact that
Judge Taft is a protectionist. How, 1t
was asked, could Mr.. Cleveland have de-
clared for such man after his own fight
for revenue tariff? The propounder of
the inquiry had forgotten Mr.. Cieveland's
support of Mr.. Mckinley. both in 1896
and 1900, In the former year when pro-
tective tariff bill was prominent, and In
the latter year when the Dingley law was
on the books.
Mr.. Watterson objects to this sentence
of the letter:
The south has long taken a stubborn,
foolish pride in it's enlistment under the
democracy. and has stood like rock in
its craftsmanship"
His comment is this:
1t is simply uncomfortable that after
the support Mr.. Cleveland received from
the southern peopls-thrice their nominee
for President and twice elected President
of the United States by them-that he
should. without reevance or reason,
thus rebuke and insult them for holding
10 the only party standing between them
and federal oppression and negro rule, a
dent and in its last national convocation
most signally honored his memory"
Has Mr.. Watterson forgotten Mr.
Cleveland's action toward the silver demo-
Gratis? Did any men. south or west, sup
port him more loyalty in 1892 than the
advocates of free coinage at IS to 1? And
some OF them did so upon the express as
surance of men prominent in the manage
Cleveland in Office would do the fair
thing by silver" On the word of William
C. Whitney. Senator Vest rallied his audi
cnces to the ticket with that promise.
Without that support Mr. Cleveland
could not have been elected
The first thing Mr. Cleveland did in of-
nee was to knock silver into a cooked hat.
With the aid of the republicans led bv
senator Sherman. he secured the repeal
or the purchasing clause of the so-called
eiihdh ACT and that put an end to the
silver issue until Mr.. Bryan revived it in
1850 Inc support he had received from
'ie SILVER men In his campaign for cleo
'ioh uid not restrain Mr.. Cleveland in the
shshtest. Being gold man, he appraised
inc situation from the gold point of view
anu IN doing so sent his party into retire
4hioh', where IL mas since been.
On the negro question Mr. Cleveland oc-
cupled the same ground Mr., Watterson is
now occupying. He opposed negro suf-
rage In the south. but coddled the negro
voters In the north. He received consid-
erapie negro support here and there and
appointed negroes to office He made no
such appointments in the south, but he
brought negroes from distance and
saddled them in good places on this help
less community against the protests of
'he aoIest men OF his party living here.
Mr.. Watterson is opposed to negro suf-
rage In the south. and particularly in his
own town of Louisville, but he is appeal-
ing warmly for negro support for Mr..
Bryan in all the states where negroes
are permitted TO vote. And if Mr. BRYAN
Is elected he will follow the fashion. and
appoint negroes to Office in this town. The
places can be named which some of Mr.
Wattersons negro friends would fill as a
reward for their campaign services.