The Topeka state journal., 1909-03-18
IN MEMORIAM.
Exercises i'm Honor of the Late
Grover Cleveland.
President Taft, Root and Hughes
Among the Speakers.
MCCLELLAN PRESIDES.
Music Is Furnished by Walter
DamrOsch's Orchestra.
Richard Watson Glider Reads
an Original Poem.

| New York, March 1S.-The life of the
late Grover Cleveland and its influence
upon our national progress and material
welfare were the theme of speeches by
President Taft, Chief Justice Fuller of
the United States supreme court, and
other well known public men at the
memorial exercises in honor of the late
President Cleveland at Carnegie hall
this afternoon. Tonight exercises will
be held at the City college at which
Governor Hughes. Senator Root and
Taft will attend the exercises at City
college but is not expected to make an
address.
The meeting at Carnegie hall today
were presided over by Mayor McClel-
Ian, and the exercises were held under
the auspices of the Cleveland Memoir
ial committee, of which Francis Lynde
Stesson is chairman.
Besides addresses by President Taft
and Chief Justice Fuller, an original
poem was read by Richard Watson Gill
der. The musical features of the pro-
gramme was provided by the Dam.
voices of the LiederkranZ society.
President Taft's adress was not only
eulogy Of ex-President Cleveland,
but it incidentally referred to many
with during Mr.. Cleveland's admins
tration. He spoke as follows:
The Presidents Address.
Grover Cleveland was completely
American in his character as Lincoln.
Without a college education, he pre-
pared himself for the bar His life
was confined to western New York.
His vision of government and of so
ciety was not widened by foreign trav-
ell. He was a public product of the
village and town life of the middle
states, affected by New England an
cestry and the atmosphere of a clergy
mans home
His chief characteristics were sim
plicity and honesty, courage of his
convictions, with a sense of public
duty that has been exceeded by no
statesman within my knowledge. 1t
was so strong in him that he rarely
wrote anything whether in the form
of a private or public communication
that the obligation of all men to OBJ
serve the public interest was not his
chief theme.
one. By his administration of the af-
fairs of his city as its mayor he showed
his power of resistance to, and of over
coming the influences that made for
corruption and negligence in city gov
ernment both in his own party and In
the party of his opponents His repu-
tation in this regard spread over his ma
tive state of New York at a time when |
such an attitude as his seemed excep- |
tional and his standing before the COM
munity became political asset for the
Democratic party SO that even those |
who had but little sympathy with his
principles were glad to seize upon him
as a means of getting into power. Ac- |
cordingly he was nominated for the
governorship and was elected by the
votes, not only of his own party, but
of hundreds of thousands of the Re
publican party
Faithful to Duty.
The discharge of his duties as COVER |
nor confirmed and strengthened the rep |
utation that he had acquired as may |
or. Before he had ceased his office as
Before he had ceased his office as gov
ernor he had been elected president or
the United States.
The presidential campaign of 1884,
degenerated into one of SANDER, scan
dal and abuse, but Mr.. Cleveland came !
through it, retaining the confidence of
the American people in his courage
and honesty and his single purpose to
better the public service.
Mr. Cleveland was a Democrat. He
was a partisan. He believed in par
ties, as all men must who understand
the machinery essential to the success
and efficiency of popular government
His impulses were all toward the
merit system of appointments in the
public service and against the spolIs
system; but he had practlcaI COM
mon sense view of the problems be-
fore him He dwelt with the instru-
ments, which he had and he not IN
frequently was ODnged, III orQer ~
accomplish greater objects to yield to
the demands of those who had no
ideals and who were impatient of any
thing but the use of government Of
fees as purely political reward
EVERY time that opportunity offered,
however, and there was not some
greater object in immediate view, he
and assisted the move
ment toward the merit system.
A New Democracy.
Mr. CIevelands political career was
so short that he had a great advant-
age over the prominent men of his
party whose records reached back into
and were governed by the bitter quar-
reIs of the civil war. As a political
quality. his history began during the
corruption and demoraIzation In the
party which were a neces-
sary result of continued power during
the war and the decade succeeding it.
He represented in a sense a new De-
about which all the older eIe-
ments rallied but those strongly in
well as those elements without such
sympathy. who were anxious to secure
party power
At the end of his first term, he was
but was beaten by Gen
Harrison in a close vote. By that time
Democratic party had drawn away from !
1im and had no desire to continue his ,
leadership. But so strong a hold had {
he upon the affections and confidence '
IF the rank and file of his party and I
20 sure were they that he was stronger !
han the party in an electoral contest
hat he was nominated in the national
convention against the wishes of most
If the state organization leaders and in
he election which followed he led his
party to the greatest victory in its his
ory.
In this campaign Mr.. Cleveland stood