New-York tribune., 1909-03-23
MAYOR ON CLEVELAND
LECTURES At PRINCETON.
Praises Predecessor IN Opening
Stafford Little Course.


Princeton. N J.. March 2z-Mayor George B Nc
Clelan OF New York City delivered the first OF his
STAFFORD Little lectures this evening before the uni
versity. his subject. Principles Politics.. being
in effect euogy Of his predecessor here. the late
Grover Cleveland. Il feel that ray him the tr1b-
ute that he would have preferred Mayor McCIel-
Ian said. in choosing my subject that meant
so much to him Later the lecturer alluded 70
Cleveland as one who had assumed the Presidency
acclaimed the savior Of Democracy and left It
ignored by his party's convention and repudiated
by his party's chiefs"
Mayor Mcclellan said that he found It difficult
define the meaning OF the term political princi-
pies" From an ethical point OF view they might
not be principles at all. FOR they at best only
the political hOres Of parties or individuals. and
might not be either generally accepted. fundamental
universal truths. He believed that the very
theory OF the state that the fathers believed in i'm
plicty. that men in their natural state free.
possessing absolute liberty. mad been rejected he
said:
Each Of the two great parties has been at one
time or another strict constructiOntst and loose
Party history has shown that while both parties
have always expressed loyal devotion to the Con-
the greatest soieitude for strict Interpretation
6 @ fre 6sh fT6 L3g gfry % IoF ND ne 1osHJ = 9RDp9s0n y
fOrcement.
The marvel Of the Constitution. the lecturer said
was its wonderful adaptability. II had been
stretched almost TO the breaking point but. wisely
emergency IN the nations history. The tariff and
money questions were taken up IN that order, TO
show Cleveland's consistency TO his political prin-
ciples, and there were frequent quotations from
his messages in the critical periods Of his admin
istrations- The tariff fight that ended IN the VII
son-Gorman compromise blasted the hopes Of the
last Democratic President for reform IN that field,
the lecturer said Then he gave credit 70 CIsve-
land for the establishment OF the gold standard
Mayor Mcclellan said:
While it is true that TO the Republican party
belongs the credit Of incorporating In its platform
OF 1896 the single gold standard plank drawn By
ex-senator Platt Of New YORK It IS no less ras
having rrevocaoly committed our country to its
maintenance.
The devious history Of the Deu1ocrat-PopuIist
alliance from the earliest sos was marshaIed be-
fore the students period Of to ths
country. checked by the Spanish war, which brought
patriotism out Of political chaos, Mayor Mcclellan
said The war acted as safety valve for the dis
content Of the moment, he declared, and It's close
the present political era began Reverting 20 the
alienation Of President Cleveland from his party.
the lecturer said
It has often been said that Mr. Cleveland might
have prevented the break IN the Denocratic party
gress with more consideration and tact Those who
have said this forget that the leaders of the Demo
cratic organization were al the time m open alli-
ance with the POpulists; that the very smallest
Consent Of their foliovin in the south and west
was the Presidents support Of the cause OF free
Of bankruptcy; any compromise would have meant
the stOppags Of gold payments and absolute na-
tional ruin
Mr. Cleveland was confronted. Mayor Mcclellan
said with the choice OF saving his party or pre-
serving the credit Of the country He preferred his
country his party, he added and by doing so
proclaimed his devotion TO political principle as ap-
posed 10 opportunisu- The lecture was closed with
a quotation from Mr. CIeveland's last message, in
which he said that nothing In the retrospect OF his
public service was comforting than the recOl-
lection Of duty well performed and the memory OF
a constant devotion 10 the interests OF "our con-
hding fellow countryuen-