The Topeka state journal., 1909-03-18

Illumination in his third canvass ht
| found entrenched in the senate st
strongly as to be able to defeat the de-
| clared policy of his party in favor of &
tariff for revenue and he refused tC
| sign the German Wilson bill, but allow
ed it to become a law after. denounc1ne
it the result of perfidy and dlshon-
| or.
His Great Disappointment.
This was doubtless the greatest dis
appointment of his political life, for
I it destroyed the opportunity to test
the wisdom of the party policy aoVo-
Gated by him and declared in the party
| platform
| The business depression which ex-
listed before and after it's passage fur
nished ammunition to his political op-
ponents who did not hesitate to ar
que that the prospect of a revenue tar.
| iff on the one hand and the passage OF
the Wilson tariff bill on the
other hand paralyzed the industries OF
the country.
Whatever ones views upon the tar
iff, whether he be a protect1onlSt or
free trader, he can not but have the
deepest sympathy with Mr.. Cleveland
in his deep indignation at the party
disloyalty which defeated the Wilson
bill as it passed the house and gave US
the nondescript bill which became
the law
But there was rising in the Demo
cratic party at the time, especially IN
the western and southern parts of the
country, a desire for econ omic remedy
which should cure everything in our
business and body polite. This was
the movement in favor of the free
coinage of silver.
The Republican party and some of
it's leaders in the west and south had
not been free from weakness in this
respect and the law for the monthly
purchase of $2,O00,O00 of silver hung
like a stone around the neck of the
Cleveland the
authority that he could command as
the executive to bring about a repeal
of this law and he finally succeeded.
He saved the Country.
The deep gratitude of the country
is due to him for this result. Without
it disaster would have come = With
out it the credit of the country could
not have been sustained and there
would have been a blot on our finan-
cial escutcheon. But when Mr.. Cleve-
land succeeded in securing the repeal
of the Sherman act it seemed as If his
control over the party with respect to
the monetary issues had been ex-
hauSted.
His party became hopelessly divided
and the majority of it declared in
favor Of the free coinage of silver, a
policy which we know today and
which we ought to have known then
was nothing but a policy of repudia-
tion. 1t was a policy contrary to the
ancient and traditional view of the old
Democratic party.
IT was a departure from the plain
est principles of honesty to those who
foresaw it's effect in repudiating and
scaling down of public and private
debts by legislative fat.
1t was a policy which has taken
away from the Democratic party the
confidence of the business community,
whether previously Democratic or Re
publican. It presented moral issue
so sharp, so clear, as completely to
destroy party fealty and party attach
ments.
party that strong, conservative ele-
ment of which Mr.. Cleveland was the
leader and it made it for the time
party which seemed to threaten the
foundation of the honest business and
of honest government 1t seemed to
make it's campaign in 1896 and 1900
an assault upon that which was best
in our civilization.
Country Was Threatened.
In my judgment the safety of the |
republic was threatened by the break |
Ing up of the Democratic party into its
radical and conservative elements
1t seemed to be an issue in which |
the permanence of our institutions was |
involved In this light, it was a for
tunate day for the Republicans when |
the leadership of Democracy passed |
from Mr.. Cleveland.
The patriotic spirit which moved |
those under Mr.. Cleveland's leadership |
country from Reputation entitled |
them and him to our everlasting graft !
ltude.
Another debt which the country |
owes to Mr. Cleveland, is the assertion |
made through him as its chief execu-
tive, of the power of the federal gov
ernment against the lawless invasion |
of a mob, to restrain the Debs boycott |
of the country from the tying up OF
interstate commerce and interference |
with mobs, when he sent troops under /
General Miles to Chicago in 1894.
1t cost him the support of the thought |
ess, whose sympathy against the un-
ust aggressions of corporate wealth |
and power make them wink at the law
ess invasion of vested rights
But he succeeded in stopping what |
lad really grown to the proportions of
an insurrection. The highest tribunal
created by the constitution to fix the
limits of state and national authority
completely sustained his course.
He was great president, because