The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-06-07

refused to sign It. but let Il become
law without his signature. Aitw
that sorry exhibition Of themselvea
the Democrats went down In Z van.
merited defeat In the congressional
elections Of 1894.
To complete the general demoR,l.
isation, the railroads were tied n
in the middle west BY q big strike
under the Leadership of Eugene Y.
Debs. With the aid Of injunctjoas
and troops, Cleveland kept The
roads open, but his unprecedented
use Of the federal power served 10
deepen the popular feeling that he
was more concerned for the inter.
ests Of property than for the b.
terests Of the working people whose
wages were continually going down.
In the depth Of our domestic
troubles the president sent his H.
nous Venezuelan message to con.
gress. In 1t he announced that The
British government had rejected oil
our appeals for the arbitration Of Z
land dispute which 1t was pressins
In South America, and he boldly
proposed that we ourselves should
decide the question and then pro.
coed to enforce our decision.
Stocks tumbled headlong In Lon
don and New York, and there was
much wild talk on both sides Of
the Atlantic. But the president con.
fidently treasured his troubled pri-
vate secretary, "Thurber, this does
not mean war; 1t means arbitra-
tion." And that was the outcome
Of all the hubbub. Cleveland's out.
burst of plain speaking had the
effect of awakening the English
people, as never before, to the value
Of American friendship, and Il
opened q. new era in the relations
Of the two governments.
Cleveland's hardest, longest bat
tie in his second administration
was for the gold standard. Almost
alone be upheld it through four
years, abandoned by most Of the
Democrats and unaided by the gold
Republicans in congress, who were
afraid Of hurting the party" with
the silver people.
Throughout those years OF doubt
and panic, the business world NOR.
bidly watched the fall Of the gold
reserve. The treasury was over
flowing with silver all the while,
and II the government should be
reduced to the necessity of using Il
to redeem the paper money and
bonds and to pay its bills, as it had
Z lawful right to Go, the currency
and all credits would at once crash
down to a silver basis.
The nations money being then 10
the absolute control of private IN
terests, Morgan, Belmont and the
| Rothschilds finally were called IN
to be the protectors of the reserve:
The huge profit they wrung out OK
| the government in its desperation
shocked the country, bringing cen
sure and even suspicion upon the
president, who trusted rather over
much in the disinterested patrio'-
ism of those kings Of finance.
1 However that may be. for four
years Cleveland's strong, resolute
arms held the country from sliding
down upon a silver basis. But loi
his lone, stubborn fight, the golo
standard must have been lost De-
fore the campaign Of 1896, when De
gave the Republicans the issue On
which they elected Mckinley. But
he was too stout . partisan to On.
ioy such a left-handed Endorsement
and his estrangement from tne
Democrats remained q heavy ois-
appointment. -,
Although he left the White house
q man without party. men OF Al
parties were compelled to respect
him, not perhaps as a great put a.
q fearless president. as one OF me
strongest characters, one OF INC
most mastsrful personalities tnas
we have had in the presidenc-: NO
one will question the truth OF ~;
remark, while he was in q palniul
struggle with the last enemy OF ~ !.
"I have tried so hard to do right
published by special Arrangement
evanaper Syndicate