Evening star., 1933-01-01


to expediency." This is part of
the eulogy pronounced upon Grover Cleveland
by historian of the modern school of his
torical research which does not believe in
hattery or indiseriminate praise of biographi-
cal subject. That Mr.. Nevins is thorough
going admirer of Grover Cleveland one dis
covers before reading many of the T66 pages
and they are not too many-which make up
this biography. Bu. admiration does not pre-
vent criticism when impartial consideration
seems to demand It. The expulsion of the
cattlemen from Indian lands in 1885 was an
instance in which Cleveland did right too
recklessly and harshly." He made some
blunders in appointments usually through po-
htical pressure, but Mr.. Nevins says: When
he committed errors, and the reformers made
them the subject of noisy criticism, he tried
honestly to correct them His attempt, in
the interest of fairness to restore Queen
Liluokalani of Hawaii, after the revolution in
which American officials had in his opinion
taken an unjustifable part, was, according to
MFR. Neyins, nl-Judgsd and was most unpopu-
lar throughout the United States.
The famous Venezuela affair." which accord
ing to some historians. almost brought us into
war with Great Britain, was one of the most
important events of Cleveland's second adj
ministration Secretary of State Olney and
the British prime minister, Lord Salisbury, ex-
changed biting notes which failed to advance
our State Department to assist in arbitrating
the disputed boundary line between Venezuela
and Guiana was rejected by the British govern
ment. The Monroe Doctrine was, of course,
involved. Lord Salisbury refused to accept its
implications and assumed the attitude that the
boundary was none OF our business. Cleve-
land finally sent message to Congress recon-
mending an appropriation for boundary COM
mission and declaring that lit would be the
duty of the United States to maintain this
boundary (the one fixed by the commisSion)
against any aggression" Mr.. Nevins calls
Clevelands language excessively sharp and
even belligerent" and says that ''the methods
he had taken an unjustifiable risk of war. He
had precpitated a break in the stock market,
with decided setback to economic recovery.
And there were Incidental consequences of a
highly unfortunate character" Some other
historians have looked at the matter more
favorably. One of them says: "The defense
of the Monroe Doctrine in the Venezuela con-
troversy was the only official action of Presi-
dent Cieveland's second administration with
the exception OF the opening OF the Worlds
Fair at Chicago) that had the general ap-
probation of the country"
In nearly all of Cleveland's acts while he
was President Mr.. Nevins finds the courage
for which he and other historians so admire
him. He also lauds the strength integrity
display the utmost caution in making up his
mind. But once he had reached a conclusion,
no force could compel him to quit it," Four
striking achievements of Cleveland are con-
sdered by Mr.. Nevins his greatest and most
permanent contribution to our national life.
He did his utmost to restore honesty and i'm
partiality to government and to do away with
special privilege in this his success was not
complete He saved the Nation from abandon
ment OF the gold standard. BY his attitude in
the Nicaraguan, Hawaiian Venezuela af-
&airs. he introduced conscience as a force in
Che handling of foreign relations Finally, he
left to succeeding generations of political
leaders an example of courage.
SIR WALTER SCOTT BY John Buchan.
New York: Coward-McCann.
NNE of the best of the books owing their
~ existence to the fact that 1882 was the
centenary of SCOTS death, this has the adyan-
tage of being written by Scotchman of an
old border family, like Scott's own. Mr. Bu-
chan combines the activities of lawyer b,lSi-
ness man, member of Parliament novelist and
historian. His favorite recreations are those
which Scott especially loyed-tramping over the
countryside, riding and shooting or course
the Memoirs Of Sir Walter Scott by John
Gibson Lockhart, SCOTS son-in-law will always
be the most complete course of information, but
its seven volumes are rather appalling to most
readers This single volume by John Buchan,
draws on LockhaTt for its facts, is written in
pleasant narrative style, and succeeds in con-
veying an impression Of SCOTS robust yet gentle
personality
That Scott lived to be only 81. in spite of his
hardy constitution. not impaired by the attack
OF infantile paralysis in childhood which left
him lame, seems to argue either i'll luck or some
msmanagement of his life conditions. That
other great Scot. Carlyle, never enjoying good
health, always dyspeptic and hypochondriac,
"A uF1 Ifxuo1 tl kfNa. - ey11k At~L
behind him the most historic of the border
stock in Scott and Murray and Rutherford and
Swinton" and his father was a solicitor writer
TO the signet in Edinburgh. man able to pro-
vide well for his family. The early childhood
of Walter Scott was spent In the country, ut
his grandfathers farm of Sandy Knowe with