Democratic Sentinel, Volume 11, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 April 1887 — THE PRESIDENT TALKS. [ARTICLE]

THE PRESIDENT TALKS.

Positive Declarations from the Chief Magistrate Regarding His State of Health— The Land Question. [Washington special to New York Herald.] Do not waste any time in worrying about our Democratic President. He is all right physically, menially, and politically, and he means reform. I nave had the pleasure of a good hour’s talk with him. First, as to Mr. Cleveland’s physical condition. So many Btories have been circulated over tbe country about an alarming increase in weight that I supposed from the amount of smoke that there must be some fire somewhere. I have seen Mr. Cleveland ou very many occasions, but I never saw him look so well as he did yesterday. He has lost rather than gained in flesh. “You are well, Mr. President?” I asked. “Perfectly,” he answered. “I never worked harder or felt better in my life.” “But some of the Republican papers are very solicitous about your health, ” I suggested, “and are giving tbe people the impression that a second term would find yon too enfeebled for the great responsibilities of your office.” There was a merry twinkle in his eye as he replied: “Well, I’m not to be killed off by any ‘offensive partisanship’ of that kind. As for a second term,” and here he grow very serious, “that is all in the air, and I have nothing to do with it. My time is taken up fully with my present duties, and I propose to do my work in such a way that my successor, whoever he may be, will have nothing to undo. It will be the business of the party to name their best man—that is, the man who can best carry out I)emocratic principles and policies, and the man who can best protect and defend the rights of the people.” I said to the President: “Mr. Cleveland, there seems to be a good deal of interest in this land question just now.” “Yes,” was his quick answer, “and very properly, I think. It is one of the live questions of tbe day, and certainly one of the most important. ” “The rhilroad corporations appear to be somewhat greedy,” I suggested. “Well,” he said, “a railroad corporation should have its legal rights —no more, no less. But the people should have their rights also. When a real settler—l don’t mean a land speculator, but a farmer wbo builds his little house and sets übout the improvement of the acres on which he bos settled—when such a man has legally taken possession of his ICO acres, he ought to feel that the Government is behind him. He has a right to feel that way, and, so far as this administration is concerned, it is clearly the friend of the people. While as a matter of course the administration will protect the lawful rights of a corporation as well as those of the people, still I think it should be specially jealous of the rights of tbe farmers aud the working classes. I will go even farther than that, and say that if by any construction of the law a seeming injustice is done to the humblest farmer in the farthest corner of the land, then tbe law ought to be changed at once. lam of the people, I believe in the people, and, I stand by them and with them—first, last, and all the time.”