The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-07-23
Tho Costly Cottage at Cape May Point.

they call tariff reform Is still living ISSUE
The Costly Cottage at Cape May Point.
II Gen. HARRISON has now paid $40 900 for
the Cape May Point cottage as the subser-
Went New York Press asserts, upon what il
alleges as proper warrant" one Of these
three things is true:
1. The payment is nominal only, designed
tomake convenient record on the books Of
the Register Of Deeds OF Cape May county
and to relieve the President Of the odium
which belongs to the gift seeker and gift
taker in high office.
2. The payment is genuine, and $4,000
have really passed from the Presidents bank
account to the pockets Of tho original sub
scribers to the cottage fund, including Mr..
CHILDs, Mr.. WANAMAKER, and Boomer
HAMILTON; but the payment is an after
thought, suggested either bya guilty con-
science or desire to escape tho consc-
Quences of q tremendous scandal.
8. The payment was contemplat ted By the
President from the first; and he merely oc-
cupied the cottage rs free tenant long
enough to satisfy himself that it was good
purchase. He never had any intention Of
acquiring 1t as gift.
One or another Of these three suggestions
must be accepted. If the first is accepted,
then the President is charged directly with
trick Of deception as cowardy and con-
temptible as anything that can BE- imagined.
Under the second supposition. Gen. HAIR
RIsoN has tardily but directly confessed tho
gross improperly Of his first action in the
matter; and the Press and the other or
gans which have been defending him since
early In June have wasted their zeal.
But the Press pretending to speak for
the President, attempts to give the impress
sion that the third theory is the right one;
namely, that BENJAMIN HARRISON never
dreamed OF taking the cottage as n gift;
that his payment Of the $4,000 was deferred
merely until the family had ascertaned that
the edifice suited their purposes, and that
the money was paid over long ago, Gen.
HARRISON suppressing the fact from mo-
tives Of dignity and sclf-respect W. \ are
highly creditable to him. We quote actly
what our facile contemporary said when it
first announced that the cottage is paid for:
Tho adverse comments concerning tho r.portrd
gift OF the Cape May Point cottage Mrs AHRIsoS are
discovered have been baseIess because an
mot accepted and President IAEEisOS bought the
cottage after occupying 1t long enough 10 ascertain
that &c suited his purposes for $1,000 Tho Iforma.
ton to this effect to the PRES from reliable
authority. II can he readily unGerstooi that in
the face OF the camorous criticism Of the Democratic
press tho President would make explanation about
q matter which subject 10 some conditions an
witha his private affair doqbuess thogght
to1 that the hIcts lrou'd o't brrowr ku0un Sgqarr
later, and that the American people would be quick
10 SEQ the unfortunate position OF his detTacors who
without knowing the facts were willing to believe
evil of the Chief Magistrate Of the country, and By
terinK that belief shame tile nation They may
now. and probably will endeavor to their
Bhamelessness by declaring that their camor drove tho
President to the present stcp. But It established
long since by !nconestabe evidence that RrwJAxiy
HARRISON is not a man to be driven into doing any.
thing. He does what he thinks right in Rguiet but firm
and there is tho end of IT, lie did lie thought
right about tho Cape May cottage and there tho end
Of the matter, about which there much nolGy
chatter from uniformed and unfrlendly critics"
This precious piece OF humbug Is rs nimsy
as 1t is dishonest. Does any human being
suppose that if the President of the United
States had his eye on cottage, and desired |
to occupy it for u time on trial, it would be |
necessary for him or his friends to collect |
in order TO buy tho property |
and to put 1t in his wifas name during tho |
period OF probation? Does anybody sup |
pose that II the HAREIsoNs went into tho |
COIIdbo OH IIlo buSlS dllrptu by the |
Press the interesting ceremony of the |
OF the keys at Washington, |
and the escort OF tho family to the |
cottage by tho representative OF the sub
scriberS to the fund, would have been parts |
of the programme Does the probation |
theory likewise apply TO the FREQ billiard |
table, the free bedspreads, the free wanna
makers on the piazza, and the FREQ soup and |
gingerbread In the larder2 Did BENJAMIN |
HARRISON intend that after trying the bill |
lard tables and the wanamakers and eating |
tho victuals he should be permitted to pay /
for them II they proved satisfactory
If that was his dignined and self-respect-
ing Intention from the first, he kept the &C.
Cret perfectly from his own wife; for on |
July 8. about month after the eleomosy-
nary Institution had been established, Mrs.
BENJAMIN HARRISON made tho following
explanation through the PRiiadaiphia Press
and other newspapers: -
"Ths children could not possibly remain in the RI
Ocutiyo Mansion through the warm weather. There
were several very kind Invitations from friends who
had homes in beautiful localities within few hours OF
the capital but seemed best for the children to ocae
for the summer months At place, It happened that
while We were considering what nlAus 80 hest TO
make that was surprised with the f Of this beautiful
cottage fully squippsd And ready Tor occupation
Its acceptance seemed to tho best that could 10
done. None Of the gentlemen concerned could have
Apy eAaat VLhSE than tas sVuTtssY Vi making w com