The daily critic., 1890-07-24
HARRISON'S COTTAGE.
SOME POINTED COMMENTS ON THE
STATEMENT OF The press.
II the President Paid for the Cottage,
His wife Was Not Aware OF ".
Fiimsy Humbug.

From ne Nf70 York Sun. Iuiy g.
If General Harrison has now paid
$4,000 for the Cape May Poiut cot
tage, as the subservient New York
Press asserts, upon what It alleges as
proper warrant one Of three things
is true:
1. The payment is nominal only, de-
signed to make a convenient record on
the books of the Register of Deeds Of
Cape May County and TO relieve the
President of the cdium which belongs
to the gift seeker and gift taker in high
office.
9 The payment is genuine. ali
$4,000 have really passed from the
Presid eut's bank account to the pock-
els Of the original subscribers TO the
cottage fund, including Mr.. Cbilds.
Mr.. Wanamaker and Boomer Hamil.
ton; but the payment Is an after.
thought, suggested either by q guilty
conscience or a desire TO escape the
consequences Of a tremendous scandal,
3. The payment was contemplated by
the President from the first, and he
merely occupied the cottage as a free
tenant long enough to satisfy himself
that 1t was a good purchase lie never
had any intention of acquiring it as
gift
One or another Of these three suppo.
siiions must be accepted If the first is
accepted, then the President is charged
directly with a trick of deception as
cowa1dly and contemplate rs any
thing that can be imagined. Under the
second supposiiion, General Harrison
has taIdily, but directly, confessed the
gross impropriety of his first action IN
the matter; and the Press and the other
organs which have been defending him
since carly in June have wasted their
zeal.
But the Press pretending 10 speak for
the President, attempts to give the i'm.
preston that the third theory is the
right one; namely, that Benjamin Har.
rison never dreamed Of taking the cot.
tage as n gift that his payment Of
the $4,000 was deferred merely until
the family ascertained that the ediice
suited their purposes, and that the
money was paid over long ago General
Harrison suppressing the fact from mo.
tives Of dignity and lfrespect which
are highly crcditable TO him. We quote
exactly what our facilc contemporary
said when It first announced that the
cottage is paid for:
The adverse comments concerning the
TIuft6d gift Of the Cape MAY Point cottage
10 Mrs. Harrison are now discovered to
have teen baselcss, hCcusc The gifi uus not
accepted, aud President il1rris0n bought
the cottage, after occupying 10 long enough
To ascertain that 20 suited bis purposes. for
$1,000 The information 10 this effect
comes 10 the IreSs from reliable auth1rity
10 can be readily understood that even in
the face Of the clamorous criticism OF the
Democratic press the President would make
30 explanation about matter which was
suhit 10 some conditions aud was withal
lis own private nfiair. he dovLi
irgs hrught fn0, that hc facts uJud
al btC0Wf kH0lrH sooner OF later. aud
that the American people would be quick
10 see the unfortunate position Of his de
tractors, who, without knowing the facts,
were SO willing 20 believe evil of tile chief
Magistrate Of the country, and, by utterlng
that belief, cast shame on the nation. They
may now, and probably will, endeavor to
cover their own shameessness by declaring
that their clamor drove the President TO the
present step. But II was established long
since by incoutestable evidence that Benja-
min Harrison Is not a man to be driven into
doing anything. He does what he thinks
right in a quiet but firm way, aud there +
the end Of if. He did what he thought right
about the Cape May cottage, and there Is
the end Of the matter, about which there
was so much noisy clatter from IN Informed
and unfriendiy critics.
This precious piece Of humbug Is as
ilimsy as Il Is dishonest Does any
human being suppose that If the Presi
dent Of the United States had his eve on
a cottage, and desired 10 occupy Il for
time on trial, IL would be necessary for
him or his friends to collect subscrip.
tions In order 10 buy the property and to
put II In bis wife's name during the
period Of probation Does anybody
suppose that If the Harrisons went into
the cottage on the basis alleged bV the
Press the interesting ceremony of the
presentation Of the keys at Washington,
and the escort of the family 10 the cot.
isge by the representative Of the sub
scTiheTs 10 the fund, would have been
parts Of the programme Does the
probation theory likewise apply 20 the
Tree billiard table, the free bedspreads.
the free wanamakeTs on the piazza and
the free soup and gingerbread In the
laTdeTf Did Benjamin Harrison intend
that after trying the billiard tables and
the wanamakers and eating the yictuals
he should be permitted 10 pay for them
If they proved satisfactory
II that was his dignified and self re
speciing intention from the first, he
kept the secret perfectly from his own
wife, for on July 5. about a month after
The eltemOsYnaTy institution had been
established, Mrs Benjamin Harrison
made the following explanation through
the Philadelphia Press and other news
papers:
Tie children could not possibly remain
In the Executive Mansion through the Warm
weather. There We're several very kind iu-
viiations from friends who had homes Ia
healthful localities within a few hours Of
the capital, but it seemed best for the cEil-
dTeu 70 locate for the summer months at
one place. 1t happened that while We were
considering what plans lt Was best 10 make
that / was surprised aith the gift Of this
beautiful cottage, fully equipped and ready
f0r our occupation. Its acceptance seemed
10 me The best that could le done None
0f tie gentlemen concerned could have any
object other than the courtesy Of making US
comfortable. AS far as their names are
kuoBu, none Of them seek Office. 10 does
lot involve the President in auv money
making for his personal benefit How
others may he benefited does not concern
as. III our presence 40 Cape May Point
viii be benefit % any persons they are
welcome 70 it
And yet while Mrs. Harrison was ac-
knowledgiug II this sTaighlforw
fashion her obligations % her bene-
factors, Benjamin Harrison vas mo
u0polizing in silent dignity the proud
knowledge that be had paid FOR the
cottage, aud that sooner OF later the
American people would know The fact
This viii not DO The third supp0-
sition about the cottage lacks ibre
Whether General Harrison has paid
$4,000 In name only OF whether be