The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-05-03
NEW YORK LETTER.
Review Of Current Matters BY a
Master Observer.
some Political Reminiscences-Clevela
Relations with Thurman-superinten-
dent Byrnes and His Great Task
New York and Reform.
COPYRIGHT, 1921


Chatting in the Astor house the other
cay with the gentleman now in charge
Of one of our old established New York
journals, he told me about an interview
that he had with Allen G. Thurman in
this city along in 1887. The relninis-
cence was apropos of some discussion
about Mr.. Cleveland and his third can
didacy for the presidency. This gen
tleman told me that Mr.. Thurman was
very bitter in his depreciation of Mr.
Cleveland at the time named. He had
nothing pleasant to saylof his admins
tration, and his general hostility was
manifest throughout the conversation.
Much to the surprise of my friend, Mr..
Thurman was nominated on the demo-
catic ticket for vice president the year
following, and knowing what he did
of the old gentleman's real senti-
ments, he was prepared to contem-
plate the incongruities of American
politics. This recalled the fact that Mr..
Cleveland during his entire administra-
ton absolutely ignored Mr.. Thurman,
and therefore gave him most excellent
grounds for hostility. 1t recalled the
fact to my mind that Immediately fol-
lowing Mr.. Cleveland's election in 1884,
a gentleman in this city who was anx-
ious to impress himself upon national
affairs visited Mr.. Cleveland at the gov
errors mansion in Albany. He went
there upon invitation, to discuss the
new cabinet and to learn, if possible.
some of the characteristics of Mr..
Cleveland. He told me that he never
had met man in public life who knew
so little of public men and political his
tory as Grover Cleveland. At that time,
it will be remembered, Mr.. Cleveland
had never been further west than Buff
falo, he had never seen the city of Wash
ington, he had never seen many distin-
gu1shed men and he had never been in
any sense a political student. In talk
ing over the various capable men in the
democratic party it soon became
evident that Mr.. Cleveland knew very
little of the personnel of the great or
ganization which had gently boosted
him from the Office of sheriff in Erie
county to chef magistracy of the coun-
try within a period of ten years. Over
a bottle of rather poor whisky the fit
ness of Allen g. Thurman for a cabinet
position was discussed. Mr.. Cleveland
did not know much of Mr.. Thurman's
record save that he had been a CON
spicuous democrat in Ohio. He did not
know that Mr.. Thurman had actually
kept alive the democratic party in the
state of Ohio during the war and subse-
quent thereto, and that his vigorous bat
ties in the senate had furnished inspira-
ton for the party throughout the union.
He finally said: 81 think Mr.. Thurman
is too old man for seatin the cabinet.
want young, vigorous and working
cabinet" Being asked whether he
wanted his cabinet to do thinking
for him or to perform actual
physical labor, such as saving wood and
sweeping out Offices, and being told
that Mr.. Thurman's experience, his
great ability and his absolute honesty
made him one of the best and great
est of political advisers, MIR. Cleveland
replied: ''Well, am told that he drinks
too much. am afraid he has no ca
pacity now for taking charge of great
executive department" He was then
urged to give Mr.. Thurman some dig
nified and honorable foreign mission.
1t was explained that the old gentle
mans party services certainly entitled
him to lofty recognition, and that next
to being in the cabinet nothing would
please him better than to be sent as
minister to England or France. Mr..
Cleveland took the matter under advise
ment, but he never rendered any sort
of place to Mr.. Thurman, nor did he
give him even the recognition to which
an ordinary political worker would
have been entitled. Mr. Thurman's
disappointment must have been great.
It is well remembered that he took no
active part in politics during Mr..
Cleveland's administration, and there
was great surprise when he. was ten
dered a second place on the Cleveland
ticket in 1888. This was due to the fact
that Mr.. Cleveland's course had alien
ated the iron-hearted democrats of the
west-the 'old hunkers," SO to speak
and there was deep-seated fear haunt
ing the white house about that time
that perhaps the Old Guard would not
muster to the Cleveland bugle Then it
was that Mr.. Cleveland discovered the
virtues of the ''old Roman" of Ohio.
He wanted him on the ticket, and it
was on account of his urgent appeal to
his counselors, reaching through them
Mr.. Thurman, that the old gentleman
was induced to accept the nomination
for the vice presidency-the great
political mistake of his life-and thus
it was that the man who was
considered too old in 1884 to occupy
a chair in Mr.. Cleveland's cabinet was
four years later considered strong
enough and vigorous enough to repre-
sent about all the democracy there was
in the campaign of 1888. I may add
that the ambitious warwick who went
to Albany to help Mr. Cleveland select
his cabinet told me that when he asked
Grover whether he had ever written or
said anything on the tariff question
which might by any possibility rise to
disturb his administration the newly
endowed democratic leader frankly re-
piled: mot a thing, you can depend
upon it, for I don't know anything
about the tariff" Three years later, so
apt student is Mr.. Cleveland, we had