The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-11-19
he quiehta Badly eagle saturday orniue nopsnber 1892

and with SO bland and agreeable smile
that the lieutenant governor felt encOur-
aged to go on. He did go on to map out a
plan for Mr.. Cleveland to ple1ge himself
to the suppression of the mugwump. 20
pledge himself to have no affiliations what
ever with anti-snappers, to pledge himself
to give the offices to the machine. Mr..
Cleveland looked so meek and so subdued
that Mr.. Sheehan said. I think we are
tiled to distinct pledges and then
stopped for breath.
'fThere was silence for moment, dur
ing which all eyes were turned upon MIR.
Cleveland. Then Mr. Cleveland, still
calm and composed, said, and you may rest
assured that this reply is authentic: Mr..
Sheshan, have listened with the utmost
attention. / have followed you very care
fully, and / thinkI understood you. In
reply wish to say that pil be id if
give any set of men any such pledges; and
pli be doubly id if PHI give you the
pledges you ask for
'"lhat was what Mr.. Cleveland said, aud
as Sunday school superintendent. must
say disapprove of the profanity, bui
rat her think it was excusabte under the
circumstances
after Mr.. Cleveland had made this en-
phatic reply there was a silence, painful
silence, a long silence. 1t was. broken by
Mr.. Croker. Mr.. Croker said: i most
heartily approve of what the president has
said
"And now. ladies and gentlemen" con-
tinued Mr.. Shearman. "I'l 20 on and give
you another confidence. I'll tell you OF
an attempt that was made o commit Mr..
Cleveland further on in the campaign.
Some friends OF his, some men who are
very close 70 him. urged him to write a
letter to the managers of the regular ma
chine, TO pacify them, acknowledging that
their aid WAS necessary 10 the success OF
the campaign. These friends of Mr.. Cleve-
land told him that it was indeed true that
the regular machine WAS necessary to his
election, and that he could not be elected
without pacifying the managers.
MIR. Cleveland made a most astonishing
answer. He said taat he knew these gen
tlemen Were his friends, were giving him
their best judgment. and must know what
they were talking about when they said
he could not be elected except by making
these pledges. He said that he could not
make those pledges and that If They in-
sisted he would write letter withdraw
ing as the Democratic nominee, and that
they could substitute for him upon the
ticket some man who could and would
make the necessary pledges.
That's the sort of a man Mr.. Cleveland
Is. heard 4 man say once that he had
heard Mr.. Cleveland called good sort OF
man. who Wore I6-nch collar and
weighed 250 pounds, and that he thought
a good many people who had tried to move
him from q position that he had occupied
believed rather that ne weighed 250 tons"
Mr. Shearman absolutely decliuea To say
anything about the so1rce OF his lnforma-
tion. ''All | will say" he remarked, lis
that the story is absolutely authentic. and
l unreservedly vouch for its authenticity.
/ am assured of he reliability of my n-
formation, but where it comes from wont
say. But it did not come from MIR. Cleve-
land"
Mr. Richard Croker. declined at first to
discuss the matter, but he finally said:
"Mr. Shearman's statement is entirely
Incorrect and really not worth noticing,
but | can say that his story of what Mr..
Cleveland said is untrue Mr.. Cleveland
did not say anything of the kind. There
was no friction AT the dinner about any
thing. 1t was most sociab!e affair. In
fact, a more soeiable dinner | never at
tended There was no profanity used at
any time during It's progress. There WAS
no swearing and there were no pledges.
That is all have to say"