The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-02-22

JUDGE W. @. GRESHAM.
will remember that I told them few
weeks ago this was not an improbable
selection. We know now Mr.. Cleveland
has for three weeks been trying to in
duce Judge Gresham to accept and has
finally succeeded.
What a queer man this Cleveland is!
You may search the history of our coun-
try in vain for another like him. He is
self willed, independent and as coura-
geous as lion. In this selection of Gresh-
am, for instance, he knew he would be
sure to offend many of the "old line
Democrats, whose traditions teach them
that none but party man of long stand
ing should be put on guard. He knew
the choice of Gresham would be savagely
criticised, not on account of lack of con-
fdence or admiration for Gresham him
self, but on account of political consid-
erations. He knew there would be a
howl of indignation from the straight
outs, and yet he vent ahead pleasing
himself and doing what he thought was
right.
Now, whether Mr.. Cleveland acts the
part Of wisdom or Of foolishness in this
am not prepared to say. That is not
my affair. But I am sure the people
irrespective of politics like a man who
has this fearless style of padding his
own canoe. They admire courage, indie
pendence and boldness wherever dis
played.
should fail to give you an accurate
reflection Of the gossip of the capital if I
did not tell you that in the opinion Of
many keen observers Mr.. Cleveland's adj
ministration is to be stormy one-that
he is to have heap Of trouble with his
friends the enemy, and nearly if not
quite as much with the enemy his party
friends.
1t is the partisan writer who tells you
all is lovely within the camp to which
he belongs, and that all is wrong in the
camp of the opposition. The independ-
ent writer, the mere gossiper who loves
gossip for its own sake and not for its
bearing or effect, tells you the truth.
And therefore I tell you there will be
some high jinks in the senate chamber
and particularly in the executive SEES
sions Of our house of lords during the
next few months.
Among the pleasant little rows which
Mr.. Cleveland is to have on his hands is
b quarrel with the Democratic senators
from his own state. Here in Washing
con, where we are all very like the street
gannins who help to get up fight for
the mere pleasure Of watching it after it
lis started. we are looking forward with
great interest to the ides of March.
While waiting for the bugle blast, we
talk over the last great contest seen here
between president and senators of his
own party. We have been reminded of
the Garfield Conkling-Platt quarrel, first
by the death Of Mr.. Blaine, who was one
Of the actors in that tragedy, and again
by the legal inquiry into the sanity. of
murderer which has been going OF. here
for several weeks.
A Young man named Schneider, broth,
sr of man once wrote you a letter
about, telling you how he had built in
Washington nearly s, houses and made
FOR. himself in doing SO a fortune of a
hound million, shot and killed his wife
and her brother. He was convicted and
denied a new trial. Now they are IL
uuiring into his sanity, and the odd thing
about it is that his case is a good deal
like that of Guiteau, and that two of the
chief actors in the Guiteau trial-ths
Judge who presided and the government
expert who testifed-are filling the same
roles in this case.
Like Guiteau, young Schneider's In
sanity has developed since the commits
zion of his crime. Like Guiteau, he
comes of family in which there was
strain of insanity. Like Guiteau, he has
played queer pranks in the courtroom,
attempting to assault the court officers,
seemingly knowing nothing at times OF
what is going On before him. Like
Guiteau, too, he is accused of shamming,
of malingering playing role of tragic
grotesquerie with his life for the stake.
To come back to Judge Gresham
what queer pranks fate plays; how the
whirligig of time and politics brings out
the unexpected Only eight years ago
Judge Gresham was a Republican cabi-
net officer. Four years ago he was for
midable candidate for the. Republican
presidential nomination. Last summer
the third partyites came near nominal
ing him for president. Last fall he cut
loose from the. Republican PARTY and