The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1894-01-26


About President Cleveland-His Physicas
Condition-Indifferenc For Walking.
WASHINGTON, D. c., JAM 11.-TSpecial. J. |
Wall street has some peculiar connections |
with Washington. From what sources |
''the street, derives its information as tc
what is going on in the capital no OLE
knows, but it gets some strange and wor-
derful tips from these parts A few days
ago, while President Cleveland Secretaries
Gresham and Carlisle and Fighting Bob
Evans were down the river on shooting
trip, Wall street became very much ex.
cited. 1t had heard-Heaven only knows
how-that President Cleveland was losing
his mind; that he had completely broken
down; that he was in such sad condition
that his friends of the cabinet were consid-
ering the advisability Of taking him away
for a long rest.
Wall street heard these things in some
more or less faith in them, because it fired
score of kilograms into Washington that
day asking for the facts about the presi-
dents condition. The bigger the lie the
more quietly Wall street swallows it, hook,
line, pole and sinker. OF course the rumors
were absurd. While it is true that the
president has some bad teeth in his head,
and while it is true also that he is to some
extent showing the effects of the long strain
to which he hag been subjected, there is no
man in this country in less danger of losing
his mental faculties than Grover Cleveland.
His Mind All Right.
The senators, representatives and office
seekers who call on him occasionally about
appointments could not be made to believe
that Mr.. Cleveland is in any danger of los
ing his mind. The sharp memory which
enables him to call up almost every detail
of a case-the characteristics of aspirants,
their faults and weaknesses, the nature of
their Endorsements, the objections made to
them-gives no indication of waning mental
powers. Mind specialists say the memory
is usually the first thing to suffer'when
any arrangement of the cerebral organs ap-
pears, and by that test, if no other, Mr..
Cleveland's mind is as clear as the tones of
silver bell.
The men who call on the president find
him sharp, alert, keen in his analysis OF
character and conditions and fully able to
cope with the bright men who do business
with him. Stories are told every day of
the presidents remarkable power of carry
ing small details in his mind. If any change
whatever is noticeable in his manner, it is
an increasing impatience, lack of tolerance,
eagerness to get business off his mind not
by decision, but by procrastination.
/ A Silly Charge Refuted.
OF course these stories concerning Mr..
.Cleveland's mental condition have been in
circulation in Washington. But here,
where the facts are known, scarcely Sec
ond thought is given to them. When the
presidents special message on Hawaii made
its appearance few weeks ago, some peo-
pie thought they could see in it evidences
of the hand of Secretary Gresham. Feed
ing their imagination with trifles, these
extra wise persons declared the whole mes
sage had been written by Gresham, and
that all the president had done was to sign
his name. In the same way some smart
persons thought they could see evidences
of the hand of Dan Lamont in the prepara-
ton of the presidents annual message.
During Mr.. Cleveland's first term great
many people could never be induced to be-
ieve anything else than that the presi-
dents private secretary prepared all of the
messages to congress, state papers and
speeches. OF course the facts are, as we all
knov-all who take the trouble to ascer.
tain facts-that the president writes his
own messages and state papers. He has
always done so. The peculiar English of
| those documents is the presidents own.
The Hawaiian message was more charac-
| teristic of Mr.. Cleveland than anything he
| has written for years. 1t is absolutely un-
| mistakab1e. And how any Intelligent man
could honestly suspect it to be Gresham's
| work-to whose style it bears no resem-
blance whatever-is beyond fathoming.
| Whatever may be the strong or the weak
| points of Grover Cleveland as public man,
| inability to prepare the state papers which
bear his signature cannot be charged against
him.
| Abont the White House.
| One of the penalties of fame is to be lied
about. President Cleveland is no exception
| to the rule. Not long ago the newspapers
| were filled with stories to the effect that the
| president was physical coward-that he
| lived in daily fear of assassination. The
tales had an increased force of watchmer
on the White House grounds; they told oi
the presidents sudden desertion of his
country house for the executive mansion
they recited the fact that he had employed
mounted policeman to accompany him or
his drives to and from Woodley; they laiG
great stress upon the failure of the presi
dent ever to take walks in the streets OF
about the White House grounds.
There is just this much truth in thest
| Ot1icS. Lie woo SOOu6l
than he had expected to do because h,
found too much time was taken from hi
work in passing to and fro, and because the
approach of winter made the country sea-
less comfortable than the executive man
sion. He did have a mounted policeman
detailed to ride ahead of him along tn,
lonely roads, but in doing SO followed NOR,
the advice of Mrs. Cleveland and mem Der.
of his cabinet, who urged him to prudence
than any promptings of his own fears.
was wise and proper thing to do. In M
other country in the world would nationa
ruler 60 about in lonely country roads, da,
or night, without attendance. There ha
been an increase of the watch force abou
the executive mansion, but the increas,
consists of the addition of single man.
Mr.. Cleveland does not take walks in tn
streets or about the grounds, as Harrison
Hayes, Grant and other presidents did
| E1r the reason that he docs not Ike v all
*. claims not to need the exercise, aud il
~ does appear to get ;.lo:.2 veg wei
| sitEout it. On his vacations. v-hetfIar il
iaware, at Saranac lake or sicwn tte Po
enac, MIR. Cleveland goes about as fear
~ and unpretentiousl, as any priyat,
..si.. The charge CT physical cowardic
.sill net lie against him, all newspape
stories TO the contrary Notwithstanding
| Business.
Detroit has real estate dealer who know
| hia S,1SinaSe Tho 0ther flav fria-5