The morning times., 1895-08-04
SHOWING MERCY ON SUNDAY
President Cleveland Prefers the Sab.
bath for Acts of Clemency.
Renovating Portraits in the white
House-Mrs. CleveIand's Favortte
Flower.

President Cleveland holds anon e his many
/ quiet traditions and principles. by which
his life is governed, the old adage, The bet
! ter the day the better the deed"
This ne eXempIlies 10y the nature of the
J work which he sets apart To be considered
ana thoroughly digested on Sundays This
| sunday work is the GIaEtiIg OF Farcons.
! In all such cases as have been appealed
| TO the President for his executive cIemency
! IL will be found by an examination of
/ the facts relative thereto that where, in his
estimation, ii has Eeen best to grant the
pardons desired, Sunday has been the day
/ on which such important decision was
reached.
Many times, OF course, the inspection Of
J the papers in the case only serves to con-
/ vince the President that the decision of the
/ court Has been the best and wisest under the
/ circumstances; that 10 grant pardon would
/ be but 10 defeat the eEds OF justice aud TO
4 allow crime and bloodShed To run riot in
/ the land. When, after mature deliberation
ard careful Inspection Of the papers and evi-
dence in the case, such a conclusion has
/ beenreaehed by the 7 President. that Sundays
| work goes for naught, 80 far as couCerns the
/ granting Of pardon. But when it is possi-
J Die 10 find sufficiently cXtenu uauing circuul-
stances IN the case TO warrant the granting
/ OF pardon the resident feels that nnmat-
( Ter how arduous has been the task nf ex-
! aiming the papers in the case. his Sundays
WORK mas been IS gratifying to him as
I 10 The poor wretch whom be reprievcs.
Frequently the President, having decided
! 10 grant certain pardons, has the papers
set aside for Sunday, so that On that day
DC may affiN The executive signature that
gives them their weight and importance.
One OF the most important pieces OF
work accomplished in the White House
since the President went to Gray Gables.
has been the cleaning or the many Hfe-size
portraits in the White House.
This work has been pretty nearly con,-
pleted with most beneficial results TO the
/ appearance of the paintings Many of them
had become so dim with the accumulated
Dust and fly specks as To be sufficiently
lhdlsunct 20 be taken at fist glance for
works OF the old masters The uortraJts
nave not b-en retouched, they have simply
been cleaned and put in place again.
In order to do this properly the paintings
nave had TO be taken down from the walls
and removed from the frames The. latter
, have bean left IN the White House while The
cleaning OF the pictures has been accom-
pllShed IN the studio OF the artist selected
for this work
The four portraits that are now in the
hahus or the artist, singBlarly enough in
. cluda that OF the first and last President
OF the United States Gen. Washington and
President Cleveland have stepped down
from their frames for some necessary re-
novauon, and beneath the spaces on the
White House walls, which they have been
accustomed to adorn, there stands the
large empty gold frame The otner two
portraits, now out Of their frames, are
those or the late Presidents Arthur and
Garfield
These will all be returned to tn cir place
within the course Of week. and the work
Of cleaning the White House portraits VIII
have been conpleted