New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-07-17
MP CLEVELAND'S LATEST.

The publication OF MI 'lcNelahu sohi'"""'
ELUSIVE letter to Mr.. John Temple Graves, OF
Georgia. calls fresh attention to that gentle
mans queer habit Of writing TO all sorts OF
people on all sorts Of subjects without the
smallest visible provocati0n or the least vestige
Of proprIey Mr.. Cleveland evidently harDors
the conviction that the American people STAND
in need OF periodical communications, an
nounccments end precepts from himself, anu
in the qualification Of this deep yearnlng ne mas
adopted the clumsy expedient Of pre'rndlng 10
write private letters to more or less obscure
pcrsons The country is therefore, surprised
from time to time by the publication OF CleVe-
land letter TO some one OF whom It had never
heard before, though the discerning few nj once
pcrceiye that the letter itself is really addressed
70 the people at large. and Is Intended Ior pur-
noses purely personal to the writer. The reclp-
lent IS To Mr. Cleveland what Mrs Harris was
70 the esmabe Mrs. Campo mere dummy
unon which to drape the CONNECTIONS or MS
thought and fancy.
In the present instance Mr.. Cleveland mas Sc
lectc-l as the medium OF rather sensational
outhurst OF sentiment a small provincial journ
allst Of Georgia. named John Temple Graves
Il must be said Of Graves that he has not coured
obscurlty. ON the contrary. he has been hys
,crically anxious 10 escape II. Several years ago
he announced himself as "thc successor OF
Henry W. Grady" and soon afterwari per-
shaded the New-England Society to invite him
70 sneak at one Of their big dinners. But Graves
didn't succeed Grady or anybody else when the
tim. came As n matter Of fact. he failed. lie
turned ont TO he nothing more than n maudlin
sophomore. full Of wind conceit and empty
al. I'm oil lrOpDel
him eagerly Next he undertook controversy
with colonel Henry Wattcrson. Of The Louis
Vile Courier Journal" He conducted the con
,royersy" all 10y himself for awhile until. one
day. Waticrson became aware that something
WAS annoying him, looked for 1t. found H. ana
cracked Il on his thumbnail. Otherwise. MT.
John Temple Graves had not been heard or or
considered outside Of the remote bucolic neigh
borhood In which he cultlvates his modesy
until Saturday morning last, when he appeared
frs, AZ the reservoir Of Mr. Cleveands Ten
dcrcst emotions and next as the conduit through
which those emotions were delivered 10 'he
country The letter WAS written In December
1880. Il appears. and was no doubt designed
for sentimental effect upon the people IN ls9-'
but. when Graves lnnoccnily asked for per
mission to publish II. the writer left II to his
"dccacy and discretion, anu so heaFiJ NV
rcars have been wasted in introducing Into
Graves's system an idea that would have oc-
cured TO an ordinary person In rs many minutes
TIN. letter has seen the light nj last, however,
and though II Is very improbable that MI.
Cleveland win write 10 Graves again. the sue
cessor Of Henry W. Grady" Is enjoying IL
immensely now He IS conspicuous. for BRIEF
moment at least, as the recipient OF great
mans most sacred condolences, and he poses as
the proprietor Of "delicacy and discretion
that held out four years and n half under truly
fearful temptations.
We do not pretend TO understand why VT.
Cleveland should write such a letter to Graves,
or. for that matter to any one else. II seems
proper to say. however. that 1t brlstles with the
most admirable and proper scntment-senti-
mcnt which plain. everyday people usually keep
TO themselves, however and to suggest that. al
though the publication ut this time comes 100
late TO be Of service In 1892 1t does not come too
late TO give certain tender grace TO an am
bltlon that might otherwise seem voracous In