The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-02-20
AN AIR OF MYSTERY.
Profound Secrecy of Insignificant Move
ments by the President.

hNhiH bN hht EEfsiuent.
People are getting very tired of the
ridiculous opera bouffe mystery in
which Mr.. Cleveland envelops, or en-
deavors to envelop, his smallest move
ment, says the Washington correspond
ent of the Cincinnati Enquirer 1t was
funny at first. When he came here in
1885 the people were used to such pres
idents as Arthur, Garfield Hayes and
Grant, who never made the smallest eff
fort TO seclude themselves. who evil
IDENTIFY did not object TO being looked at
by the public and who. at proper times,
were fond of strolling about like other
citizens Arthur. for example had a
frequent habit, after dinner, of drop
ping in at Chamberlain's or some other
place. | remember very we'll one night
in January, 1855. when the first Mer-
genthaler type-setting machine was on
exhibition in one of Chamberlain pri-
vate parlors. and when quite a crowd
had assembled there to see IL and have
its operations explained. Arthur walk
ed quietly into the room and became
one of the most interested of spectators.
Those who knew him spoke to him;
those who did not, merely bowed. lie
was treated exactly like any other dis
tinguished and we'll bred gentleman
would have been treated. Those pres
cnt did not surround him and annoy
him with attentions In a little while
the president strolled out again, shook
hands with some of his friends in the
public rooms. exchanged a smile or a
word here and there, and then. with
his hands clasped behind his back, and
his big fur coat closely buttoned, left
the building-perhaps to go back to the
white house. perhaps TO pay a visit
somewhere He had not been sub
jected to the slightest annoyance of
any kind.
But Cleveland astounded Washington
with an entirely new dispensation i'm
this respect. He soon made it clear that
he did not love contact with the COM
mon herd. He established outposts
against intrusion. He studied profound
secrecy as to his most insignificant
movement. If he left the executive
mansion. he did SO by stealth. IL he
came back. IL was at midnight and sur
reptitiously. He seemed to hate or to
be afraid of his fellow men. He resent
ed the efforts of the newspapers to
chronicle his daily doings, and he
gave as much thought and ingenuity TO
beating a poor little penny-a-liner out
of an item as to the framing of an adj
minstration message or the appoint
ment of a diplomatic envoy. In this way
he stimulated curiosity and piqued the
correspondents into novel activity. lie
created the very condition of things
which at first he had only imagined.
For the first time I'm the history of the
country he had every newspaper at the
capital watching the president of the
United States in a spirit of suspicion
and resentment
OF course, II is worse now than IL
was 10 years ago. When Cleveland re-
turned for his second term in 1898 he
found his ancient antagonists ready to
renew the struggle. and a struggle IL
has been ever since. In the course and
in part of the development of this alb
surd conflict. the president has envir-
oned himself with detectives and with
protectors. The white house grounds
are dotted all over with sentry boxes:
no one, not even a senator. can see Mr.
Cleveland until he has told Private
Secretary Thurber the nature Of his
business. He has muZzled every Off
ciau connected with the administra-
ton. everybody looks wise and
refuses TO talk. no matter how trivial
the questions may be. IL has come to
pass that the most insignificant little
department underling now swells HIM
self up and put on Tugs and wakes
myStCriouzly as any Roman Augur. In
the noisome atmosphere q sullen Sc
crecy he puts ike a toad in some
reeking cellar. Il was ridiculous TO be-