Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-02-23
She Is Very Popular With All
Classes in Washington. !
Great Helpmate to the President and
is Gracious and Accomplished.
Pressing Need for an Enlargement Of the
White House. =.

army and navy or from unofficial circles.
AS usual during the last two years, sena-
tors and representatives were conspicuous
by their absence. The reception was given
In tie special honor of the army and navy
and marine corps, and the military arm of
the government is represented in Washing
ton by largo colony, nearly all OF whom
wcre present to bid goodby to Mrs. Glove
land. AS i have before had occasion to ro-
mark, Mrs. Cleveland has lost mono of her
popularity in Washington. 1t was inter-
esting to see the women standing in the
main corridor of the executive mansion,
where by pushing and crowding they could
occasionally get glimpse of the first lady
OF the land, and to listen to their remarks.
Such adjectives as sweet lovely"
lust grand, perfectly beautiful" were
common enough. But one of the best
things said was uttered by tho wife of an
old army officer, Il campaigner of many
posts and with Il vast experience in human
nature.
She '.Wears Well"
MRS Cleveland is more loved by us oil
now than she was when she came here as
a pretty young bride" she said. "It is
mighty few women who wear as we'll as
that
That Mrs. Cleveland has "worn we'll"
there can be no doubt. She clings to her
old friends, and one of tho best things
about her is that she mover deserts her
friends because fortune deals harshly with
them. Once friend always friend is her
rule. There are women in this capital
whose husbands have lost favor with the
president and who are no longer of the So
cial or official Importance they once were
But it makes no difference with the lady
of the White House. She stands by them
all the time.
The crowding at the White House that
night was disgraceful to the American ma
tion. 1nasmuch as three or four congress
men and their wives were mixed up in the
scrimmage, one would think the national
legislature might be induced to do some
thing toward giving us a new executive
mansion, or at least an addition to the old
one But as long rs this craze for eco
nomical appropriations continues it is un-
likely we shall secure any Improvement
The trouble with tho White House is that
it is too small to accommodate the crowds
which attend tho card receptions. The
limo of guests forms in the vestibule, where
the Marine band is stationed, and is crowd.
ed dreadfully for space, and then moves
slowly through the main corridor and to
the door of the red room. In this corrido,
the line broadens out and becomes crush
In fact, two lines converge here-that
from the vestibule and another from the
east room, the latter being composed OF
guests who have had the wit to go III
stairs to leave their wraps and who have
entered from the east room. The tive
OF IF itryc foC tbov .xy;tI
terrific force. Good naturcd and polite
the most of them are, but as tho little door
is reached through which all are anxious
to enter human nature asserts itself and
there is a dreadful jam.
A Dangerous Crowd.
Tho writer tried to make his way
through this maelstrom at the last rccep,
ton. 1t required 40 minutes to advance &
distance of 90 feet. The air was sitting
Men and women were squeezed together as
If they were in a cotton compress. Gowns
were crushed and tempcrs rufllcd. Occa-
sionally woman tainted. 1t was next to
impossible to get her out. and her escort
could do no better than to fan her and beg
the people to pass her q glass of water. AS
tho door to the rcd room was approached
the crush became really dangerous. The
ootouotuOo SHutaNpiCu W ftllON ftDOuU ~
persons to pass through together, and as
soon as they raised their arms as the sig
nal for the advance the whole throng be
gan a mighty surge forward. Those who
were in line for the door We're squeezed
through it-shot through it--much as you
would squirt soapsuds out Of your clinched
hand. More than one man near me be
came excited through fear that their wives
or daughters would be crushed and began
to fight and push and pull, adding to the
hazard that some one would trip and fall
and create panic
Gracious and Accomplished.
AS I stood watching Mrs Cleveland re
ceive her guests with that graciousness fo1
which she is famous'I was reminded of the
great help she has been to the president in
the matter of preparing many Of his adj
dresses and public papers. She has written
n number of them oht for him. and some
of the prettiest and most highly valued
souvenirs which administration officials
will take home with them are manuscripts
Of Grover Cleveland's state papers in the
handwriting of his wife l am also re-
minded that one of the wives of our prcsi-
dents acted as her husbands private sec
rotary. Mrs. James X. Polk attended to
was president kept his papers, filed away
everything which he might want to con
suit and stood at his elbow great deal of
the time to attend to his wants of a cler-
ical nature. That was before the days of
typewriters and of stenography, and it is
Of record that President Polk said he did
not see how he could get along without
the assistance of his wife, ''She is SO val.
liable rs an assistant president" he said
ON one occasion, that sometimes wonder
who is really the president-she or L.
Guests at the last reception in the White
House saw lying upon one Of the desks in
the up stairs apartments a brief prepared
by MIR. Cleveland in a pardon case There
was the fine. regular, neat, almost femi-
nine handwriting of the president, and
there was his we'll known signature In
preparing this brief Mr.. Cleveland had
probably spent several hours, perhaps the
better part of day. He is exceedingly
painstaking in all SUCH matters. He trusts
little to Others, but insists upon examin-
ing all the evidence for himself l once
heard one of the presidents cabinet Off
GERS say, If Mr.. Cleveland would devote
as much time to the study of great ques-
tions as he gives to pardon cases. he would
be the greatest man we ever had in the