The morning journal-courier., 1908-09-30
GROVER CLEVELAND
He Wrote the Celebrated Ven. ezuela Message, Not Sec
 retary 0lney.
AN Ex-PRESIDENTS LIFE
IL Is Very Petty in Many Ways--In. terestlug Conversation of
 Years Ago.

"A sensitive man ia not happy as president" sald MT, Cleveland "rt Is light, fight, fight all the time. He Is the target of every kind of calumny. Everything he does Is open to miscon- struction. His enemies arc lncessant. It Is impossible for him. lf he is con seientlous, to keep the affections of his friends l looked forward to the close of my terms as q happy release from care. But am not sure that l wasn't more unhappy out of office than in. A term in the presidency ac- customs a man to great duties He gets used to handling tremendous en- tcrprises. Co organizing forces that may affect at once anl directly the welfare of the world After the long exercise of power the ordinary cares Of life seem petty and commonplace. An ex-president practising law or go- ing into business Is like a locomotive hauling delivery wagon, He has lost his sense of proportion. The con cerns Of other people an1 even his own anaIrs seem to small to be worth bothering nhout l thought was glad when Mir Mckinley came to Washington to be inaugurated. and I took drink of rye whiskey with him in tho White house and shook hands with him and put my hat on my head and walked ont private citizen But 1 miss the strain tho spur to constant thinking, tho consciousness of power the Knowledge that was acting for 70,Ooo,o o0O people daily
 "Takc thc Venezuelan message In that casc. on my own initiative. but in behalf of the people who would have to offer their lives and property to make good the challenge. l felt com pelled to partially threaten war against the most powerful government in tho world II was a great respon- slhlllty. and felt lt all tho more keenly on the next day when l was 'eluged with offers of military service
 om all parts of tho country. The
 before. tho country did not dream e var; the day after. we could have had million men under enlistment
 "Ne might have had war" said ono of the men in the group around him
 No" said Mir Cleveland "The moesage prevented war England had been placed in an awkward position by the caroleesness of Lord Salisbury and the ignorant ohstinacy of per manent officials who advised him, On our sidc there was strong group Of mon in congress who were bent on making trouble for my administration, but didn't wish for war The people of neither country thought seriously about tho difference over the Schom- burg line. but there were clements of great danger ln allowing the British government officials and our congress to nag each other to point beyond forboarancc. My message took the is- sue out of the hands of tho politicians and laid it before the people of the two countries. Tho ant-administra- ton forces In congress were compell- ed hy public opinion, now that the contention became really warlike, to leave lhp whole matter to me for set tloment | didn't want war, but I was sure it wouldn't come The English people promptly warned their govern mant that they would not fight for the preservation of very doubtful title when the means of settling the ques- ton by arbitration were freely offered .Anl that was the end of it. We riyet- cd international acceptance of the principle of the Monroe doctrine, and isd no more trouble with the jim soes'
 "Did you or Secretary Oluey write tho mcsgagcg l asked. It had been reported that the secretary of state was tho author
 "Olnoy?" exclaimed MT Cleveland wilh great Indignation, slamming the table with hiq hand "Clney had nc moro to do with it than you had wrote every line of 1t myself; ant Olney never saw it until showed fl to him in il complete form, just as f went to congress. II was the bes thing ever did "ln the Interpret. CTS House In the September Amer icGn Magazine.