Norwich bulletin., 1911-12-08
PAGES NINE TO TWELVE
YIELDED l,.I:.l..I TO EDMUNDs. Il
cIeveiand's Political Foe Won Aftse
 His Friends Had Failed.

NlGHUtAnQ1 FCfittCAl roe won AiEmW
 His Friends Had Failed.
 Soon after Mir. Cleveland entered the
 White House in 1885 Vice President
 Hendricks died at his home in Indian apolis. and the president made ar engagements 10 attend the funeral.
 Many of his social intimates and all his official advisers united in an effort to dIssuade him from making this twenty hour journey, enlarging on tho manifold risks of rail travel at all times and the special opportunity this would offer some fanatic to assassinnte him. But he remained immoVabIe un- til within a few hours of the time set for closing up his business he received an unexpected call from Senator Ed. munds of Vermont.
 MT. Edmunds was tho leader of tho Republican side of the senate and was understood to have in preparation sew eral measures of opposition to the an- nounced policies of the new adminia- tration. But he was also and above all else an American citizen and a patriot. and his visit to his political foe was made in that character Tn a conyer. sation of less than half an hour, in nt dItW int CuELtil OKtI Ill 0liH ferences and disregarded all empty formalities of intercourse, he laid be- fore the president in the clear terms and logical order in which he knew so well how to express himself the larger aspects of the situation
 As the presidential succession law then stood the speaker of the house cf representatives stood next in line to the vice president and next to him came the president pro tempore of the senate The house not having organiz- ed since the inauguration. no speaker had been elected, and, the senate bav- ing failed at its special session to choose a president pro tempore to serve during the recess, only one life that of the president himself-stood be- tween the nation and administrative anarchy; hence, argued MT. Edmunds. it was Mir. Cleveland's duty to fOregO every other consideration and invite no chances of throwing upon the coun- try they both loved a strain such as it had never been subjected to before.
 The writer of these lines was seated in the next room while this visit was in progress, and he will never forget the presidents expression of satiRfac- ton on coming out of his office after the senator had gone. He gnve orders at once that all preparations for his journey should be suspended and de- clared that nothing that had occurred since he entered the White House had 50 touched him as the kind solicitudo shown by MT. Edmunds about his ex- posing himself to any peril now. Tho others who had reasoned with him on the subject were men who were pre- sumptively friendly and whose chief anxiety seemed to be lest he should suffer some injury Go his individual person or fortunes. But here was man who. as far as politics was con cerned, was a hostile of hostilea. yet who appealed to him in behalf of the American people and their govern ment
 That settled it," MT. Cleveland con- cIuded as he turned to go back tO his office. After what Bdmunds said there can be no further question or where my highest obligation lies."- F. E L. in New York Post