The Colorado statesman., 1911-03-18
No Dress-Suit For Garland

that 1t was imperative that he should
choose a majority of his cabinet from
the group of able Democratic senators
in congress. and he sent, in the order
named, for Thomas F. Bayard of Della
ware. John G. Carlisle of Kentucky.
L. Q. c. Lamar of Mississippi, Angus
tus H. Garland of Arkansas, and Of
fered them, respectively, the posts OF
secretary Of state, secretary of the
treasury, secretary of the interior and
attorney general.
Senators Bayard, Carlisle and La
the invitations of the president-elect
to enter his cabinet But when the
offer of the attorney generalship was
made to Senator Garland Mr.. Cleve-
land noticed that 1t was received hes
itatingly and almost as though the for
mer confederate senator from and for
mer governor of Arkansas was going
to give a peremptory but courteous
declination to enter the cabinet.
Now Mr. Cleveland had very high
regard for the ability and the charac-
ter of Senator Garland He knew that
the Arkansan was esteemed as able
lawyer as any that had sat in the SEN
ate chamber since the civil war, rank
ing in that respect with Senator Allen
G. Thurman of Ohio, who had left the
senate four years earlier, and with
Senator George F. Edmunds of YER
mont, who was to leave that body six
years later. Therefore, when he no
ticed that Senator Garland hesitated
to accept the cabinet post. Cleveland
asked him point blank If he did not
think he should be willing to forego
his personal preference to remain in
the senate in order that he might
serve his country and his party to bet
ter advantage, perhaps, as attorney
general.
ITO that question" said the late
Daniel Lamont, who told me the anec-
dote, having had it from Cleveland d.
rect when he was that presidents pri-
vate secretary, Senator Garland re-
piled that he should esteem 1t a great
honor to serve as attorney general,
but that he ought not to accept the
offer without a clear understanding on
the part of Mr.. Cleveland of one OBJ
lection which he had to entering the
cabinet.
81 am a student. absorbed in my
duties as senator and in some profes-
sional work said Senator Garland L
am utterly untitled by temperament
and experience to take any part in the
social life which is one of the charac-
teristics deemed essential II a cabinet
officer is to be successful l do not
attend public dinners and l give no
dinners. To do that would cause me
embarrassment, and 1t would be abb
solutely impossible for me to wear
swallow-tail coat
Judge Garland said the governor
and he couldn't help smiling broad
ly-'all that need give you no concern
at all. 1t will be understood between
us that your present manner of life
is to be respected. But 1t won't pre-
vent your coming over and chatting
with me occasionally
when Senator Garland heard this
cordial recognition of what he was
afraid would be regarded as a defect
that would bar him from cabinet asso-
citation, he assured Mr.. Cleveland that
nothing would give him greater graft
fication than to enter the cabinet with
that understanding" continued Mr.
Lamont. And the understanding was
observed on both sides Nor
did Garland's abstention from the so
cial activities of the administration
cause the slightest comment. But
think there was no man of his admin
istration with whom Cleveland had
more enjoyable chats than those he
sometimes had with Garland"
1910. by E. J. Edwards. AL
Rights Reserved)