Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1913-04-03
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
Grover CIeVeIand'S High
Estimate of William
L. Wilson
BY HoIland.


In a conversation which I had with
George f. Parker. the biographer Of
Grover Cleveland, his literary execu-
tor and his intimate personal and po-
litical friend, at the time President
Wilson was making up his cabinet,
Mr.. Parker narrated to me some Of the
incidents associated with Grover
Cleveland's organization of his cabi-
net prior to his Inauguration, March
4, 1893
Cleveland had a good many em-
barrassments to face and some dim
culties to overcome before he per-
fected his cabinet said Mr. Parker
AT one time he was strongly dis
posed to make choice Of Thomas f.
Bayard as Secretary of State although
Mr.. Bayard had served as Secretary
Of State IN The first administration. I
have sometimes thought he would
have appointed Bayard had il not been
for the earnestness with which Bay
ard was Secretary of State during his
first administration.
81 never knew, nor so far as could
find out did anybody else ever know,
why Mr. Cleveland decided to offer
| the State Department to General Wal
| ter O. Gresham Cleveland was al
ways secretive about the reasons
which led him to make that appoint
ment.
"He was a good deal put out be
cause he was unable to find any Dem
ocrat in New England competent TO
serve as Secretary of the Navy who
was also willing to accept that ap-
pointment He made the offer to
three New England Democrats. ] do
not think that ! am even now at lib.
erty to say who these men were. ALI
three declined. That exeplains how
It happened that Mr.. Cleveland called
Richard Olney of Boston to the cab.
met as attorney general from which
office he was transferred to the State
Department.
MANY times while considering his
cabinet appointments Mr.. Cleveland
spoke to me of William H. Wilson OF
West Virginia ! do not now recall
that he ever spoke in terms of warm
or commentator of any one associat-
ed with public life than he did of Mr..
Wilson.
81 think he would have been re-
ioiced IL he could have called Wilson
to the cabinet, on personal, on party
and on national considerations. but
he realized that Wilson's place at that
time was that of leadership OF the
House where his services in the pre-
paration of a new tariff bill would be
of inestimable value.
"Mr Cleveland was man who
sometimes admitted himself to be gov
erned by what were really whims, al
though he thought these impulses
were real inspirations. think that
the most extraordinary Of these i'm
pulses was one which came to him
of sudden and of which William L.
Wilson was the subject
cleveland had been talking for
some time of Wilson's intellectual
acuteness and profoundness. He
spoke with enthusiasm of the manner
in which this man who did not have
many early advantages had mastered
some OF the most difficult questions OF
finance and had absorbed and assimi
lated what Mr.. Cleveland regarded as
]
laws would be based
"All of a sudden Cleveland stopped
chatting in this vein I knew that
something had occurred to him which
he regarded as an inspiration. | Won
dered whether he would tell me what
was in his mind. But / never could
have guessed what he was thinking
about n he had not told me- He said
TO me that II he thought he could per-
suade Congress TO enact the necessary
legislation he would be stronly dis
posed to recommend that an act be
passed creating the Office Of assistant
to the President. with salary OF al
least ten thousand dollars a year He
said that the routine duties of the
President were easily done. although
the work was sometimes drudgery
but that a President really needed q
man of great ability who would aid
him in working out and formulating
important policies or recommends
tons.
cleveland told me that il he coult
get such an act passed he would ap
point William L. Wilson assistant q
the President He did not believe
however. that Congress would enac
the necessary legislation, but he sai'
+ II use his own words, for ] remember
them distinctly.
81 have more than half "A mind 4
ask Wilson to become an assistant q
the President. at least after he ha
perfected his tariff bill. and ! woul'
pay him cheerfully ten thousand dol
lars salary out of my own pocket
Cleveland afterward told me that h
realized that the plan. good as il was
was not feasible. although he dii
think for some days that Congress
might create a new Office which woul'
be in fact. II not in name, that OF Al
assistant to the President"
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell o
"Thr Return OF a Forgotten Speake
10 the National House.