The Washington times., 1937-03-18
BY EARL GOODWIN


niversary of the birth of Grover
Cleveland, there are some WASH
ingtonians who are opening old
scrap books and going back into
dim memory to reSurrect the
Washington of 1885. the year OF
the first Pension Office inaugural
ball, and to reconstruct an era
of this city and the nation which
is fast becoming ancient history.
The Pension office typified the
Veterans Administration of today.
It was the pride of the G. A. r.,
which at that time had become
almost as politically powerful as
today's American Legion.
James L. Norris was the ma
tional committeeman for the Dis
trict of Columbia and was looked
on as one of the most influential
politicians ever to hold that Of
flee.
rev LEU NO"
There are few Washingtonians
today who knew or worked with
Grover Cleveland. One of the few
is Charlie" Hamilton, treasurer
of the National Press Club, who
was a newSboy in Buffalo in 1870
when Cleveland was elected Sher-
if in Buffalo, N. Y.
Charlie" recalls seeing the
newly elected sheriff in the tap
room of a Buffalo Hotel with a
trio Of cronies just after the elec-
tion.
Urey WoodSon, probably the
most consistent Democratic poll,
tician with an unbroken record
since boyhood, now director OF the
Alien Property Bureau in the De
partment of Justice, had an inter
esting and well recalled contact
with President Cleveland shortly
after the first inauguration.
Woodson, afterward secretary OF
the Democratic national commit
tee, who had much to do with VII
liam Jennings Bryan's first nomi
nation in 1896, was a youngSter IN
1885 when he was taken to the
White House to see the first Demo.
crat placed there since the admin
istration of James Buchanan. He
said:
"They hadn't taught him to
dress right and 1 thought to my
self he didn't look much differ
ent from the butcher in Owens
bOrO.
NO CLOTHES HORSE
"Seems to me his hair was
sIicked down and his clothes
didn't fit. He was in great
contrast sartOrially to the elite
Secretary of State-the great
Bayard-whOm we went over to
see right after that. Mr.. Bayard
was tall and well grOOmed; he
reminded me of the way COrdell
Hull looks and acts now. n
great gentleman.
But Cleveland progressed;
sartOrially he became first class.
BY the time he was President
the second time, after the Har-
riSOn interlude, / think the lady
he married took him in hand
and made beau ideal of him."
1t was in that era that President
Cleveland went out into what was
then the WildS and acquired the
house known for years as Rec
Top"-in the middle of the section
now known as Cleveland Park. Il
was a half days buggy ride to gel
there from the White House, anc
Cabin John Bridge was as fal
away in time from downtown
Washington as New York is
almost-today.
Remote Man
In contrast to the blaze of pub
licity in which a President lives
and moves today, President Cleve
land was most remote from thu
public. Old-time newspaper mer
still comment on the fact tina
President Cleveland could go dowr
the river on his celebrated fishing
trips and be gone for several day.
before it was known to the press
Grover Cleveland was possibly
the most unknown candidate fol
President. When his predecessor
Garfield took office he had never
heard of Cleveland, who stepped
from mayor of Buffalo to governor
of New York and was picked by
Democrats as likely presidential
timber for his heavy New Yorl
vote. He had been sheriff-but
never liked the job. He had tc
hang two men =.
Close Victory
He beat the brilliant Blaine
plumed knight OF the G.. o. P.
but it was an extremely close race
the State of New York going fol
Cleveland by a few hundred votes
Historians rarely admit the fact
but there was considerable in tht
papers at the time that the pro
hibition party which staged