ity imperative for prompt,
decisive action. If the Monroe Doctrine was to be maintained,
Great Britain could not be permitted arbitrarily to divest Venezuela
of any portion of her territory. The arbitration proposed by
President Cleveland, resulting in peaceable adjustment, established
what we may well believe will prove an enduring precedent. One
sentence of the memorable message is worthy of remembrance by
the oncoming generations: "The Monroe Doctrine was intended to
apply to every stage of our national life, and cannot become obsolete
while our Republic endures."

I had excellent opportunities to know Mr. Cleveland. I was a member
of the first and third conventions which named him for the Presidency,
and actively engaged in both the contests that resulted in his
election. As assistant Postmaster-General during his first term, and
Vice-President during the second, I was often "the neighbor to his
counsels." I am confident that a more conscientious, painstaking official
never filled public station. In his appointments to office his
chief aim was to subserve the public interests by judicious
selections. The question of rewarding party service, while by no
means ignored, was immeasurably subordinate to that of the integrity
and efficiency of the applicant. He was patriotic to the core,
and it was his earnest desire that the last vestige of legislation
inimical to the Southern States should pass from the statute books.
He did much toward the restoration of complete concord between all
sections of the country.

Mr. Cleveland possessed a kind heart, and was ever just and generous
in his dealings. Wholly unostentatious himself, the humblest felt
at ease in his presence. Possibly no incumbent of the great office
was more easily accessible to all classes and conditions. Courteous
at all times, no guards were necessary to the preservation of
his dignity. No one would have thought of an undue familiarity.

He was a profound student of all that pertained to human affairs.
He had given deep thought to the science of government, and was
familiar with the best that had been written on the subject. Caring
little for the light literature of the day, his concern was with
the practical knowledge bearing upon existing conditions and
that might aid in the solution of the ever-recurring problems
confronting men in responsible positions. He loved to talk of the
founders of the Government, and of the matchless instrument