he 8th of May President Cleveland issued an executive order setting
forth that "a due regard for public duty, which must be neglected if
present conditions continue, and an observance of the limitations placed
upon human endurance, oblige me to decline, from and after this date,
all personal interviews with those seeking office."

According to the Washington papers, this sensible decision was received
with a tremendous outburst of indignation. The President was denounced
for shutting his doors upon the people who had elected him, and he was
especially severely criticized for the closing sentence of his order
stating that "applicants for office will only prejudice their prospects
by repeated importunity and by remaining at Washington to await
results." This order was branded as an arbitrary exercise of power
compelling free American citizens to choose exile or punishment, and
was featured in the newspapers all over the country. The hubbub became
sufficient to extract from Cleveland's private secretary an explanatory
statement pointing out that in the President's day a regular allotment
of time was made for congressional and business callers other than the
office seekers, for whom a personal interview was of no value since the
details of their cases could not be remembered. "What was said in behalf
of one man was driven out of mind by the remarks of the next man in
line," whereas testimonials sent through the mails went on file and
received due consideration. "So many hours a day having been given up
to the reception of visitors, it has been necessary, in order to keep up
with the current work, for the President to keep at his desk from early
in the morning into the small hours of the next morning. Now that may
do for a week or for a month, but there is a limit to human physical
endurance, and it has about been reached."

Such were the distracting conditions under which President Cleveland had
to deal with the tremendous difficulties of national import which beset
him. There were allusions in his inaugural address which showed how
keenly he felt the weight of his many responsibilities, and there is a
touch of pathos in his remark that he took "much comfort in remembering
that my countrymen are just and generous, and in the assurance that they
will not condemn those who by sincere devotion to their service deserve
their forbearance and approval." This hope of Cleveland's was eventually
justified, but not until after his pu