Meanwhile, he went on imperturbably doing his duty as he saw it.
Like many of his predecessors, he would rise early to get some
time to attend to public business before the rush of office
seekers began, but the bulk of his day's work lay in the
discharge of his compulsory duties as an employment agent. Many
difficult situations were created by contentions among
Congressmen over appointments. It was Cleveland's habit to deal
with these cases by homely expostulation and by pleas for mutual
concessions. Such incidents do not of course go upon record, and
it is only as memoirs and reminiscences of public men are
published that this personal side of history becomes known.
Senator Cullom of Illinois in his "Fifty Years of Public Service"
gives an account that doubtless fairly displays Cleveland's way
of handling his vexatious problems. "I happened to be at the
White House one day, and Mr. Cleveland said to me, 'I wish you
would take up Lamar's nomination and dispose of it. I am between
hay and grass with reference to the Interior Department. Nothing
is being done there; I ought to have some one on duty, and I
cannot do anything until you dispose of Lamar.'" Mr. Lamar, who
had entered the Cabinet as Secretary of the Interior, was
nominated for associate justice of the Supreme Court on December
6, 1887. He had been an eminent member of the Senate, with
previous distinguished service in the House, so that the Senate
must have had abundant knowledge of his character and
attainments.
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