Sun, November 23, 1892
TOPICS IN NEW YORK.
Tourists and sportsmen -- Field sports - Lodges
Mr. Cleveland Leaves for a Needed Rest in Virginia.
THE LETTERS OF CONGRATULATION.
Seekers for Office Prejudice Their Cause by Applying Before March 4 -- Mrs. Cleveland at Lakewood.
NEW YORK, Nov. 22 -- President-elect Cleveland has wisely concluded to take a two weeks' fishing and hunting trip at Exmore, Northampton County, Virginia, to rest from the exhausting labors of the last few months. Since election he has been fairly overrun with callers and the volume of his correspondence has been something enormous. He left this city very quietly at 8 o'clock this evening. He was driven in a closed carriage from his residence, on West Fifty-first street, to the Desbrosses-street ferry and crossed to Jersey City. He was met by one of the Pennsylvania Railroad officials, who escorted him to special car No. 21, of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore line, which had been attached to the regular 8.15 P. M. train from Jersey City south. Mr. Cleveland's departure was unobserved. All information as to the hour of departure, the direction to be taken and the destination of the President elect was kept secret during the day, and when Mr. Cleveland, muffled in a big overcoat, walked through the railway station he was not recognized by the few people who were present. The train, which is the Old Point Comfort and Norfolk express, goes down the Delaware Railroad after leaving Wilmington, Del., which place it reached at midnight. Mr. Cleveland was accompanied by Charles Jefferson, son of Joseph Jefferson, the comedian, and L. Clark Davis, editor of the Philadelphia Ledger.
In speaking of the absolute necessity of relief from the annoyances and exactions which are his daily lot at home, Mr. Cleveland said to a reporter before leaving today:
"I have been amazed and exceedingly gratified by the thousands of letters of congratulation which I have received since election from the American people of every station in life and from every quarter of the land. It has been, however, utterly impossible for me to read even the letters of that description which I have received, with the other interruptions, which have thus far seemed unavoidable. I fully appreciate, however, the good-will and friendliness which these letters indicate, and shall not omit, as time allows, to read every one of them. These good friends, of course, will not expect any replies to their communications, for that would be utterly out of the question, and the most that I can do is to say through the press that I am not unmindful of their kindness.
"Many of the callers whom I have been obliged to receive would not, I think, have encroached upon my time if they had given the matter a moment's reflection. Those who have called upon me to talk about offices, it seems to me, have been a little inconsiderate, and certainly unnecessarily premature. I desire to give as much publicity as possible to the statement that I do not propose to consider applications for office prior to my inauguration, and I shall avoid all interviews on that subject. Those who under any pretense gain an opportunity to present their applications orally, and those who burden me at this time with written applications, cannot possibly do anything which would so interfere with their chances of success. Written applications will be so little regarded that I doubt if they ever see the files in Washington, for there is no reason or decency in my being overwhelmed with such matters at this time."
Upon being asked how long he expected to be away on his vacation, Mr. Cleveland replied: "As to that I am not certain. It will depend upon various conditions. I expect, however, to be absent about two weeks, and when I return, unless I am somewhat relieved from the unnecessary demands upon my time to which I have been subjected here thus far, I shall shut up my house in the city and find some more quiet place to spend the winter. Certainly between now and the 4th of March I ought to have some time to devote to other matters than receiving callers and considering subjects which should be postponed."
Mrs. Cleveland and baby Ruth arrived at Lakewood, N. J., Monday afternoon and went direct to the cottage of F. P. Freeman.