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A V I A T I O NT H E O R Y

Fligh t Radi o
f o rP i l o t s
VFR O pe ra tio ns

Av i a t i o n
Theory
Centre

D a v i dR o b s o n
Flight Radio for Pilots - V R Operations
Twelfth Edition
© 2023 Aviation Theory Centre Pty Ltd
I S B N (Printed) 978-0-949499-54-7
ISBN (Digital) 978-0-949499-55-4

The contents of this manual are protected by copyright throughout the world
under the Berne Union and the Universal Copyright convention.
All rights reserved. N opart of this publication may be reproduced in any manner
whatsoever - electronic, photographic, photocopying, facsimile, or stored in a
retrieval system - without the prior written permission of the author.
Nothing in this text supersedes any regulatory material or operational documents
issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and Airservices Australia, or the
aircraft operators.

NOTACS & ADDENDA

The aviation industry si very volatile with respect to regulations and procedures.
We have had major, ongoing re-structuring of pilot licensing with the
introduction of CASR 1998 Part 61, amendments to the AIP and the
introduction of Graphical Area Forecasts by the Bureau of Meteorology. W
e try
to keep up with these changes by issuing new editions of our books but inevitably,
some changes occur at a time when ti si impossible or uneconomical to reprint
the books. We have therefore developed two techniques for informing our
customers about operational and administrative changes in between reprints.
These are by means of Notices to ATC Customers (NOTACS) and free
downloadable PDFs (ADDENDA) - both from our website.

Seventh Edition: May 2003

Eighth Edition O c t o b e r 2010
Ninth Edition November 2013
Tenth Edition March 2019
Eleventh Edition March 2020
Twelfth Edition February 2023

Published by:
Aviation Theory Centre Pty Ltd
ABN 24 088 462 873
aviationtheory.net.au

Graphic Design: Isaac Medina

Typesetting: Aviation Theory Centre

Printed by:
Print Approach, Narangba, QLD
 Editorial T e a m

David R o b s o n

David Robson is a career pilot with over fifty years experience in military and civil avi-
ation. He holds an ATPL, grade-one instructor's rating and command instrument rating.
He served in the RAAF for over twenty years - as a fighter pilot, test pilot and project
manager. He is a graduate of the Empire Test Pilots School (UK). For three years he was
editor of the Aviation Safety Digest, then for ten years, the manager, business develop-
ment, for the Australian Aviation College.

M e l a n i e Wa d d e l l
Melanie began flying in 1994 and was awarded a Bachelor of Technology in aviation
studies from Swinburne University in 1997. She held an Australian ATPL, with multi-
engine and command instrument ratings, and was a grade-one flight instructor. She
instructed cadets in the Air Training Corps and was appointed acting flight commander
of 5 Flight in the Victorian Squadron. She has also worked for Airshows Downunder.
She continues to pursue a challenging career in aviation. Melanie is now a flight e x a m -
iner within the European Union.

Andrew Learmonth

Andrew has been flying since 1999 and holds an ATPL and postgraduate aviation man-
agement qualifications. He is a former grade-one flying instructor, having taught multi-
engine I F flying through to tailwheel endorsements and aerobatics. Andrew was pre-
viously a turbo-prop, check & training captain and simulator instructor. He currently
flies ATR72s for Virgin Australia.

Jonty Moss
Jonty is a qualified commercial pilot with a multi-engine endorsement and instru-
ment rating. He is a graduate of the University of Tasmania with a Graduate Diploma
of Aviation and Business and a Bachelor's Degree in Business and Science, with a
major in finance.
Jonty served as an army cadet, reaching the rank of sergeant in charge of four squad-
rons of cadets, for a period of three years.
He has work experience at Launceston Airport with the Royal Flying Doctor Service
where he gained an insight into all aspects of their operations. He maintains an active
interest in all aviation matters, particularly with respect to the vitally important theory
base for pilot training and personal development.
 Contents

Editorial Te a m

Abbreviations

Introduction

P a r t O n e - P r i n c i p l e s of R a d i o

Chapter 1 - Radio: What It Is & How To Use It

Introduction

Radio Theory.
C o m m u n i c a t i o n by Air W a v e s . .
Using Radio Waves to Carry Voice Messages .6
Fundamental Radio Terminology 7

Radio Equipment.
Commonly Used Aircraft Radio. .8

Radio Set-Up in the Cockpit 9.

The Microphone 10
Using the Headset 1.0
Using the VHF-COM 11.
Types of Radio Call 1.2
What fI the Radio Doesn't Work? .13
Transmittina. ..13
P r o n u n ciatio n & Voice Control.. . . 13
Radio Navigation Aids 1 4

The VHF-NAV Can Select VORs. 14

The ADF S e l e c t s NDBs. 14

The Transponder 16
M o d e Selection. 16

Use of the Transponder. 16

Other Radios .. 17

Long-Range Communications. 17

Ultra High Frequency (UHF) 1 8

Antennas. .18

Part Tw o - R a d i o Procedures. .19

C h a p t e r 2 - S t a n d a r d Wo r d s .21
Introduction .23
P r o n u n c i a t i o n of Letters 2 3

Callsigns of Aircraft . 2 4
Pronunciation of N u m b e r s . 2 4
Transmission of Numbers. 2 5
Transmission of Time - GMT, UTC, Zulu 25
 Relationship of Standard Times to UTC ..26
S t a n d a r d P r o c e d u r a l Wo r d s & P h r a s e s 26

S t a n d a r d Wo r d s & P h r a s e s 26
Air Traffic Services Callsigns. .28

Chapter 3 - Basic Procedures 29

Establishing &Maintaining Communications 31

Initial Call 31

Reply to an Initial Call. 31

Subsequent Communications 32
Acknowledgement of Receipt of a Message 32
Clearances and Readbacks .32
Corrections. .33
Failure to Establish or Maintain C o m m u n i c a t i o n .33
Radio Calls Involving Transponders... .34
Use of the Transponder in Emergencies ..34
R a d i oTest P r o c e d u r e s ...35
Listening on the Radio 36

Chapter 4 - How Airspace is Organised 37

Introduction. 39
Controlled A i r s p a c e 39
S t r u c t u r e of Controlled A i r s p a c e 39

Operations & Services Provided within Controlled Airspace 40

Control A r e a s 42
Control Zones. 42
Air Traffic S e r v i c e s 43

Pilot's Responsibilities in Controlled Airspace .43

Obiectives of Air Traffic Services . . 43
Air Traffic Services Operate on a Number of Frequencies 44
Non-Controlled Airspace. 44
Flight Information Areas. 44

O p e r a t i o n s at N o n - To w e r e d Aerodromes. .45
B r o a d c a s t Areas. 47
Radio B r o a d c a s t s 47

Frequencies. 48

The Pilot initiates m o v e m e n t s at N o n - To w e r e d A e r o d r o m e s 49

Surveillance Information Service . . .50

Chapter 5 - Information Services 51

A e r o d r o m e Information 53

Prior to Landin g 5 3
Automatic Terminal Information Service. 53
ATIS May Be Transmitted on a Discrete (Separate) VHF Frequency .54
ATIS Is Often Transmitted on a Radio Navaid Frequency .54
ATIS at Controlled A e r o d r o m e s . . 56
We a t h e r Details in an ATIS. .57
 Listen to the ATIS Prior to Taxing . . ...58
Listen to the ATIS Prior to Making Your Inbound Call ..58
W h a t if You Do Not R e c e i v e t h e ATIS? ..58
ATIS at Deactivated Control Zones. .58
A e r o d r o m eWe a t h e r Information B r o a d c a s t s (AWIB) .59
Information En R o u t e .59
A u t o m a t i c E n - R o u t e Information S e r v i c e (AESIS) .59
On Request Flight Information Service .60
S u m m a r y. .60

Part Three - Typical Calls ...61

Chapter 6 - Typical Radio Calls 63

Typical Radio Calls - VFR. 64

Local Area Procedures in Controlled Airspace ...64

Instructions for Traffic Sequencing 6 6

Go-Arounds. 67
Class G Airspace - Carriage & U s e of Radio .67
CERT & MIL ...67
CTAF. .68
Pilot-to-Pilot Communications. ..68
MULTICOM. ..68
UNICOM. ...68
A e r o d r o m e F r e q u e n c y R e s p o n s e Unit ..68
Class G A i r s p a c e - E n - R o u t e Radio P r o c e d u r e s ...68
U s e of ATS F r e q u e n c i e s ...68
In t h e Cruise .69
E n - R o u t e Information ..69
Approaching Destination. ..69
VER Rou tes. . .69
Cancelling SARTIME. ..69
VFR Flights in Class C or D Airspace 70

Airways Clearance. 70
Typical Flight in Class C & D Airspace .73
V R Operations in Class E Airspace .76
VFR Transit Operations. .77
Minimising Collision Risk. .78
Lights. .78
Transponder. .78
I l l u s t r a t i o n s of R a d i o C a l l s .79

Chapter 7 - Emergency Radio Procedures 95

Introduction . . .. 9 7
Declaring an Emergency .97
What is Considered to be an Emergency? 97

To Declare an Emergency. 97
 Distress Message (or Mayday Call) ...98
Urgency Message (or Pan-Pan Call) .99
Reporting an Emergency .100
Priority of Calls . . .100
I m p o s i t i o n of Radio S i l e n c e . 100
Loss of Radio C o m m u n i c a t i o n 101

Failure t o Establish or Maintain C o m m u n i c a t i o n .101

Following Loss of Communications, Should You Land As Soon As Possible?. ,102
Light Signals used at Controlled Aerodromes 103
ELT & 406 MHz Emergen cy Beacons. 103

C h a p t e r 8 - Your Responsibilities. .107

The Pilot in Command is responsible for Radio Communication 109
Maintain a C o n t i n u o u s Listening Wa t c h .110
U n a u t h o r i s e d Transmissions. ..110
Confidentiality of Communications. .110

Part Four - Wa v e Propagation. .111

Chapter 9 - Radio Wave Propagation. 113

Introduction .115
Radio Frequency Bands ..115
F r e q u e n c y B a n d Allocation. .115
Very High F r e q u e n c y (VHF) ..116
Ultra High Frequency (UHF). .117
High Frequency (HF). 117
Low and Medium Frequency (LF and MF) .117
Very Low F r e q u e n c y (VLF) 117

P r o p e r t i e s of Radio Wa v e s .118
Reflection. .118
Refraction. .118
Attenuation. 119

Phase. 119

How Radio Carries Voice M e s s a g e s . . 1 2 0

The Radio Transmitter, Antenna and Receiver .121
Radio Transmitter 121
Antenna 122
Radio Receiver. . . 122
Propagation Paths of Radio Waves. .123
S p a c e Wa v e s ..123
Sky Waves . ...126
Ground Wa v e s .. 130
Propagation at Very Low Frequencie s 131
Appendix 1 Review Questions ..135
Review :1 Radio: What tI Is and How To Use It . . 137
Review 2: Standard Words ..137
R e v i e w 3: Basic P r o c e d u r e s . . ..138
Review 4: How Airspace Is Organised .138
R e v i e w 5: Information S e r v i c e s . .139
Review 6: Typical Radio Calls & Operational Procedures .139
Review 7: Emergency Radio Procedures .140
Review 8: Your Responsibilities... .141
Review 9: Radio Wave Propagation .141

Appendix 2 Review A n s w e r s ..143

Review 1 •. . 14 5
Review 2 .145
Review 3 .145
Review 4 ..146
Review 5 ..146
Review6 .146
Review 7 .147
Review 8 .147
Review 9 147

Xi
 Abbreviations

AAL: a b o v e a e r o d r o m e level DA: d e n s i t y altitude

ACD: airways clearance delivery DG: directionalg r o
ADF: automatic direction finder DI: direction indicator
AESIS: automatic en route information DME: distance measuring equipment
servIce ELB: emergency locator beacon
AF: audio frequency ELT: emergency locator transmitter
AFRU: a e r o d r o m e f r e q u e n c y r e s p o n s e unit EME RG: e m e r g e n c y
AGL: a b o v e g r o u n d level ENR: en route (e.g AIP ENR)
Al: attitude indicator ERC: En R o u t e Chart
AIC: Aeronautical Information Circular ERSA: En R o u t e S u p p l e m e n t Australia
A I : Aeronautical Information Publication EST: Eastern Standard Time
AIREP: air report E S T : E a s t e r n S u m m e r Time
AIS: aeronautical information service ETA: estimated time of arrival
ALA: aircraft landing area FAC: facility
ALT: altitude FIA: flight information area
AM: amplitude modulation FIR: flight information region
AMSL: a b o v e m e a n s e a level FIS: flight information service
APP: approach control FL: flight level
ARFOR: a r e a f o r e c a s t FM: f r e q u e n c y m o d u l a t i o n
ASI: a i r s p e e d indicator FPM: feet per minute
ATIS: a u t o m a t i c t e r m i n a l information FROL: flight radiotelephone operator
service licence
ATPL: air transport pilot licence FS: flight service
ATS: air traffic s e r v i c e s FT: f e e t
AVGAS: aviation gasoline GA: general aviation
AWIB: aerodrome weather information GAF: graphical area forecast
broadcast GEN: general (e.g. AIP GEN)
AWS: automatic weather station GFPT: General Flying Progress Test
CAO: Civil Aviation Order GNSS: global navigation satellite system
CAR: Civil Aviation Regulation GPS: global positioning system
CASA: Civil Aviation Safety Authority GS: groundspeed
C A R : Civil Aviation Safety Regulation HDG: h e a d i n g
CAVOK: ceiling and visibility OK HF: high frequency
CENSAR: c e n t r a l i s e d SARTIME Hz: hertz
CERT: certified aerodrome IAS: indicated airspeed
CFI: chief flying instructor ICAO: International Civil Aviation
CG: centre of gravity Organization
CLR: clearance o rclear IFF: identification friend/foe
COM: communications IFR: i n s t r u m e n t flight rules
CPL: commercial pilot licence IR: instr ume nt rating
cos: cycles per s e c o n d ILS: instrument landing system
CST: central standard time IMC: i n s t r u m e n t m e t e o r o l o g i c a l c o n d i t i o n s
C u T : central s u m m e r time ISA: International S t a n d a r d A t m o s p h e r e
CTA: control a r e a / c o n t r o l l e d a i r s p a c e kHz: kilohertz
CTAF: c o m m o n traffic a d v i s o r y f r e q u e n c y KIAS: knots, indicated airspeed
CTR: control z o n e km: k i l o m e t r e
CW: carrier w a v e kt: knot

Xi
KTAS: knots, true airspeed RPT: regular public t r a n s p o r t
L/D: ratio of lift to drag ROMNTS: r e q u i r e m e n t s
AME: licensed aircraft m a i n t e n a n c e RTF: radio telephone
engineer W Y: runway
LF: low frequency SAR: s e a r c h a n d r e s c u e
LL: lower limits SARTIME: a n o m i n a t e d t i m e by w h i c h
LMT: local m e a n time s e a r c h action will b e initiated
LSALT: lowest safe altitude SARWATCH: a generic term covering SAR
LST: local s t a n d a r d t i m e alerting, based on position reporting,
MAP: manifold a b s o l u t e p r e s s u r e scheduled reporting times (SKEDS), or a
MET: m e t e o r o l o g y n o m i n a t e d SARTIME
METAR: aviation routine weather report SBY: s t a n d b y
MF: medium frequency SIGMET: significant weather warning
MHz: m e g a h e r t z SIS: s u r v e i l l a n c e information s e r v i c e
MIL: military aerodrome (could be CTAF SMC: s u r f a c e m o v e m e n t control
after h o u r s ) SSR: secondary surveillance radar
MLJ: military low jet (route) SUBJ: subiect to
MP: manifold pressure TAC: terminal area chart
MULTICOM: chatter frequency TAF: terminal area forecast
NAV: navigation TAS: t r u e a i r s p e e d
NAVAID: navigation aid TR: track over the ground
NDB: non directional b e a c o n TST: t e s t
NOTAM: notice to a i r m e n TWR: a e r o d r o m e control t o w e r
PAX: passengers UHF: ultra high frequency
PCA: Planning Chart Australia UNCR: unregistered (uncertified)
PIC: pilot in command aerodrome
POB: persons on board UNICOM: universal communications
POH: pilot's operating handbook (frequency)
PPL: private pilot licence USG: US gallon
PRD: prohibited, restricted and danger UTC: c o o r d i n a t e d universal t i m e
areas UV: ultraviolet
PTT: press to talk (or transmit) VEC: visual en-route chart
PVT: private category flight VFR: visual flight rules
QNH: a l t i m e t e r p r e s s u r e d a t u m to s h o w VHF: very high frequency
vertical d i s t a n c e a b o v e local m e a n s e a VLF: very low frequency
level (AMSL) M C : visual meteorological conditions
R/T: radio telephony VNC: visual navigation chart (1:500,000)
RA: recreational aviation VOR: VHF omni-directional radio range
RBI: relative bearing indicator VS: vertical speed indicator
RCC: rescue coordination centre VTC: Visual Terminal Chart (1:250,000)
REG: registered aerodrome WN: wind velocity
RF: radio f r e q u e n c y WAC: World Aeronautical Chart
RMI: radio m a g n e t i c indicator (1:1,000,000)
ROC: rate of climb WST: Western Standard Time
ROD: r a t e of d e s c e n t WX: w e a t h e r
RPM: revolutions per m i n u t e XW or X-wind: c r o s s w i n d
RPL: recreational pilot l i c e n c e Z: zulu - coordinated universal time (UTC)
 Introduction
You will probably have heard the expression, aviate, navigate, communicate. It is a guide for
the priorities a pilot establishes to ensure that the most important things are taken care
of before those of lesser importance. Under normal circumstances, this guide holds true
in that we must control the aircraft and maintain situational awareness, but having said
that, we should not downgrade the importance of communications.
In most of our operations, we are on a 'see-and-be-seen' basis. Much of what we are
trying to avoid cannot be easily seen early enough to avoid conflict, so we have to fore-
warn our senses. This we do by forming a mental picture of where the traffic is and
where it will be, in relation to ourselves, as we proceed. This image is a significant part
of our ability to detect and avoid other traffic, and it relies totally on our ability to com-
municate. It is called. 'alerted see-and-avoid'. T h e ability to c o m m u n i c a t e is not merely
the ability to transmit and receive but the ability to effectively communicate our posi-
tion, altitude and intentions so that we and the other pilots can build that essential big
picture. With the focus of air traffic services on the fare-paying passenger, much of our
operations are unguarded. We must provide our own separation.
A pilot today has to not only aviate, navigate and communicate but also to operate,
calculate, cogitate, anticipate and not procrastinate. To be able to manage the flight, the
pilot must have information, and that mainly comes from the aircraft's instruments, but
also from the radio - w h e t h e r it be traffic, weather, advice, direction or assistance.
Communication is so important - and I would add not only 'communicate but
'annunciate' and 'articulate. W e must b e clearly u n d e r s t o o d and it must b e c l e a r l
understood that we clearly understand what was said to us. Now we're communicating!
With the introduction of I C A O radio procedures, there has been an increased require-
m e n t for the readback of clearances and instructions. This is sensible as it confirms that
what was instructed was correctly received and understood. However, in congested air-
space, predominately surrounding capital cities and busy regional airports (Class D and
C airspace) the density of ab-initio training aircraft has increased noticeably. Many of
these student pilots are not native English speakers, thus the need for clear, concise and
c o r r e c t r a d i o t r a n s m i s s i o n s has b e c o m e essential.

There is also another significant factor.

A driver of a small car can be as good a driver as the professional driver of a semi-
trailer. It's a matter of how the task is approached. Flying is no different except that most
of the time we are out of sight. So for the most part, our airmanship and professionalism
are measured by the quality of our radio transmissions - both the technical quality of the
radio, and the clarity and content of the message. Whether we are flying a B747 or a
Jabiru, the rest of the world only hears the radio calls. On that we are judged - and on
that alone. A recreational pilot can be just as professional as t h eJumbo captain, and the
radio can be equally well maintained. It is a matter of professional pride - as it should be.
And money is no excuse. We can practise aloud in the shower, at no cost: 'Hot Shower,
this is Mike India Kilo Echo, request a straight-in approach'. 'Mike India Kilo Echo you are
cleared to land. The surface wind is light and variable. The temperature is two three. There is sig-
nificant precipitation over the runway.' This may sound a little childish, but it works. It's the
same as an actor learning lines. It's not only the words but also hearing yourself say them
and how you say them - with what clarity, with what intonation and with what ease of
understanding. We are no different from actors; it'sjust that our role has an immediate
real-world effect, and how we play the role directly affects others in the same 'theatre
of operations. We have a responsibility to play our part well.

XIl
Part O n e - Principles of Radio

Chapter 1- Radio: What It Is & How To Use It

Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
Both she and the President were deeply religious, and the Sabbath
observance was punctiliously followed, even to the point of the
President’s securing additional clerical help for necessary Sunday
correspondence, so that the regular staff might have the day for rest
after the week of work. Morning prayers were continued, regardless
of the change of residence. During Harrison’s senatorship, he and
Mrs. Harrison had established their religious attendance in the
Church of the Covenant, where they continued to worship during
their years at the White House.
President Harrison was possessed of an aristocratic manner and
great natural dignity. To this he added a high regard for his office.
He regulated his daily life and all public appearances while Chief
Executive to command the utmost respect from the public. In this,
he was much like General Grant, who demanded little for himself but
for the President of the United States all possible honour. It is
claimed that he carried this attitude into his churchgoing, making his
arrival just at the opening moment of the service, and entering from
a side door near the pulpit. This stately progress to his pew made
the congregation aware that the President of the United States and
the First Lady were attendants at worship.
With their installation in the Executive Mansion, the Harrisons were
naturally accompanied by their son and daughter and grandchildren.
They made a lively group to brighten up the big house. The son,
Russell Harrison, and his wife, had one little daughter, while the son-
in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. James Robert McKee, brought with
them the already famous youngster “Baby McKee,” two years old,
properly known as Benjamin Harrison McKee, and his infant sister,
Mary Dodge, of less than a year. This little lady was christened in the
Blue Room by her venerable grandfather, the Rev. Dr. Scott, with
water from the River Jordan.
Mrs. Harrison was horrified when she discovered the basement floor
of the White House to be overrun with rats, and when, a few days
later, the President observed a large gray rodent helping himself
from the side table in the family dining room, a campaign of
extermination was arranged. Every kind of trap and poison having
been tried and ignored by the pests, a professional rat catcher, with
his dog and ferrets, was installed. He discovered the grounds about
the house to be honeycombed with rat holes, and after several
hundred had been killed by the ferrets, Mrs. Harrison decided to
improve the conditions of the entire basement. She had the floors
taken up and was amazed to find that the kitchen floor contained a
number of layers, new boards having been laid upon the old
whenever repairs had been made in the past. In accordance with her
wish, these were all torn out and the entire basement covered with
concrete, this being covered, in the kitchen, with tiling. All of the
walls of these lower rooms were tiled shoulder high. The repairs
changed the dark, unattractive, and unsanitary rooms into
wholesome, cheery places, easy to keep clean.
The condition of the kitchen and the vast improvement brought
about by the repairs there furnished Mrs. Harrison with further
incentive to put the entire mansion through an overhauling. With her
daughter and daughter-in-law to aid her, this trio of accomplished
housekeepers proceeded to supervise the renovation and
refurnishing from the attic to the cellar, and as this work progressed,
Mrs. Harrison began to have visions of what the President’s house
should be and how it might be vastly improved by remodelling. The
more she studied the possibilities of rearrangement of the offices,
the more convinced she became that a practical solution was
feasible. To enlarge the living quarters, to give the family more
privacy and the Executive more space for the daily work of his staff
was her dream. The repairs she had made had cost $50,000 and
there was no possibility of extensive remodelling, much as she would
have liked it done. But she consulted the Commissioner of Public
Buildings and Grounds, various architects, discussed the advantages
of her proposed changes with many of the members of Congress,
and planted the seeds of her very fine and thoroughly practical plan,
which was carried out later but not until ten years after her death.
Soon after Mrs. Harrison’s arrival she engaged for the culinary
department of the White House at a wage of fifty dollars per month
a Frenchwoman formerly in the service of Lord Sackville West of the
British Embassy. This plan was for the summer months.
The climate of the Capital City or the atmosphere of the then
draughty mansion failed to agree with the Harrison grandchildren, as
they all became ill, to the great distress of the President and his
wife. Early in the summer, the physician ordered them to be taken to
the seashore. Owing to this sudden change in the family living
arrangements, Mrs. Harrison, to economize, thought she would
dispense with her French cook of vast experience and high wage,
and, during the absence of the bulk of the family, avail herself of the
service of a coloured woman at fifteen dollars monthly. She forthwith
discharged her cook, only to discover that, although First Lady of the
Land, mistress of the White House, and leader of millions of women,
there were limitations to her authority when she tried to dismiss her
cook. The cook refused to be discharged, preferring to remain the
genius of the White House kitchen; she most emphatically refused to
leave unless paid for the entire season. She considered her dismissal
cause for a suit for damages, and before the matter was adjusted
satisfactorily to both sides, a lawyer had been engaged, the matter
put before Marquis de Chambrun, law representative of the French
Government in the city, and the usual attorney’s letter for settlement
sent to the President.
In planning her social programme, the First Lady had the efficient
aid of both Mrs. McKee and Mrs. Russell Harrison. Each made
frequent and lengthy visits to the White House, and each assumed
the rôle of hostess occasionally to her own large circle of friends in
and near Washington. The state dinners, receptions, luncheons,
balls, and parties were charming and delighted the society that so
loved the gaiety of Mrs. Cleveland’s youthful régime.
The Harrison family were highly complimented upon their handsome
horses and carriages. For his use on March 4th, General Harrison
purchased an elegant landau for which he paid $2,000. This the
family called the “state coach.” For Mrs. Harrison’s use he selected a
family carriage at $1,000. Six spirited horses, cherry bay in colour, all
sixteen hands and a half, took possession of the stables. While
President Harrison was the most consistent pedestrian in White
House history, he also loved to handle the reins and took the
greatest pride in his equipages.
Among the many budding projects to which Mrs. Harrison gave the
support and encouragement of her active interest and the prestige
of her name was that of the newly formed national society of the
Daughters of the American Revolution, which now numbers more
than a quarter of a million women, and which is the most potent
factor in the preservation of American patriotic traditions and the
greatest existing force in directing the education of the children of
the country toward an understanding and an appreciation of the
principles and standards formulated by their forefathers.
Mrs. Harrison accepted the leadership of this patriotic society,
serving as its first National President General. Her influence went far
toward giving its growth the needed impetus. Patriotic societies were
not plentiful, and in the East, no organization of descendants of the
Revolution save that of the Sons of the Revolution existed. This
association, meeting in Louisville, Ky., in April of 1890, cast a vote
excluding women from membership, although the original
organization formed in California in 1875 had both men and women
on its roster.
When the news of this action was broadcast through the press, Miss
Eugenia Washington, great-grandniece of General George
Washington, decided that it was time for women to form a society of
Daughters. With the aid of Mrs. Ellen Hardin Walworth and Miss
Mary Desha, of Washington, D. C., the Daughters of the American
Revolution was founded in August of 1890. Meanwhile, Mrs. Mary
Lockwood, member of the National Press Association, aroused to
protest against the action of the “Sons” in Louisville, published in the
Washington Post the story of a Revolutionary War heroine, Hannah
Arnett, as an illustration of the fact that women were worthy of
honour for their service in that conflict as well as men. Mrs.
Lockwood, not being in the city at the time of the meeting, could not
be a founder but was given an especial honour for her service
through the press.
After a time, when Mrs. Harrison’s health began to decline, Mrs.
McKee made the White House her home and relieved her mother of
the greater part of the routine, particularly that of correspondence.
But it is not so much for the pleasant and important official functions
that the twenty-sixth administration is remembered as for the picture
of delightful home life presented by these doting grandparents and
their little folks.
Their first grandson, Benjamin Harrison McKee, was the autocrat of
the White House, around whose daily performances and schedule of
living volumes were written, and this publicity was shared by his
baby sister and his little cousin Marthena Harrison. From the time
young Benjamin smiled and cooed at the crowds at the Harrison
home in Indianapolis, where he got the name of “Baby McKee,” until
the little Cleveland lassie usurped his Washington residence, he held
the centre of the stage. Idolized by his grandparents, the chum and
special playfellow of the dignified President, he became a national
figure as much discussed as his elders.
With all of the President’s dignity and conventionality, he did not
hesitate an instant in giving chase in all of the inappropriateness of
frock coat and silk hat when, one day, the goat team elected to run
away with Baby McKee, dashing directly out of the grounds and into
the street. However, young Benjamin sat tight, and the anxious
grandfather reached him in time to prevent a real catastrophe.
The critics who accused Benjamin Harrison of being “an iceberg”
should have seen him romping with the children of the family.
The presence of these little folk was the incentive for many delightful
children’s parties, particularly during the holidays, and Colonel W. H.
Crook, so long attached to the White House, has claimed that the
first White House Christmas tree in his memory was the very large,
gorgeous one put up in the library the first Christmas of the Harrison
administration, in the trimming of which the President, all of the
family, and the staff assisted. It carried toys not only for the children
of the family but for everyone attached to the White House and their
families. Around it, too, were piled the hundreds of gifts and
remembrances sent by friends and presidential admirers.
Mrs. Harrison’s social plans had many unhappy interruptions through
the unusual number of deaths in their immediate and official family.
The first of these, about at the beginning of their administration,
was that of Mrs. Lord, Mrs. Harrison’s sister, a resident of
Washington and an employee of one of the government
departments, who had also kept house for their aged father, Dr. John
Scott. Mrs. Harrison was untiring in her devotion to her sister, and
after Mrs. Lord’s death, took her father and Mrs. Mary Lord Dimmick,
Mrs. Lord’s widowed daughter, to the White House to live.
Early in 1890, on February 2d, society was grieved over the death of
Secretary Blaine’s daughter, Mrs. Coppinger, and on the following
day the city was inexpressibly shocked by the terrible bereavement
and tragedy that came to Secretary Tracy in the fire that destroyed
his home on Farragut Square, causing the deaths of Mrs. Tracy, a
daughter, and a maid. Mrs. Tracy, in her terror of suffering, had
jumped from the window. The President was among the first to
arrive on the scene and at once took the Secretary and the other
daughter, Mrs. Wilmerding, to the White House, where Mrs. Harrison
did her utmost to comfort them. Later in the day, the bodies of the
Secretary’s wife and daughter were brought to the White House and
the coffins placed side by side in the East Room. The tragedy to this
gracious matron and charming girl affected his Cabinet group as an
individual and personal affliction.
Those who attended the funeral in the East Room will never forget
the pathos of that service, so poignant in its atmosphere of sorrow
that even one of the little boy choristers was overcome and carried
fainting from the room.
“Baby McKee’s” fourth birthday was an occasion for a great family
celebration. The President and little Benjamin led the way to the
small dining room, where the round table was surrounded by fifteen
high chairs. The table was gaily decked with flags and flowers to
please childish eyes, and a luncheon was served consisting of
bouillon, beaten biscuits cut in the form of chickens with their wings
outstretched, ice cream, and cakes. Mothers and nurses attended
and enjoyed the Virginia reel which concluded the affair.
President Harrison had long been of the opinion that he himself
would gain much in the way of understanding his manifold problems
and that the people of the land would get a clearer grasp of his
efforts in administering his high office if he were to make a tour of
the country. Accordingly, he made his arrangements for a swing
around a circle that embraced practically one half of the United
States. About twenty persons outside of his immediate family
accompanied him. Those most important in the group were Mrs.
Harrison, Mrs. McKee, Mr. and Mrs. Russell Harrison, and Mrs.
Dimmick of the family, and Secretary Rusk and Postmaster General
Wanamaker of the Cabinet.
They left on the night of April 14th and stopped at Roanoke, where
the President made his first speech. From there the itinerary took
them through Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, New Mexico,
Arizona, and California. In California, Harrison delivered more than
forty speeches. He then proceeded to Oregon, Washington, Idaho,
Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio,
Indiana, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Everywhere, at his arrival,
there was an enthusiastic ovation. In New Mexico, at one stop he
was presented with a beautiful case of silver made from ore mined
in the vicinity.
On this trip, the President made one hundred and forty-two
speeches, most of them extemporaneous, built upon the issues of
the hour and around the problems of particular interest to the
various sections of the country through which he was travelling.
One of the prettiest Christmas incidents in which a President ever
figured occurred during this trip and shows that Harrison’s love of
children was not reserved entirely for his own grandchildren. While
passing through Richmond, Ind., the President was surprised in his
car by the visit of a tiny girl of four who, when he took her upon his
knee, threw her arms about his neck, kissed him impulsively, and
thrust a new penknife into his hand.
When the next holiday time came near, the President sent a letter
and a beautiful doll, both to be delivered to that same little girl on
Christmas Eve. And here is a copy of that letter:
My dear little Friend:
When you came into my car at Richmond I did not see
you until you stood at my feet looking up to me so sweetly
that I did not know but a little fairy had come in through
the window. But when I picked you up and you gave me a
kiss, then I knew it was a real little girl. The pretty knife
you handed me I will keep till you are a big girl, and when
I go back to Indiana to live you must come to see me and
I will show you that I have not forgotten you. The little
doll which you will find in the box with this letter is for
you, and I hope you will think it is pretty. If the doll could
talk she would tell you how much I love to be loved by the
little children.
Affectionately yours,
Benjamin Harrison.
The Tracy tragedies, coming so close upon the other griefs, had
given Mrs. Harrison’s already depleted strength a severe shock, from
which she really never entirely rallied. This exhaustion, or fatigue,
increased, but Mrs. Harrison would not admit being ill—“only tired.”
She loved the conservatory. She had always been interested in china
painting and had taken lessons in art. She spent much time there,
after she began to fail, in painting orchids, the odd blossoms that
appeared for the first time during her régime, and for the first time
on a White House table at a diplomatic dinner. She had also started
collecting relics of her predecessors. In her plans for enlarging and
improving the White House, she had arranged for their display.
In the spring of 1892, every member of the family save the
President contracted grippe. Mrs. Harrison supervised the nursing of
all, even doing a great deal of the actual work herself. Finally, she
also succumbed to the malady, which left her with a serious lung
trouble, and while she was pleased and proud of her husband’s
renomination, she could not participate personally in the rejoicings
and celebrations. She continued to fail, and early in the summer her
family took her to Loon Lake, in the Adirondacks, in the hope that
the change of air would create an improvement. This was a vain
hope, and in October she was brought back to the White House in
the last stages of the disease. Too worn and exhausted to rally, she
never left her room after her return. She passed her thirty-ninth
marriage anniversary with her husband at the White House five days
before she died, on October 24, 1892, after eight months of
suffering. She did not live to know that he was defeated by
Cleveland, whom he had succeeded. Her death occurred in the same
room that had been occupied by President Garfield after he had
been wounded by Guiteau.
The funeral was exceedingly simple and was attended only by the
family, the Cabinet, the Supreme Court, and a little group of
personal friends. Orchids, her favourite flower, and roses completely
covered the casket. After the services, her body was taken to
Indianapolis for interment.
About a month later, Dr. John W. H. Scott, Mrs. Harrison’s father,
died at the age of ninety-three. His funeral service was held in the
East Room. Although of such advanced years, he had discharged the
duties of his calling efficiently until President Harrison’s inauguration.
The closing days of President Harrison’s régime were dreary. In the
death of his wife, he had lost his lifetime companion, whose sweet
graciousness and womanly sympathy did so much to offset his own
seeming coldness and austerity. Many of Mrs. Harrison’s admirers
believed that, had she lived and kept her health, he would not have
failed of a second term.
The illness and death of their beloved President General who had
won the love of the membership was a personal sorrow to her
associates in the Daughters of the Revolution. At the Congress of
1894, two years after her death, the beautiful portrait of her by
Daniel Huntington was unveiled and then presented to the White
House as the gift of the society to the nation.
In President Harrison’s administration there was a complete reversal
of policy on the tariff and pensions. A liberal pension policy was
adopted—so liberal that it was charged that the Commissioner of
Pensions hunted up groups to whom pensions might be extended.
Finally, an act was passed giving a pension to every soldier who had
served ninety days and was not able to be self-supporting,
regardless of whether or not the disability was due to his war
service. Thus, many thousands of pensioners were added to the
roster in Harrison’s four years, with the enormous increase of annual
expenditure from $89,000,000 to $159,000,000.
Much important legislation was enacted. Great was the satisfaction
over the admission of six new states, two of which, by the way,
extended the ballot to women and equal business rights. The states
were Montana, North Dakota, Idaho, South Dakota, Washington, and
Wyoming.
The opening of Oklahoma marked another epoch in national
progress. The tract which had formed part of the Indian Territory
was purchased from the Indians in 1889. In the spring of that year,
fully fifty thousand people were eagerly waiting the word to enter
and take up lands in that region. President Harrison’s proclamation
declared that no one who entered and occupied lands in Oklahoma
before twelve noon of April 22, 1889, should be permitted to acquire
rights to lands there by such entrance and occupation. Hence, on
the stroke of twelve, the bugle announced that Oklahoma was open,
and a vast multitude rushed across the line, each endeavouring to
get in ahead of the rest. Almost overnight, towns of rough board
shanties and tents sprang up like mushrooms. Oklahoma City and
Guthrie started thus; but five months later, Guthrie was a real town,
with several newspapers, banks, and a street railway under
construction. Such was the spirit of progress!
To the delight of the navy enthusiasts, the ninety old wooden ships
were being steadily replaced by battleships and steamers of steel
construction.
Most important to the business interests of the country were the
three acts passed by Congress in 1890: the new Pension Act, that
added 400,000 names to the pension roster, the expense of which
has already been given; the McKinley Tariff, the principal object of
which was the protection of American products and American
industries against foreign competition; and the Sherman Silver
Purchase and Coinage Act, which provided that each month the
treasurer should buy, if it were offered, 4,500,000 ounces, or more
than 140 tons, of silver and coin it into dollars.
The centennial census showed the population of the United States to
be more than 62,000,000, a gain over the first census of 1790 of
50,000,000 people. A centennial celebration was held by the
Supreme Court, and another by the Patent Office. This latter was
especially interesting because of the history it disclosed. The first
patents issued were for potash and soap in 1790. During the
hundred years that followed, 450,000 patents had been applied for
and secured. Inventors had endeavoured to enter every field of
human skill, with the result that America’s labour-saving machines
led the world. A notable and everyday utilitarian invention that has
given satisfaction in transportation to countless hundreds is the
safety bicycle, which “Baby McKee” learned to ride with his mother.
It was during this administration that national politics was invaded
by the Farmers’ Alliance. The immigration laws also came in for
amendment. An incident worthy of note was the great Carnegie
Steel Strike at Homestead, Pa., to which the governor finally had to
send troops.
President Harrison could not fail to feel a satisfaction in the record of
accomplishment of his four years, and when he prepared to turn the
White House over to his successor, he resolved to go back to his law
practice, knowing that his future was established. He need accept
only such clients as appealed to him and would be able to meet his
fees.
He went back to the lawyer’s office in Indianapolis where he had
first practised his profession. He accepted his defeat for reëlection in
1892 as final, and thereupon retired permanently from party politics.
His only reëntrance into national affairs was when he became a
member of the board of arbitration for Venezuela, which settled the
historic boundary dispute between Great Britain and the South
American Republic.
After his presidential term General Harrison became less reserved.
He used to spend his vacations out of doors, and was most devoted
to his grandchildren, the McKees. He became a familiar figure at
Cape May, where the beach crowds often saw him romping in the
surf with them.
On April 6, 1896, he married Mrs. Mary Scott Lord Dimmick, the
niece of his first wife, who had acted as Mrs. Harrison’s secretary
during her stay in the White House. The wedding took place at St.
Thomas’s Protestant Episcopal Church on Fifth Avenue, New York
City, in the presence of a small group of friends. Neither General
Harrison’s son nor his daughter was present. He took his bride to his
Indiana home, where a baby girl was born to them the following
year. This marriage estranged his family, as it was not at all pleasing
to the children of his first wife.
He died of acute pneumonia in Indianapolis, March 13, 1901, with
his immediate family and a few old friends around him. Although en
route to his side, neither Russell Harrison nor Mrs. McKee was with
him at his death.
Benjamin Harrison’s rêgime was one of dignity. It reflected honour
upon himself and the nation.
 CHAPTER IX
SECOND ADMINISTRATION OF GROVER
CLEVELAND
March 4, 1893, to March 4, 1897

C LEVELAND luck brought Grover Cleveland back to the White

House in March, 1893, to succeed the man who had defeated
him at the end of his first term, and whom he had in turn defeated
also from succeeding himself.
The “luck” did not extend its benign influence to propitiate the
elements, since, instead of the ideal day of sunshine and soft spring
zephyrs of his first term, he had to combat the discomforts of a cold,
wet snow with its chill and slush.
Fortune had been so liberal with her favours that he could discount
her fickleness in that respect, however, even though Democratic
hosts had assembled to celebrate their return to power with a
brilliant and gorgeous display.
Mr. and Mrs. Cleveland, with the addition of little Ruth Cleveland,
their seventeen-months-old daughter, reached Washington on March
3d, going direct to the Arlington, where Mr. Lamont had engaged a
suite for them, and where old friends had gathered to greet them.
They, like Vice President-elect and Mrs. Stevenson, held a continuous
reception.
Promptly at eleven fifty-five the President and the President-elect
departed for the Capitol, unaccompanied, in the only open carriage
in the pretentious procession that meant the eclipse of one leader
and the installation of the other.
After the ceremonies in the Senate, much pressure was brought to
bear upon Mr. Cleveland to abandon the idea of taking the oath out
of doors. He felt, however, that he owed it to the waiting thousands,
patiently standing, to let them see and hear him, and so he followed
his previous course, in tribute to Thomas Jefferson, of delivering his
inaugural address before the oath was administered by Chief Justice
Fuller.
Among the many interested spectators of the ceremonies were Mrs.
Cleveland and Mrs. Stevenson, who braved the weather to hear their
husbands.
Following the ceremonies at the Capitol and the luncheon at the
White House, the new President took his position in the open
reviewing stand, where he stood for three hours as the pageant
assembled in his honour and marched past. Mrs. Cleveland reviewed
the parade from a window over a drug store on Fifteenth Street,
where a party of her old friends had gathered to be with her.
The procession was remarkable for its length, order, and
appearance. The distinguished and the well-known clubs and
organizations participating represented hosts of Democrats from
coast to coast. Governors of eleven states with their staffs
participated; a fine-looking group of students from Carlisle, and
Tammany in all of the paraphernalia of its origin, 3,400 strong,
whom it had taken eight trains to transport. All these, joined with
20,000 marchers, adherents, and admirers of the new head of the
nation, made a pageant long to be remembered.
The Inaugural Committee had done valiant work in again preparing
the great Pension Building for the ball at which President and Mrs.
Cleveland arrived about nine o’clock. They were announced by the
Marine Band’s “Hail to the Chief.” Their tour of the ballroom gave
many scores of people the opportunity to see their Chief Executive
and the First Lady at close range, a privilege for which thousands
had travelled many miles and endured great discomforts. Mrs.
Cleveland, walking with Justice Gray, was all-inclusive in her smile
and greetings, but scores carried away the fond belief that she
smiled just at each of them. The President, escorted by General
Schofield, radiated pride and happiness. When they reached their
own special reception room, the Vice President and Mrs. Stevenson,
with their daughters, were the first to pay them respect. Here, too,
came hosts of old friends to extend congratulations and greetings.
Mrs. Cleveland’s dress was, of course, the observed of all observers.
Severe and simple in style, it was rich and graceful. Made of heavy
white satin with an empire front and tightly fitting back, the skirt
was carried out to a pointed train. It was trimmed with point lace
and crystal beads. The embroidery ran up in rows about twelve
inches from the edge of the skirt. The front was most elaborately
embroidered with crystal beads, while the huge puffs of the satin
that made the sleeves were dotted with the crystal. Stiff satin bows
at the shoulders and a heavy fall of the lace completed the corsage.
She wore diamonds.
Mrs. Stevenson’s handsome gown was distinctive, being white moire
antique made in the style of 1830. It had a narrow binding of purple
velvet on the edge of the skirt and on the edge of the round low-
necked waist. Garlands of purple violets were arranged to fall over
the old-fashioned bertha of fine duchess lace. Puff sleeves of the
velvet reached to the elbow and were met by soft suède gloves of
the same shade. Mrs. Stevenson’s fan was a dainty affair of flowers,
lace, and ribbons in the same tints.
Adjoining the ballroom, a huge temporary structure had been
constructed on the north side as a kitchen. From this a local caterer
supplied an elaborate banquet to all who sought refreshments.
Part of the celebration, and one that from the beginning has been
popular in connection with inauguration ceremonies, was the
unusually beautiful pyrotechnic display.
While the Democratic chieftain and Mrs. Cleveland and all of their
followers were celebrating their victory, another charming function
was in progress in honour of Ex-President Harrison and Mrs. McKee,
at the home of Postmaster General Wanamaker, Eighteenth and I
streets, formerly the Whitney home, where Mrs. McKee and
President Harrison’s household had gone early in the day. Here, too,
all of the retiring Cabinet and the prominent Republican officials
were guests at an elaborate farewell banquet and reception. From
this General Harrison and Mrs. McKee went to the special train for
Pittsburgh, where they were invited to visit before returning to
Indianapolis.
Great interest was manifested in Baby McKee’s successor, Ruth
Cleveland. The night following her father’s installation, she was
taken seriously ill, but soon recovered. Mrs. Cleveland found her
problems multiplying rapidly regarding the care of her baby girl. The
general public visiting the White House seemed to regard the
President’s child as part of the establishment. Mrs. Cleveland was
horrified one morning on glancing out of the window to see her baby
being handed from one to another of a group of about twenty
tourists. Against their eagerness to fondle the baby the nurse was
helpless. Upon another occasion, a determined visitor had to be
prevented by force from snipping a lock of the baby’s hair as she
passed through the corridor of the White House in her nurse’s arms.
Then the President and his wife decided that, for the protection and
safety of their child, the gates of the grounds must be kept closed
and locked. This order was received with great indignation and
considerable protest, and Mrs. Cleveland suffered much perturbation
and annoyance in consequence, especially when it was boldly
asserted that her little girl was a deaf mute, was deficient in
faculties, or otherwise afflicted, so that her parents wished to keep
her affliction from public attention. One day, while receiving a
delegation in the latter part of the administration, Mrs. Cleveland
saw Ruth pass the door. She called to her to come in and let the
ladies see that she was not minus arms, legs, or fingers.
With the family installed, President Cleveland and his wife readily
settled to their respective tasks. Mrs. Cleveland slipped into place as
easily as if she had never left it, and began again her regular
Saturday afternoon receptions, which had become so popular in the
first term. The President also resumed his semi-weekly public
receptions, which he came to enjoy so much, since it gave him the
opportunity to meet people and talk to those who wished to talk to
him.
The selection of the Cabinet was a momentous task. The group
finally comprised the following: Secretary of State, Walter Q.
Gresham of Illinois; Secretary of the Treasury, John G. Carlisle of
Kentucky; Secretary of War, Daniel S. Lamont of New York; Attorney
General, Richard Olney of Massachusetts; Postmaster General,
Wilson S. Bissell of New York; Secretary of the Navy, Hilary A.
Herbert of Alabama; Secretary of the Interior, Hoke Smith of
Georgia; Secretary of Agriculture, Julius Sterling Morton of Nebraska.
This was regarded as a good Cabinet, though not so strong as the
President’s first one.
The issues brought forth so prominently in the campaign now thrust
themselves forward for attention; almost immediately came
rumblings of the impending money panic. Naturally, the trouble-
making came from both Republican and Populist ranks.
In the spring of 1893, on May 1st, President Cleveland opened the
great World’s Columbian Exposition, commemorating the five
hundredth anniversary of the discovery of America by Columbus. It
continued for six months. The exhibits displayed were a
demonstration of the world’s progress in arts, industries, inventions,
and natural products. To it came distinguished tourists from all over
the world, and notwithstanding the money depression, twenty-seven
million people were admitted to the exposition.
The money stringency, which the Democrats attributed to the
Republican extravagance of the previous administration in the great
increase of pensioners, which they claim was not offset by the
McKinley Tariff Protection Law, increased as firms failed and
industries closed their shops. In addition to a growing army of
unemployed came coal-mine and railroad strikes.
The nation was brought to the point where the integrity of the dollar,
whether greenback, silver, or gold, had to be maintained. President
Cleveland determined to maintain the gold reserve, for he was
convinced that the safety of the nation depended upon it, and
therefore sold bonds to keep up the reserve. The President also
called a special session of Congress, which repealed the Sherman
Silver Purchase and Coinage Act of 1890, as he was satisfied that
the purchasing of the silver was harmful to the nation’s best
interests.
This move, unpopular from the Southern and Western points of
view, naturally put a stop to further buying of silver in huge
quantities and also checked the mintage of silver dollars.
President Cleveland’s second administration found him with a
different attitude toward the purely social features of his position. In
the beginning of his Presidency, he had been more or less impatient
at the necessity for devoting valuable time to receptions. By the time
he had watched his charming wife handle the vast crowds that
clamoured to see her, he caught a new meaning from the contact of
the masses with their Chief Magistrate and First Lady and adapted
himself to enjoy the people. He was particular that no one should be
crowded out or rushed through, and soon made it a rule to give his
whole attention for the brief part of the minute of his contact to the
person before him. He cultivated appropriate responses, and as he
began to enjoy these daily handshaking periods, he responded to
greetings with a spontaneity that evidenced his pleasure and also
made him seem more the friendly man than the exalted exclusive
leader. Should, for instance, a man in passing, ask, “Where is Mrs.
Cleveland? Why isn’t she here too?” instantly, with the twinkle of the
eye and the smile his friends loved, he would answer, “Why,
somebody might carry her off.”
Mrs. Cleveland and the President drove together most pleasant
afternoons. Their equipages were more pretentious than those of
any of their predecessors, and were the latest and best examples of
carriage building. Five handsome vehicles made up the presidential
stable equipment—a black landau with green trimmings that had
cost $2,000; a smart brougham, whose value was $1,000; a victoria;
also a phaëton that had been made to order at a cost of $1,000,
with a coachman’s rumble behind; and a surrey. This last was most
used by the President.
In the stables were four handsome bays, two for Mrs. Cleveland’s
use and two for the President’s; sometimes, upon very special
occasions, such as parades, the whole four would be driven together.
Among the interesting visitors to the United States during the winter
and spring of 1893 was the eighteen-year-old Hawaiian princess,
Kaiulani, who came with her guardian and his family to seek the aid
of the United States in her behalf. Mr. and Mrs. Davis established
themselves, their ward, their daughter, and secretaries at the
Arlington Hotel. The youthful princess had been educated in England
and therefore knew our language. She was a tall girl, pretty and
graceful, with excellent taste in dress, and was greatly admired at
the inaugural ball. During her visit she received much flattering
attention. Mrs. Cleveland was impressed with her and extended
various courtesies, formal and informal, to her. And considerable
sympathy was expressed in her effort to accede to the Hawaiian
throne, from which the Hawaiian people had deposed her aunt,
Lilioukulani, in 1891.
Upon the departure of the Princess and her retinue for Europe, she
sent a letter of appreciation through the press:
March, 1893.
To the American People:
Before I leave this land I want to thank all those whose
kindness has made my visit such a happy one. Not only
the hundreds of hands I have clasped nor the kind smiles
I have seen, but the written words of sympathy that have
been sent me from so many homes, have made me feel
that whatever happens to me I shall never be a stranger
to you again. It was to the American people I spoke, and
they have heard me, as I knew they would, and now God
bless you for it, from the beautiful home where your fair
First Lady reigns to the dear crippled boy who sent me his
loving letter and prayer.
Kaiulani.
However, her hopes for a throne were destined to disappointment.
The United States sent a commissioner over to Hawaii about the
time the Princess left; the Republic of Hawaii was proclaimed on July
4, 1894. Then annexation to the United States was sought and later
achieved through a treaty of annexation passed by Congress in
1898.
The announcement early in 1893 that the Princess Infanta Eulalie,
aunt of the small King of Spain (the present King was then about
seven years of age), was coming with her husband, Prince Antoine
d’Orleans, and a large suite of Spanish grandees to visit the World’s
Columbian Exposition as an honour guest representing the Queen
Regent of Spain, created considerable excitement. Much diplomatic
correspondence was necessary before the details of her official
reception by the President were satisfactorily settled. The difficulty
was due to the lack of tact exhibited by Señor Maraugo in expressing
the wishes of the President, who had no desire or intention whatever
to omit any courtesy due the Royal Infanta that was consistent with
our Republican form of government. The minister had allowed his
fear that the President would fail in proper ceremony to become
apparent, and in his anxiety to surround the Princess with the full
panoply of her rank, had overlooked wholly the importance and
prestige due to the President of the United States.
The Infanta arrived in New York May 19th and was received with a
great display of ceremony by the Spanish Consul and the officers of
the Spanish war vessels in New York.
When the Princess arrived in Washington, she was met by Secretary
of State W. G. Gresham and Colonel J. M. Wilson, U. S. A., Master of
Ceremonies and Social Functions at the White House. Two troops of
cavalry from Fort Myer, under command of Colonel Guy V. Henry, had
been detailed to escort her to the Arlington Hotel annex, which, cut
off from the rest of the hotel, had been set aside with all of its three
floors of rooms for the use of the Infanta and her suite of nineteen
persons. The annex had at one time been the elegant private
residence of Charles Sumner, and only after his death had been
bought and added to the hotel property. It had just been
redecorated and furnished.
Very shortly after the arrival, the Infanta, with her party, was
escorted to the White House, where President and Mrs. Cleveland
awaited her.
At the conclusion of the fifteen-minute call, the President escorted
his visitor to the door and watched her departure—a full concession
to her royalty.
In the afternoon of the same day, the Infanta received a call from
Mrs. Cleveland, accompanied by Mrs. Carlisle, Mrs. Lamont, and
other ladies of the Cabinet.
A crowd hung about the Arlington and occupied every bench seat in
Lafayette Square to get a close glimpse of this bit of elegant
pageantry from the Old World.
On the 24th of May, the President and Mrs. Cleveland gave the first
state dinner of their administration. It was in honour of the Princess
and her party. Thirty-six guests were seated in the state dining
room. Just a little while before the arrival of the guests, a small
tempest swept over the city. Though brief, it was violent, and during
its outburst carried off the strip of carpet placed across the portico of
the White House to the carriage steps.
At this function the new Cabinet met for the first time; at the dinner
to them on the evening of March 4th their appointments had not yet
been confirmed, and some of the wives had not been present. Here,
too, were entirely new doorkeepers, new ushers, a new steward,
and new servants, Mrs. Cleveland having brought from New York all
of the staff within her province to engage. She had, however,
retained Miss Josephine Kniep the housekeeper the Harrisons had
valued so highly.
Mrs. Cleveland’s artistic taste had been given full scope in the floral
arrangement. The long historic mirror in the centre of the table
reflected the beauty of the two Spanish flags made of red and yellow
roses that rested against each other with their staffs of scarlet
geraniums. The flower stands held red and yellow roses, the tapers
had red and yellow shades; and these colours were also carried out
in the tints of ices, sweets, and bonbons.
After the royal visitors were presented to all of the assembled
guests, the party, being seated with punctilious observance of State
Department rules of precedence, did full justice to a ten-course
dinner with its full complement of wines. At Mrs. Cleveland’s place
there was just an apollinaris tumbler.
Mrs. Cleveland was particularly charming and lovely in her gown of
blue embroidered crêpe, made in a modified empire style, with the
fashionable puffed sleeve; a pleated fall of lace finished the neck. A
diamond flower spray in her hair was especially attractive and a
beautiful star of these jewels adorned her bodice.
The Princess wore a court gown of white satin brocaded in rosebud
stripes. Her skirt, with many gores, was full, and the train long; the
whole lower part of the skirt was bordered with a ruffle of lace
caught with bunches of wild roses. The bodice was low and was
distinctive, since it had no sleeves, the lace and flower trimming
making a band over the shoulders. Her jewels were superb—
diamonds and emeralds of prodigious size and brilliance, and in a
quantity to be deserving of the judgment that they were worth a
king’s ransom.
The guests at the state dinner comprised the Cabinet, the members
of the Supreme Court and their wives, General and Mrs. Schofield,
the Spanish Minister, Senator Sherman, and Mrs. Harriet Land
Johnston. The boutonnières for the gentlemen were yellow orchids,
while a cluster of American Beauty roses was provided for each lady.
Place cards were long Spanish flags with their staffs tied with the
Spanish colours.
No private calls were received by the Infanta—only those of an
official nature. According to the custom followed abroad, a book was
kept at the ladies’ entrance of the hotel. All persons entitled to call
were requested to inscribe their names therein. This was considered
a call, since visiting cards were not left for royalty. Upon the cover of
this was embossed in gold letters: “Infantes Du Antonio y Da
Eulalia.”
When the party had first arrived, a small Spanish lad who had been
a stowaway on the ship joined it. Despite his being rebuked, he
made his way to Washington, and when the matter was brought to
the Princess’s attention, she laughed and, to the boy’s great joy,
ordered him put in uniform and attached to her suite.
After almost a week of charming attentions and delightful
experience, the royal party departed for New York and Chicago, the
crowd keeping a close vigil until the last of the one hundred and two
pieces of baggage had been carried off to the station.
The Infanta’s reception in the United States throughout her stay
brought forth her warm praise.
 Photo. by Clinedinst Studio, Washington, D. C.
THE INAUGURATION OF GROVER CLEVELAND
In September, the White House nursery had another occupant, with
the birth of another little daughter, Esther. Much of Mrs. Cleveland’s
time had been occupied in making many of the dainty little garments
after she had withdrawn herself from social affairs for the summer
months.
While the general public was deeply interested in Ruth Cleveland,
she did not command the same degree of enthusiasm as was
showered on her little sister Esther, since Esther was a real White
House baby, the ninth child born under that famous roof, just as her
mother was the ninth White House bride. These facts gave the
people of the country a proprietary feeling toward this mite of
humanity, and resulted in a deluge of gifts of all kinds and degrees
of loveliness and value. In fact, not only America, but England,
France, Germany, Russia, all not only sent messages to the babe and
her lovely mother, but followed up their missives of greeting with
gifts, until a huge supply had accumulated. There were dainty white
furs from the Far North, linens from the cloisters of Spain, dresses,
christening robes, sacks, socks, robes, booties of wool, of kid, and of
chamois, bibs, wee bits of baby jewellery—everything a baby needs
multiplied many times. A room overflowed with toys, and one paper
of the time, in describing the deluge, insisted that there were
enough cradles, cribs, and carriages for a full score of babies, and
toys enough for an asylum.
The day Esther was born, the President received informally the
young Japanese Prince Yorihato Komatsu, the grand-nephew of the
Mikado, who was travelling around the world incognito.
One of the events in which Washington was greatly interested was
the one hundredth anniversary of the laying of the corner stone of
the United States Capitol, which occurred on September 18, 1893.
The celebration started with the ringing of the centennial chime,
after which there was a procession, and other features by civic
organizations as nearly like those of a hundred years ago as the
changed conditions would permit. William Wirt Henry, a grandson of
Patrick Henry, was one of the speakers.
The prevalence of hard times and the growing numbers of
unemployed brought to pass the assembling of “armies” in all parts
of the country. The first of these aggregations of unemployed, led by
a horse dealer named Coxey, set out for Washington from Ohio to
demand relief from the government. Other armies with the same
object started from the Western Coast states and from Texas,
numbering in all about six thousand men. Many of them were honest
and sincerely desired work. Others were toughs who joined for a lark
and followed what seemed to promise adventure. Still others were
plain everyday tramps and loafers and criminals. They begged for
food, and when it was not forthcoming they foraged; and when they
grew tired of marching, they simply boarded trains and rode. Coxey
reached Washington, mounted the steps of the Capitol, made
addresses, and hung around the city for a while. His “army” camped
near by from April 26 to May 1, 1894. Its presence necessitated the
increasing of the White House Guard from twelve to twenty-six men.
As long as no open act of lawlessness and disorder was committed,
Coxey and his followers were unmolested; they wearied of their
futile task and disbanded without accomplishing anything.
Soon afterward, in the city of Chicago, a strike occurred. Two
thousand workmen employed by the Pullman Car Company decided
they must have higher wages. Men on some of the Western roads
also struck out of sympathy for the Pullman workers, deciding they
would not work to help in the use or operation of the trains until the
Pullman workers got their desired raise. They carried the determined
stand so far that, for a time, not a train was running between San
Francisco and Chicago.
On June 28th, the American Railway Union, directed by Eugene
Debs, declared a boycott on all Pullman cars, thereby tying up all
railroads west of Chicago hauling these cars. The next day, the
United States Court at Chicago issued an injunction against the
strikers, as the mails were prevented from proceeding. When it was
brought to the President’s attention that the governor of the State of
Illinois either could not or would not take steps to break the strike,
he made the cryptic statement, “I will call out the whole army, if
necessary, to deliver a postcard.”
Those who knew President Cleveland and his unfaltering
determination in the pursuit of duty were satisfied that he would
bring the strike to an end.
Major General Miles, then in command of the Missouri, with
headquarters in Chicago, brought the news to the President that the
city was at the mercy of the mobs, and the seriousness of the
situation was intensified by the fact that there was more than twenty
million dollars in the Sub-Treasury, a fact that was generally known.
The food supplies in the East were jeopardized, especially if the
strike were to extend eastward. The President lost no time in
ordering the United States troops to the spot. The strike leaders
were arrested and communication between them and their
henchmen prevented; so the strikers disbanded and went back to
work, and the strike collapsed. The relief over the settlement of the
trouble may be appreciated when it is realized that a mob of ten
thousand men were idle in Chicago alone and that the traffic
blockade extended from Illinois through Indiana, Iowa, Missouri,
North Dakota, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Colorado,
Utah, Nevada, California, New Mexico, and Nebraska.
During this administration it was found expedient to abandon the
Force Act. As the country had gradually stabilized and state
governments had become efficient, Federal troops were not required
to be present at state elections, and the Force Act, providing for
such measures when needed, was repealed.
The first year of the second administration was certainly a trying one
for the Executive, since, while directing his energies to controlling
and conquering a host of problems at home, the nation became
involved in another dispute with England over the Behring Sea and
seal hunting. Past experience had proved the wisdom of referring
such matters of foreign disagreement to a commission. The same
policy was followed, and a commission of seven prominent men was
chosen by the United States, England, France, Italy, Norway, and
Sweden to adjust the matter of contention. An amicable settlement
resulted, which provided that the Behring Sea should remain open,
but that seals should be protected against indiscriminate killing.
Many have declared Cleveland’s act in regard to the Venezuelan
matter the most important of his administration. For a number of
years, the boundary line between New Guinea and Venezuela had
been a matter of dispute and contention. Venezuela finally appealed
to the United States to use her influence to induce Great Britain to
submit the matter to arbitration. The idea was not favourably
received by the British Government.
President Cleveland’s ideas on the matter began to clarify, and he
sent a message to Congress December 17, 1895, accompanied by all
of the correspondence in the case, and recommended the
appointment of a commission to determine the actual boundary. His
message intimated that the United States would enforce the
decision. Congress followed the President’s lead; the commission
was appointed, but before it had completed the task assigned,
England had come to an agreement with Venezuela, a joint board of
arbitration having been appointed. Although the President received a
great deal of criticism for his application of the Monroe Doctrine, the
country’s prestige was much increased.
President Cleveland stood firm for Civil Service reform, which had
always been one of his hobbies, and before his term closed, about
half of all offices of the government were already under Civil Service
and filled by competitive examinations, instead of being parcelled
out as political patronage.
After a long and bitter struggle, Congress enacted a tariff measure, a
modified form of the Wilson Tariff. This reduced protective duties
about one fourth and admitted free lumber, wool, and salt. It also
condemned trusts.
The public was always interested in the Cleveland babies, and
spontaneous congratulations, greetings, and gifts poured in when it
was known that the stork had paid a visit to Gray Gables in July of
1895, leaving another small daughter, upon whom was conferred the
name of Marian. By this time, little Ruth was finding her busy father
a fine playfellow, and many good times they had drawing pictures
and making things together in his office when his day’s work was
done.
The people of the South had planned an exhibition. It was called
“Cotton States and International Exhibition,” and was opened in
September, 1895, by the pressure of the electric button by the tiny
finger of the newest White House baby, Marian. Thus from the gun
room of her father’s charming house, Gray Gables, on Massachusetts
Bay, the two-months-old infant set all of the wheels revolving to
open the exposition. Great gates and doors swung wide; machinery
started buzzing; and with the boom of the cannon and the sound of
the shrill whistles, the activities of the great exposition were set in
motion.
With the admission of Utah in 1896, the number of states was forty-
five.
Li Hung Chang, Chinese statesman, commander-in-chief of all forces
in the war with Japan, and originator of the Chinese Navy, on a tour
of the world, came to visit the United States, August 28, 1896. He
was received by President Cleveland the following day. The original
comments and pertinent queries he made while here were the
source of much amusement.
Mrs. Cleveland’s last season in Washington was as gay as her
manifold duties would permit. Three babies are a full measure of
responsibility even for a mother aided by the best nurses procurable.
One of her long-discussed functions was a luncheon for forty-eight
guests for her husband’s sister, Miss Rose Cleveland. This was most
elaborate and elegant.
The last Christmas in their administration was a gay one for the
children. Three little stockings were hung on the chimney shelf.
There were many gay parties with the Lamont children and other
little folk of the Cabinet household, and a whole room filled to its
utmost capacity with wonderful gifts and toys.
Though the eyes of the nation were already turning toward the
future occupants so soon to be installed in the White House, public
interest in the Clevelands had not diminished. Mrs. Cleveland’s New
Year reception of 1897 and the evening reception which followed
were attended by the largest throngs ever known. People seemed
just to realize she was leaving the White House, and they were
anxious to see and speak with her. Many brought their children,
impressing upon them the impending departure of the sweet
wholesome lady who gave another opportunity to shake her hand to
those who had been too confused to do so when they first passed.
Great numbers of guests crowded also to the last of the Saturday
afternoon receptions. These delightful affairs for the public ceased
with Mrs. Cleveland’s departure, and since her régime, there have
been no affairs for the public save the New Year receptions.
From Helen Nicolay’s pen this description of one of Mrs. Cleveland’s
farewell “crushes” is taken in part:
“A little before three o’clock Mrs. Cleveland entered on the
arm of Colonel Wilson, and took her place in the
improvised passageway, near the northern door leading
from the Red into the Blue Room. Colonel Wilson stood
between her and the door.
“Then the doors were opened and the real reception
began, when for two hours people of high and low
degree, white and black passed through the room at the
rate of twenty-five a minute. Mrs. Cleveland had a smile
and a hearty handshake for each one, and her quick wit
and gracious tact were exercised to the utmost in kindly
deeds. The little woman, for instance, who was so
absorbed in gazing at her hostess’s beautiful face that she
missed the outstretched hand was given another chance,
after she had quite passed on; and the children were
greeted with special kindness. There were touchingly
many children: little ones in arms, toddlers almost as
small, who seemed in danger of being trampled