I  did  not  even  know  that  there  had  been  lists  published  in  all
the  papers,  my  own  included,  giving  the  information  which
I  was  so  anxiously  seeking !

I  had  no  real  understanding  of  politics  or  party  doings  or
organization.  I  doubt  if  I  knew  how  men  came  to  be  nomi-
nated, let  alone  elected.  I  did  not  know  who  were  the  various
State  leaders,  who  the  prospective  candidates,  why  one  candi-
date might  be  preferred  to  another.  The  machinations  of
such  an  institution  as  Tammany  Hall,  or  the  things  called
property  interests,  were  as  yet  beyond  me.  My  mind  was  too
much  concerned  with  the  poetry  of  life  to  busy  itself  with
such  minor  things  as  politics.  However,  I  did  know  that
there  was  a  bitter  feud  on  between  David  Bennett  Hill,  gov-
ernor of  New  York,  and  Grover  Cleveland,  ex-President  of  the
United  States,  both  candidates  for  nomination  on  the  Demo-
cratic ticket,  and  that  the  Tammany  organization  of  New  York
City  was  for  Hill  and  bitterly  opposed  to  Cleveland.  I  also
knew  that  the  South  was  for  any  good  Southerner  as  opposed
to  Cleveland  or  Hill,  and  that  a  new  element  in  the  party
was  for  Richard  Bland,  better  known  as  "Silver  Dick,"  of
Missouri.  I  also  knew  by  reputation  many  of  the  men  who
had  been- in  the  first  Cleveland  administration.
