Senator Gorman was then the Senate leader of the party that had just been victorious in the Congressional elections.
The incident is of note chiefly as shedding light on the mental make-up of the man who at the time was one of the two or three most influential leaders of the Democratic party.

Mr.Gorman had been Mr.Cleveland's party manager in the Presidential campaign, and was the Democratic leader in Congress.

It seemed extraordinary that he should be so reckless as to make statements with no foundation in fact, which he might have known that I would not permit to pass unchallenged.

Then, as now, the ordinary newspaper, in New York and elsewhere, was quite as reckless in its misstatements of fact about public men and measures; but for a man in Mr.Gorman's position of responsible leadership such action seemed hardly worth while.

However, it is at least to be said for Mr.Gorman that he was not trying by falsehood to take away any man's character.