Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1860-08-03
Pen Portrait Of the President.
From the New York Leader.

costume, and doing the courtesies of reccp.
ton, presents very striking and dignificd
appearance. He is about six feet one or two
inches in. height, with abundant hair of glis-
tening and semi-transparent silver color
small, blucish gray eyes, irregular features,
and complexion suggesting by its unnatural
freshness the hectic of constitutional com
plaint. The head of this venerable man is
cooked to the left at an angle of certain de
grees the left eye is contracted and drawn
downward the left corner of the mouth
shares similar fate; an immense white neck
cloth half conceals various old cicatriccs, or
flesh wounds, under the left ear; and the
whole body Of the man lurches slightly to the
left as he walks--Nsture thus seeming to
shadow forth his constitutional hatred Of the
right. Mr.. B. has shrin, almost female
voice, and wholly beardless cheeks; and he
is not, by any means, in any aspect, the sort
Of man likely to cut, or attempt to cut his
throat for any Chloe Or Phillis in Pennsylva-
MIA. Nevertheless, and in.spite of all these
drawbacks, the portly figure and courticr-like
address Of Mr. Buchanan form very striking
features at aroception. Like Dean Swift and
Alexander Pope, he rathercourts the Ieputa-
ton of gallantry; and halffatherly, half
like attentions to such ladies as are presented,
rarely fail to fiatter the vanity and elicit the
gratitude Of the huttering and glittering vic
Tins. A courtier and man of the world,
our President must have been in his element
when representing the United States in Eng
land He is of the old Federal School, look
ing ever toward Europe as the only fountain
Of any desirable applause; and more anxious
to be regarded as a conservative, or Aristo-
cratic American, by the titled residents of
Piccadilly, than to hold in the hearts of the
American people that place of devoted conf
dence and affection which Andrew jackson
occupied. : y : At the, official dinners
in the White House, and few others are given
Mr.. Buchanan shines to great advantage. lie
is attentive, courteous, atfablc--diyiding his
civilities equally between all his guests. ~,
A large experience Of public men and meas.
ures in many lands, supplies him with an in,
exhaustible rcpertory of personal anccdote
he amuses, without ever boring or seeming
too loquacious; and there is an odd vein OF
bitter humor running through all his veins
such as we can imagine (after reading Lord
Orrery'g letters to his son Hamilton BOYLE, J
must have pcrvaded the conservation of Dean
Swift. So cold by nature, that not even the
warmth of blood can relax his frosty polite.
ness, the Old Public Functionary addresses
his niece and heiress as Miss Harriet" and
insists on being. called 'tMr3 Buchanan ;" in
return. He tolerates no intimate associate OF
walking companion; and his present private
Secretary, Mr.. Mcleod, formerly school.
master in Washington, stands In as much
awe of the wrathy old man as though he was
one of the footmen instead Of confidential
clerk, To give j. b. his due, we must ac.
knowledge that he is industrious and trouble.
seeking to a'miincle. His suspicious nature
will not confide the opening of his letters to
any other hand; and atprcsent, when stacks
Fof anonymous letters arc reaching him from
all parts Of the country, denouncing his Post.
masters and Custom House officials as secret
" working for the National Democratic can.
Iidates, while pretending to support BrecbI
infiIge anek Lane, the mere daily dutyS
opening and reading the mail becomes ifit
self heavy tax, The Cabinet noflicers arc
his servants, j. B. insists and not his adv
sers. OF Governor Floyd alone does he seen
to stand in any dread Colonel Holt has had
two or three fights with him on questions o.
honesty Cobb was deludcd for the first thret
years by hopes of the succession; but in tn,
naturally mean and servilc natures of such
men as Touccy and Black, Mr. Buchanan
finds and has ever found, his reatliest instr,i
mcnts AS for Thompson, he speculatcs il
Indian lands, and neither knows enough, mol
cares enough, to give him much trouble.
The President does not believe him suffi
cicntly smart to be intrusted with the execu
ton of any serious yillany nor is it likely
that Thompson, would obey him, should any
such jobs be offered as seem the peculiar per
quisite Of Attorney General Black But II |.
due the President to say that he himself has
never been suspected of pocketing any. por
ton of the vast amounts which he has assis
ted others to obtain in payment for their ai(
to his Lecompton and other schemes II,
gratifics his malice while their avarice is graf
flied; the hatrels which he rolls under hi
tongue as so many sweet mersels, supply Il
him that reward and pleasure which his sub
ordinates receive from heavy percentages or
swindling contracts, and heavy fees for Their
lobby influence In regard to particular bills
Bright and early each morning Mr.. ,Bu
chanan is up and at work, retiring eact
night to bed by about half after q O'Clock
Brcakfasting at I A. NJ, our beloved and II
lustrious enters his office by t8--said Office
being a large, second floor ROOM, to the lcf
of the Presidential mansion as you enter
There is large waiting-room outside OF this
but few are the men who wait there now
This waiting room has W'orn Tand not par
ticularly clean carpet !, old mahogany furni
|,ture, with oldfashioncd horse-h hair. cover
ings; dusty walls and a few dusty busts o.
former Presidents q few dusty prints OF thu
:. Signcrs," and q very tdilapidated copy o.
the :" Declaration in a. solid sandal WOOD
frame. The Presidents, room, or office, in
which he receives his Cabinet, has ca1Tpet
to correspond with THAT outside 0 For Tho
rest there is large table placed closed be
tween the two windows; there are book ca
ses well filed with calfbound books round
two OF the walls there is an immense ben
rope dangling down over the President
head; there are a,few leather bottoned eln
chairs; ao5wicker scrap basket, beside Mr.
Buchanan's scat; a bust Of poor Pierce star
ing down from q bad cminencc oh his still
more unfortunate SUCCESSOR. and at the table
hard atwork---upr to his elbows in, papers
and up to his neck in political massachusetts,
the Old Public Functionary He is arrayet
in long dressing gown and slippers, hold,
an unlighted cigar In his mouth, and has ,
peculiar nervous twitching always to the left
as ifsome unseen spirits were ,plucking hin
on that side by the sleeve, and whisperins