The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1860-10-31
G9t 4ottage Sentinel.
Wednesday, October 81, 1890.
tFrom the Cincinnati Euquirer.l
Historical RemJniscence -. The
Dignity OF the Presidential Of
fee.

ltAVm thO
Historical RemInisccnce -. The
Dignity OF the Presidential Of
fee.
During the Administration OF General
Washington and John Adams, our first two
Presidents, form and ceremony was exhi
bited in the Presidential mansion that made
it quite republican court. Gentlemen
American citizens-coud not be presented
to the President then, as now, in their sim.
pie citizens dress. They were obliged to
don peculiar costume, half military and
halt court dress, consisting OF tinseled coat,
with short pants, silk stockings, and pow.
dered wig, and other aristocratic appurte
nances, to distinguish them from the crowd
The President took his drives in the vicinity
of New York and Philadelphia, at which
places the National Capitol was located, in
splendid coach, drawn by four or six hor.
ses, with postillion and out outriders in Ii.
very, similar to those of o Duke or Prince.
The President sent no written messages
to Congress, as at present. II was his Gus.
tom, when Congress convened, to appear be.
fore that body in all The pomp of roy al state;
meet the two houses in the Hall of Repre-.
sentatives, and deliver to them an address
upon the political state of the country, com 4.
mencing1 with the formula of "Gentlemsn
Of the Senate and House of Representa-.
tives." 1t was a custom in exact imitation
OF the speech made to Parliament at it's
opening by the monarch OF Great Britain.
A reply, called d"an address to the President
was then made by the Senate and House OF
Representatives, in which allusion was m ade
TO the points discussed In his speech, and
such measures and reforms as were deemed
ex2edient in Administration policy.
Thomas Jefferson. the great ideal states.
man of the Revolutionary era, whose bold
democratic, radical notions, in reference to
the origin and purposes Of government, 90
startled and alarmed the conservatives of
his era, was the man who put an end to the
courtly forms that had been deemed neces
sary to maintain the personal dignity OF the
Office OF President. He destroyed the SO.
cial syst EN- OF his predecessors in the Presi.
Dental chair, quite as effectualy as be re
volutionized their political policy. He did
not wear, himself, the court dress and the
accompanying sword which have been allu,
ded to above. An amusing auecdoie is re
lated of him in this connection. A negro
barber, in Philadelphia. who had associated
in his mind the Office OF President with great
courlly form, declared that it was outrageous
that the American people should reject, as
President, such gentlemen as John Adams
and G. c. Pickering, with their splendid
queues of hair, so neatly done up, for Mr.
Jefsrsens wbs~baf5aFously. wore his hair
short, in contempt OF all fashionable an!
aristocratic usages
The preparation of this address ani it.
language was always an occasion for party
division into Democrats and Federalists
each desiring it as their chart of the legis
lation of the session. These addresses an,
speeches over, it was the uniform custom o
the two houses of Congress, headedby thei
officers, the President of the Senate and thG
Speaker of the House, TO visit, in body
the Presidential Mansion, where congratu.
latory and formal addresses, pro and con
were made. General Washington, accus
toned, during his past life, to high military
command, where much form and etiquette
were observed, and Mr.. John Adams, from
his long residence abroad at royal courts
had imbibed the impression that, in order to
mainta in the proper dignity of the Pfesiten.
tial Office, it should be hedged in with court
ly form and splen lor. They were honest
in these views. and, like the great mass OF
the generation who acquired our indepen
dehce, retained, as long as they lived, the
ideas Of social life which had been popular
under the Colonial system, which was char
acterized by not little pomp and arstocra
cy.
When Mr.. Jefferson " 3 inaugura,ed he
gave mortal affront to the whole federal
sentiment of the nation b. riding on hol Sc.
back to the place of Inauguration, and then
dismountng, hitched his horse himself to a
convenient post, without calling for the old
of a coschmsn or servant. Their papers
blazed awsy at him, employing the same
ideas in relerence to Presidential dignity
that our Republican friends now use towards
Judge Douglas Tor his aulacity 10 making
stump speeches whild candidate for Pre- 81.
dent. Shades OF dignity protect US ~ said
the Federalists then "What desecrGtion OF
the Presidential office ~ Mr.. Jefferson de
stroyed, root and branch, oil the parapher.
MALTA Of form adopted by his predecessors.
He discontinued the address system to the
two houses, and adopted the written mes.
sage, which has since been followed by all
his successors. The coaCh-and four, the
postillionssond the attendants, ali went by
sthsssboard, and tho philosophical Virginia
President was more often seen on horse
back, in which mode OF riding he excelled
than in any other manner. We need not
add that the Presidential office sustained mo
less dignity true dignity--for never was il
better maintained than under the auspices ol
theintelectua aud Democratic Jefferson.
Were Mr.. Jefferson upon the stage OF &C
ton now, we know he would look with con.
tempt upon the aristocratic notisns OF some
of our Republican contemporaries, that .
candidate for President commits some Of
fence against "dignity," by addressing the
sovereigns Of the country, and comparing
views with them upon political topics. The
source OF power is in the people, and the
servants OF the latter suffer no diminution ia
personal respect by addressing them. Fal
otherwise. Perish the idea that the Presi'
dent is above the people--that be stands
upon such an elevated pedestal that he j.
lowered when he comes down to their level!
WHY we SUPPORT i'd,