Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-09-05
President Grants Visit to New. England.


President Grants visit to New England
appears to trouble some persons, whose idea
with respect to Presidents duties is, that
he should "stick" to Washington all the
year round, and throughout all the years of
his service, be the same more or less,-eight
years, or four, according to his luck. They
cannot understand that President can dis
charge his duties, for n considerable part of
the year, as well outside of Washington as
in it, because they have not kept up with
the changes Of the times and thev do not
| know that travelling is 50 rapid and that
extra trains are 50 readily to be got, that
were the President not to be in Washington
more than hall the time, no harm would
happen. OF the iorty-eight months of n
Presidential term, Congress is in session
about twenty months: and of the twenty
eight months, he need be there not beyond
three. The telegraph's existence has
changed everything in regard TO communi-
! eating intelligence, and it enables Presi-
| dent to transact almost all the official bust
ness that can arise during about three-ffths
OF the time, though he be not at the capi-
tai. Time does not tie him down to place,
as 1t did his early predecessors, and most
OF those who served in much later years.
Yet the early Presidents travelled and
visited, relatively, as much as recent Presi
dents have done. President Washington
made public tours, at times when it re-
quIrcd more days to 60 an hundred miles
than 1t now requires hours. supposing
steam to be made to do its best. Mount
Vernon, which our first President was fond
Of seeing as often as be could. was farther
from Philadelphia than Washington is from
Eastport-and it was at Philadelphia that
SIX years of Na>hington's Presidency were
+l..,t az
is not to be computed by the number Of
miles that lie between those places, but by
the means that exist for getting over those
miles, Of con4Uering them; 50 that
point that now is six or seven hundred
miles from Washington is nearer
to that city than a place but one
hundred miles from it was in 1903. Then
the telegraph comes in. and enables officers
at Washington to communicate with the
President, or with q member Of the Cabinet
who may be absent. almost instantane0uSly
When President Washington was at Mount
Vernon, it required more hours to send him
a message from New York than it would re-
quirc minutes 70 send President Grant n
message at Augusta. President John
Adams made visits TO his home in Nlas-a-
chusetts, which took him far from Philadel-
phia, considering the difficulties Of travel
ling and sending messages that then existed.
President jefferson liked to 90 to his beau
tilul Virginia home, and he INDUCED his
liking aS often a. he could. President John
Quincy ADAMS would 90 to Quincy, and
once he was advertised as lost on the way,
by an exceedingly high-toncd Democratic
journalist. President jackson travelled
considerably, and he was partial to life at
the Rip-Raps, where Ae could live at his
ease, and inhaie the brcczcS that blew
over the Atlantic. as he sat on pine
board. laid across two barrels, while lie
smoked corn-cob pipe-thc sweetest
thing in pipes, a~ be thought, and not with
out reason and practically, the Rip-Raps
were farther from Washington than l. Long
Branch. Some Of our Presidents have re-
maincl throughout all their terms at Wash
instlu. bot they iid not benefit themselves
or the country by sticking 70 their posts 50
closely. Washington is an unhealthy place
at all times, but 10 Is peculiarly 50 in the
hot season. and those who remain there
all the year round for successive years must
suffer; and -ickly President is not always
safe President. Is Mr.. Joe Gargery
says. "l0ur health your health, " and y0u
ought 90 look out for it. both for your own
sake AID the sake Of others. We think
President Grant is right in keeping away
from Washington as much rs he can, there
being n0 evidence that the public interest
ever has suffered from his fighting against
malaria at distance. lie is an active man.
and likes to be about; and then the chief
magistrate ola nation ought TO see g. much
ofthat nation as lie can c1utriyc 10 look upon.
and in that way make himself familiar with
It, particularly here, where there isso much
OF variety, and all of it worth knowing
Boston Ir7eIV.