National Republican., 1881-04-26
HIS OFFICIAL TITLE
HOW TO ADDRESS THE president.
The Whole History Of the Resolutions and I,~.
Passed by Congress on the Subject
Ike Facts and the Law
in the Case.
For The RepuMical.
Titles OF honor add not 10 his worth
VINO is an honor 20 his title"

|
Titles OF honor add not to his worth
/ Who is an honor 20 his title"
| If the styles of address used in all fl,o
petitions which have been sent to the Pres3ar.t q
the United States were laid before the reafare,t
/ THE NATIONAL REPUBLICAN they would sho,- ,s,
thousands of American citizens do not know, ,.
knowing, disregard, the proper form Of adI7-5
which should be used in petition or other r.---
munieation to the Chief Executive of theI-eorr
| try. This ignorance, sycOphancy, or whatev-r II
may be, is not confined alone TO the illfrera-a e
we have seen it in all classes, from CharI,,
Dana, contributor to cyelopaedias. 10 the l,
notable instance in the petition Of a brigh, shin
ing legal light of our District, who is willin. IN
brave the climatic horrors of the Brazilian FInrsr
by few years residence at Rio de Jaueirg for grl
in consideration of $4,000 per auumn. As ffan-
| pears not to be generally known that the s,rIs
and title by which the President of the Upf-.d
States should be addressed constituted d subject
OfcOnsiderable difficulty in the First Congress and
! that it was then discussed and settled. give .
summary of the proceedings from the Senate and
House journals for the information of thos.. Ubo
may hereafter have occasion TO eommunicatu vith
! the Chief Executive Of the Nation
On the 23d Of April, 1889, the Senate adopted 4
| resolution the first part of which is in these
words:
Resotred That a committee consisting Of three
members be appointed 10 consider and report what
style or title it Will be proper to the ofr-s
Of President and Vice President of the United Sa.,
II any other than those given in the Constitution
Messrs. Lee, lizard, and Dalton were appointed
The House, acquiescing in the object Of this Fes0
| luton, on the oath appointed Nessrs Benson.
AmeS, Madison, Carroll, and Sherman TO be q
committee on their part. In the Senate, on the
9th, motion was made THAT the words style
Or before the wOrd title, be added" which vsg
agreed to.
The words of the resolution are given verbatim
from the journals Of both Houses, so that il VIII be
seen the phraseOlogy style title" occurs in the
original proposition. The motion on the 2iah
seems to have been an error. The looSeness win
which the journals were kept is apparent.
On the 9TH of May the committee of the House
reported that 1t is not proper to annex anv svIe
or title to the respective styles or titles of Office
expressed in the Constitution, and this report was
agreed to by the House. The committee of the
Senate made report on the 9TH, which was con
sidered on the following day and disagreed to.
The question was then taken whether the Presi-
dent of the United States shall be addressed by the
title of His Excelleney, and decided in the mega
tive. Messrs. Lee, Ellsworth, and johnson were
then appointed committee " to consider and re-
port under what title it will be proper for the sen
ate to address the President of the United States
The committee reported ON the 9Th, and the sen
ate then adopted the following:
Ordered That Mr.. Lee, Mr. Ellsworth and Mr.
johnson be committee TO confer with any commit
tee TO be appointed by the House Of Representative
on the difference of opinion subsisrng between
the Houses respecting the title of the President
of the United States; and, motion for recOnSdera-
ton, the instruction the committee agreed To-
as follows: That they consider and report under
what title it Will be proper tor the President Of
United States in future 10 be addressed and confer
thereon with such committee as the House of Repre-
sentatives may appoint for that purpose
When the order of the Senate had been COM
municated to the House a motion was made on
the 11th of May that the House agree 10 the fol
lowing:
ResoLued, That this House having on Tuesday lass
adopted the report of their committee appointed 70
confer with the committee of the Senate. stating
THAT it IS not proper 10 any style or title 10
the respective styles titles of Office expressed iu
the Constitution. and having in their address to the
President of the United States on Friday last pro-
ceeded to act in pursuance thereof deem il improper
to accee TO the proposition made by the Senate
by their order of the 9Th instant for
appointing committee to confer with committee
Of this House in considering and reporting under
what title will be proper for the President Of the
United States in future 10 be addressed"
This motion on the previous question having
been demanded was lost. The House then sc
quesced in the order of the Senate, and appointed
Messrs Madison, TrumbuIl, Page, Benson, and
Sherman 20 be u committee on their part.
On the 18th the committee on the part oftbe
Senate reported " that they had conferred with
the committee of the House, but could not agree
upon a report" The committee appointed on the
9th then reported that in the opinion of the com
mttee it viii be proper thus to address the PFesi
dent: His Highness, the President of the Unitej
States of America and Protector oftheiT Liberties
His report was postponed, and the following
resolution was agreed 10:
From q decent respect for the opinion and practice
If civilized nations, whether under monarchical
republican forms Of government whose custom Is TO
Innex titles of responsibility the office of their
hief magistrate, and that, intercourse with for
ign nations. due respect for the majesty of the
,eOpe of the people of the United States may not be
azarled by appearance of sngularity, the Senate
been induced 10 be of the opinion that would
e proper to annex respectable title the office OF
President of the United States; but the Senate de-
irOus of preserving harmony with the House Of Rep
where the practice lately observed in
resenting an address to the President was without
he addition of titles, think it proper for the present
act in conformity with the practice of that House,
therefore
Res0IUed, That the present address be "To the
resident of the United States without addition
Tile.
Now, here are the facts and the law in the case;
ct the readers of THE NATIONAL REPUBLICAN gov
rRthemselyes accordingly. Let them, too, act in
with the practice of the Senate and
Iouse of Representatives, as adopted May H. I7S9.
W. :. CLARKE.