Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1881-04-15
VINE In THE WHITE HOUSE.
The Custom as to Drinking At the TIA
BILE under Various Presidents.

Under the administration of Wash
ington the absence of wine at His Ex-
cellency's table would have been more
serious breach of decorum than the
acts, on his part, of taking off his coat,
rolling up his sleeves and splitting on
his hands, with the remark Now,
ladies and gentlemen, little elbow
room, if you please; / am going to
carve you the turkey" The custom
of the country.
From Washington to Monroe, "a
little whisky, was the first essential to a
dinner with an invited guest at the Ex-
ecutive table. Under John Quincy Ad-
ans this good old custom in mild
form was continued. Under Old Hick-
DRY, to visitor at the White House, a
dinner or a glass of water without a
drop of good old rye whisky, was held
a deficiency calling for an immediate
apology. At his official dinners, Jack
son became famous for his abundant
supply of wines adapted to the various
tastes of his guests, of the diplomatic
corps, for example; but the only arti-
Gle upon which he claimed the opinion
of of expert was whisky. Whisky was
his favcrite stimulant, though he was
only faster" Of whisky. His choic-
est ''old rye" was reserved for the old
friends who could appreciate its mar
velous virtues, Van Buren, and Tyler.
From jackson to Van Buren, we pass,
in the White House, from the Liberty
Hall of the Southwestern soldier to the
straight-laced prophecies of My Lord
Chesterfield. But the "Little Magician"
at his table maintained the wines of
his "illustrious predecessor, though he
banished the backwoods whisky. In
truth, the backwoodsman had bu. lit
tie faith in the democracy of Van Blu
rem, ''who wouldn't touch whisky and
who always looked like dandy Just
stepped out of handbook" John Ty-
lers administration. with his new wife
and his old umbrella" was, socially,
that of hospitable Virginlan of the
old school. He lived frugally in the
White House, nevertheless, and his old
Virginia "peach and honey" and mint
juleps were not squandered upon stran-
gers. He saved enough from his twen-
ty-tive thousand year to buy fine
old plantation near the ancient Virgin
ian capital of Williamsburg, where he
raised his second family of young
sters and left them a good Inheritance
Pold and "Old Buck"
Under the unnretentious Presbyterian
regime of Polk and the more liberal,
social establishment of fillmore, and
through that of Pierce (socially North
ern man with Southern principles, the
old custom of wines and liquors at the
White House table was as faithfully
observed az any ordinance of the con-
stitution. Under Buchanan it ripened
again, for "Old Buck, " notwithstanding
his white cravat and his bleached and
bloodless complexion, enjoyed good
dinner and the smiles Of the Widow
Cli9uot with the best of them. lie was
a champaigner To the stranger he
was the Vicar of Wakefield, to his guest
he was the jovial old Squire Hardcas-
tie. Under the late presidents.
The war under Lincoln carried some
thing Of the freedom of the camp into
the executive mansion AS president,
Andy Johnson lived Hospitality, lnclud-
ing the sideboard; but with the easy
dignity and decorum of Buchanan
Under General Grant the vineyards of
both hemispheres with the best cigars
from Havana, were represented at his
official dinners. With General and Mrs
Hayes began here the new social dis
pensation of total abstinence, which has
doubtless ended with his term of office;
for General Garfield has limited that
the Maine liquor law will not be the
law with him.