The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1882-05-03
ESTHETIC ARTHUR.
Our La-De-Dah Presidents Imperial
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS in Politics.
Ruffies, Liveries and Low whispers ut the
White House-No Wonder "Ihe
Boys" are Disguised.
Washington Letter. /


cause of his change of manner toward them
since he became fairly installed at the
White House. In former days when he
was Chairman of the State Committee, and
when be ran the machine In your city, he was
easily accessible to every body and would take
a social glass with anybody who could con-
troll votes. When he was Collector he was
extremely sociable, and the bottle and
glasses stood always convenient to the desk
to welcome a long line of friends from every
class in society. 1t was this geniality of
manner that made General Arthur popular,
and gained him devoted supporters in all
quarters. Even When he was running as
candidate for Vice President he well
coined all visitors at political
headquarters, and his sociabIlity was
extreme. Indeed, be sometimes carried it
TO the verge of prudence, for newspaper
men encountered him at times on his travels
homeward when he evidently would have
found il difficult to give an ineligible opin-
ion on Chinese cheap labor. This delightful
affabi!ity was specially pleasing to ''the
bows" and when the Vice President was
summoned to Washington to command the
ship of state they were in high feather over
the notion that at last the
AGE OF PURITANIsM
at the National Capital was ended, and they
had man there who would be good to
his friends" They felt sure that all they
would have to do for the future would be to
march into the White House in their every
day clothes, clap "Chet' upon the pack as
they used to do when he levied his contribu-
tions on them at the Custom House, and
that then they would be invited TO stay and
make themselves at home. To their
intense disgust they have found out that
their dreams of pleasant familiarity had no
foundation. Their merry prince Hail. has
become an aesthetic monarch, with tenden-
cles to bric-a-brac in politics. When they
got passes to Washington and presented
themselves at the imperial mansion they
were told that the President was too busy to
see anybody, and their only consolation has
been in reading the accounts of festivities
and receptions to whose regal splendors
they could not be admitted. The few who
got inside the sacred precincts found their
loyal souls chilled by the frowns Of the man
who used to smile genially upon them.
A reporter of the Mercury found Re
publican Congressman from the interior
dilating upon the aristocratic and exclusive
tendencies of the Administration to group
of indignant machine workers at Willard S
| Hotel few nights since. The eXasperated
Congressman said Would you think it,
| can scarcely gain admission TO the White
House myself? When / send in my card it
has to pass through the hands of half a
dozen hunkies in and out of livery, and1 am
made to cool my heels for an hour before
am handed in to the
AUGUST PRESENCE
of the accidental President Then / find a
new order of things reigning there. In
Lincoln's day the President would receive
me in his dressing gown and slippers, and
sometimes with his heels on the documents
which Uttered his official table. Andrew
Johnson was quite as unpretending and re
| publican in his ways. Grant took on style
and Hayes kept it up, but Garfield tried to
abolish Grants exclusive methods.
Under Arthur a new style OF
rules has been laid down to make
visitors uncomfortable. The President
| dresses in the height OF fashion. He buttons
his Prince Albert coat closely, and never
unbends button in our sight. His tailor
goes to the extreme of fashion. Always
Arthur looks as if he had just been dropped
out of bandbox, and his callers are given
to understand that if they would meet favor
with him they must also consult fashionable
tailors. Why, boys, we are even informed
that
HIS FANOElTE PERFUME
is violet, and that he dislikes any other Odol
thrust under his imperial nose No vulgar
smells are tolerated at the White HI use
Ii is also given out that when he enters q
room everybody is expected TO rise and re-
main standing so long as the President is in
sight. No matter whether the persons are
Senators, Justices of the SupIere Court OF
mere citizens, they must pay this homage to
his greatness. Another rnwritten law OF
the presence chamber is that all converse
ton must be carried on in whispers. Nc
| loud talking or old-time merriment will be
tolerated. In this way the approach to the
President is fenced in with all the pre-.
negatives that are conceded only to Kings
and we are all made to feel that we are
MANY degrees inferior to the man who was
elected TO preside over the Senate, and who
was made Chief Magistrate by the bullet OF
an assassin. Rare flowers, choice music
calcium lights, gilt-edged menus, costly sill
verware and the most expensive wines adorn
the feasts which are spread for the select
few, and over these banquets Mr.. Arthur
presides with freezing dignity which gives
his guests to understand that there is wide
gulf between himself and the rest of man
kind. When he goes out for drive
HE RIDES IN STATE
with hyeried coachman and footman, and
his sight is so feeble that he can not distin
guish any of his old friends from home who
pass on the street. At home and abroad the
man WHOM we stretched a point to put on
the ticket with Garfield. because we thought
| he a thoroughly good fellow, who might
| be relied upon to do the boys a good turn
if he ever got the chance, is the foremost
| aristocrat in the land. His coats and pants,
his gloves and neckties, his perfumes and pc
mades are much more of an object of inter
est to hlm than any of his old friends. Ii
| beats me. / used to run in the Custom
House, three or four years ago, when l was
in town, aud have a social chat with him,
and never thought for a moment of calling
| him anything but 'Chet,' but if should
dare call him by that name now, know he
| would never allow me another bit OF patron
| age even in my own District. 'Chet' is dead
lit is King Arthur who lives at the White
House now.
THE Cabinet take, their cue from the
President and 60 about with their noses
among the stars and perfume ON their
cambria handkerchiefs For one, / shall
hate perfume as long as live. Frelinghuy-
sen is more stately than Gladstone. Folger
is an iceberg. Tue latest conspicuous fea-
ture If Attorney General Brewster's court
dress is ruffied shirt, for he wears
LACE RUFFLEs ON HIS SLEEVES
and white flannel breeches. But the private
carriage of this Philadelphia lawyer is a
niiracle of display. Ii there is one thing ia
which Mr.. Brewster prides himself more
than his apparel. II is the belief that he is of
noble descents For this season he has set
up a carriage bearing armorial designs. The
vehicle has yellow wheels, which