Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-01-21
THE PRESIDENCY.

THE PRESIDENCY.
The Great POaCers of the Ofice-H0tC JEFF
tersom Changed N--Ho,U 1t Vas Admin-
istered By the Earlier Presidents,
WASHINGTON, Jan. 10.-The Office of presi-
dent of the United States is under estimated
among men of the world for its real worth,
not only as place of personal power, but of
intellectual, almost superstitious influence
over the great body of our people. While
some thousands of our folks have been to Eu-
rope and peeped into the Tower of London,
and visited Windsor and some of the palaces,
and have concluded that on the whole the
presidential office is rather a poor sort of
honor; yet the millions of people here have
not the least idea of ring, and throughout
the United States where the population is
most truly representative of the
American race, the Imagination
grasps nothing more subtle yet tremendous
than the word president. 1t means Washing.
ton and Lincoln, in the huts and little
towns, in the improving farms and up
through the grades of business 10 all the
forms of prosperity that attend upon sue
cessful, simple Republican government. The
young men around Delmonico's or the Union
club who suppose that there may be latent in
this country some fancy for king would
perhaps be surprised if they ever got vote
on that proposition. The people who should
sign the cali for the vote ould be apt to re-
member it for the rest of their days. The presi-
Dental Office, under Gen. Washington, was
moulded little upon the protectorate of
Cromwell, as that upon the Stakeholder of
Holland You recall the fact that Holland
was the original United States, so
called in terms. When Cromwell had
to put himself at the head of the Brit
ish commonwealth, which parliamentary
government was making foolish, he de-
present method of inaugurating American
chief magistrates. He had the Scriptures
opened before him, put one hand upon them
and raised the other in the air, and took the
oath to give his integrity, ability and devotion
to the cause of the commons of England.
Washinton, presenting himself before old
Federal Hall, at the head of Broad street, did
substantially the same, except that the consti-
tuition having been recently adopted, he swore
ciples iberaliZed, which the Stakeholder and
and the Protector meant to preserve.
Washington was of the generation of men
who had been subjects of kings; and the social
passion which underlies everything that is
successful mildly famed out as to the etiquet,
dress, etc., of the new president At that day
knee -breeches were still worn, and ruffles at
the bosom and sleeves had not passed out. So
Washington clothed himself in velvet, with
silk stockings and low buckled shoes. and
retained of ornaments only the
small sword which is worn by Ambas-
sailors, and at that time, 1 think, was
worn by gentlemen. Throughout his eight
years of administration the president made no
changes in his general attire or sociel and Off
cial etiquet. He was pretty old man and re-
fused to return visits. Mr.. Adams, his sue
cessor, endeavored to scrupulously respect the
forms left him by Washington
Mr.. Jefferson, who had reached the presi-
dency by encouraging the idea that the gov
eminent was going to turn into a monarchy
through these forms, did everything he could
to take etiquet ont of the presidential Office
He consequently became the chief of politi-
clans, but under his and following admins
trations the dignity of the Office was good
deal impaired. He allowed his estate to be
eaten up by the families he ought to have
kept at arms length, and they used his stables
in Monticello like tavern,
Mr.. Madison's wife undertook to supply
the place of authority in the executive house
hold with vivacity and compliment. Mr..
Monroe was such PLAIN body that there is
hardly any recollection of what kind of a
White House he maintained. The political
machinery in those DAYS was in the hands of
the Virginia school aided by the rising New
York school of politicians John Quincy
Adams was merely a political successor
of Monroe, and when he, after reaching the
presidency, somewhat changed his policy, it
was not by the addition of any personal cere-
monial to his Office. On the contrary, it is a
Washington tradition that he used to swim in
the Potomac unattended, watched by the bows
on the bank.
Gen. Jackson, who had scarcely any idea of
refinement, smoked his cob pipe in the White
house, and cursed and stamped in the presence
of visitors, often for effect, though there was
good deal of the actor about him and he
could be almost graceful on occasions. He
was the first man after Washington 10 make
the executive office strong.
Washington had not hesitated to proclaim
war against the whisky insurgents, and to 90
out In person, as president, with the army.
Jackson, Selling the patronage with a nerve
and, we may add, righteousness never be-
fore seen, overcame in turn his personal enc
mics, corporations, and finally insurgent
states. He drove the governor OF Mississippi
into exile and miserable grave for defeating
one OF his nominees for office in
that state. He defended Sam Houston
for going up to the capitol and whippin a
member of congress for words spoken in
debate, saying that 1t would stteach those
chaps to keep civil tongues in their heads
He would dine Nicholas Biddle, president of
the Bank of the United States, at his table, and
proclaim him within a few days the chief of |
corruption in the republic and his bank the |
enemy of liberty. He did break the bank at |
last, took the government deposits away from |
it, and Biddle never put up his head any more. |
Calhoun and South Carolina undertook to |
nullify-using a word of Jefferson certain |
laws OF the United States, chiefly because Mr..
Calhoun wanted to run for president, by agi
tating against said laws; and Jackson, whose
severity was moved against Calhoun personal |
~, rather than against the notification system,
made ready at once to demolish Charleston
and hang Calhoun. Il was Gen. Jackson who
established the treasury department where it
now stands, and which Of itself is the citadel
Of the executive power in this country. At
that time the departments were generally
planted right around the White House, and
were brick buildings OF a plain, oblong
form, with wooden porticoes and
trimmings. Having ordered the
deposits to be removed from tho