The Penn's Grove record., 1886-07-24
LETTER.
Washington. July 20 1896.

OF the many people and things that
visitors to the Capital encounter, moth
ing seems to surprise and ~disappoint
them SO much as the President. The
popular idea is that The President is Il
very extraordinary parsonage. Scarce
" any II who has never seen a real,
live President expects to meet a plain,
prosy, ordinary mortal. Yet the very
work Of the Chief Magistrate makes
him TO some extent Il common place
man. lie arbitrates in petty political
affairs of the whole country so far as
they relate to Federal Offices, and this
| requires contact with all classes Of peo-
pie.
Some irate Congressman were talking
about Il Capitalization of power in con-
ncction with Mr.. Cleyeland's recent
vigorous exercise Of his veto power.
There can he little danger, however,
| of imperialism, or the drifting away OF
| the Executive from the masses, so long
| as the functions of the Presidency are
| administered as at present. Notwitll.
| standing this compulsory contact with
all kinds of people, the present eSecC-
I tive commits himself to his business
| callers only to the extent he thinks
| proper, 1t is really amusing sometimes
| to sec how he manages to evade the
direct questions and requests OF Office
seekers and politicians.
For instance, when the Virginia
gressional delegation called upon him
in behalf of Mr.. Goode, whom The Sen
ate rejected for Solicitor General, al
though each one took OCCASION TO eX-
press the hope that he would renonn-
ate this gentlemen, nothing could DO eX-
tracted from Mr.. Cleveland rs to what
he would do in the matter. He was
| sorry the Senate had rejected Mr.. Goode
he hoped it would reconsider its action,
he liked Mr.. Goode very much, etc;
but that was the only encouragement
given the delegation. The President
long since learned, as all Presidents
| must, to act before he speaks. III re-
gard to Mr.. Goodies disappointment,
| it may be said that he need not yet lose
| hope. A former candidate for the
SolicitOr-G eneralship, whose nomina-
ton the Senate rejected, rose, after
wards, TO be Secretary of the Navy.
President Cleveland continues to
come down into the East Room three
times a week to Shake hands with the
| people who are there awaiting the HON
or. Thursday he WAS confronted by
| about two hundred callers, most OF
| whom were eXcurSiunistS from New
Orleans. There were also II number Of
coiored people in the party, and their
| pleasure at shaking hands with a real
Live President was plainly manifest.
One old auntie shaped like II balloon,
| waddled up to Nh, Cleveland and drew
| oil her white cotton glove in order TO
''take e grip with nay bare han," as
she expressed it. Several of the eNeur-
sionists took occasion TO say to the I'M
culubcnt of the White House that lie
| might rely on their votes when another
election day rolled around.
Government clerks are no logger
| backward about taking vacations. At
this time last year they were rather
timid about asking for their months
leave. They probably feared that the
Administration might find out that
their services could be dispensed with
if they were absent, and SO they pre-
fcIred to stay close to their desks. At
any rate that WAS the practical result
until quite late in the summer, and the
departments, had their full quote
through the torrid weather. Now the
Ieaycs are falling quite rapidly in all
the departments, said an appointment
clerk. Tie ltCmg tiat a Democrat
vcu.& Sip u.tO hu place il lslt YacalI