Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-05-06
ABOUT PRESIDENTS.



How wonderfully like other men pres
;5.nts are!" exclaimed a far western law
Ter 10 a Washington CORES ondent of
;be indianapolis journal correspondent.
u was at the the white house" continued
he for an hour early this morning, by
-,ecial appointment, and in the course of
, talk of that length i CLEANED a great
3sal about the general trend of Mr.. Cleve-
lands mind. was surprised at the way
batqlks. Why, after we talked over the
business we had to settle, the president
becan talking about miscellaneous mat
ters. Found him just like other men. He
converses about little things and domestic
and personal matters as freely and ordi
narily as a frontier farmer"
OF all the many people and things Wis
tors to the capital encounter none sur
prise OF disappoint them so much as the
president 1t seems to be the idea that
the president Is a very extraordinary per
souage-a man of wonderful magnetism,
strange appearances and one who CON
verses upon only law, politics and matters
of state. The great bulk Of people who
see this officer for the first time are pre-
pared for visionary and consequently
nervous shock.
III NttAA@ l4lhl ~ lttlN TN4uOll OtCuIEEu 10
those who know of the president of the
United States through the press that he
is selected from the masses of the people:
that in nine instances out of ten he has
been out of the sloughs of the most com
mon life but a few years, and often is
-natched from the most ordinary chan
nels of politics or business. The idea
that the presidents mind runs only on
Iratat1FrI thine g 4
dwells upon the very essence of statesman
ship is bosh.
Ordinarily president has less oppor-
tuuity to give TO hard study of statesmanic
matters than some of the minor officials
of the government. The mind of the
president dwels more furtively state
sman-hip and more at length upou poll
tics than that of any of the important
officers of the government The lengthy
decisouS evolving from the executive
mansion upon the serious problems of
life Oud especially the grave questions
of craftsmanship come through the in
-piration of the cobinet officers, and in
thegreat majorioy of cases they get their
basis and inspiration from the unimpor-
tant officers under them. j understand
that the last three presidents secured their
great decisions upon foreign matters
after consultation with an old official who
doesen't draw very large salary in the
department of state; that tee wise proc
lamatiou regarding shipping interests
customs, and foreign trade came from
the chief Of a division in the treas airy de-
partment, and that the knotty questions
touching upon the publis domain, indians
and the necessity for operations of the
army were Strengthened out by an army
aticer on the retired list. Furthermore.
that in nearly every instance, these men
wrote out he documents, and they were
signed, without amendment by the presi-
dent.
This goes to show that. even with the
president of the United States, one can
not place the credit for wise express
ION upon any matter he may instruct the
people upon. The deep research and
the bright wisdom are made and prepared
by those who have time and opportunity
TO think" as one Of them put it the other
day.
As the title of the office of president i'm
plies, it is an executive position. A pres
ldent, TO be wise and satisfactory, must
have extraordinary executive ability: then
with good counsel, able cabinet officers
he will be a success. The very work of a
president makes him common man. He
assumes to arbitrate or dictate the petty
political affairs of the whole country, so
far as they relate to the federal offices
lie could not give much thought to mat
tiers occurring investigation if he wanted
to. So long as the functions of the presi-
dent are administered as at present there
need be no fear of imperialism or he
drifting away of the chief executive from
the people, and so long as the Office re
qulres so much contact with all classes of
people there viii not be much seriousness
on the part of the president. and the
character of that officer will continue to
surprise those who have not met him. The
Office Is now and long has been one of ex-
ecutlye demands and powers only. and the
undercurrent has been with under Off
cials.
President Cleveland is frequently liken-
ed to President Lincoln in one particular.
he OFTEN drops IN his conversation. from
i-e most sublime subject to the frivol-
ou, Things which 90 to make up the de-
lauS OF ordinary life. Since president
Cleveland was over in Maryland, a week
or Two ago, TO eat canvas back ducks and
drink old stock wines from the cellar of a
personal friend. he is just as likely to run
on after dogs and fishing tackle, am
told by those who visit him almost daily,
"' DE Is TO stick TO the solid subject of
conversation.
just now the president is anticipating
with remarkable interest his prospective
summer vacation. He thinks he is going
z" nave complete rest out at the Soldiers
nome. north of the city, and talks of all
sorts of things that will amuse him there
Just like the school boy or girl looks
forward TO the last day Of school. The
president expects to get away from office
retkert and to see new scenes. Mr. Cleye-
.end enjoys a good fish story or a yarn
s'out duck shooting, and has of late been
"anlging in that pastime. One would
scarcely believe it when the weight of
congress Is resting so heavily upon the
executive mansion.