The Indianapolis journal., 1886-04-11
The Present Head of the Nation and Some of
Those Who Have Preceded Him Found to
Strongly Resemble Plain, Ordinary Men.
Gen. joe Johnston and His Connectiol
with the Pan-Electric Company.
Objectionable Petty Peddlers Who Should Be
Removed from the Capitol Building-Field
Of the Lobbyist and the Attorney.
ABOUT PRESIDENTS.

ABOUT PRESIDENTS.
These August Personagss Found to Have
Traits in Common with Ordinary People.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, April 10.-"How wonderfully
like other men Presidents are!' exclaimed far
western lawyer TO your correspondent to-day.
'T was at the White House, continued he, "for
an hour. early this morning by special appoint
ment, and in the course of talk of that length
] cleaned great deal about the general trend of
Ir. Cleveiand's mind. was surprised at the
way be talks Why. after we talked over the
busineaS we had to settle, tha President began
talking about miscellaneous matters. found
him just like other men. He converses about
little things and domestic and personal matters
as freely and ordinarily as q frontier farmer"
OF all the many people and things visitors to
the capital encounter, mono surprise or disap-
point them so much as the President. It seems
tc be the idea that the President is very extra
ordinary personage-a man of wonderful mag
netism, strange appearance, and one who con-
verses only upon law politics and matters of
state. The great bulk of people who see this
officer for the first time are prepared for vision
ary and consequently nervous shock.
1t seems that it has seldom occurred to 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
common life but few years, and often is
snatched from the most ordinary channels of
politics or business. The idea that the Presi-
dents nind runs only on the most dreadful
hfno Of he n,d 1lc fho
essence of statesmanship is bosh.
Ordinarily a President has less opportunity to
give to hard study OF statesmanic matters than
some of the minor officials of the government
The mind of the President dwells more furtively
upon craftsmanship and more at length upon
politics than that of any of the important officers
of the government The lengthy decisions evolv-
ing from the executive mansion upon the serious
problems of life, and especially the grave ques-
tions Of craftsmanship, come through the inspi-
ration of the Cabinet officers, and in the great
majority Of cases they get their basis and irspi-
ration from the unimportant officers under them
I understand that the last three Presidents Sc
cured their great decisions upon foreign matters
after consultation with an old official who
doesn't draw very large salary in the Depart
garding shipping interests, customs and foreign
trade come from the chief of division In the
Treasury Department, and that the knotty ques-
tons touching upon the public domain, Indians
aud the necessity for operations of the army
were Strengthened out by an army officer on the
retired list Furthermore. that, in nearly every
instance, these men wrete out the documents,
and they were signed without amendment, by
the President.
This goes to show that, even with the Presi-
dent of the United States one cannot place the
credit Tor a wise expression upon any matter he
may instruct the people upon. ssThe deep re-
search and the bright wisdom are made and pre-
pared 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 implies,
II is an executive position. A President to be
wise and satisfactory must have extraordinary
executive ability; then with good counsel, able
Cabinet officers, he will be success The very
work of 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 federal offices. He could not
give much thought to matters requiring investi-
CATION if he wanted to- So long as the functions
of the presidency administered as at present
there need be fear of Imperialism or the drift
ing away of the chief executive from the people,
and so long as the Office requires so much con-
tact with all classes of people there will 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 execu-
tive demands and powers only, and the undercur
rent has been with under officials
President Cleveland is frequently likened to
President Lincoln in one particular He often
drops, in his conversations. from the most SUBJ
lime subjects to the frivolous things which go to
make up the details of ordinary life Since
President Cleveland was over in MARYLAND.
week or two ago, to eat canvas back ducks and
drink old stock wines from the cellar of a per
sonal friend, he is just as likely to run off after
dogs and fshing-tackle. am told by those who
visit him almost daily, as he is to stick to the
solid subject of conversation.
just now the President is anticipating with re-
markable interest his prospective summer vaca-
sion. He thinks he Is going to have complete
rest out at the Soldiers Home north of the city.
ana talks of all sorts of things which will amuse
him there-iust like the schoolboy or girl looks
forward to the last day of school The President
expects to get away from office seekers and to
see new scenes Mr. Cleveland enjoys a good
fish story or yarn about duck killing and has
or late been indulging in that pastime One
would scarcely believe it when the weight OF
Congress is resting SO heavily upon the execu-
tive mansion.
GEN. JOE JOHNSTON.
~