The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-01-28
BEGGING Ep,srLes.
some OF tho Queer Letters Translated for
the PresIdsnt's IYeusf1t.


tho PresIdents Benent.
Perhaps the most curious begging
letters to the President are those in for
eign languages. The President never
sees these in the original. They are
sent in patches Of nine or ten to Henry
l.. Thomas, the official translator for
the State Department. Mr.. Cleveland
rarely sees the whole of any of these
letters. and seldom any part of them.
Translator Thomas runs his learned eye
over them, finds out what the request
and who the beggar is, and makes
brief note in abstract OF each one of the
missives. These then go over to the
White House to be looked over by the
correspondence clerk, and, as the re-
quests are usually even more absurd
than those which come written in the
English tongue. they are never shown
to Mr.. Cleveland, except, perhaps,
when a particularly funny one drops in
and the clerk or Colonel Lamont thinks
1t would be enjoyed all round. The
letters from people who beg in foreign
languages average about one a day the
year through, but oftener run up to
forty a month, then fall to twenty five.
They come both from Europe and
America, and are most commonly writ
ten in German. Those which come
from abroad are the funniest, because
the writers display not only their own
cranky notions, but the most eccentric
ideas OF the way in which the govern
ment of this country is managed. The
authors are frequently foreigners who
have had some residence in this coun-
try. but also come from persons who
have never been here, even on an i'm
aginary geographical trip.
One came only recently from an in
ventor in France. He wrote to inform
the President that he had discovered a
new method of facilitating travel by
canal. He was sure that his method
would make the United States great
deal of money, and he was only wait
ing to receive the necessary funds for
his voyage over. A man in Switzer-
land wrote asking for money in I'M i'm
perative way. He put his plea on the
ground that the President had once
been very kind to his mother, and that
on this ground he should take particu-
lar pains that her children did not suf-
fer. This letter is like the majority in
two respects. 1t demands money and
in considerable sum. asking $4,000
for the purchase of q house. 1t evident
ly came from man who had lost his
wits. Translator Thomas does not like
the reading of the epistles when
they turn out to be in large per cent
from crazy writer's. He finds that it
has a tendency to make him melan-
choly.
OF more laughable sort are the let
ters from writer's who imagine the
President has minute knowledge of
the'w whole country and its people, like
postmaster in country town. The
man in Spain. whose letter asked Mr..
Cleveland if he knew whether his Sec
ond cousin, who came to this country
nearly ten years ago, was still here is
fair sample of it's class. A German
woman in New York wrote in sober
earnest, saying that she understood
from the Presidents message that he
had the disposing of very large sur
plus of money in the Nations Treasury,
and as she was poor and deserving she
thought that in all justice she should
have some. The western Germans write
queer letters. A man who signed himself
Krausskopf and dated his letter Allegan
County, Michigan, has been persist.
ent correspondent of the President ever
since he came into office. In spite of
never receiving reply, he has written
again and again in ungrammatical
misspelled German, demanding part
of the Presidents salary. He never
mentions any particular sum, but is
always holding out his hand for share
of it, A boy. evidently Norwegian
from his name, wrote from Minnesota
not long ago. He said that he lived by
the shore of lake and was poor. He
needed to earn mouey and was trying
to do it by shooting ducks ON the lake.
He had only an old gun and wished, if
il were possible, that the President
would send him rifle.
Mr.. Thomas does not always get free
from the petitioning foreigner when he
leaves his Office. 1t is not long since
he was besought fervently by Greek
then staying in the city to bring it
about in the State Department that
fine estate in Greece, which he de-
clared belonged to him, should come
into his possession. There was not
any evidence of his ownership beyond
his own statement, but he assured Mr..
Thomas that if the State Department
could only secure the property Mr..
Bayard should have Il clear $4,000 for
his services. After many assurances
that nothing could be done for him, he
began to write to the Senators entreat-
ing them to interfere in his behalf.
There was no satisfaction there, and he
tried the same method on the House,
asking this body in fact to compel Mr..
Bayard to act for him. Rebuffed again,
he turned to the Supreme Court. He
visited Chief Justice Waite. What
did he sayP" was asked of the crank rs
he returned from this mission. He
would not say word" was the de-
spairing reply.
MI. Thomas has held his present po-
sition twenty-threc years. He is
chort thict tcot ,non ,y;th ,,.o,1 L.,