The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-02-08
THE WHITE HOUSE PRISON.
Tradition Has Made 1t Such for the
President.
From the Boston Globe.


WASHINGTON, Feb. 3.-The occasional
pedestrian along Sixteenth street is now
and then surprised to see President and Mrs.
Cleveland taking sprlghtly walk up that
quiet thoroughfare. These strolls are not
| frequent, and generally occur about dusk.
| Scarcely another street in Washington has
| received this mark of the Pres. dents par
tlaity.
| There are blind men in this town who
know more about it's appearances than Presi-
dent Cleveland, VINO has lived here four
years.
AS tradition has been piled upon tradi-
| ton the Pre- ident of the United States has
become prisoner in the white house. Mr..
! Cleveland, probably, as mucl from a
natural Indifference to sightseeing as from
a nervous dislike of being stared at, has
accepted every limitation Of tais character
| TO be found i'll the traditions of the presi
! dency. Among these traditions is the rule
that he shall never enier any except a cab
| int officer's house at the capital, and
! another that he shall never attend a session
of congress unless specially invited to par
| tiCpate in some extraordinary ceremony.
1t mas been many ysarS since president
has seen congress at a routine session. Few
presidents, b viewer, have kept the other
10 curtatling their visiting privileges.
| Grant had habit of surprising his friends
with evening calls. no matter whether they
were narrowly quartz ed in hotel or were
able to offer him the hospitality Of a great
house. Arthur also made quiet calls after
the day was over, and once saw him al 2
| o'clock in the morning walking back TO the
white house from some friends, attended
| only by a young boy.
But it is probable that President Cleve-
land has never crossed the threshold of more
than two Washingt n homes outside the
/ oo not OH rfn nf .ap Gv,Ig
HE HAS NOT SEEN
the interior of ten residences in Washing
! ton. He has never seen congress at work,
| and am assured that in four years he has
not once entered q department building.
| The treasury, state, navy, war and attorney
| ge erals departments are all within
| stones throw of the white house, but Mr.
| Cleveland never opened the doors. AL
though Max O'Rell tells the French that
the President walks to and from
his work at the capitol, Mr.. Cleve-
| sylvania avenue as Grant was in
the habit of doing. and surely be never
| took drink across a Washington bar as
Bucha IAN did more than once. He rarely
goes to the theaters not caring much for
| the plays and caring less for the long line
of stares that he must always walk down
when he passes out. Probably there has
/
not once put on his hat and gone out Of
doors. All he knows about Washington
and its ways he has simply heard.
No man has ever worked as bard in Wash
| ington as he has worked and cannot fancy
a greater change in mans life than will
take ace IN bis few weeks hence. With
! his usual rsticence he still leaves the people
TO guess how be will employ his liberty.
! There is some expectation that he will go on
| breaking presidents and be the first ex-
| President to make Washington his home
hope in any event he may yet find the time
aud inclination to take few
sTRoLLs AROUND TOWN
and see what manner OF place it is that he
has been living in and overshadowing for
! the last four years.
Wherever be may 60 when relieved of his
| great burden it is certain that he will retire
| in manner be6tting the dignity Of his
place He will not emulate John Adams
| and lash his horses out Of town between two
DAYS and leave his successful rival to receive
the custody of the ma sion from subordi
mates Some idle fancy has been expended
upon the relations between Cleveland aud
! Harrison, aud we have been told all about
! lot Of thoughtful coUrtesiei that have not
| passed. But Mr.. Cleveland will not
mar the festivities OF inaugural time. de
will ride 70 the capitol with the new Presi-
dent. and sit by his side when be reads his
address. for Gen Harrison will probably
not trust him elf TO follow his predecessors
singular example Of delivering his inaugu-
raj without manuscript or notes. Ia the
evening the retiring host and hostess vi il 90
| to the pension building, and we need not
! doubt that Mrs. Cleveland will be the belle
Of the much decried bail
Gen. Hancock was so graceful as to come
| from New Yo X to attend the inaugural
| bail in honor Of Gen. Garfield, and four
years ago Mr.. Arthur left uudone nothing
that would be- likely 70 please his successor.
Mr.. aud Mrs. Morton have already been
welco ned az the white house. IL IS pre-
dicted Of them as of so many OF their pre-
decessors, tina. they will make
THE VICE PRESIDENCY
a more conspicuous and attractive post IN
the governments But there is no luck in
the office. 1t is a tragedy. don't know