Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-10

and with that reticence which is SO character
istic of the man, to his own relations with the
administration and expressing his own view OF
the situation which now confronts us with a
conditional theory which is akin to theoretical
condition: Mr.. Wanamaker says. speaking of q
tariff for revenue:
your kind attention to your December &C
count as per bill rendered, will be greatly ap-
preciated by 'Yours truly,
John WANAMAKER."
You will perceive, Mr.. President, by the
familiar and noticeably persistent tone of
Mr.. Wanamaker's frank and cordial note,
that this matter has been discussed by us
more than once or twice; and while I am
willing to admit that 1 am, perhaps, more
conservative in my action upon this meas
ure than our esteemed friend, yet I fully
agree with him concerning the more i'm
portant features of his bill for the accretion
of the surplus, and will cordially move
either to recommit it, or, if it would better
meet the views of the administration, to
press it, with an avoidance of undue haste
BETTING the gravity of the situation, to a
third, or even fourth reading.
Having thus, I trust, established my
claim upon your consideration, not to say
Difference, by the foregoing allusion to the
cordial and intimate relations already exist
ing between myself and one of the warmest
and most deserving friends of the admins
tration, 1 will pass on to matters not more
important, perhaps, to myself and Mr..
Wanamaker, but more general in scope, and
somewhat more national in character.
ABOUT THE CABINET.
1t appears, from what I have learned
through trustworthy sources, that, after all,
you formed your Cabinet without consulting
me. This was probably an oversight, rea-
sonably caused by the overwhelming duty
of daily receiving large and constantly in
creaslng throngs of old school-mates and
long-lost cousins. but as some 90. .OOO, 900 of
other influential people, citizens of the
United States, were overlooked in the same
way, will let 1t pass. In fact, it has
passed already. trust that everything
else you do for the next four-or, permit me
to hope, thus getting my fine work in ahead
Of the boys-eight years, may pass as easily
with the Americanibus Populorum, which,
by Interpretation, is, American people. 1
don't know how you keep up your Latin,
but unless you keep it up better than you
used to get it up when we were boys at
Humans, l had better construe as L 90
along. I think 1 will, for my own sake.
Howbeit, I will not dwell on these painful
memories.
AT THE WHITE HOUSE DESK.
You are now a servant of the people. In
this land of the free bear in mind and re-
member, the master is servant to the hired
man, and no housewife has any right in her
own kitchen. Serve your masters, the peo-
pie, as they are accustomed to serve their
masters, the children and servants, willing
ly if it please you, unwillingly if it dis
please you, but do as they bid you, just the
same. Do not waste too much time at that
precious "desk" at the White House, of
which we have heard so much in bygone
years. When this country wants a clerk,
it is rich enough to hire one, or even two.
When we elect President, we spend sut-
fcient time and money to hire enough
clerks to run the Government % years.
Save enough out of your salary and sta
tionery allowance to buy a little desk for
dollar and wear it on your watchchain; then
you can truly say that you are always at
your desk, and you won't waste any time
about it. There is heap of precious time
wasted at desk. The development of a
most excellent clerk may be the spelling of
a good President. Fifty thousand dollars
a year is great deal of money to pay man
for holding down an Office chair and play
ing solitaire on a lock-stitch typewriter.
Don't be a clerk; be President. 1 think
you will; it runs in our family.
MESSAGES AND STATE DOCUMENTS.
And don't devote too much, and verv
little is too much, time to writing compost
tions on the Ethics of Popular Govern
ment," " ''The Conservation of the Conserva-
tive in Conservatism, Civil Service Re-
form as National Discipline, or that sort
of thing. All this you should have at
tended to at school, when you were in the
line of doing-or, possibly, occasionally of
not doing-exercises. People enjoy good
compositions on practical-and impractical
-moral-and otherwise-subiects, but they
require them to be rather highly spiced
with humor to make them palatable, and
that is something. Well, any time you
want anything of that sort, any of the
funny business, (" you know, grated into
your messages and documents, if Riley isn't
around, send for Eugene Field, or-oh,
well, any of the boys will be glad to help
you out any time. I'm stopping right here
in Bryn Mawr pronounced Bryn Mawr)
myself; all the time. Reception hours after
P. M. Been staying here through two ad-
ministrations-liable to keep on staying,
unless-however, we won't discuss that
now. But don't be a contributor to the
waste basket Be President.
DON'T BE PHRAsE-CoINER.
But, again: don't spend much of the time
which belongs to the people to the produc
tion of phrases" Phrase-making Is a free
and unprotected industry, and you were
elected on distinctively protection plat
form. Anybody can make phrases who has
mind to. Men have made phrases and
phrases and phrases; and then they have
heard the masters of the feast
say, Give this man place, and get thee to
law Office where talk is the staple."
Remember how long was sung the chant.
"a public Office is a public trust" No
body knew just what it meant, but it was
like an echo valves. it sounded well, in
horn. Mr.. President in our younger DAYS
and how pleasant it is to recall the good
old times when one of the good old-timers
has been called to a position where he has
it In his power to make times good for the
other old-timer-do you not call to memory
the legend, the well-known euphonic crea-
ton OF a phrase-making genius or an older
day, illuminated by the portrait of the con-
ventional setter dog, deceased, that hung on
the decorated walls of the grocery at Mar
tinsvllle, Poor Trust is dead?" Ali yes;
and the next line went on to tell what killed
him. Do not wear out your Thesaufus
hunting for strange, wild words of ques-
tionable character. and don't stare bills
ter on the ceiling trying to coin new ones of
uncertain pedigree. Don't be a phrase
maker; be President.
PERSONAL AND DOMESTIC HABITS.
If you can do so without neglecting other
public business, issue daily bulletin of
your personal life and domestic habits. This
would relieve the inventive faculties Of the
Washington correspondents of great
strain, and give to the people trustworthy
information upon these matters. I OBJ