The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-12-22
GOSSIPOF GREAT MEN
Presidents as Pedestrians and
Statesmen in Street Cars.
SENATOR REAGAN AND HIS STRING
How He Pulled it When Thinking of Jeffer-
son Davis-A New Story OF Patti
Ben Buffers New Hat.


President Harrison walking with frien,
on Connecticut avenue last Sunday. H
wore a plain black overcoat buttonet
tightly around his rather rotund form,
pair of brown kid gloves which fitted re
markedly well, and a new and shining
black silk tile. He chatted with his FRIEND
as he walked, and there was nothing about
either his appearance or the notice taken Of
him by the other promenaders to show that
he was President of the greatest republic
on the face of the globe.
PRESIDENT HARRISON,
in his everyday habits, is showing himself
more democratic than any of his predeces-
sors of the past decade. Arthur was sell
dom seen on the streets save in his carriage
or on horseback, and all of the walking
that President Cleveland did was in the
country about Oak View, or in the back
yard of the White House. Garfield was a
great walker while he was in Congress,
but he had no chance to get out during the
few stormy days Of his administration; and
President Hayes took his outings in car
riage. President Harrison's grandfather
was one of the most noted walkers of all
the Presidents. He did his own marketing,
and got up and trotted out often without
an overcoat to protect his slender, old
frame, to get his chops and steaks for his
White House breakfast. OF late years.
the etiquette of Presidential life has
rapidly changed. The President grows
bigger as the office grows older and his
frame is now wrapped around with red
tape from big toe to crown. Buchanan and
Pierce often called upon their congress
lsional friends, and one day, an old stager of
Washington tells me, he remembers Pierce
coming into room where group of Sena-
tors were playing poker. One of the Sena-
tors had his coat OFF, and he rose to put it
on, whereupen President Pierce said:
Don't bother, gentlemen, and go on with
your game, for can only stay moment
with you"
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS
took a walk of four miles before breakfast
while he was President. He would get up
at daylight, prance down the avenue, take
q turn around the capitol, and like as not a
swim in the Potomac. He took these Po-
tomac baths in the coolest weather, and he
was Mortified one day to see colored vag-
rant running of with his clothes. Old
John Adams was another great walker, and
George Washington, while he was Presi-
dent, took walk with his private secre
tary, Tobias Lear, every afternoon on the
streets of Philadelphia Eve witnesses
have stated that these walks wore very
sober affairs, and that during them neither
Washington nor his secretary spoke to
each other. jackson was a good walker
and Van Buren, visited his friends while he
was President. General Grant was often
seen on the streets during his term in the
White House. and newsboy one day, not
ing that his cigar was nearly smoked out,
M I'm WI ha
30 him and said:
''Please, iedge, give me the stump"
PRESIDENT GRANT
looked at the urchin with a smile and
handed him the remainder of his cigar after
he had lit another from it. There is no
reason why the President of the United
States should not act as ordinary mortals
He is only man up to the time of his en-
tering the White House, and when he
leaves it he finds that he is reduced to the
ordinary standard of manhood again. Had |
President Cleveland strolled along Penn |
sylvania avenue during his administration, |
his act would have been an item of news |
for all the papers. To-day he can prone
made Broadway from morning until night |
and he will not make paragraph.
Speaking of pedestrians,
MR.. BANCROFT, THE HISTORIAN,
has stopped riding and taken to walking.
He told me about year ago that he could
ride thirty miles without firing and his
tall, thin frame seems to be made of iron.
He walks with a firm tread, and though his
valet a handsome, brown whiskered blonde |
German, always goes with him, he does
not support him. Bancroft was great
friend of the Emperor William of Ger |
many, and it may be that he adopted the |
cap of the German army out of Difference |
20 OF rsofn n Of
these caps with the vizer well pulled down |
over his eyes, and he goes about Washing |
ton as clipper as boy. He has practi |
cally given up, however, his literary work, |
and though he plays at writing and pre-
tends to labor, he is really doing very |
little.
SENATOR HENRY B. PAYNE
is another great walker. He walks from |
his house to the capitol and back every day. |
Tom Reed usually walks out to Congress, |
and Mckinley and Tom Bayne do likewise. |
| often see Justice Harlan on the avenue, |
and have seen half dozen justices of the |
supreme court at one time in the same |
street car. EX-Speaker Carlisle not infre- |
quently holds onto the strap Of the herdics, |
aud once saw him rise and give his seat to |
a cOlored girl. General Joe Johnson |
patronizes the street car, and Joe Cannon |
rides thus TO the capitol every morning. |
saw Senator Edmunds in herdic yester-
day, and the President, while he was in
the Senate, used to patronize the street
car.
SOME FUNNY CONVERSATIONS
are heard in these Washington herdics.
A lady friend of mine describes an incident
which occurred yesterday in one of the red
herdics going Gut to the capital. Senator
Cockrell, of Missouri, in an old slouch hat
and an overcoat considerably worse for the
wear, came in and pumped himself down
on a seat near the door, while he handed a
three and seven tenth cent ticket to his
postmau, who sat next to him, to put in the
box. He then began to talk to the post
man, and said:
''Ain't this awful weather? never saw
such warm days during December in my
life. There are half-a dozen people sick in
my block. and we'll all be sick if it don't
get colder. It's just awful!"
The herdic went on a half-block, and
General Palmer entered the herdic. He
said: How do you 40, Senators" and
shook hands with Mr.. Cockrell as he sat
down. Said Senator Cockrell:
''Oh, I'm pretty well, but I don't know
whether I'll stay well long. Amt this aw-
ful weather! never saw such weather in
December before. People are sick all
around me. Wen all be sick if it don't get
colder"
At the next corner another passenger got
in. He was a rotund, straw whiskered
man, with long hair, and big, round head
pasted down to a pair of broad shoulders.
He wore an overcoat that showed the same /
marks Of age as that of Senator Cockrell's, /
and he had on his head a drab sombrero
with rim yard wide. Outside of his
wristbands flannel shirt plainly showed
and he evidently had red flannel dickey
across his breast under the coat. "How
are you, Cockrell!' he said.