The daily critic. (Washington City, D.C.) 1890-1890, 1890-06-18
SORRY FOR HARRISON.
The "ELEENOSYNARY INSTITUTION
FOR HIM AT CAPE MAY POINT
The law and the Cottage-Departur
From the Unwritten Code Here.
tofore Observed.


Tomorrow the Jersey coast will be
the scene OF an unpleasant spectacle.
The family Of the President of the
United States, even TO the second and
third generations, win move into a sea-
side cottage which they have neither
purchased nor hired for the summer.
This establishment IS, in plain words.
an eleemosynarv institution Certain
gentlemen have subscribed to pay for
the land, the building, and the interior
furnishings, even 10 the brass wana.
makers in the billiard room. On the
part Of some of the subscribers the gift
Is q matter of disinterested although
mistaken charity Other contributors
TO the fund, as there Is reason to appre-
hend were inspired by motives not
quite so unselfish.
There is probably no law in the Re.
yised Statutes under which General
Harrison could be punished for
THIS pIsCBACEFuL PROCEEDING.
Sections $500 and and jj01 come as near
TO his case, perhaps as any These
sections contain the following pro
vision
Every officer Of the United states. and
every person acting for or on behalf Of the
United States, I'm any official capacity un-
der or by virtue Of the authority of any de-
partment or Office Of the Government
thereof, who asks, accepts, or receives any
money, or any contract, promise, under
taking, obligation, gratuity, or security for
the payment Of money, or for the delivery
or conveyance Of anything Of value. with
intent to have his decision or action on any
question, matter, cause, or proceeding
which may at any time be pending, or
which may be by law brought before him
IN his official capacity, or IN his place of
trust or profit, influenced thereby
shall be punished by a fine not more than
three times the amount asked, accepted, or
received, and by imprisonment not more
than three years.
We suppose that an attempt to pun
ish General Harrison under sections
$500 and 1901 Of the Revised Statutes
could be met successfully with a tech.
nical defense on these grounds
]. The nominal receiver of the grs.
tuity is not General Harrison. but Gen.
eral Ilarrison's wife, and she Is not an
officer of the United States On the
other hand, II might be shown that this
is mere evasion, since General uarrl.
son is the head of the family which now
possesses the cottage at Cape May
Point, and II has been fitted up
WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ms oc.
CuPAECY
The billiard table in the great billiard
room and the brass wanamakers that
adOrn that apartment were certainly
not designed for the use OF Mrs IIarri
son or Of Baby Mckee.
.. The cottage Is not conveyed with
intrrl 10 have General lIarTison's de
cisiun or action influenced IN any
question which may come before him
In his official capacity. IL that defense
were raised, IL might be exceedingly
difficult 20 prove the contrary. Where
disintcrested motives are loudly pro.
claimed, and, perhaps, where the con.
matter of the indefinite future, a con.
yiciion would be very hard TO procure.
And yet, at the same time, nobody can
doubt that every subscriber 10 the
HARRISON. .MKEE FREsu.AIR FUND, 1
with the possible exception of Mr..
George Washington Childs and Mr..
Anthony Joseph Drexel, expects to oh.
tain sooner or later, through the In.
fuence Of General Harrison s official
station, return In some shape for his
investment.
fSlch line Of defense might be mlfl-
cient 10 save General Harrison from a
fine Of three times the value Of the Cape
May Point cottage, and likewise from
imprisonment for the prescribed term OF
not more than three years We do not
think the President could be convicted
under the statute quoted above, OF under
any other statute. We have no idea
that he will ever be prosecuted in the
United States courts. lie Is on the safe
side of the law concerning bribery.
Nevertheless there Is another and un.
written law which prohibits Presidents
while In Office from accepting gramities
Of any sort, no matter how ingeniously
they may be disguised Ii Is based on
well defined principles Of public morals. |
as well as on considerations Of personal
self-respect, which no sensitive intell-
gence can fail 10 recognize Most of |
the men who have preceded General |
Harrison IN the Office Of President have |
understood this unWritten law Of honor,
and have seTupulOusly obeyed Il.
Whenever the law has been violated BY |
q President Ia Office, that President has |
1isgfaced himself and his office and the