St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1890-05-15
PRESIDENT HARRISON.
As Speaker Barrett of Massachusetts
Sees Him.

L Gan
is now on the up grade in the public
estimation. He has had a rather
rough time of it in some respects since
going into the White House, but hi:
| good sense and moderation is being
| felt The talk here now among hi:
| friends and enemies as well, is thai
he will be candidate for renomina
| ton and will secure it. | have hearC
| a good deal with reference to Gen
Alger, but generally in that way
which carries with it the idea that
no one expects anything to come o
it. Speaker Reed is in some ways
the most talked-of man in Washing
ton this winter, but his presidential
desire, if he has any, is not substan
tial enough to make any Roadway
against Gen. Harrison. The latter
is a safe man, and if he has not forced
his ideas and personality SO much or
Congress in many ways as may be
wished, still there is wisdom III not
trying to do too much of this sort OF
thing, and the president can very
well afford to wait little until the
fercer spirits in his party learn tC
understand that his stability IS a bet
ter rock than a more brilliant dis
play.
Among the first things that l did
was to call at the state house and
pay my respects to Mr.. Blaine, who
has, SO his friends say, given up final
ly his old-time ambition to be presi-
dent, and is now very well content
to preside at the head of the state de-
partment Personally, he still re-
tains that popularity which always
made him shining mark in Wash
ington, and it is conceded that he
has conducted the deliberations OF
the Pan-American Congress with
great tact and skill. Today he had
on the table copies of the treaty OF
arbitration and meditation, to which
all the American republics have
agreed, and which were signed this
morning by 13 plenipotentiarles, to
be followed by the five remaining
ones as soon as they are endowed
with authority Mr. Blaine is a
happy disappointment to those who
had been more or less influenced by
the opposition papers to believe that
he wonld enter upon a lingo policy.
The foreign colony here say that no
secretary of state has been more con-
servative than he. Even in the minor
matters of appointment, where his
enemies said he would crowd his old
time opponents to the wall, he has
shown a nice sense of fairness, and
won their praise. Without any ques-
ton he is very near to the president,
both personally and politically, and
the best observers fail to see any APP
pearance of jealousy between the
two men. Mr. Harrison makes his
own appointments, sometimes with
almost painful care and deliberat1On,
but he does it honestly, and SO far 1t
must be said that he has succeeded
in making excellent selections. Per
haps he gives too much attention to
these details, but that is his habit,
and he could not get out of it if he
would.
We hear so much about the presi-
dents pallor and ill-health that | am
always impressed when meeting him
with the force and vigor which he
displays. Even when in conversa-
ton his talk is interspersed with en-
phatic gestures, and to me he looks
even stronger and better than he did
in the days when he was a senator.
He devOtes a great deal of time to
passing upon the legislation that
comes through Congress, and having
been there himself has an interest as
well as a duty in performing it. He
has something of the close habit of
scrutiny which distinguished Mr..
Cleveland, and while | do not sup
pose he will veto any widows pen
sions, vet when some larger schemes
come before him, as the gigantic river
and harbor bill, which the members
of Congress are talking of swelling
to the sum of $2O,OOO,OOO and the
millions for public buildings grabs,
which are being engineered through
one branch or another, it need not
surprise any one to see the president
call a halt by some emphatic veto
messages. The president is not eX-
travagant in any sense, and does not
believe in extravaganza, and he sees
perfectly well that with the tariff bill
passed, as it surely will pass, and the
$40, 900, OOOa year extra on the pen
sion list which the Morrill, bill will
call for, the treasury will be in
position where it will have hard
work to meet the sinking fund re-
quirements.- Washington Letter to
Boston Advertiser.