Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-13
HARR1soN,s SCOTCH WHISKY.
All the Presidents but One Used Win es, but
Prohibit1onists Are Angry.

All the Presidents but One Used Wines, but
Prohibit1onists Are Angry.
The cask of Scotch whisky which the
millionaire, Carnegie, sent to President
Harrison has caused a hot, smoky thrill of
indignation among the prohibition people
| of the United States, writes Frank G. Car
penter to The DISPATCH. 1t recalls the
barrel of brandy which General Henry NJ.
Naglee, the noted vineyard owner on the
Pacific coast, sent to Cleveland. General
Naglee was great admirer of President
Cleveland, and he had a barrel made with
silver hoops, which he filled with the finest
of grape brandy, worth at least $40 gallon.
He expressed this to the late William
Dorsheimer, of New York, and asked him
to present it to Cleveland. Dorsheimer
promised to do this, and the brandy was
shipped from California to New York, and
from thence it probably came to the White
House.
President Arthur had some very choice
wine which was given him by the famous
lobbyist, Sam Ward, and which he brought
out only on the most important occasions
President johnson had a fine article of pale
sherry, and he was fond of some Scupper-
nong vine sent him by his friends in North
Carolina. Thomas jefferson spent the most
for wines of all our Presidents, and his ac-
count book shows that he gave over $1,000
for sherries, brandies, Madeiras and cham
pagnes while he was in the White House.
He ordered his wines by the hundreds of
bottles, and in the first year of his Presi-
dency he spent $1,000 on liquors. President
Washington, though he was a temperate
drinker himself, had good wines on his
table, and he always took two glasses of
Madeira at dinner. During his first cam
paign for the House of Burgesses in Vir-
ginia find barrel of whisky for the treat
ment Of voters set down in the items of his
account book, and he always served wines at
his state dinners.
John Tyler, the son of the President,
once told me that his fathers brandy cost
him four dollars gallon and that he i'm
ported his own madeira, sending shelled
Indian corn from his Virginia plantation
over to Madeira to be exchanged for it.
Buchanan always had good wines and so
had Grant and Cleveland. Hays is the only
President in history who has not served
wines at his state dinner and as for Andrew
Jackson, he always had good liquors on tap
and plenty Of them. The night after his
Inauguration the carpets in the East Room
of the White House were ruined by the
orange punch which was brought into the
room in buckets. There were barrels of
this punch and when the walters entered
with the buckets, the guests rushed for it
and in the scramble that ensued, glasses
were broken and dresses spoiled. The tubs
of punch were finally taken out into the
VIII se House grounds and in this way the
throng was drawn off and it was possible to
serve cake ard wine.
One of the hardest drinkers among the
Presidents was Andrew johnson. He was
drunk when he was inaugurated as Vice
President and he kept his bottle generally
near him. While he was Governor of Tenn
eesee, he had jug in the washstsnd in his
executive Office and he treated his friends
form this.