The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1891-12-02
AppREssINc 1Hs pREslnsN1.
He Is Not Your Excenency or Your Honor
but Mr. President.

He Is Not Your Excel1ency OF Your Honor
but MFR. President.
If you ask presidents private sec
retary he will tell you. among other
things. that not one person out of ten
in writing to the president addresses
him properly, says the Washington
Star. Each correspondent seems to
follow his own sweet fancy. Thus the
man who writes and asks for pension
or an Office on the ground that he
served in the war is apt to begin his
letter "Dear General" and after hav-
ing told his wants he signs himself
''Yours fraternally."
This is pretty familiar. The presi-
dent isn't general except in that he is
commander-in-chiefo of the army; and
as for all men being brothers, it is true
as theory. but it is hardly correct on
all occasions as practice. If the letter
from the old army man is answered,
as nearly all letters are, the writer is
addressed with due formality as ..Sir''
and not as Dear Comrade." This
ought to be sufficient hint for him to
keep his distance. but it is not, and a
week later he bobs up serenely with
another long communication to his
'Dear General"
There are number of his corre-
spondents who wish to be very formal
and respectful, and they always call
him ''Excellency." It sounds Sc big.
is such pleasing mouthful, that MANY
people who ought to know better can
not resist the temptation of using this
form. As between such an expression
as Dear General" and ssYour Ex-
cellency" the former is preferable, for,
there is no law against it, while there
certainly is an unwritten law against
the latter. When the constitution was
formed there was great deal of dis
cussion as to the form of address that
should be applied to the president.
Some people thought he should be adj
dressed sExcellency," others would be
satisfied with Your Highness," /" while
still others thought he should be called
Majesty" The New Workers who
bore in mind the days of the Dutch re-
public, wanted the head of this re-
public, called His High Mightiness.n
After great deal of wrangling and
considerable exhibition of party feel
ing over the matter it was finally de-
cided for all time to come that the
chief executive should be addressed
simply as 'the president of the United
States" That settled it and made it
an impropriety to call him "Ex-
cellency.n The governor of state
has more form about him in CORE
spondence than the president, for un-
less there is clause in the constitu-
ton of the state expressly prescribing
some other mode of address it is cor
rect to call him '.Excellency." The
democratic spirit of some states has
interfered to prevent this, and it has
been prescribed that the governor re-
ceive some simpler title, but there are
only two or three of these states. As
a general thing the rule can be laid
down that the governor of state
should be addressed Y our Excellency.n
To begin letter to the president in
the same way is to establish an equality
between the two executives that does
not exist.
Another frequent mistake is made
by those who begin their letters to the
president, Your Honor.n His honor
is the presiding Judge of court. or
usually the mayor of city. Some
men, from constant association with
courts of justice. come to regard the
Judge as the highest and mightiest in
dividual on earth, and they can con-
ceive of no greater distinction to be
conferred on the president than to call
him Your Honor"
To cut long matter short, let the
correct form for addressing the presi-
dent be given. 1t is simply this:
benjamin Harrison. President of the
United States, Mr.. President. Then
after you have said your say, if you
are not proud, you can finish the COM
munication thus: Il have the honor
to be. Mr. President. your obedient
servant, John Smith," Don't make
the mistake that is sometimes per-
petrated of signing yourself thus: Il
have the honor to be John Smith," 1t
may reflect honor on you to be who you
are, but it is hardly modest of you to
say so. What you want to say is that
you consider it an honor to be the
presidents obedient servant.
To the rest of the world Uncle Sam
and the president are one. and that is
why the latter insists upon ceremony
in his dealings with other powers.
Probably the readers are familiar with
the observed in correspondence be-
tween the president and the head of
another government. 1t is a part of
the law of nations that they are all CO.
equal. The king of Samoa writes to
President Harrison in the same terms
of equality as are used by the emperor
of Germany, and the president replies
in kind. The head of these islands re-
ceiyes munifcent salary of less than
$500 year-that is, he receives it if
there is money enough in the treasury
to pay it. When Germany had
trouble with his majesty and demanded
an indemnity for damages of $40. 900 q
| broad smile went around the world.
for it was well known that the treasury
of Samoa had never had. and in all
probability never would have. sum
half so large in its Golfers. Yet the
king of Samoa is addressed by the
president as ''Great and good friend, .
and the president signs himself Your
good friend" and when Queen Victoria
receives letter from the president he
treats her with precisely the same
| formality and no more.