Los Angeles herald., 1891-04-28
ADuLArIoN RUN MAD.

1t has usually been assumed that cour-
tiers are an incident of monarchical gov
ernment, but that they can flourish very
well in California is shown by the utter
ances of at least one journal, the San
Francisco Wasp, which frequently ac-
quits itself of some very neat cartoons,
but which quite often fails to hit the
center. If it fails pictorially, however,
when it comes to larding with adulation
President Harrison, it rises to empyrean
heights of flattery. In this connection
it must be borne in mind that Mr.. Har-
rison's postmaster of San Francisco is
editor and principal owrer OF this heb
domadal. Hear it:
President Harrison has had difficult
task to perform, from the day he left
Washington up to the present, in meet
ing the demands of the people for
speeches. He has proved himself equal
to the occasion, however, in a most re-
markable succession of public utter
ances. Everywhere his words have been
fit and timely. They have been charac-
terized, moreover, by matchless grace of
diction and the loftiest sentiment. The
president stands before the people today
in a new light as the result OF these
speeches. They have been a revelation
even to those who knew him best, and
prove anew his claim to consideration
and respect, both as man and states
man.
Our esteemed contemporary, the Ex-
press, goes into ecstasies of an equally
fervent character, and calls Mr.. Harri-
son the ''silver-tongued president.
Now it is all very we'll to pay defer
ence to the Office of president of a
great country like the United States,
and the HERALD was behind no
one in this gracious Office, but it is
absurd to carry adulation to such ridic-
ulous extremes. The president IS
speeches have been by no means of a
high order. They have been character
lied by an unusual amount of gush and
bathos, which have probably reflected a
very genial temperament, but they have
not been of the elevated order which one
would look for from man occupying his
exalted station. His tiresome references
to the American flag on all occasions have
been of the very essence of spread-eagle-
ism. If he would vary this feature OF
his quite commonplace utterances by
reading Drake's "Forever float that
standard Sheet" even then the good
taste of his efforts in the line of his de-
votion to that garish and gracious en-
sign might be doubted, but the spirit
of his performances would be vastly i'm
proved.
The Wasp is evidently determined
that no European courtier shall exceed
it in hunkeyism, as witness the fol-
lowing:
These gentlemen have come on this
western trip for business as we'll as
pleasure, and important notifications
and Improvements in the public service
may be expected as the result of theil
observations. Because we can see sc
much good growing out of this visit-as
evidenced by the receptions rendered
the PRESIDENT everywhere along hi:
route-we think it should be obligatory
upon all presidents and cabinet officers
to visit every section of the union sew.
eral times at least during each admins
tration.
Insatiate archer, would not one OF
two suffice? The ordinary American oI
any party would be willing to concede
that John Wanamaker and Jerry Rusk
are enough for any ordinary excursion
As to presidential excursions in general
they have been features of our ordinary
experience since the founding of the
government. They were inaugurated by
Washington, and they have been con.
tinued from time to time, according tc
the humor of the occupants of the presi
dental office. On one of these excur.
sions the immortal jackson had his nose
pulled, in his old age, and when he was
crippled by rheumatism, in a boat on 6
Virginia canal. Evidently presidents
were considered as mere mortals wher
Lieutenant Randolph could screw hi.
courage up to the point of tweaking tht
nose of old Hickory.
A little less man worship and little
more republican sentiment would no
be out of place in this great and glorious
country of ours.