The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1891-09-26
USEFUL TO KNOW.
How to Address the American
Executive.

| III you ask a frcSlQent6 6 private
secretary he will tell you, among
other things, that not one person
out of ten in writing to the Presi-
dent addresses him properly. 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
having told his wants, he signs him.
self, "Yours fraternally."
This is pretty familiar. The
President isn't general, except in
that he is commander-in-chief of
the army, and as for all men being
brothers, it is true as theory, but
is hardly correct on all occasions as
practice. If the letter from the
old army man is answered, as near
ly all letters are, the writer is ad-
dressed with due formality as "Sir,"
and not as ''Dear Comrade." This
ought to be sufficient hint to him
to keep his distance, but it is not,
and week later he bobs up serenely
with another long communication
to the "Dear General"
There are a number of his COR
respondents who wish to be very
formal and respectful, and they al
ways call him "Excellency." It
sounds so big, is such a pleasing
mouthful, that many people who
ought to know better cannot resist
the temptation Of using this form.
AS between such an expression as
"Dear General" and "Your Excel
lency" the former is preferable, for
there is no law against it, while
there certainly is an unwritten law
against the latter. When the con-
stitution was framed there was a
great deal of discussion as to the
form of address that should be ap-
piled to the President. Some people
thought he should be addressed
"Excellency," others would be sat
is6ed with "Your Highness," while
still others thought he should be
called Majesty" The New York
ers who bore in mind the days of
/ the Dutch republic wanted the head
of this republic called "His High
Mightiness."
After great deal of wrangling
and considerable exhibition of party
feeling over the matter it was finally
decided for all time to come that
the chief executive should be ad-
dressed simply as "The President
of the United States" That settled
it, and made it an improperly to
call him "Excellency." The Gov
ernor of a state has more form
about him in correspondence than
the President, for, unless there is a
clause in the constitution of the
state expressly prescribing some
other mode of address, it is correct
to call him "Excellency." The
democratic spirit of some states has
interfered to prevent this, and it has
been prescribed that the Governor
receive some simpler title, but there
are only two or three of these states.
AS general thing the rule can be
laid down that the Governor of a
state should be addressed, "Your
Excellency." To begin letter to
the President in the same way is to
establish an equality between the
two excessives that does not exist.
Another frequent mistake is made
by those who begin their letters to
the President "Your Honor" His
honor is the presiding judge of a
court, or usually the mayor of a
city. Some men, from constant
associations with courts of justice,
come to regard the judge as the
highest and mightiest individual on
earth, and they can conceive 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
President be given. It is simply
this: benjamin Harrison, Presi-
dent of the United States-Mr.
President: Then after you have
said your say, if you are not proud,
you can finish the communication
thus: II have the honor to be, Mr..
President, your obedient servant,
John Smith. !" Don't make the mis-
take that is sometimes perpetrated
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 SER
want.
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 reader of the
Star are familiar with the form OBJ
served in correspondence between
the president and the head of an
other Government. It is part OF
the law of nations that they are all
coequal. The King Of Samoa writes
| tn President Harrison in the same