The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1893-02-02
THE EN-PRESIDENTS.

T 1889. he looked at his questi0ner rath-
/ er queerIy Tor a moment, as though
the question surprised him. and then
said: I'm going to practice law just
( as / should have done if [ hadn't come
here / think the most appropriate
thing q man can DO after he has re
tired from public Office IS to take up
his private business again, unless, Of
! course, he IS too old"
Notwithstanding this opinion, Mr.
! Cleveland was. with one exception. the
only eX-president who resumed, after
his retirement his professional work.
1t has been reported that President
Harrison expects when he leaves the
v hlte House to return to IndianapO-
lis and resume the practice Of law,
and moreover to become an instructor
IN law in the great university upon the
Pacific coast
There has been a feeling that he
who has held the Office Of president
should, upon retirement, enjoy a dig
iiied leisure and wait. like one whose
career IS ended. the coming Of the
summons. 1t is probable that this
feeling was due to the course adopted
by President Washington. He was
urged 70 become q candidate for a
third term, but declined, As he had
fourteen years before refused the
crown. His public reason for not &C
cepting third term was that he be
heyed II best to limit the presidential
term, ii not by constitutional provis
ION at least by custom, which would
have the force Of law But he had
private reason. He was tired Of pub
lie life. and he yeaTned for the repo5e
Of his estate at Mount Vernon As
soon therefore. as Mr.. Adams was in
augurated. President Washington re
turned to the beautiful property which
came to him through his wife, upon
the banks oi the Potomac There he
lived an idle lie Of retirement He.
in general way, superintended and
overlooked the property. Watching
with intense interest the cultivation Cf
the soil, rising early frequently and
riding many miles before breakfast,
and in the summer time in the after
noon walking about his gardens which
q few years ago were very much III
the condjtionin which they were when
he died tie entertained some. but
not extensively, and he seemed in the
two years which elapsed between his
retirement from the presidency and
his death thoroughly to enjoy himself
i'll the capacity OF d5 a country gentle
man.
John Adams was an old man when
he retired from the presidency, and
yet he lived a quarter of a century
after he returned to private life, and
long enough to see his son a successor
Of his in the presidential Office. Mr.
Adams on the morning that Mr.. JEFF
felsOn was Inaugurated, left the capt
tOI and returned to his home in Quin
cy, Mass, where he lived, not as
Washington had, the life Of a country
gentIemeu taking keen enjoyment in
the simple pleasures Of the farm. but
surrounded by his books, his papers.
he passed twenty five years mainly in
his library The old gentleman took
a keen interest IN affairs, and carried
| on an extensive correspondence. Al
| though he was no longer an active
force, still through his communica
/ tions Witu men Of affairs he managed
| to maintain some influence Mr.
Adams died very peacefully on the
/ tiftieth anniversary OF the declaration
OF Independence; by singular coin
/ cidence Thomas Jefferson who was as
! s0eiated with him IN the drafting Of
/ that atiustrument died on the same day.
When Jefferson had finished his
presidential term he went to his es-
tate at Monticello. He was burden
ed by financial embarrassment, al
| though his anxiety was not generally
/ known until some years later He
kept open house and sometimes had
as many as fifty guests, the entertain
men Of whom cost him heavily when
hewas already wondering how he
! would be able tOmeet his obligations.
lie supervised. or pretended to 10 50
his farm. but found each year that he
was running behind, and at last in
despair was compelled to make an ap
4 peal to congress to buy his library.
This was done, Jefferson receiving
S2S,d00, bat this sum only tided him
over for a brief time
During his retirement he edited his
Ana and carried on a very great cor
rc-pondcnce with the leading men Of
his party. and took until the day of
his death a keen interest in public
affairs
Mr.. Madison when he retired from
the presidency went to his Virginia es-
tate. living perhaps the most secluded
life Of any of those who having gone
from the presidency returned to pri
vate life. His successor. Mr. Monroe
had something the experience Of Mr..
jefferson. Monroe had been presi-
dent during time Of prosperity. when
the peaceful condition of the country
and the lack Of friction between the
parties had been SO great that his adj
mlnistratIon has been called that OF
the era of good feeling" Neverthe
less he was financially embarrassed
and he found 1t imperative to dc
something to provide for his support
Instead OF returning to Virginia he
went TO New York city, being perhaps
the first Of those who gained distinc
ton in the practice oflaw who sought
: New York city as a larger field fol
their abilities. Mr. Monroe. however
was not very successful. and he died :
few years after his retirement from
] the presidency. and by another strange
coincidence upon the Fourth Of July
; Perhaps the most remarkable caree
: was that Of John Quincy Adams afte.
e his term OF president had expired. H,
q was then a man sixty years of age, an(
: 1t was expected that he, following tn,
example Of his father. would return t,
his home in Quincy, Mass, and yielt
himself to pursuit in which he founC
great enjoyment, the study OF Letters
and history. And no doubt that wa.
Mr.. Adams intention. But his con
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