Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-12-02

aVsSIiEi: n men. Sas''iaais and he snsssss e -
bearing not only the
palm Of victory but also the thousand and
one weighty details which are pressed
upon him as the presumptive occupant
Of the executive mansion. From the time
of his election till the morning Of his in
auguration he Is the most watched, the
most sought, and the most worked man
IN the country. And the cares already
borne are only an intimation Of those that
come after his inaugural address has been
read and he has taken possession Of the
executive mansion.
Not the least Of the things which re-
quire the attention of the new occupant
of the executive mansion is the care which
must be taken not to say or do anything
that would not be in accordance with the
dignity and traditions of the great office
he is endeavoring to fill. AS in great
things so it is with innumerable small
affairs. He must many times day ask
himself the question if this or that sug-
gested action is in keeping with the dig
nifty of the President of the United States.
Personal impulses by the thousand must
be suppressed. The man must to great
extent make himself over. Almost with
out exception every American who has
occupied the presidential Office has risen
to 1t, risen in character and dignity and
manner, no matter how much below it he
was at the outset. 1t is an office which
demands that n man shall sink himself
and become almost another entity.
The wonder Is that so many OF our
Presidents have retained their person
al characteristics and habits, their ma
turalness and simplicity, while in office.
All the tendency is in the other direction.
Unconsciously to the man himself he is
drawn out of himself. He ceases to be
as his friends knew him, as he knew him.
self, as he takes on a new consciousness.
He is "the President" This fact he is
never permitted to forget 1t follows
him everywhere. 1t bobs up impertinent-
ly at the simplest dinner in country
house as well as in n cabinet meeting at
the executive mansion.
In monarchical countries sovereigns are
reared. They are to the manner born.
From infancy they are trained to be rul-
ers. They approach gradually, step by
step, the station which we thrust man
into almost without warning. tits fact
that the greatest, most stupendous tran
sition which comes to any man in the
world is to him whom the people of the
United States take from his law office or
his home or his modest official station and
thrust into the presidential chair. A dis
tinguished foreigner said not long ago;
"It is amazing that you get as good Pres
idents as you do, and il is a remarkable
thing that your public men are adaptable
enough to rise so easily and naturally to
the heights of your sovereignty. But
they cannot be happy" This foreigner
was right. Probably not one President
in ten is happy while in office.
A Weight of Care.
As IL this were not enough, our political
system makes the President the center
OF party activity, of personal ambition
and desire. Not only must all appoint.
ments be made theoretically by him as
chief executive, but actually by him in
person. Before making them he mus,
see and talk with all the interested per.
sons, no matter how great their number
If they come again and again, for the
avowed purpose Of bringing the pressure
of persistency," they must be seen and
modified. Crossroads politicians mus,
have access to the ruler of the American
people about seven-by-nine postofices
The President must keep open house tc
all the Senators and Representatives In
Congress-, of whom there are something
like 450, and the most of whom are pro
fessional Office brokers. Through all this
the President is expected to maintain
his dignity and his equanimity, keep his
patience unruffled and his sense of jus
tice and OF the fitness of things unwarp
ed. During the whole four years of his
administration he bears upon his shoul
ders the responsibilities and cares of the
nation. In the case Of most Presidents
there is no cessation of toll. The cares
OF the chief executive are rarely dropped
when he leaves the Office. They accom-
pany him to the social function, they are
his constant companion as he attempts
to enjoy few days outing, they are his
most intimate associates even In his f~m
fly circle, and they even follow him into
his bed chamber and there minister te
the discomforts of his slumber.
Americans are not always a consider
ate people, but 1t Is doubtful IL they eve,
had better chance to see themselves as
they really are than In the book which
ex-President Benjamin Harrison has jus,
published, In which he devotes a chapter
to telling of his own experiences In the
four years he passed In the White House
There seems to be no danger of the chiei
magistrate OF the nation forgetting tha,
he is, in the most literal sense OF the
words, public servant, paid by the pub
lie for the public to enjoy at its leisure.
During the first three weeks OF his tern
the President of these United States ha,
TO shake hands with not less than 10000
of his fellow citizens. II any one ha.
ever seen the Auditorium when 10000
persons have been packed into IL, and viii
multiply that number by four and con
template shaking hands with all Of them
he viii form n notion OF what infinite nui
eances hand-shaking folk can make Of
themselves IL you can only get enough OF
them together. Mr.. Harrison records thai
every one who ever had to undergo th<
ordeal suffered acute physical torture un
Ill President Hayes discovered that IL he
reached forward and graqed the hand OF
an approaching shaker before thu