The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-04-07
! 3. AID !. ] OR A FIR
United States Now Fully Equipped
for All Emer gensies.
:heres Was Method An President Mo
s# Kinley o. Remarkable Patience
National Honor Preserved
with Prudence. s5 5a +
Tsp,,ecial q. .h,n ,,ton I,atrer1

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y here is divinity that doth hedge
about q king" and the same sen timent
might be paraphrased concerning q
president. 5s t5s. I'M es
When President Garfield made the ap-
pointment which caused the severance
Of friendly relations between Garfield
and Conkling political talk was as bit
ter as political feeling in this city; but
when President Garfield was assas-
sinated partisans were chilled into
silence, and rancor fed away and hid
itself behind the barrier of oblivion.
The writer has Witnessed many po-
itical upheavals in the national capt.
tai. The people Of this country are as
mercurial as the French, and as ready
Tor extreme action on slight provoca-
ton; but they are also just cool enough
to follow Davy Crockett's maxim: BE
sure you're right; then go ahead"
The plain people of this country
would indignantly resent coarse al
fusion to their president, no matter
whether he were in political accord
with them or not. They feel that there
is a divinity that doth hedge about
president" in that he represents the
majesty and power of great sovereign
people.
But here in Washington, where presi-
dents are not seen afar off, but where
they are known of all men, where usually
they are known before they become
presidents, there is less of that worship
full respect shown our chief magistrates
than is shown them in our remote cities
and rural communities. Therefore
people here sometimes speak of our
presidents with a, degree of familiarity
which would surprise and probably
anger the country folk.
Many readers OF this letter would go
five miles or more to see the president,
even if they were obliged to walk. But
the older residents here would not walk
five blocks to see him, any more than
you would walk five blocks to see some
one whom you have seen again and
again for Is years or longer. There is
no disrespect meant in this statement
of fact; it simply illustrates, in de-
gree, what is to follow in this story.
During the past five weeks the writer
has heard men refer to our president as
"a coward" also as Gin league with the
money power" and as being willing to
"sell dead sailors for Spanish gold and
call it indemnify"
That may shock you, but many such
expressions have been made here which,
if made at distance from Washington,
would have resulted in serious personal
encounters. But here the men of ex-
perience pass such people by, knowing
that they are belittling themselves, and
not injuring the president nor our in
stitutions. "a
Congressman Hit, of Illinois, chair
man of the committee on foreign af-
fairs, for many years employed in the
department of state, and for Is years a
member of congress, who is regarded as
one of the ablest men in public life,
says: ''People: do not realize the. gray
ity of the situation which confronted
President Cleveland, and which has con-
fronted President Mckinley. The peo-
pie believe in their united strength, and
they believe that they could fight the
whole world. But the president has
been aware of the fact that we were not
prepared for war. : He has realized his
great responsibility before God, as we'll
as before the people. Therefore it was
necessary to prepare for war, and, in
the meantime, avoid war.
"The president knows what people
think. He reads it in the newspapers.
He gets it from representatives of the
people, who bring him personal letters
to read. He gets it from the senator's,
who tell him how their states are going.
Therefore, when there is a great popu-
lar clamor, the president knows all
about it. The people wonder why the