The Portland daily press., 1900-02-23


emerging from o msksshift confefera-
zion through what Fiske calls the eriti-
cal period OF American histoy; the west
ern boundary, the Mississippi; the north
ern. the Great Lakes; nation only In
name, without presidents. ferns or
traditions, without treasury or credit;
without q single department. of govern
ment; without q navy and with an army
most insignifieant So much within;
what was Without On one side, Spain,
q nation then as now with It's everlsst.
ing policy OF evasion and delay; or either
side Great Britain, smarting under de-
feat, arrogant " not revensefol; and
across the water was France, just on
the eve OF her horrifying revolution, too
fsmi lar and too pztroDi,l,g, and seek
Ing to take advantage Of the assistancs
she had rendered. such was the somtrs
setting Of ihi, tombre PORTRAIT.
"Find," says Carlyle, sin any country
the sblest man that resides there, raise
him to the supreme place and loyalty
reverence him; you have perfect gov
eminent for that country. No ballot box,
parliamentary sloquenoe, voting. oonsti-
1
iever can improve 1t whit. IL Is In
the peri ct state an ideal country" This
may be going farther than we Ameri.
cans care to follow. but fortunas It was
that at that Supreme moment the peo-
pie with one accord had elected their
cab est man" to be their President. They
give him all that they had to give. the
constitution as q chart and themselves
n loyal subjscts.
Great results are accom- plished by many
independent causes. Great men ara
happy blending Of various traits and 1t 10
oifficult to point out this or that rs the
principal Gauss of success; but were We
to make \ composite picture Of We shing
ton O charnoteristics, I btlisve that the
one standing out prominently above all
others would DO his rsynar katls common
sense, that peculiar faculty whose name
Implies o wide distribution among NOR
tails In general, but which, when found
In large measures, rises almost II not
quite TO genius. In fact, In the executive
and administrative affairs OF life 1t stands
and does Its work where genius lags be.
hind and falls, NO better examples Of
Washiugton's resources along this line
can be found than at this critical period
when he was shaping the dss.inies OF an
experiment in nation building. and In
small things as In great. was creating
models for the future. Glance for a
moment at the preiiminaries that fol-
lowed his Inauguration.
What shall his title bef A trifling mat
ter, say you. Not SO. Here was nation
that but recently had been colony and
two centuries and half OF ooIonisllsm
cannot be wiped away in moment BY
bit Of parchment. Bet tho spirit OF
| democracy was also abroad and the dis
oussion between the two tendencies waxsd
warm. "His Hisbness" said some; "Hfs
Highness, the President General" caid
others, and "His Highness. the Presi-
dent of the United States and Protector
Of their Liberties" said the sristocra.,o
senate. Bpt largely through Washing
tons own influence the simple designa-
tion "Presidsnt OF the United States"
was adopted an d thus it has remained TO
the present day.
Then came the question OF etiguette, so
| firmly settled now by a century and more
Of CT ssoms and traditions that we seldom
stop to consider that 1t was ever created.
| Forms Ilay an important part and to
start the executive machinery In such a
manner as to maintain the dignity of the
his office on the one hand and not pat
tsrn after the folly Of ray atty on the othe,
required the exercise OF eound discre-
tion. Washington decided to receive
official visitors at fixed hours; to give
public reception on fixed days; to return
NO calls and to invite to dinner oply those
Of Official rank or high distino tion. 1t
seems strange N ow to learn that the ex-
trsmists on both sides criticized this de-
oision mort severely; the aristooratic class
dseming the forms too simple, and the
| dem ocratic class condemn ming them as too
ornate. Time. however, has proved the
wisdom Of the decision, and the procedure
then adopted prevails today. unmodiiied
and unchanged.
How should represen tatlves of the for
eign governments put themselves In oom-
munication with the President? The
French ambassador. presuming too much
On the former relations between the two
countries, attempted persona! interview
for the discussion of foreign affairs. He
was informed that all suoh oommunica-
lions must reach the President through
the depaI tmspt of state. The Frenohman
was furious. Washington was calm. The
FrsnchmAn psrsisted. Washington was
firm. And again sound judgment mapped
out road that has ever since been
travelled.
How did he treat Congresss Look at
his first inaugural address, model OF
diplomacy. Did he submit recommended
lions OF particular measures. outline q
policy Of bis own and thus run in danger
OF developing personnel opposition at
the very outsets His Judgment was
soupder tn an that and he did little more
than call TO their attsntion their constitu-
tional powers and privileges with an ex-
preston Of confidence In the wisdom OF
/ q h.