The Minneapolis journal., 1901-09-20
PROTECTION
FOR
PRESIDENTS.

q problem which has to be faced in Wash
ingtcG. Will the new incumbent take his
life in his hands and insist on following
the habits formed when he was here as
a comparatively insignificant parsonage?
Will he walk ten miles a day, as he al
ways has in the past, lodging up this
street and down the other and always
alone? Will he go abroad at night when
the inclination seizes him, or will he be-
come a Gagged lion walking up and down
in the White House grounds? He may do
as President Cleveland did-get up at five
in the morning and hoe in the garden, or
he may get broncho and let him buck
all over the white Lot Probably he
will do as Cleveland so often did, turn
over the government to his subordinates
and go fishing and hunting.
From this time on the promiscuous
handshaking receptions which American
presidents have held will be thing of the
past" So spoke a high official of the
state department. He added:
They have become an Institution which is
purely American. 1 think there is no other
country in the world where there is anything
like it. The practice began when the nation
was young, and during the administration of
Jefferson and other presidents, who made a
hobby of democratic manners. 1t did very
well when Washington was country town.
and the neighbors could be invited in to
shake hands with the president But it has
no place in a republic of seventy millions of
people, drawn, as they are, from all the ma
tons Of the world and comprising the worst
as well as the best Of the worlds population.
Having made our country a refuge for every
Tefugee-every dangerous person exiled from
. the kingdoms of the world-it does not neces-
sarily follow that we are bound by our GUS
toms or form Of government to invite crimi-
pals and political outlaws social malcon-
tents and assassns, to step up and shake
hands with our chief executive. The finest
. police arrangements in the world cannot pro-
tect man exposed to such a danger. There
is no special virtue in handshake. 1t is a
bore to the president and should have been
abandoned long ago.
SECRET law to enlarge the
functions of the treasury
SERVICE secret service bureau will
occupy the attention Of
REORGANIZA- congress this coming win
ter. It is becoming evil
TION dent that there must be
in this country larger
+. and more efficient federal police system
Z 1t is wanted for many things. Other gov
ernments find it necessary to keep track
or criminals who make business of plot
ting against the state. They find that
1t is we'll to keep close tab on profession
al and unprofessional anarchists. Many
: In the imperial countries of the old world
without ever getting into the newspapers
II he chose to do so Chief Wilkie could
tell few in this country which have re-
ceived his official attention, but never
have figured in the annual report of the
secretary. Nor have they figured in the
press, for it has been found that pub
licity tends to breed crime of this kind.
. Much OF 1t has it's inception in a mania
for publicity-for newspaper notoriety.
The present secret service bureau was
organized for the purpose of preventing
the eounterfeiting of money. There never
was any general detective department of
the national government. The need for
one resulted in the gradual enlargement
OF the treasury bureau, and now 1t Is the
practice OF other departments to ask for
the detail of men from Mr.. Wilkes de-
partment for many purposes. The law
requires certain amount of red tape in
making transfers, and there is generally
difficulty about the appropriations A
slight amendment to the law would cor
rect this and larger appropriation would
give the government an efficient police.
Many congressman who have been in the
city have expressed themselves in favor
Of such legislation.
THE CHANGE Official Washington has
scarcely recovered from
OF the shock. A radical
change of administration
ADMINS coming in a day, or a
week, is difficult to re-
TRATION. aliZe. The thought of a
new president and all that