Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-08-18
Our Angling Presidents.

o'' Es"eh"e
The United States has had several
anglers among those who have filed
the Presidential chair, and their ang-
ling abilities were as varied as their
Municipalities or their political views.
1t has always been proved that George
Washington was an entered apprentice
at angling, If not entitled to be called
a fellow craftsman. Mr.. George II.
Moore found that our first President
actually recorded two or three fishing
trips in his diary, and has reproduced
the notes in his little book which he
had printed for private distribution, in
which he proved conclusively that
Washington was an angler. 1t is
worthy of note, in these degenerate
days, when the funny man of the daily
press delights in picturing an angler
as an eligible member of the Ananias
club, that the father of his country
usually recorded the fact that he. fished
on certain date, but never mentioned
the catch, except on one occasion, the
only time we have any record of his
fishing in salt water. The place was
outside the harbor of Portsmouth, N.
H., where the party-he modestly with
holds the names-cauaht two Goldfish,
whose weights are not given, fact
that class of humorists to whom George
and his Ratchet are well-spring of in
formation will regret.
Thomas Jefferson is said to have
fished in his youth, but we have no rec
ord of him as an angler in mature
years, nor while he occupied the Pres
idential chair. The same might be said
of many others who have received the
first honors of the nation, especially
those who were country boys, for the
latter all fish; but it is only those who
have real love for the sport who keep
it up through life and are entitled to be
called anglers. Perhaps stern Andrew
Jackson fshed, but we can hardly i'm
agine the dapper Martin Van Buren,
soiling his hands with either worm or
shedder crab. If he fshed at all it
would have been with fly, and fly
casting was almost unknown in Amer
lea in his day.
1t is fact that fishing for sport was
not looked upon with a favorable eye
by our grandfathers, and the man vino
did it was apt to be considered waster
of time at least for in our lew country
the need of hustling about for dollars
was painfully evident from the maxi
mum handed down to us by Franklin,
and therefore if some of our earlier
Presidents did fish they carefully abb
stained from referring to 1t.
Not until we come down to Chester
A. Arthus do we find any record
presidential angling during term OF
Office. and here we find perfect ang-
Ter. finished fy-caster. and as elegant
a fisherman as might be expected OF
such a gentleman. We have personal
friends who have fished with Arthur
who say that as an angler he would
compare favorably with any. The fact
that he killed 50-pound salmon mere
" proves that he was fortunate in get
ting such a strike, for there are plenty
of men who could land such a fish il
they had the chance, but the fact that
he was generally successful In landing
the salmon which he hooked. and that
his favorite game was salmon and trout,
which he always fished for with the fly
place him in the front rank of angling
Presidents.
Grover Cleveland, an occupant of the
White House, is an all-round sports
man, fishing in many waters. and is
also an expert with the gun. his fish,
ing and hunting trips having been
chronicled in our papers from time to
time. Mr. Harrison, also an occupant
of the White House, was an angler of
considerable note, and we have
record of several of his fishing trips.
Our present President, William Nc
Kinley-we have no record of him be-
ing an angler: but the Vice President,
Theodore Roosevelt, is an all-round
sportsman with rod and gun.
AS means of escaping the
importunitties of office-seekers and
politiciansin general, there is no
refuge for the head of the nation like
angling. 1t enables him to take va
cation in the wilderness away from the