The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-10-12

Iwine cellar and dark room In the
Iattic set aside as a storeroom for
liquors. He did away with both of
them. The cellar is now used for
machinery and the attic room Is
part of the quarters for the servants.
But he devoted them to other uses,
simply because he needed the room
for his larger family, which being 50
Imuch larger than the average presi-
Ident has had. required more accom-
lmodation. President Roosevelt has
made the unique record of serving
beer to a large company in the
White House.
When Prince Henry, of Prussia, was
in the city few years ago, the pres
Iident had feast for him in which
lcaslls of beer were the chief orna-
mental pieces. The White House
pantry did not hold the equipment
needed to serve beer so the presi-
dent asked a local saloonkeeper to
send up 10 or Is dozen stems. When
Prince Henry drained his, on
the bottom of the stein was disclosed
these words, "Stolen from Ernst Gers
Itenberg."
The thrifty Gerstenberg had paid
such heavy tribute to his stein
collecting patrons that he undertook
to stop the thieving by having the
legend blown in the bottoms. Presi-
dent Roosevelt was at first inclined
to pummel Gerstenberg, but the leg
end added so much to the eayety of
the party that instead OF saying sar-
castinc things to the saloonkeeper, he
thanked him for his unconscious con-
tribution to the fun of the evening.
| The president is a good hand at
,feasts of that kind. but ordinarily he
lis very temperate man. At the
lcelebrated Uncle Joe Cannon birth
day party. where there were strenu-
lous doings at the refreshment tables,
the president did his full share to-
ward making the evening pleasant
lone for the speaker and those who
came to wish him many other birth
days.
The presidents views on the ques-
tion of drinking evidently are those
of well bred and sell-controlled men
everywhere namely that 1t is in the
abuse of liquor that the harm lies,
just as ii is in eating.
Alphonso Taft. father of the secre-
Itary OF peace, who was secretary OF
war in Hayes cabinet groaned every
time he received an invitation to a
White House dinner. President
Hayes provided for his guests only the
richest food and in the greatest
abundance. In fact the White
House has never since known the in
temperance shown in food that the
Hayes regime exhibited.
The elder Taft, an austere man,
who did not look as if he cared
much for the luxuries of the table,
FUSED to assert that II was positively
dangerous to eat Hayes dinner be-
cause nothing was provided in the
way of alcoholic drinks to aid the
digestive organs.
1t was during the Hayes admins
tration that heavy drinking among
public men came to a climax. Matt
Carpenter, Allen G. Thurman, George
e. Edmunds and Rag Baby" Jones
set the fashion in drinking them not
one or two high balls during meal
but whole quarts OF high proof whis.
Ky and fiery brandy.
After he retired from the senate
Thurman's habit was to go To his
lavorite drinking place every day al
!, least once and sometimes three and
four times to get his nip. That
nip was water glass full to the
|; brIm of whisky. Since that time
, the size of drinks has decreased anC
, the intervals between them have
{ heightened.
William NJ. tewart, senator from
= Nevada, until few years ago anC
, now an octegarian still hale and abl,
, to practice law with the youngest mel
was about the last of the heavy drink
, ers among public men.
l Grover Cleveland, thanks to the ac
= tivity of his enemies, acquired tn,
t reputation as tippler. There Is II,
| Question about the only living eX
E presidents appreciation of fine liouo
t but he could not get into the clas
or the old-timers mentioned even fo
e an hour.
General Grant has fully as keen al
. appreciation. He had wine on tn,
Q table at dinners, that is, those tha
: We're not wholly family affairs, and HI
+ mad bottle for friends who came [,
g see him. Stories about his drlnkin,
4 were carried to Lincoln. According {,
o veracious chroniclers of the time
Lincoln, who never drank anythin
It made careful inquiries as 70 Tn
II brand of liquor thot so pleased tn
e palate of Grant so that he Nigh
v send some of 1t to other federal gen
# erals.
l. Whether that Is true story G
q not. the fact that Grant tried to d
d a kindness for Hayes, his successc
. lin office, which did no bring thanh