The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-05
OUR EX-PRESLDENTS
By Frederic J. Haskin.

may yet live to be the second man who has been twice an ex-President.
 The ex-presidential career of Grover Cleveland has long been regarded as 'the ideal one. As a writer. university
 professor, and angler, he lived in
 quiet dignifed way. Benjamin Harri-
 son began the practice of law, after
 retiring from the White House at the
 age of 60. to build up the fortune that
 had been neglected during his active
 political life. The new Secretary of
 state, Mir Knox, once retained him in
 case Ip which he was general coun-
 sel. Harrison did the work, and then
 asked Knox to allow him to collect
 from the clients direct, stating that he
 wanted bigger fee than he felt Knox could approve He got what he asked.
 In after years. when they compared
 notes. his fee was only one-fouyth of that charged by Knox. Had he left
 the fixing of the fee to the general
 counsel he would have gotten ten times as much.
 Chester A. Arthur died shortly after
 his retirement. Hayes lived some
 twelve years after his return to pri- vate life. He became a gentleman farmer. and attended to his large poul-
 try yards himself. He and Mrs Hayes
 were always identified with the great 1 movements for the elevation of the
 race. Mrs. Hayes left the White House
 as dry as the sands of Sahara, but the
 wine cellars were soon completely stocked again.
 The career of General Grant, after
 leaving the White House. carried him
 through nearly the entire gamut of human experience. First came his tour around the world. It was a triumphaI circling of the earth the like of which history does not record Everywhere
 men and nations united to do him a Gai hot
 the whole trip the incident that ap- pealed to him most was the rendering
 of the freedom of the city of Ayr, Scotland. But once before in all the history of that proud municipality had
 such an honor been accorded any man,
 and that was 200 years before to a gal
 lant native son. It was an honor that
 had even been refused the Prince of Wales-now King Edward. After short stay in Galena, upon his return home. he went to New York There he saw his entire fortune swept away.
 Amid his poverty and while suffering from the terrible cancer that ended his \ life. he wrote his memoirs. the sales of which again brought his family back to affiuence.
 The path that leads to the presiden- cy is an uncertain one. as was so well | illustrated in the case of Grant Hay ing failed at everything else, he sought O
 the civil war, but was refused. Later l he was again an applicant for a com mand. At last the Governor assigned him to regiment of the most insubor- l dinate lot of recruits Illinois had ever seen. Grant took them in hand,
 marched them several hundred miles, wore all the insubordination out of
 them. and developed them into the best
 regiment from the State, His rise was rapid after that. Governor Yates al.
 ways regarded 1t as the joke of his life that he was unable to recognize
 the soldier in the man who ended the
 war at Appomattox.
 Speaking Of the inauguration of
 John Adams. the Senate Journal says:
 'The great and good MT. Washington,
 as private citizen, took his seat a
 little in front of where the Senators sat" The following year he was made a lieutenant general. Most historians seem to overlook the fact that he was
 afterwards made general, but an act was passed on March 3, 17s9. creating
 that grade for him. He was thus a full general for about nine months.
 What time Washington could spare
 from organizing the army for the pos
 sible war with France, was devoted to
 his Mt. Vernon plantation. He was also deeply interested in the improve
 ment of the inland waterways of the
 country and personally examined many
 of them.
 Andrew Johnson and John Quincy
 Adams came back to Congress-John-
 son to the Senate and Adams to the
 House Jefferson spent his latter days
 building up the University of Virglnis and moulding the political thought of the nation. Pierce and Buchanan liveo
 in retirement after their service a. President. The other Presidents. from the younger Adams to Pierce, were not
 afterward conspicuous in public ufe
 with the single exception of John Ty. Ter who labored heroically to settle
 without bloodshed. the differences be-
 tween the North and the South Mon! roe served as a Justice of the Peace after his retirement. and both he and Madison were mem mbers of the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1929 ss
 was also John Tyler, afterward Pres ident. Thus three Presidents of tn. United States sat In a single State Con
 vention-something that has never han. | pened before nor since.
 | Copyright. 1909. by Frederic J. Has. kin.)
 TonorrOw'-Our ex-Vtce-Prestd@vtm