Evening journal., 1911-09-11
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Ex-PreSldent Who Was
LOuely in Private Life
By Holland.

Il am sure that was the last mem
Der Of the original Cabinet OF Presi-
dent Arthur who saw him and had a
chat with him." said Thomas l.. James,
who was Postmaster General under
Arthur from September, 1881, to Janu-
ary, 1882, and at eighty years of age is
New York citys dean of national bank
presidents.
"One afternoon not long before Ar
thurs death, which occurred in No
vember, 1886, / had occasion to take
a surface car--it was before the days
of the trolley-directly in front of the
Grand Central Station, New York. AS
! passed down the aisle ] heard my
name called. | looked around and saw
ex-President Arthur occupying a cor
ner seat in the rear end of the car. 1t
was he who had called to me as
passed by him. i am sure that no per-
son I'm the car but myself realized
that one of its passengers was the man
who had been the twenty-first presi-
dent of the nation. Certainly the man
who sat next to Arthur did not recog-
nize him; for when the ex-President
politely asked him to move up a little
so as to make room for me the man
granted the request reluctantly. But
observed that his manner changed IN
stantly when he heard me address the
ex-President as General Arthur
Have you ever regretted quitting
public lifeg Arthur asked me aprorOg
Of nothing, apparently. after we had
talked little on general lines.
1 suppose, Mr.. President, l said in
reply, that no man has ever held high
public Office, at least in Washington
without, occasionally, when in private
life finding himself yearning again for
the excitement and sense of power that
high public Office gives ! confess thar
occasionally have felt that way
Don't you find that you are some
| times lonely. now that you are in pri.
vate life?' the General next asked me
No, l said, not in the sense that
/ you mean. | would be lonely, though
were | not engaged in active business.
" That is the very reason ~hy
have decided TO resume seriously the
practice of law, was Arthur's reply
OF course / have had many expert
enoes. l have discovered what ths
inner life of a President is, and have
had my share of the sense of power
which is associated with that office.
have learned. however, since left the
White House that lmost all of the
! friends a President makes are merely
superficial friends. l have been very
lonely since / returned to New York
Nobody comes to see me. am a
mere atom in the life of this city
Therefore ! am going back to the
practice of the law seriously. When
| left Washington / associated myself
with my old law firm, but ] cannot
say that have worked seriously;
have been a lawyer in name only
presume that ! may be a little rusty
But il is not so much for the purpose
of earning a good income that / am
going to renew practice as it is to oc-
cupy my mind | shall certainly rus
out completely if am not actively
engaged in some kind Of employmen
from now on
And then" continued Genera
James "he looked az me with small
which I remembered from the days o
our early association when he was Col
lector Of the Port of New York ant
| was deputy under him--a smile O
rare sweetness and kindliness-an
said:
You don't suppose il will be
nduulCdp 10 me III BeNlinB pIdcIC
that ! was at one time Presidents o
the United States?'
"A few minutes later, as my ca
reached the street at which I was Z
leave it. l bade my former chief in tn
Cabinet room at Washington good
afternoon and wished him every sue
cess at the bar; and his parting word
to me we're these.
Perhaps you will hear of my max
ing an argument before the Suprcm
Court at Washington. I should be YER
glad if had a chance to do that. Blu
the chance never came. His death oc
Cured before he could get fairl
started in the active practice of hi
profession
Copyright, 1911, by e. j. Edwards. Al
rights reserved.)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell q
"The American Dollars That Made
Famous Novelist Happy"