The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-09-20
Our Ex-Presidcnts

This country has only one eX-Fresl- dent, but in all probability there will 1 be two after the 4th of March next"
 said an old citizen who spent many years in Washington where he was in close touch with official life.
 Every now and then, as far back as I can remember, newspaper or maga- zine writers have discussed the ques- ton of what to do with our ex-Presi- dents that is to say, whether or not they should receive retired pay as do
 army and navy officers; whether they should be officially honored by life seat in the Senate or whether they should be honored with high rank in the army and placed on the retired list. Some writers have argued that the re- tired President would be of inestima- ble value as a United States senator from the country at large, but l have never thought that a scheme such as that would work well in republic. As to the propriety of making the ex- President d retired general, it would meet with a great deal of opposition, because in most cases Presidents are not military men and it would be
 ridiculous to make a man even an hon. orary general unless he. had had mill itary experience.
 'T think that large majority of the American people will agree that the best thing to do is to let the matter stand as it is. It Is honor enough for any man to be President. If the ex-
 President be a lawyer there Is no loss of dignity in his practicing law. Presi- dent Harrison, who made a very ef- ficient President, returned to the prac- tice of law as soon as he went out of
 the White House, and he practiced un- til his death. MT. Cleveland was en- gagged in law work between his first and second terms, and had congenial occupation at the end of his last term.
 Ex- President Roosevelt as a contribut- ing editor, gets big pay, and Mr Taft when he retires will go back to his law practice.
 The salary of the Presidents office is now s75,O0O a year and out of that
 s30,000 or S4OO00 could be saved an- nually without the least penuriousness.
 While the President pays for the food on ms taDle and 1eW domestic ser wants, he has no water bill to pay, no light bill to pay or no fuel bill to pay.
 When he gives an entertainment the flowers come free and the music comes free. When he travels there is 6 special fund of s25,O0O a year out of which he is to pay his travelling ex- penses. When the term Is made six years instead of four a President should come out of the office at least $250,O ,O00
 better off than he was when he went
 In, assuming of course that he lived
 up to the style expected of a President.
 Tt was not like this in the early days. I can remember when the Presi- dents salary was only s25,000 year.
 That Is what General Grant received in his first administration, He did not save any money, even after the salary
 was increased to $50,0O0; but then Gen eral Grant was not of the saving kind He was generous to q fault and was entirely without means after the Grant X Ward failure. By an act of Con gress he was placed on the retired list of the army with the rank of general. and with generals full pay.
 President Taft I imagine has saved a considerable sum during his ineum- bency."