The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1912-02-09
niWs HENS: o.. NsIEaoA, lfW NEWS Of YESTERDAY
Ex-President Who wa. Lonely II
RFsatganl1s''t<''a'='sa

0onefaI- Arthur ASeee Leaving Tho
Whtts House, Found Himssls ass'
Mere Atom In the LIE Of : -
New York City.
~ Z. J. EDWARDS.
Il am surs that Z was the last Nom
Dor Of the original cabinet OF. Prsst
don't Arthur who saw him and had. .
chat with him" said Thomas L. James.
who was postmaster general under Ar
thur from September. 1881. to Janu.
airy. 1882. and at eighty years of age
is New York city's dean Of national
bank presidents.
"One afternoon not long before Ar
thurs death. which=-eecurred I'D NF6-s
vember. 1885. I had occasion to take
q surface cart was before the days
OF the trolley-directly In front Of the
Grand Central station, New York. AZ
] passed down the aisle I heard my
name called. I looked around and
saw ex.President Arthur occupying
q corner seat in the rear end Of the
car. It was he who had called to mo
as passed by him. l am sure that no
person in the car but myself realized
that n Of its passengers was the
man who had been the t~wenty.frst
president of the nation. Certainly
the man who sat next to Arthur did
not recognize 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 re-
l%uctantly. But I observed that his man
ner changed instantly when he heard
me address the ex-president as Gen.
eral Arthur. )
"'Have you ever regretted quitting
public hfe?' Arthur asked me, apropos
OF nothing, apparently, after we had
talked a little on general lines.
81 suppose. Mr.. President" said
in reply, that no man has ever held
high public Office. at least in Wash.
tngton. without occasionally, when In
private life. finding himself yearning
again for the excitement and sense Of
power that high public office gives.
confess that occasionally I have felt
that way
Don't you find that you are some.
times lonely. now that you. are in pri.
vate life = the general nexSs asked me.
"No,' + said. mot in the ~sense#that :
you mean. would be lonely. though.
were | not engaged in active bust.
ness
# Tho Go Tho ,,or,- ,oo-nz -A.
have decided to resume seriously the
practice of. law was Arthur's reply.
of course. | have had many expert.
ences. l have discovered what the
inner life OF a president is. and I have
had my share Of the sense Of power
which is associated with that office.
] have learned. however, since I left
the White House, that almost all OF.
the friends a president makes ara
merely superficial friends. 1 have
been very lonely since I returned to
New York. Nobody comes to see
me. ! am a mere atom IN the life Of
this city, Therefore, anisgoihg~ backa
to the practice of the law seriously.
When l left Washington I associated
myself with my old law firm. but I
cannot say that I have worked seri.
ously; have been a lawyer in name
only, I presume that I may be a lfttlo
rusty. But 1t Is not so much for the
purpose Of earning a good income that
/ am going to renew practice as 1t 10
to occupy my mind. shall certainly
rust out completely If | I'M not active
~ engaged In some kind of employ.
ment from now on
"And them" continued General
James. 'he looked at me with a smile
which I remembered from the days Of
u early association when he was col.
lector of the port Of New York and {
was deputy under htm-a smiio OF
rare sweetness and kindliness-anA
said: s.s'ts ssf !. ~''s -
lyon don't suppose it will be .
handicap to me in getting q practice
that 1 was 1t one time president oe
b esUnited States?
"a few minutes later, ~ my .
reached the street 1T which was to
leave #, I bade my fosmer chief In the
cs6inet room at Washington good aft
ernoon and wished him every success
ct the bar:: and his parting words to
me were these:
perhaps you will hear Of my max.
tng an argument before tho Supreme
court at Washington. should b
very glad it I had Q chance to do
that, But the chance Snavar a