The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-11-17

unfortunate, In that after one or TWO /
EFFORTS to meet the unfounded accuse,
tons, despair In the matter leads to /
Indifference toward both Just and I'M
just criticisms.
This condition helps the comfort /
Of the patient but doubt If 1t makes
him better president.
ssOf course the reassuring formu Z
that history will right one, will give
one the just need Of praise, is consol- .
afory, but it is not altogether salts |
factory. because the thought suggests
itself that the time for remedying raci
injustice may be postponed until ono
Is gathered to his fathers and wheA /
he is not then particularly interested /
In either history or mundane affairs. |
4 think the period for successful
undertaking is gradually drawing to -,
close / hope so. The evil OF the
cruel injustice that has been done to |
many public men In this regard will
certainly show itself in the future, and
We must consider that the ebullition
in undertaking literature is only one
OF the temporary excesses of the ]
times, which is curing itself by firing
those whose patronage formed the
motive for its beginning and rise.
The presidency is great Office to-
hold. 1t is a great honor and It is
surrounded with much that makes it
full of pleasure and enjoyment for the
occupant. in spite of the petty respon-
sibility and the shining mark 1t pre-
SCENTS for representation and false
attacks. / consider that the president
of the United States is wen paid. His
salary by no means measures the con-
tribu;ion to his means of living which
the generosity OF congress has AFFORD
ed and unless 1t is the policy OF con-
gress to enable to him in his four
years to save money enough to live
in adequate dignity and comfort
thereafter. then the salary is all it
ought to be.
"Of course the great and really only
lasting satisfaction that one can have
in the administration of the great Of
fee OF president is the thought that
one has done something permanently
useful to his fellow countrymen. The
mere enjoyment OF the tiusel OF office
is epheremeral, and unless one can
fix ones memory on real progress
through the exercise of presidential
power. there is little real pleasure in
the contemplations OF he holding of
q that or any other office. however
4 great its power or dignity or high its
position in the minds of men,
Looking Backward.
r. Z beg you TO believe that in spite
OF the very emphatic verde. by which
4 leave the office, | cherish only the
i deepest gratitude to the American
people for having given me the honor
OF having held office, and sincerely
hope in looking back over what has
been done that there is enough of pro-
gress made to warrant me in the be
lief that real good has been accom-
plished. even though regret that it
has not been greater
Ny chief regret is my failure to
secure from the senate the ratifica-
ton of the general arbitration treat
les with France and Great Britain l
am sure they would have been great
I, steps toward general world peace.
What has actually been done, hope,
has helped the cause of peace, but rat
ification would have been concrete
and substantial step. l do not despair
! of ultimate success. We must hope
and work on.
The sustained mental work in the
presidential office Is not, think, so
great as is generally Supposed. The
nervous strain is greater. AS IL
should be, the president has great
many assistants 10 furnish him Win
data and actually to prepare his rep
tiers and official communications. II
| he is careful. of course. he ccrrecrs
and changes these enough to put his
own personality into them. His time
is very much taken up with social
func ions, state and otherwise. This
is inevitable with the affairs of state,
and his actual time for real hard in
3 ltiiSSbOoi WIN 10 itiilitCo. Lot pal
I CT his time which is taken up with
the smaller patronage of the office,
hat is, ] mean. the local patronage.
the postmasters and the collectors, is
in my judgment wasted, and ought to
be removed by putting all the local
Offices In the classified civil services
system, SO that it shall be automa ic
in It's operation, and the president may
not be bothered and the congressman
and senators may not be botnerse
with that which is supposed 10 aio
politically, but which in the end al
ways operates as burden to the per
sons upon whom It's use is thrust.
Il observe that the question OF how
receptions are to be accorded to