The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1916-12-15
BEING PRESIDENT NJ ).
The Strain and Isolation That
Come With the Office. T.
UNDER GUARD ALL THE time.
When the Chief Executive 10 In the
White House tho Regular Police Are
on Watch and When He Goes Abroad
Secret Service Mon Shadow Him.

It is a force light that beats upon the
White House-Quite as fierce as any
that beats upon q throne. Until he is
relieved from it president never real
izes the unconscious strain that he has
to undergo. The joyousness that comes
after he has laid down the burden and
the contrast between the life succeed
Ing that ip the White House and the
life passed TN it reveal to him the ma
tufe of what he has gone through.
OF course It is pleasant to be treated
with consideration by every one; it is
human nature for the incumbent to en-
JOY the respect that is rendered to the
Office. But there is an isolation for the
president that it is impossible to avoid.
BE is the only person In the govern
ment service who has that kind of iso-
latton. Few zee him except by special
appointment, The Office separates him
from society. There is no neighborly
dropping In; there is curtain between
him and that body Of men with whom
be was accustomed to associate.
It is not tree that that keeps him
from knowing what is going on or that
it saves him from feeling the shafts of
criticism. The suggestion that he hears
only the kindly view of what he does
from his cabinet and from those who
are near to him does not cover the
whole ground He has candid friends,
and he reads the newspapers.
From congressman and from visitors
wbs frequently turn their steps to
Washington the president hears the
news from all over the country. He
sees the newspaper men every few
days, and unless he is always using
them to give the public his view of
pending questions he can learn much
from them. II he is open to informa-
ton at all he can exercise very excel
lent judgment as to the state of the
public pulse
It is pleasant to dispense the hospi-
tally of the White House, because you
know that most Of your guests will re-
member all their lives all the circum-
stances Of their visit The government
is generous with the president in sal
airy and in paying his expenses of Hv-
ing. He can save a substantial sum
each year and still not be niggardly in
his hospitality.
Three presidents of the United States
have been assassinated, and congress
in consequence has thought it wise to
enjoin upon the chief of the secret
service Of the treasury department the
duty Of guarding the president against
assault. Three or more experienced
men are assigned to that duty, and
they attend him wherever he goes.
OF course when he is in the White
House the regular District policemen,
who watch the approaches, make the
presence Of the secret service men un-
necessary. Whenever the president
goes abroad, however, the secret serv-
ice men are expected to be In his 1mme-
date neighborhood- the vehicle in
which he is riding or in another that
follows; whenever he makes railway
Journey they are in his private car.
These secret service men become
very skillful In detecting the presence
Of persons who are demented and who
In their excitement may become dan
gerous. OF course If man wished to
kill the president and sacrifice his own
life for it the secret service precautions
might not prevent him from carrying
out his purpose, but there IS greater
danger from demented persons than
from deliberate murderers. Ny own
impression is that If there had been as
great precaution taken when President
Mckinley was at the exposition In Buf-
falo as Is taken today that tragedy
would not have occurred.
The assassin in that case had his
hand I'M his pocket, where he had con-
cealed a revolver wrapped In a hand
kerchief. If it had happened today a
secret service man would have seized
the assassin's hand in his pocket, found
the revolver and arrested him long be-
fore the man had reached a. point
where he could carry out his purpose.
Although I recognize the necessity Of
such precautions, 1 am bound to say
that they are often irksome to the pres
ident. The secret service men are as
considerate as possible and are we'll
trained men, who mind their business,
but that constant logging of the pres
ident's steps arouses in him the uncon-
scious feeling of being under surveil-
lance and guard himself rather than
Of being protected.
An impression has gone abroad that
the president may not leave the coun-
try. There IS no law that prevents his
doing SO, and there is no provision in
the constitution that he1would violate
in leaving the national jurisdiction.
There is q constitutional direction that
the vice president shall act for the
president in case he is disabled. If
he went abroad In such way as to
prevent his directing affairs he might
well be held to have disabled himself,
and, the vice president might act for
him in his absence,-William Howard