The daily Alaskan., 1917-02-02

on Watch, and When He Goes Abroad
 Secret Service Men Shadow Him.
 It is fierce light that beats upon the White House-qutte as fierce as any that beats upon a throne. Until he is relieved from 1t a 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 in the White House and the life passed in 1t reveal to him the na- ture of what he has gone through.
 Of course 1t is pleasant to be treated with consideration by~eyery 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. He Is the only person in the govern ment service who has that kind of isO- lation. Few see 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 he was accustomed to associate.
 It is nok true that that keeps him from knowing what is going on or that 1t 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 who frequently turn their steps to Washington the president hears the news from all over the country. He sees the newspaper men every few them to give the public his view of pending questions he can learn much from them. If he is open to informa- ton at all he can exercise very excel lent judgment as to the state of the public pulse. ..t
 It Is pleasant to dispense the hospt- talIty 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 ary and in paying his expenses of hv- ing. He can save q 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 1t 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 imme- diate neighbOrhOOd-in the vehicle in which he Is riding or in another that follows: whenever he makes a 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 a man wished to kill the president and sacrifice his own life for 1t 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. My 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 in his pocket, where he had con cealed a revolver wrapped in hand kerchief. If 1t 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 l recognize tEc necessity Of such precautions. I am bound to say that they are often irksOme to the pres ident. The secret service men are as considerate as possible and are well trained men, who mind their business, but that constant logging of the pres ident's steps aTouscs in him the uncon- scious feeling of being under suryeil- 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 Going so, and there is no provision in the constitution that he would violate in leaving the national jurisdiction. There is a constitutional direction that the vice president shall act for the president in case he Is disabled. If he went abroad in such a way as to prevent his directing affairs he might well be held to have disabled himself,