The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1919-07-08
TUESDAY, JULY 8, 1910

POSSIBLY because the present Board
OF Freeholders is assured that it's lease
OF life is growing short, or maybe be-
cause the heat was SO great. there GER
tainly were some queer acts performed
on Wednesday. About the most fool
ish thing that one could imagine is
the proposition to remove the Office of
the county detective from its present
quarters in the Zelley building and fit
ting up room in the court house. No
good reason has been given for this
new move, and it may be said without
fear Of contradiction that no good rea-
s1n can be given. The court house is
now too small to accommodate the
Business that is conducted there. Ere
quently there are two courts in session
and there have been times when the
side room used by witnesses has had
to be called into requisition for the use
Of the Board of Freeholders. Now il
Is suggested that the side jury room,
not at all too large, il large enough, foi
the uses to which it is put, is to be par
titioned off and made smaller and un-
comfortable to give the detective
room under the roof of the venerable
court house. Possibly there is some
sentimentality attached to the move
ment, but as a business proposition or
one that will conduce to the public
good it is simply ridiculous. The Office
of the county detective is frequented
by people arrested for breaking the
laws. who are taken there to be given
an examination prior to being present
ed to the court for action. 1t is not al
all desirable TO have this class OF people
given access to the court house at any
time except when brought to the bar
OF justice. The Office of the detective
Is now in the proper location and
should be allowed to remain where it
is. 1t is hard to imagine what excuse
or argument can be advanced by the
committee on court house and grounds
for removing the present quarters
where they have ample room to a
place where they will not only be
cramped but will interfere with the
business conducted in the room that il
Ia suggested to upset, and will be
discomfort to those who have business
to transact there. This is one of the
most foolish moves the Board of Free
holders has ever made.
THERE has been some criticism here
over the supposed blunder of the
French and British authorities in ad-
dressing the highest American office
holder who ever visited Europe as
His Excellency." 1t may be tri-
fling and unimportant detail. but as
matter OF fact these foreigners were
quite right, according to International
usage. For, whereas the head of the
United States has no title but "the
President" and is never addressed but
as ''Mr. President" being not even an
Honorable, like members of Con-
gress and Aldermen, he has been in
Europe in a triple caP.oity-that of
Chief Executive, that of American
Premier and that of head of the Amer
ican peace mission. In the first he
was the equal of King George and Mr..
Poincare; in the second he ranked
with Mr.. Clemenceau and Mr.. Lloyd
George and in the third he outranked
all the other diplomatists.
So it was as an Ambassador Extra.
ordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
that Mr.. Wilson, the only President to
hold such post, was correctly defined
as "His ExellencY:"
Il is not generally kaownsil.H the
very hard and fast rules governing the
occupant of the White House-as, for
example this:-"The President never
pays official calls and never returns
them"-were drawn up by the most
democratic OF Washington's successors,
Thomas Jefferson himself.
While American Ambassadors
abroad are addressed as "Your Excel
lency," the only American in the Uni
ted States who has the legal right to
the title is the Governor of Massachu
sets. The designation was specifical-
ly granted to the head of the COLONY
which afterward became the Bay State
and was as specifically retained by it
after the Revolution.
In addressing General Pershing as
head Of the American Expeditionary
Forces Marshal Foch and Field Mar.
shall Haig used the title "Excellency."
George Washington, always formal,
was careless in this matter, though he
always insisted on being designated
simply as General" after he had
ceased TO be President.
The Germans used to refer to a
certain person as "All Highest" But
they must realize by this time that the
object OF their former alteration never
began to have the power of 1.-The man