WEARY OF OFFICE

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 150, 29 June 1928, Page 3

WEARY OF OFFICE

TRIALS OF A "PRESIDENT BURDEN OF WHITE HOUSE In an entertaining article, in,"Tho Quarterly Beyiew'' for April, '• Mr. Ignatius Phayre .. tells of ''The WhiteHouso audits Occupants." Mr. Phayre tells how, every President haa complained of the intolerable 'tedium of; office, lit is inaccuratej he ' says, to say that Washington declined; a third time for fear of creating an autocratic precedent. Ho was merely weary of the job. .. .;■"• '■. : . ■_• •-. .--'• ■: The selection of the site for the capital, of the United- States was a stormy business. W; bhingtou settled,the matter by fixing it as near as possible to his homo at Mount-Vernou. ■, He insisted on laying the capital as he pleased, and chose a French engineer to assist him. The engineer was soon. in disgrace among "site grabbers,", arid his successor fared no better., Newcomers were dismayed '; at the ,town of streets without houses. ; Mrs. Adams, writing to her daughter, described it as "a city which is only a .name.'.'.. When both Chambers of; Congress first met at Washington in 1800 the: President's first act ,was to. build a shelter over the firewood of his perishing legislators. JTrom the beginning.there was trouble over the. status of the. President. Washington was,accused of leanings towards monarchy.. All was confusion and doubt. ; He was openly called a traitor, and accused of "blunders that, would disgrace a soldier of three months' ftanding." "This.".-remarks Mr. :Phayre, "is clearly not :the hero of the American school books." ••■,■ '■■■'.' Washington's state and pomp gave placo to exuberant extremes of 'democratisation. V .In President Jackson's term the doors of White House-, were, flung open to all comers. A tumultuous, mob swept in and' wrecked the great East.room, hacking up carpets for' souvenirs " and carrying statues away bodily. Mr. and Mrs. Koosevelfc found it necessary to handle the problem firmly,, for often -.200 uninvited guests would appear at a supper party. The austere Wilson.continued.the process of elimination. "To-day it is' easier to gain access, to the King-Em-peror than ; tb, get even , two . minutes .with, the .President j.bf-the United States," says Mr. Phayre. .''' . Garfield used to lament that a sense;. of, humour was out of place- in the President, but Lincoln did not subscribe to this, theory. He had. a. rich fund of.stories of the Eabelaisian.order with.which he used to rid himself of bores. His Mordant wit could, confound any adversary. At ono tinio ho was warned against sttending a Revivalist meeting in a hostile town. , He went; and the preacherresolved to .exposehim. VAll who don't .wish r to,go ; to--holl will stand,", he said, and the .congregation rose-as one-man to the call, with the exception of the President. Sure of ,hia prey, the reverend politician 'demanded, "And may . I ask you, Mr. Lincoln, where you "arc going?"; "I. guess I'm. going,to Congress,", the lost,one drawled. : Tho; revival meeting- broke; up in unseemly -hilarity, -and the revivalist vanished from the sce3ie. .' ... '\, - . ;.-,..:' The original grant.; to' "Washington was £5000.'a ."'year.. „ This, amount sufficed his successors for : 84". years. Grant and his "seven successors were, allowed • £10,000. An/additional amount of £5000 ; was added-during Boosevolt's term. White House is' maintained at the expense of the State. Travelling and other incidentals bring the total to £50,000 a year. The President must pay for his own entertain-'. .ing. Questions -of etiquette and, precedence^ present appalling problems to the President. "The. difficulty is to adjust White House functions to a nice mean' between the standards of the first President—who was at heart, an aristocrat—and tho seventh, Andrew Jaeksoii, whose rabble of "pals'", behaved like ■ wild elephants .in a cornfield. The handshaking ordeals which the President must face are appalling. They can and do inflict-serious pain and physical disability, with neck and shoulders involved as well as a swollen hand. ;Even;;Wilson, who,restricted this practice, numbered Eis" monthly; handshakes at i 0,000;" Grant was,advised to "grab the'other'fellow first." Koosevelt took regular training for, these events, anil imported wrestlers arid prize-fighters for. the purpose. Tho table '' silver: at White House •is of base metal because of the passion of Americans" for ■" souveniring.'' . After the President retires all this is sold by auction, and spoons marked "White House "are thus 'to-be seen iri;cheap restaurants..:, -.;. ;'"'?:,. - ; . ...'.; Every waking moment of thePresi-, dent's life is measured out for some duty. His- work vis. tremendous because of the mass of detail to ■which he must attend, personally. •' He .may not dine at a private house nor make an intimate friend. -Wilson described the President', as a:, national exhibit. "There are blessed; intervals when I am able to forget," he sighed. "One means is tot get after a criminal in & rattling detective story, and chase him to the end." "O.K:-ing" insignificant documents by the thousand, he paused .one- day and challenged his callers as to tho origin of this cryptic - sign. Some thought it originated, in Jacksou's "Oil Korrect." "No," returned the pedant, and! spelt out .tlve word "O-k-e-h. '.' "That," he iaidj\"is & real saying in the Choctatv ,dialect, arid means 'It is so.' "■ •j^ ■ ..-• , . > .