| Show DEMOCRATIC DEO WAYS W AS His Hs With Newspaper Men n nand and Fearlessness of Assassins Chicago Record General Generl Harrison Harison w was as one of the most democratic d of ot president ni None N ne of f his predecessors or successors has been seen so frequently upon the e street and it was his custom to stop and shake shak hands with wih friends that he met while walking just as he did with wih his neigh neighbors neighbors neighbors bors in Indianapolis Nor Kor did he confine his walks walk to daylight nor limit his so social cial cal cIsa m st presidents have to the houes h m ues e of ot his cabinet cabine He fre frequently rr went out atone alone to spend the evening with wih a friend and it was vas his habit to play whist at the residence of f j I Dan Ransdell an Indianapolis friend 1 who wh was vas wn marshal of the District of or Columbia Columbia at least once and ard a d sometimes twice a a w week eek He Invariably returned to the White from these thee visits on foot and anI usually aly alone alones As s I was going home one night after 11 1 I met President Harrison in Dupont circle and was naturally sur stir surprised surprised to see sec his walking walking alone at that hours He stopped to shake hands anti and ant explained that ha he had been playing whist wih Dan and was go goIng going going Ing to walk home I volunteered d to walk wih with him and incautiously inca re me remarked marked that t It i was scarcely safe for fOt forthe the president of the tire United States to tobe tobe be out alone at that that time of night He Replied quite quie sharply I would be glad of your company but but I need no protection j As we walked down Connecticut ave avenue avenue nue he explained that he had bird no sense sense of fear that he did not propose to al uI alter alter ter his hia his habits of life Ufe and ald make himself a prisoner because tw presidents pad iad I been assassinated Assassins are always ays said uNo No man In its Is right mind would con com commit co mit such a Irime crime If I any crank crunk is im impelled to assassinate me nb n amount of ot caution cauton can prevent it i and ant I am in inclined to that publicity is i the thc greatest gre elt protection He He discussed President Pr I habit of surrounding himself with wih de tie detectives tieI and remarked that hat he w I resign the presidency before he lie would woo I submit to such a nuisance Although General G Harrison Harison was pop popularly popularly regarded as one of the most re rc reticent of men pies and of a disposition un unusually unu usually u lS secretive there has hai hD never been beer 1 In the White HouseS House Houe unless ft t be Mc a president who has ha tall ed with wiLl wih t such suh freedom ih newspaper corre correspondents cr p He H wa wa waa accessible at all al al I Ii times in n the afternoon although It i was tva i useless ueless for a n newspaper ne man to try tr to r t tsee see him In the morning He considered I I t I that his regular re ular reception rec f hours be belonged bei i longed long d to congress g and an he but hiu L Lit it was ina only ily necessary ee far to t call c l at at the hite S PH his SJ oh to sc s cure cur cu an ap aJ Interview with wih him him Nor did I he lIe ever x ct pledges of o confidence He assumed that his wishes were known knon and would be e respected r Pres Ps President r ident has the same sam habit h and andIs andt Is t equally ly accessible and talks tal with equal freedom to the newspaper men In whom vho n he lIas has confidence One day daY a newspaper correspondent correspondent In this city met m t President Harrison Harrson at atthe atte atthe the te south routh gate gf of the House grounds As they the shook hands tnt tea tnt president pr ld t remarked marked f that he Was vas out an airing and asked aked the correspondent to accompany y him Together they walked across a ros the white lot around the Washington monument back to the avenue avenue as a far as a the foot of Capitol hill hi and returned to ta to the te White Wie Hoise H se altogether a distance of about three miles mies The riot rot at Valparaiso Chili ChU in which several sailors from Irom the cruiser criser Balti Baltimore Balt Baltimore more had been killed kled and wounded had occurred d a aday day of two previous and had bad excited the te public mind It I looked very much mu h as If f we would w uld have ave a war with wih Chili and naturally the conversation turned turied tur edo to that topic topic To the astonish astonishment astonishment astonishment ment of the correspondent President Harrison related in in detail all al the prep pre preparations that th t were being secretly made by the navy nav department d for fors cI au an emergency The Information under the circumstances was of a most sensa sensational sensational tonal character but he could not have hown s less reserve with wll i the secretary oE e the navy naw As he the two men parted under the portico p otc f the White House the cor correspondent respondent r remarked that be ne supposed the president desired the information he h l ie had given giver him withheld from publication cation c Of OC course coure was the reply uI It would cause ause c no end of complications if it were printed p That was all aU No vows vows no pledges s sno no n o cautions were necessary He knew his h is lan nian General Harrison and Mr r Cleveland had similar views in regard to the disk dis t of o presidential patronage which are ar the opposite of those held heid h ld by President The latter latel believes that hat t the offices belong belong to the people that hat t the senators and members or ot the house are the te chosen representatives ot of the ile t people and anti that the tile president as trustee should distribute the assets as I advised d by b them He seldom makes an appointment without the assent of the senators and nd representatives from the state and district in which the can didat resides or In hi which the office I may be located and he holds them re me pon for the efficiency and good behavior of the men they the recommend recommend President Cleveland Ce land and President Harrison assumed that the president is I responsible to the people for the tion ton of every official which the authorizes him to const appoint and while they the w were ere willing to receive e sug and nd recommendations they sus tey denied the claims of the members member of the legislative branch of the govern government government government ment to share In the distribution of patronage In those days a member of congress never knew who w would be appointed postmaster r in his district Under Unde the present administration he lie knows that that whoever he names will I have the office It I Is a singular fact fat that that General Harrison took no Interest in his an ancestry ancestry cestr and in the autobiographies a he furnished from time to time by re request reQuest request quest to publishers he never alluded to t the toe fact that th t his father was wa a representative representative in congress ss that his grand gand father was wa president of the United I States that his for fox whom he was named was wa a member of the continental congress a signer siger of ol the Declaration of Independence and a r L member of the committee of corre corr In Virginia V during the tile rev revolution n and that his other forefathers forefather were conspicuous Inte m in the organization I of the Virginia colony There is no m family In the United States of f prouder record or greater geater prominence in public affairs from the tile first settlement of o the th country countr to the funeral that at occurred oc at a t Indianapolis Sunday Sunda but for some some home rea rei reison son that was a never explained General Genera re 1 Harrison cestr preferred l to ignore his hi an |
