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Show GIFTS TO PRESIDENTS. So much is being said about gifts presented to President Wilson "while abroad that it might be well to remind the critics that Mr. Wilson is not the only chief executive of the United States to receive tokens of remembrance remem-brance from foreign rulers and cities. Colonel Eoosevelt was also supplied with such marks of esteem, as the following fol-lowing letter, published in tho London Times a few days after the death of the former president, will abundantly prove: To the Editor of the Times: Sir I have been looking over some letters in my possession from ex-President Roosevelt, whose sudden and much-to-be-regretted death was announced the other day. Among them I find one, written writ-ten on June 7, 1S16, containing a passage of more than private interest, which I think you may like to publish. Mr. i Roosevelt wrote: I "In my autobiography I did not like to j speak of the various presents given me by European sovereigns. Next to Hay's gift of the ring with the hair of President Presi-dent Lincoln, the gift I appreciated most which I received while in the White House was from King Edward. It was a very beautiful miniature of John Hampden Hamp-den sent me at the time of my Inauguration, Inaugura-tion, at the same time that I received the ring from John Hay. It seemed to me to mark King Edward's tact and genuine refinement of feeling that he should have chosen that precise gift for an American president." Not a few Englishmen, I think, will echo Mr. Roosevelt's appreciation. Some, perhaps, will be reminded, like myself, of Tennyson's noble poem from which you yourself quoted In your columns in a leading article not long ago the verses headed "England and America in 1S72," beginning: "O Thou, that sendeet out tho man," and ending: "The single note. From that deep chord which Hampden emote, Will vibrate to the doom." I am yours faithfullv, ' HERBERT WARREN. Magdalen College, Oxford, Jan. 21. Washington, it will be remembered, was presented with a jeweled word by Frederick tho Great, which was given to the government by relatives of the Father of his Country along with his actual service sword and a walking stick once used by Benjamin Franklin. The school readers of a generation ago contained the famous address of John Quincy Adams foeinning: "The Sword of Washington! Tho staff, of Franklin Frank-lin I " In the early days of the republic there seems to have been some fear that presidents of the United States would be unduly influenced if allowed to accept ac-cept gifts, and a legal barrier was raised on account of tho existing prejudice. Yet no onej with an atom of senso believes be-lieves that Colonel Roosevelt violated thie law when he accepted tho miniature of John Hampden froni King Edward VII. Hampden was an Englishman who fought against tyranny and lost his life at the beginning of the war which resulted re-sulted in the overthrow of Charles I. We believe criticism of President Wilson, Wil-son, on account of receiving gifts, is very much out of place. Yet we are well . aware of tho fact that the 'old-time 'old-time prejudice still exists and that the right to criticize is inherent and cannot can-not be abridged. |