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--> --> May 29: The frugal second president Jeff Cheek President John Adams was saturnine, morose, and taciturn. His passions were his family and the new nation he had labored to create. He was the product of a rigid, austere New England background, but this hard-headed Yankee was a Godsend to the infant republic he led for one term, 1796-1800. Article 1, section 8 of the Constitution of the United States gives Congress the power to declare war. In spite of enormous pressure from the public and Congress, Adams refused to go to war with France. He was vilified for his stand, but he refused to budge. Thomas Jefferson replaced Adams after a single term. The easiest way to understand his value as a strong president is to contrast him with a weak president, William McKinley, who served exactly one hundred years later, 1896-1900. Cuba had rebelled against Spain, but former President Cleveland adopted a neutral policy. The uninhibited tabloid press screamed for intervention. William Randolph Hearst hired an artist to go to Cuba and sketch Spanish atrocities. He could not find any, but Hearst cabled: "You draw the atrocities and I'll start the war." When the battleship "Maine" blew up in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898, the tabloid press demanded war. Spain denied involvement and asked for arbitration, but McKinley bowed to public pressure and asked Congress to declare war on April 11, 1898. A hundred years earlier, France was fighting Britain. She expected American support but we continued to trade with both sides. French warships seized some 300 of our vessels carrying goods to England. We retaliated by seizing a hundred French ships. The public demanded war but Adams stood fast. The friction with France was finally solved by diplomacy, but Adams was an unpopular president. Adams was not a tactful person. While he was president, he refused to attend a ball in honor of his friend George Washington's birthday. It was too regal for his democratic taste, "however good, however great," the individual for whom the honor is intended. When his bid for re-election failed in 1800, he left Washington in the morning to avoid the inaugural ceremony of his rival, Thomas Jefferson. Eventually, the political rivals reconciled and conducted a long correspondence. Both these heroes died July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years from the date of the Declaration of Independence. Adams, Franklin, and Jefferson made up the committee which drafted the document, but Jefferson wrote it. Exactly five years later, on July 4, 1831, James Monroe died. There are 365 days in a year, and 37 former presidents have passed away. The odds of the second, Third, and Fifth presidents dying on our national birthday are astronomical. Adams was the first president to live in the newly built White House. That night he wrote his beloved wife, Abigail, asking her to join him as quickly as possible. He ended with a prayer that is now carved in stone in the dining room. "I pray Heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but wise and honest men ever rule under this roof." One of President Adam's favorite foods were Oyster Rolls. INGREDIENTS: 4 French rolls 1 pint oysters Dash of nutmeg and mace 3 or 4 peppercorns 2 tablespoons butter PREPARATION: Cut a V in top of rolls, scrape out insides. Drain oysters, reserve liquid. Wash oysters. Strain liquid, add spices, place in saucepan over low heat. Add oysters and butter, stew until edges of oysters curl. Pour into rolls, bake until hot at 375 degrees. Serve. Jeff Cheek lives in Medford Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing