Shall the President Wear Armor?

Editor Evening News:

     On the principle of “better late than never,” I concluded to write these few lines to offer a suggestion which might have a tendency to lessen the danger of our President from being mortally wounded by the weapon of some crank or anarchist. I realize how distasteful it must be to our President to be obliged to be escorted by a bodyguard when he desires to appear in public. A husband has a legal right to court danger if he so desires, but morally he has not. His obligation to his family requires him to take every precaution for his protection and safety. Our President was elected by this great American family as their protector. Not only have they elected him to this high office, but they have, by ocular demonstrations, shown the world that they love and respect him not only as the President, but as a man, and so vividly have they demonstrated this affection that even our dear, good President, with his modest proclivity, could not fail to recognize this fact, hence his duty to take every precaution for his safety and longevity. However, the pressing question of the hour, “How can the President protect himself in the future better than he has in the past?” I would suggest that he wear an armor of steel, so constructed that it could be worn over the undergarments and concealed from view by the outer-garments.
     This may seem like going back to the times of Julius Caesar; but even so, if it will protect those near and dear to us, why not try it? The old adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” is no less true today than it was a century ago.

M. S. RICHTER.     

     Buffalo, Sept. 12, 1901.