Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1860-11-17

n correspondent OF the Boston COu-
rier furnishes an interesting account of
the Presidents mansion and his mode
of life, from which we extract the fol-
lowing paragraph:
To II large majority of the strangers
to the federal metropolis, who visit
Washington, there is no object which
eXcitcs so much attention as the Exc
cutive Mansion. The truth is, that up
to the time of Mr.. Polk, the White
House was dcccntly furnished. Con-
grcss then made an appropriation which
being .judiciously expended, improved
things somewhat. After that, no con-
siderable appropriation was made till
the year 1853, when some fifty thou
sand dollars were appropriated for heat
ing, vcntilating, painting, enlarging,
and rcfurnishing the house.
The silver in the house, am told, is
mostly that bought in Paris during the
administration Of Mr.. Monroe. There
are but two or three pictures in the
house. One in the red room, a portrait
of Washington, which was cut from
the frame and secured by Mrs. Madi-
son when Washington City was occu-
pied by the British in the war of 1872;
another, in the Presidents office, pOr-
trait of Bolivar, the South American
patriot. There are no household Orna-
mcnts about the house, except vases
scattered here and there on mantlcs,
and articles brought from Japan by
Commodore Perry. The White House,
in word, is furnished more like hO-
tel than first class residence. There
arc articles of use in abundance, rich
and massive, but no articles of art or
adOrnmcnt.
The President receives twenty-five
thousand dollars salary. Next, he re-
ceives house, garden, and stables, free
of expense. The house is furnished
and the garden is cultivated by the
government. Every article of furni-
ture necessary to be supplied by the
United States. The government also
lights and heats the house. 1t pays for
stewards to take care of the public
property, and fireman, and for no 9th
or domestic servants. The Executive
office is in the Executive mansion, and
for the former the government provides
IL private secretary, clerks to the secre-
tary, two messengers and porter
For all domestic servants, however, ex-
ccpt steward and fireman, the Presi-
dent must pay out of his own pocket.
lie must pay for his cooks, his butler,
his stable servants, female servants,
coachman, grooms, &C., as any other
person does when he employs such a
rctinue Of servants. He supplies his
table, with the exception of garden
vegetables, us any other private citizen
does, by his own purse. So with his
stables. In short, the only things fur
hishcd by government arc houses and
furniture, fuel and ! ghts, steward and
fireman, garden vegetables and flowers.
All else is matter of private expense.
| With these items Us basis tor calcula-
ton, any gentleman who keeps eight
cen or more servants of both sexes, who
keeps stable with horses, rs does Mr..
Buchanan, who dimes persons besides
his own family every day, and once a
week gives dinner to forty invited
guests, can form some notion how
much out of twenty-five thousond dol
lars remain ut the end of tho year.
Most of our Presidents, however, con-
trivc to save money during their term
of oflice.)