The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1865-09-19
souae ThtnEs about Ghe White
Momse-W w hat Now II aud What
ahonld He

dies rCcepiioa room m--coHtorgmbie bat n0s
ss all vel hghled. Nexi, on ghe rizht, Is
the Presidents Office, and ~ sha corner.
booking eastward and soslhsard, the OF.
bee oi his Secretaries. In The opposite
corner. scrOss The wide and airy hall Is
The office Of halt = dozen clerks, who keep
the papers and books oi the Executive
Department, Next to that. and At the
bead of the stairway, on the left. where
vas ~ Mr.. Llne5la. day, qu,et and co.
~ recepIOn-room OF readlag room is now
a sleeping apartment, through whose open
door you may chance 10 see bed with
its Snowy coualerpane and hhdsome
hmusqaiio bar.
The President oughi 10 have gooi.
handsome, comfortable. well furnished
hume Ia one OF the best localities of the
cltJ, which sholid be during VI, 0ceapan-
cy, as completely under his con,co a, TO
he owned IL. The Whit. Hous I. ms.
cradle oil shell, n Ahich 40 Z ntcman
0t comfortable circumstances would for
an lnslaul think d living borrower, Il
4. So lamp aai u,wh llrsOnc that sickness
most iolloN ats occupancy as matter Of
course. rhal Mr. Lincoln lived lher-
four continuous years is proof of the won.
deriul hardiho0d al las constitution. An
drew johnson cant live there half that
time, II he works AS he has since
he became President. Mould and mil
des remain on the walls OF The lower
rooms irom years end TO years end aud in
spite OF The combined efforts of housekeep-
er, servants, and Commissioner of Public
buildings. Even in the great and airy
east room there is always in the air and
odor, a reminder of the charnel house
while any one condemned TO live in The
green room or blue room might order his
coffin, to be delivered at the end of three
months The western part Of the house.
which is the residence proper, is in a bet
ter condition than the eastern part but
il is a shame to the nation AT large. and 10
all men who ever have been, now are. or
expect TO BE-, in Congress, particularly.
There is no fault on the part of the offc.
ers in whose charge It is--ihe old thing
hasn't been fiji for respectable residence
these twenty years, and the expenditure
OF gffy dollars year cant make il fit.
Further, the President ought to have a
suite OF dozen good airy, pleasant, con
venient and handsomely furnished rooms
for his office. As il is, he has just four,
only one Of which is of respectable size,
and two Of whicha country attorney would
hardly consent TO occupy. The rooms
have pleasant view, aud that is all for
the cabinet room is old and dingy, cold
and cherries; the Presidents office Is
niggardly furnished aud has water. soaked
and water-stained walls and ceiling; and
the room Of the clerks; and the room of
the private secretaries, are so crowded
and cramped that one wonders how any
business can be done. The clerks office
would, if in any Of the Depar tment build
ings, Is thought barely large enough for
two occupants, yet here are necessarily
crowded six, with their desks, tables, cas-
es, books, &C., and desiring TO see the
clerk at The end opposite the door, you
need very steady head TO pick your way
through the narrow labyrinth Of corners,
and angles, and legs and ends. The pri-
vate Secretary's room is just large enough
for one secretary, yet into il are crowded
Gen. Mussy, Col. Browning and two Ma
jors, with desks to match and the room
rs in every respect only less uncom-
Portable than the one on the opposite side
Of the hall. Ii does no good to say that
ought not 10 be, for it can't be helped
The work Of the Executive Department
must be done somewhere, and no other
place has been or can be provided.
Democracy is a good thing, bat the
tact is, there's 100 much OF il at tile White |
!loise. The building isn't ii. tor resi-
dence, vet We condemn our chiei officers
to live there and Congress haggles and
gets peuurious whenever IN considering
lie appropriation bill, il reaches the items
Tor the Presidential Mansion. There are
not half oiIice-rooms enough, and those
We have are no way fit tor the use 10 which
We obllge the President to put them. -
The house is both office and residence,
when il is none too large fof the latter,
Moreover, the house is necessarily, in ac-
cordance with the habit OF years, kept
open to every body. Any dirty tramp
who chooses may 60 into the east room,
or The green room, or the halls, and lounge
all day and il The ushers put him out,
somebody stands ready TO baNl that the
rights of an American citizen ars tram
pied upon. Vile custom obliges the Pres
ident to open his office 10 every Tom, Dick
aud Harry, who fancies il will be just the
thing TO bore him with applications for
some petty office. Even the chiefs of bu- |
reaus require that you shall show that
your business properly comes before them I
before they will see you; and an assistant
secretary carefully weeds out the matter
pressing upon cabinet ministers, and re-
fuse admission 10 his superior alter the
middle Of the afternoon. Yet if The Pres
idential house ism I open from dayligh. TO 4
midnight. aad il the President don't hold .
general reception six or eight hours every I
weekday and allow admission by card IT
almost any other hour Of the twentY-iour
there are plenty OF blateat patriots who 4
cry out that We are drifting away from 4
our republican moorings. The fact
is, as | said before, there is q great deal 4
too much Of certain sort Of democracy 4
At the White House.
Mrs. Lincoln did good thing las, win
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