The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1869-04-28
OFFICE "STYLE" AT WASHING.
TON. 81
How to Obtain an Audience with His
ExceIIency-Hole-in- Sky Sec
rotary of the Treasury.

ExceIIency-HoIe-in-th Sky Sec
rotary of the Treasury.
The Washington correspondent of
the Chicago Republican writes as fol-
lows:
The elegant room occupied by the
Secretary of the Treasury is situated
ON the second story Of the building.
Its immense windows command a view
OF Arcadian loneliness. Almost with
in speaking distance rises the white
walls of the Executive Masion, and to
the left stretches a velvet lawn, green
and dainty enough to attract the feet
Of fairy dancers. To the right may
be seen the bronze statue of some de-
parted statesman, the color of the
bronze illustrating in etiigy green old
age in life. \ fountain of dimpled,
laughing water glistens in the sum
beams Just beneath the windows, and
the scene, altogether, almost outrivals
a midsummer nights dream. If ma
ture has triumphed without, art has
triumphed within. The Secretary's
room is of royal proportions A car
pet Of softest gray, bespangled with the
finest pink field flowers, covers the
floor =; massive black walnut furniture,
finished with blue rep, comforts and
adorns every available place in the
room, while gorgeous blue drapery
excludes the saucy sunshine. Mirrors
by the square yard confront you in
every direction. A fine, large book
case holds lis own at one side of the
room, but a glance at its contents of
musty dry bones proves to the letter
that distance lends enchantment to
the view. From the hours of 9and I
the Secretary may be usually found at
his desk between two windows. AT
his right there is a large, handsome
room, inhabited by the Assistant Sece-
tary !; at his left the same thing is re-
peated. These two men may safely
| be called his two hands. The hand
some chair of the Secretary ans yers fol
a Republican throne. Any DIG admit
ted to the Secretrry's presence safely,
passes through half a dozen hands
We will suppose you are q stranger
in Washington, and it is necessary toi
you to see the Secretary of the Urea
sury of the United States. You find
the celebrated building, and are shown
to a floor abo7e the room already de
scribed. A colored man meets you.
as polite as the ''slave of the lamp"
and before you go further we will tell
you that this man will leave the
p'easantest impression in your mem
DRY, because he is so free from arrog-
ance and is so willing to oblige. He
asks, "Whom would you like to see?'
You answer, ''The Secretary" Look
close, and you will see the least shadow
of a smile fit across the ivory and
ebony. He takes your card at once,
and hands it to a white messenger
but he has read it, and if you have
been 4 General, or otherwise distingu
ished in a manner that he has ever
heard your name, he will ask you to
take a seat at his cosy table and give
hi your autograph Merely to PCS
away the time, you consent, and by
this time the white messenger returns
and invites you in to see the assistant
appointment clerk. He sounds you to
the best of his ability, tells you it i
Cabinet day, or that the Secre ary on
ly receives, this morning, meml erS
and Senators. You persevere, and
the appointment clerk is called to take
part in the interesting d bate. No
go you return discorsolate to your
lodgings, where you pass a haunted
night and return the next morning to
the scene of our former exploits
Second failure +; the appointment clerk
again blocks your wheels. He per
tinaciously refuses to let you through
unless you tell him your business, so
that he can judge whether it is best for
his masters interest to spend any time
with such an atom of humanity as
yourself. Perhaps you are the big
man of Jonesville wien you are
at lone. You begin to shrivel III
your own estimation I; at any rate
you begin to get bewildered with the
situation You undertake a third
trial trip, and by some luck you find
yourself in the mighty presence of an
Assistant Secretary. IF you do not
believe men can inflated like balloons,
come to Washinst ton and sec. In the
presence of the A sis,ant Secretary
your business must be forthcoming or
your clse is beyond hope. You have
al fdy lecrned the lesson, ''there is
but oae Allah, and Maht IT Is hi
prophet If you have passed the
proper examination, you a o BE-
admitted to the presence of the faith
full and be allowed to peacefully de
part, wiser if TX, a sadder ma.
There are six clerks at work filing
apple; tons, putting these emblems 0
mans vanity in comfortable pigeon
holes, there to rest in their m ruIdy
graves until an earth quake upheave
the solid granite which composes the
treasury building, or the hand of time
consigns them to so much impapa-ble
dust.
RI