Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1875-01-31
At the White House.

H At the White House.
The special Washington correspondent
of the Boston Globe says:
There has always been popular mis-
apprehension concerning the cost of living
in the Executive Mansion. Previous to
the war, when everything was cheaper
than now, it was seldom suggested that
the Presidents salary of $4,000 a year
was inadequate to his support. Quite
number of the e-beHum Presidents re-
tired from office comparatively poor, but
this fact was never regarded nor used as
an argument in favor Of increasing the
compensation of the Executive. Their
poverty was almost uniformly due to their
want of tact and shrewdness in the man
segment of their private affairs, or to their
want of appreciation of the value of
money. OF the former Thos. jefferson was
notable illustration, and Franklin Pierce
of the latter. l have heard Col. John w.
Forney, the intimate friend of Pierce all
through his administration, say that the
New Hampshire statesman was frequently
known to give money out of his own
pocket to mendicant office-seekers when
he could secure them place at the public
crib. His successor, James Buchanan,
with his shrewd, thrifty Pennsylvania
training, knew the value of ten cents
you remember the Fremont Buchanan
campaign song entitled ''Ten cent JIM
my"-and saved money during his term,
besides maintaining the fame OF the White
House for elegant and liberal hospitality.
Buchanan's dinner parties, both before
and after he became President, were mod
els in every respect. He always super
intended the preparations for them HIM
self, even to the most minute details, and
calculated their cost in advance to within
few dollars. During the war, when the
premium on gold advanced to 1876, and
everything else went booming up with it,
contractors and others who had suddenly
come into possession of large sums of
money, which they scarcely knew how to
expend, wondered how "poor Lincoln"
lived on $4,000 year. The truth is,
MIR. Lincoln not only managed to live on
this sum but to save something. But for
the wild, shoddy extravaganza of his wife,
he might have saved more, for his own
habits and tastes, as we'll as those of his
children. were exceedingly frugal and
simple. 1t was among the gossip Of the
times that Mrs. Lincoln had other re-
sources beside the purse of the President
upon which she drew, and there was
probably something in it; for her bal
looming ideas of living, if humored, must
necessarily have swamped Lincoln. The
household . under Andrew johnson
was most economically administered
by his daughters, two sensible, unpre-
tending ladies', who were general favorites
even when their father was sort of Ish-
maelite, politically and socially John
son saved between 100000 and $4,000
out of his salary, but, unfortunately for
him, it was gobbled by those Christian
bankers, Jay Cooke & Co., in whom poor
Andy. like many other misguided persons,
placed some confidence.
GRANTS sHREwDNEss AND THRIFTY MAN
AGEMENT.
Gen Grant is unquestionably the most
thrifty President who has occupied the
Executive Mansion for years, not even ex-
ccpting James Buchanan. He will retire
at the close of his term the richest of all
our Presidents. His extraordinary and
uniform good fortune has followed him
in the Investment of his money as in every
thing else, and every ''talent' has been
made to yield full harvest. Grants
habits and tastes, like those of Mr.. Lin
coin, are very frugal and simple. He has
one weakness, which in other men might
lead to extravaganza, namely, an inordi-
nate fondness for horscfesh. But with
ms "canny' Scotch shrewdness, he in
nuiges this luxury at comparatively little
q expense to himself. He is good judge
oi horse and has been known to make
some very advantageous ''tradcs" or
swaps" 1t is said that famous Michi-
gander, who is the terror Of the British
iion-Aach. Chandler-once sold Grant
Z. horses which did not turn out as
pair os.nted, and which he purchased on
rcPiSd,er's word, without having seen
Cham If the Senator expected 70 usell"
2 fi.e'Tp President as well a. the horses, he
INC doomed to disappointment, fos Grant
1rot drive them half dozen times I'M
n ~. Uncovered their weak points, ana ne
III ~ Chandler take them back ana re-
ms. | The Presidents st. LOUIS iarm,
iun u;ch is stocked with some OF sne pcs'
,w,ll,oded animals in the country, iuInlsne'
p ;.,, with all the horses ne neeos =. oS Gun.
nl.arstiyely little cost. But LOT .nc .nhs
XIV 4 regular annual sale 2. sio .sEs
,,l n.d at the St. Louis farm sncn Tnn 0
Dice q the leading stock farms .. ~ n0 e
"cky, might furnish q Column H',n nn = ,,are1s
s.oosndal for the New YORK sur anu pcarid
- that ink, y is probable 1 .,aa colts IS
!. :, ss good display o. nue ~ The
Mcnaniel,, Alexander, Mcura ss . !"
late John Harper As - - ''