Daily Republican., 1881-05-20
CABINET CARRIAGES.
The Rigs I'm Which the Heads OF
Departments Ride.

| Departments Ride.
Washi ngton Republican.
[The following article is published b,
request, and is a description of how
President Hayes Cabinet lived at tn,
Capitol:l
Every cabinet day." between the
hours of twelve and two o'clock, the car.
riages of the Cabinet officers may be seen
parked in a double row in the carriage.
way in front of the Executive Mansion.
This little group of carriages, with
their drivers, horses, and other attach
ments, is very domestic in appearance,
and calculated to impress the rustic
visitor with the simplicity of our repub-
lican institutions.
The absence ofany gold buttons, plug
hats, or other livery on the GOachman
the plain trappings ofthe official steeds,
and the cozy, comfortable, unpreten-
tious look of the carriages, make them
conspicuous among the gaudy equipages
of paryenus that constantly sweep by
them. The coachman, from constant
association with Cabinet Ministers,
seemed to have imbibed great draughts
of statecratt and consider themselves
very important parts of the machinery
of the Government.
Even the horses wear an unusually
sober look, as if they realized the i'm
portance of their mission. Secretary
Schurz drives to the White House in IA
coupe drawn by big bay horse. The
only livery which his colored driver
wears is par OF huge buckskin gaunt-
let's reaching up to the shoulder. Secre-
tary Ramsey, though he has the respOn-
sibility of Two Departments upon his
shoulders, requires but one carriage to
convey him to the Executive mansion,
and that is only a one-horse carriage
. sort of carryall-drawn by a blooded
bay and driven by Il white coaChman.
70 carry the Secretary of the Treasury
and his budget of papers from the
Treasury Department to the Executive
Mansion a carryall and team of bays,
with white marks, ARE called into requi-
sition. Abe, the official driver of the
Treasury department, handles the rib
bons.
Yesterday a dingy-loooking, two
seated sleigh was substituted for the
Treasury carryall The Secretary OF
State trusts himself and important docu-
ments to d sort of family carriage and a
team of dark bays. He has a white
driver, who sports huge pair of Burn
sides or Galway sluggers. The Post
master General has rig similar to that
attached to the State Department, and
boasts the luxury of white driver.
The Attorney General crosses the street
Of t, hn
Executive Mansion in a carriage like
that of the Secretary Of War and has u
black driver.
The Secretary of the Navy, when the
country is blessed with such an official,
also rides in one~horse carryall. These
horses have become accustomed to the
habits of their distinguished masters.
They know just how lcng cabinet
ought to be, and give signs Of
If their respective masters
Dver-stay the limit. When the Cabinet
meeting is over the Secretaries straggle
out of the mansion one by one. The
first sign given to the horses and coach
men OF the conclusion of tho meeting is
The appearance on the portico of an
usher, who claps his hands loudly to
warn the drivers to get ready. Then as
he various ministers appear, he calls
)ut for his carriage, like the policeman
vt the door of the theatre after the
opera. When the carriage comes up,
he usher opens the door, bundles the
secretary in, and sees that the door is
fastened again to protect the
Secretary from any intrusion by news
paper men or others on sjourney back
% his department..