The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1881-04-08
a PRESIDENTS DAILY LIFE
Routine Work at the White
~ HE House.
l.. v. 6. IN NEW YORK TRIBUNE

l.. v. s. IN NEW YORK TRIBUNE
WASHINGTON, March 1S.--The routine
work OF the White House constantly increas
es. The early Presidents were not even al
lowed private secretary by law. They had
TO pay for all clerical services out Of theil
own salaries. Afterward one secretary was
provided for; then an assistant was added
From administration TO administration the
working force grew blythe addition of clerks,
or the detail Of army officers until what Is
practically n Bureau Of Appointments has
grown up. Including the private secretary,
there are now seven persons attached TO this
bureau, and their places are no sinecures
Often they are busy until late at night bring
Ing up the days work. If they allow 1t TO
get behind It is next to impossible to deal
with II satisfactorily. Perhaps description
of the current Office duties Of the Presidents
personal staff may interest some readers.
An enormous mail is received every day.
The pile of letters is deposited upon the
desk Of the private secretary, Mr.. Brown,
and he and Mr.. Headly, the executive clerk,
open and classify them. OF course 1t Is inn
possible for the President TO read all the let
tiers addressed TO him. If he should under
take the Job he would have little time for
anything else. But 1t Is important that he
Should be able TO select from the mass such
letters AZ he wants to read. SO there Is
system Of briefng the correspondence letter
by letter OH broad sheets Of paper, and max
ing sort of unbound volume of the sheets
each day. by glancing over these abstracts
the President can see i'm few minutes what
letters there are requiring his attention
among the hundreds that arrive daily. Such
of the letters as are applications for office,
and more than nine tenths are of this class,
are put each In long envelope which has a
printed form on its back for endorsement
with name, date, Office applied for and re-
marks. Most of these letters are distributed
each day to the several departments and 60
upon their files There are, however, sever
al files In the White House-onc OF official
letters, to which the President may wish TO
refer, another of applications and recon-
mendations in cases pending for his decis-
ion, one of pesonal letters, and one, which
would furnish curious reading to students of
human nature, called the eccentric file. An
hour spent i'm looking over the contents of
this file would make the least misanthropic
man believe that half the world had gone
crazy, or cause him to apply to America the
bitter remark Of Carlyle, who said that Eng
land was inhabited by 30,0o0,00o Of people,
principally fools.
THE PRESIDENTIAL scRAP-BooK.
President Hayes carried Off TO Fremont
the eccentric fle' of his administration,
thinking it could not be considered by any
stretch Of the Imagination valuable public
property. Hayes was . great collector OF
material of personal or historical interest,
and he had an active assistant In his SON
Webb. All the newspaper criticisms on the
policy and appointments Of his administra-
tion were carefully preserved by him. He
took with him small library Of scrap-books
filled with such clippings. Speaking Of these |
scrap-books must not forget TO mention In |
connection with the Office work of the White |
House, In fact there is q post similar that of |
an exchange reader la daily newspaper Of |
fee. This place Is filled by Mr.. Morton. |
who served under President Hayes. He
goes through two or three hundred papers
day, cuts out everything he thinks the Presi-
dent ought to see, arranges his clippings In
topical scrap-books and takes the books In
once a day for the Presidents inspection.
By this system President can, II he gives
sufficient time TO the matter, keep almost as
well posted on public opinion as the chief
editor Of great daily.
r THE WHITE HOUSE STAFF.
In length Of service, the Oldest mem ser Of
the White House staff Is Mr.. w. L. Crook.
the executive agent and discussing clerk,
who dates back to the end Of President Lin
coins administration; but there Is among the
servants of the house man who was ap-
polluted by President Fillmore; he Is the fire
man and his name 10 Herbert; and the door
keeper, Mr.. Loefier, was put in his place by
President Grant In 1860.
The exchange reader does his work behind
big screen In the general reception room.
The private secretary, MIR. Brown, and MIR.
Headly have room TO themselves, with two
bay windows looking out on the Potomac
and the Virginia hills, and door leading TO
the Presidents room. Adjoining Is smaller
room where Mfr. Prudon, the assistant secre-
tary, keeps, with the aid Of two clerks,
the records OF appointments and removals
In formidable leather-bound volumes like
the ledgers In q counting house.
Besides the staff OF secretaries and clerks
there Is what might be called an official staff
Of servants, who are appointed BY the Presi'
dent aud whose salaries are provided for by
Congress In the annual appropriations. II
consists Of steward, doorkeeper, four assist
ant doorkecpers, messenger, four assistant
messengers, two of whom are mounted,
Waterman and fireman. There Is also q
telegraph operator detailed from the Signal
Service Corps. The other servants Of the
household, such ut the coachman, cook and
waters, ARE paid by The president. The re-
pairs and the general good order Of the
house, iis furniture and its conservatory and
grounds IRE attended TO by the Commission
er Of Public Buildings and Grounds.
THE ELECTRIC LIGHT