The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1881-07-01
THE WHITE HOUSE.
How the Routine Work Of the Presidentin
00ice e. performpd.

House constantly increases. The early
Presidents were not even allowed q pri-
vate secretary by law. They had to pay
for all clerical assistance out of THEN
own salary. Afterward one secretary
was provided for; then an assistant was
added. From administration to admin
istration the working force grew by the
addition of clerks, or the detail of army
officers, until what is practically bureau
of appointments has grown up. Includ-
ing the private secretary, there are now
seven persons attached to this bureau,
and their positions are no sinecures.
Often they are busy until late at night
bringing up the days work. If they al
low it to get behind it is next to impos-
sible to deal with it satisfactorily. Per-
haps description Of the current office
duties Of the Presidents personal staff
may interest some readers. An enor-
nous mail is received every day. The
private secretary, Mr., Brown, and Mr..
Headley, the executive clerk, open and
classify them. OF course it is impos-
sible for the President to read all the
letters addressed to him. If he should
undertake the job he would have little
time for anything else. But it is i'm
portant that he should be able to select
from the mass such letters as he wants
to read So there is system of brief
ing the correspondence, letter by letter,
on broad sheets of paper and making a
sort of unbound volume of the sheets
each day. By glancing over these alb
stracts the President can see in few
minutes what letters there are requiring
his attention among the hundreds that
daily arrive. Such of the letters as-are
applications for office, and more than
nine-tenths are of this class, are each
put into long envelope, which has a
| printed form on its back for indorse-
ment, with name, date, Office applied for
and remarks. Most of these letters are
distributed each day to the several de-
partments and go upon their files. There
are, however, several files in the White
House-one of official letters, to which
the President may wish to refer, another
Of applications and recommendations in
cases pending for his decision, one of
personal letters and one which would
furnish curious reading to students of
human nature, called the eccentric file.
An hour spent in looking over the con-
tents 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 England was in
habited by 3O,OOO,OOO of people, princi-
pally fools.
I must not forget to mention in con
nection with the office work of the White
House, the fact that there is post SINH
lar to that of an exchange reader in a
daily newspaper Office. The 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 President
ought to see, arranges his clippings in
topical scrap-books and takes the books
in once day for the Presidents inspec-
tion. By this system a President can,
II he gives sufficient time to the matter,
keep almost as well posted on public
opinion as the chief editor of a great daily
In length of service the Oldest member
of the White House staff is W. L. Crook,
the executive agent and disbursing
clerk, who dates back to the end of
President Lincoln's administration but
there is among the servants of the house
man who was appointed by President
Fillmore. He is the fireman, and his
name is Herbert and the principal door
keeper, Mr.. Loefller, was put in his
place by President Grant in 1869.
The exchange reader does his work
behind big screen in the general re-
ception room. The private secretary,
Mr.. Brown, and Mr.. Headley have q
room to themselves, with two bay win
dows looking out on the Potomac and
the Virginia hills, and door leading to
the Presidents room. Adjoining is n
smaller room, where Mr.. Prudon, the
assistant private secretary keeps, with
the aid of two clerks, the records of ap-
pointments and removals in formidable
leather-bound volumes like the ledgers
in counting-house. Besides the staff
of secretaries and clerks, there is what
might be called an official staff of SER
wants, who are appointed by the Presi-
dent and whose salaries are provided for
by Congress in the annual appropria-
tions. 1t consists of n steward, door
keeper, four assistant doorkeepers, q
messenger, four assistant messengers,
two Of whom are mounted, a watchman
and q fireman. There is also a telegraph
operator detailed from the signal service
corps. The other servants of the house
hold, such as the coachman, the cooks
and the walters, are paid by the Prosi-
dent. The repairs and the general good
order of the house, its furniture and its
conservatory and grounds, are attended
/ D., L., l1,n No ,eatopav ~ Du1,1ic Rti11