The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-07-07
The White House.

I1OuoC COAoUhhuAY AoSASes'' 1900
Presidents were not even allowed pri-
vate secretary by law. They had to pay
for all clerical assistance out OF their
own salary. Afterward one secretary
was provided for; then an assistant was
added. From administration to admin
the working force grew by the
addition of clerks, or the detail OF army
officers, until what is practically bu-
reau of appointments has grown up.
Including the private secretary, there
are now seven persons attached to this
bureau, and their positions are no sine
cures. Often they are busy until late at
night bringing up the days work. If
they allow it to get behind it is next to
impossible to deal with it satisfactorily.
Perhaps o absorption 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 impossible
for the President to read all the letters
addressed to him. If he should under
take the job he would have little time for
ANYTHING else. But it is important that
he should be able to select from the mass
such letters as he wants to read. So there
is system Of briefing the correspond.
ence, letter by letter, on broad sheets OF
paper and making a sort OF unbound vol
ume of the sheets each day. BY glanclng
over these abstracts the President can
see few minutes what letters there
are recurring 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 o long envelope, which
has a printed form on it's back for in
dorsement, with name, date, office APP
nl;ed for and remarks. Most of these
letters are distributed each day to the
several departments and go upon their
files. There are, however, several MES
in the White House-one OF official let
ters, to which the President may wish to
refer, another Of applications and recon-
mendations in cases pending ior
his decision, one OF persona.
letters, and one winch 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 MN TO
apply to America the bitter remark of
CARLYLE. who said that England was in
habited by $1,000, 900 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 a day, cuts out
ought to sse he Aeks ms h sspPP EssIaf Il
topical scrap-books, and takes the books
in once day for the Presidents inspec-
ton. By this system a President can,
if he gives sufficient time to the matter,
keeps almost as we'll posted on public
daily. In length of service the oldest
member of the White House staff is W.
L. Crook, the executive agent and dis
bursting clerk, who dates back to the end
of President Lincoln's administration:
but there is among the servants of the
house a man vino was appointed by
President Fillmore. He is the fireman,
and his name is Herbert; and the prin
cipal door-keeper, Mr.. Loetfler, was put
in his place by President Grant in 1869.
The exchange reader does his work be-
hind big screen in the general recep-
ton room. The private secretary, Mr..
Brown, and Mr.. Headley have q 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 a
smaller room, where Mr.. Prudon, the
assistant private secretary, keeps, with
the aid of two clerks, the records of APP
pointments and removals in formidable
leather bound volumes like the ledgers
in contingencies. 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 a steward, door,
keeper, four assistant doorkeepers, a
messenger, four assistant messengers,
two of whom are mounted, a Waterman
and fireman. There is also q 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 Presi-
dent. The repairs and the general good
order of the house, its furniture and its
conservatory and grounds, are attended
to by the Commissioner of Public Build
inus and Grounds