Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-04-27
LIFE IN THE WHITE HOUSE.

LIFE ~ THE WHITE HOUSE.
The annoyance of Living in What is the
Presidents Oficr-Prestdent Arthur
Corr Paring It to "a Judge Who Lives
USdet the Roof of His Court House
Tho Need of New Mansion.
Washington Letter 10 tie Nea0 York Sun.
Pr sident Arthur does not like any of
the plans that have been proposed for
new Executive Mansion. He objects To
the scheme to erect one on Columbian
Ilelghts, outside the city limits, because
1t would compel people who desire tc see
the President after office hours To getO the
expense If carriage, and would be in
convenient in o her respects. He thinks
the President Of the UnU, States should
he accessible at all times. The Presi-
dent does not like the plan WI ch was
proposed by Senator Morrill, and adopted
10y the Senat- last year. to build a
duplicate of the present White House a
few rods south Of it. and connect the two
buildings with a corridor, because that
would still retain the disagreeable feature
Of residing in your Office. For the same
reason the President objects to the en-
largement OF the present building. 1t
has heen proposed to raise it and build
another story below, and it has
heH proposed to add another story
t. the t"p for the private use OF
The Presld' nt's family, but he
argues against all these plans that the
Presideu as well as his sovereIgns, re-
quires change of scene and change OF
atmosphere. No man can rest SO well
within the wallis in which he works as he
can outside of them. and no man can
work as well where ne does his resting.
He compares his pres mt situation to that
OF lawyer who lives in lis office or a
Judge who lives under the ROOF of his
court house.
II would be- thought very queer if the
Secretary of State or the Pustm istrr Gen
era we're to be required to 1--we in th-ir
offices, and the President thinks it is gu t.
a unreasonable to ask him and his su =
ces~Ors to do 81. Until the war the
White Hous- was purely a residence,
with two rooms devoted to the Private
Secretary and his assist M and third to
the President for his Cabinet meetings
and the reception of Congressman and
O'heT callers. When Andrew johnson
WAS at odds with the Secretary of War
and other members Of his Cabinet, he
called around him from the Executive
Departments a force OF clerks which has
since remained there, and has been grow
NJ lar@er as the business of the govern
ment has increased.
The President nowadays receives as
many letters in IA week a. Thomas j fer
son or Andrew Jackson did in year, and
the clerks are cessary t. hun. Tneir
work will grow larger instead IF less. and
/ tn Y will continue to crowd the official
| NOrk of the VIII te House more and. more
! into the Trivate portion, until the Presi-
! dent wall nave TO be bachelor, like Mr..
! iilden, in order to live there at II.
The entire portion IF the White House
/ that the President is now able to reserve
/ r. fc "a tlU isfe of ~ n n
/ ing room and five chambers. The Pres;-
! dents family cannot 90 10 dinner without
| passing through that portion of the hOuS-
| which is always visited 10y tourists. and
is generally full Of them. There is no sit
/ ting room for the ladies', although the
/ President has made one by means of a
! screen at the west end of the corridor
! There is no sewing room, no music room,
/ no SIM king room, and there are no par.
/ lOrs, except those i'm the official portion
! If the mansion. Ii the President wants
! to visit w tn party OF ladies, he is com
| PEELED to see tn m either in the official
pariors, whore he is liable to he inter
rupted by curiosity hunters, or give them
seals in the hall. Mrs. McErOy has nc
/ place to receive her friends, no place to
! do her sewing, except in her chamber or
! in the public parlors, and the Pres dents
! dausht has To take her music lessons III
/ "a b drOOm or 20 out of tn house to do So
/ There is not even place for her nurse tC
5 eep.
When the President wants to enjoy q
| ci2ar with a friend he must either 20 tC
! his bedroom or sit IN one of the official
] apartm hts. He generally avoids either
and goes down into tn h I'll leading to the
/ conservatory, where he has a iew com.
/ Portable chairs and the marble table upon
/ which Andrew Jackson used to play '.old
/ sledge." The smoke from tobacco is said
/ to be beneficial t0 plants, and keeps the
/ bugs off; so it is making a virtue Of
necessity.
When President Arthur came into the
/ Wine House there was only one bath
4 room IN the whole building, and the quests
/ whn happened to be visiting there had tC
20 to IA bath house or carry their bath
/ tubs around with them. He has had two
more baths put IN. When he came
| there there were no sleeping rooms for the
! servants, and for several months he spent
/ the night solitary and alone in the house,
I except for the presence OF the nj Sht watch.
man in the vestibu e below.
No ornaments of any sort, no books OF
! fancy articles can be left in the pubic
p1rlOrs, because the tourists carry them
! of. There are some great bronze shields
! and china pieces. to lie sure, hut they
weigh "a hundred pOu Dis ~ so, and the rel {
fends would have to bring a wagon to gel
/ Them away. There is not a portable ar
ticle" i'm the whole house, except in the
chambers and in the kitchen. Every
thing has to be kept under lock and key
or not kept at all.
The Pr, sident has partitiOned off pari
of hallway to make a dressing room tor
/ himself, but it is the only one in TIE
/ house. When he wants to entertain
friends he has to senl them to a hotel or
turn bis family out of their chamb rs
/ When Mrs. Hayes was mistress of the
White House she used to have GOOD
many visitors, and they often had to slice,
! three in "A bed. President Arthur does moi
encourage that feature Of the Ohio plan.
The President says that the govern
ment should purchase The square OF
! ground across Lafayette Park from the
! White House, where MIR CorcOran now
resides, and erect there a modern resi-
dence to he called thu Executive Mansion
| Here he would have his successors live in
/ privacy. and do their private entertain
ing. The official business and the public
| entertainments would still be conducted
in the White House, including the State
/ dinners and official receptions, because II
is adm 'rahiy adapted to such purposes
/ Then the President could live as other
men do, and be able to protect himself
/ from the invasion of tourists.
MIR. COrcOran owns three-fOurths of this
! DlOck. Il ne OJneT lOuTlu Is occupied 10y
! an old yellow brick mansion known as the
/ Stockton House, in which Mr.. Henry
/ Adams, of Boston, "A son of Charh
/ Francis Adams, and an author of some
note, now resides. Mr.. Adams and Mr.
/ Jonn Hay have purchased the property
/ and on the corner OF Sixteenth street, op-
/ posite St. Johns Churcn, they propose tC
4 erect handsome and expensive residences
! together. Mr.. Richardson, of Boston, is
/ their architect, and he is Planning some
thing new and novel that will CRAFTY
their tastes as well as empty their pocket
/ books.
Private Life of Emps rOr William.
HGrDer's Magazine.
The private life of the Emperor flows