The Washington critic., 1885-08-24
HOW THE MAIL COMES AND GOES.

HOW THE MAIL COMES AND GOES.
The President of the United States
receives daily on average of 5000 let
tiers, which, rs a rule, are answered or
their receipt acknowled on the day Of
delivery. TO enable him to cope with
with this vast correspondence slys
writer in the New York SIN, much of
which requires not simply a formal r.
ply but considerable research anl
special knowledge, the Executive Is
furnished with about ten thousand
clerks, who, for convenience, are di-
vidcd into seven departments, accord
ing as their work has to do with our
foreign relations, the Army or Navy,
the fiscal machinery of the Government.
it's internal relations, the postal service,
or the administration of justice. The
heads of these seven principal depart
ments are asked by the President to
meet him once or twice week at the
White House, and form what is known
as his Cabinet. At these conferences
the more important business of the
several departments is discussed, so
that the work may he done promptly
ard tremendously, and so well rcgu-
lated Is the system that ii is not ncccs-
sary fer the President to see personally
but Il very small part of the Executive
correspondence. Two or three sacks
only, out of the tons of mail matter
that is dumped every morning on the
floor of the Washington city Postoilicc,
goes to the White House.
All the departments have mail
room where the letters are received and
sorted In the larger departments these
rooms have quite II postollicu look of
their own, and exceed in the volume of
business transacted the figures of many
towns of considerable size. Here the
sacks are opened and the contents dis
tributcd into trays or boxes which rep
resent the Office of the Secretary and
the different bureaus. When thus sort
cd the letters go to the chief clerks,
who go through the pile, whether
confidential or not. Heads of de-
partments are not supposed to have
any guilty secrets, and they certainly
have not the time to read all the mis-
sives which come to them as coniiden-
| tial matter So the clerk rips open
Io,,iss H., in,a III, ,,,ns,a hnsiYa,
To,,,,,,,,' ~; %, 5,,s;,'a,s ,o,,o.:
~ Ill. $3.50 ;n,n r,,iai,nr go onJ
,h ho Oio orn Lnrno h, n',sar m' nv
He, 20 di,,is;aH al liz r,ooJ, Of
1870 1870 hn,,;nn snan;ol s',norYis;nn 'F ,ho
,,,o,tor IL nn,o,,o,. h. Iattor 4, ,,n,,
~ ho g., ,,d,,ont !, +, s,nt ~, ;n,,n,J 81
~ ~. J o'a'it,,oiI,. IA ;tn ,,., o
uo No. TaSi, ~ th" Saort'T., o a,.o. ~" ~
~, D,oci5ont I, ,i,o orI;,,,r,, ,.n,,ti,o
L inO " ie,,or zoos frsi tc tro Gitt,
pcstot,ioo ,i,anto 1Io ,lonort,nont o,1
y" ~ ,, IT. i,,i "'l ~
,noI i ".op y, dhi ~, sIor,, ~ di,,;sio,,
IN a., airl, ,,,I,o t. ,;o,,i
l'u Wv y, ~, 49, 49,
Th hr :, Jno ,,rngross thn roo,, non,
to1I. 49,, t';oii ,,i,i,o lotto, -, 80 80
o IN s;yn aIohnrato,,, hoodo5 and
nti,a,;,,r n,,d o,,'o,,'o,,tn', IL ,,rono,,i',
To "i", ,nar sn and bluo m"r,s p nu,nInr,
,ud dn,ns circlco snuaro. and crossos
iii III II is fno,iy siTncd fnIdoJ AND noaiIod
or.o;n Nocse.a,;Iv thero ;s some rad
49, -" for nice a y;r;d avsto, mns foi
i"wod tbcro wouIi hc fatal confusion
~, vol, IN ali ,ho lor,,o Donor,,,,n,,t.
rIhocn tnuStnripnc ,nnIl.c oil bnvn a
nnon;rr no tbo corolcss mr. st,,nid c,erI,
finds ont soon enough for Inv thnm
n,'o,.,, sto,, ;s ,oo;storn5 and a TInndnr
tronSd boc,, - 70 e. source ''' ' ''"''''0
TLa inSt bour or two oc oocb of,,cc
dow IN tho Donortmerts Ia dovntoJ "
Az smisi III ,I ~ tho nnrroono,Jonoo ar VI
a;a,;,ine T,ho Iottor ,,oans CO.,
JyS,, mIimS ;" 20 tho socrntor;ns and I'll,
c,,,,nr1inotos 500 r"' H.,
t ,S9 nI,inors s~n ,i,oi, name To, t,,
t 80 ro,,;5i,, os tho'' oo, ~, Nv,
viii ,,ossanrSr ot ,hcir elbow ~
m'u, to,, oi,adt oftor Shon, nnJ h,o,
he I"o' s;rnaturn ne il is ecratchcd off
iHu J,5 "o ara tho oartan,s 81 thn Iot,n,
n"iei az ' ~ tho dosl, W. m,r iUtJ
~, ,iVo ,,ronor chonnols and 10 osOmmod a.
w., ,n' piope If mnt tho o 90 1vhn Sn -
so,, ,,,, ~ o,..o,. ,,;I, bo nrot,,, AL,
- oo ny Ini ~ oonroo tba 300 IN;
w wo /, troo'nJ ,,nr,
ppo or oTmi voi' - '''''''' '''''
'"I hrd low tho ron,y boc;,s i,s ,rovo,s
Aroin tho dcnoriment wnrons FROM
tho hnovv rod vans 10 the snsniciousl,
mont CARRIAGES convey the sacks to m,
civ nostofIice where they ore cmntic,
and he letters hurried from clerk +,
clcrk Ono orron~cs thcm in niles
thcn the concelinr siamp and the most
mark ARE mt on. and then the frs
roweh distribution by states and chic
cities beeins, Al the city nostotlis,
also. Il further distribution takes nlnc
to cose thr strain on the railway pnstn
cIcrl.s Nbont % O0O nostotliccs nv
locnfed Inv thc most Direct railway lines
and letters arc distrihutcd for thrs
limos inns snyipr the railway cirr,,
rrnr, = ' vast task nat wnmid b3ve ~ n
done worw onicslv ~ '' y W ~
w ,Tbis nnstotIicc is the third in th