The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-10-09
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our regular Correspondent.

WASHINGTON, October ), 1885.
The President has been very busy
during the past week AS the shorten.
| ing days betoken the approach of the
| Congressional session, fresh demands
upon his time and pateuce appear, and
his work perceptibly increases. The
number of callers at his informal recep.
tions grows larger every day, and few
men could eudure the strain that Mr.
Cleveland and his private secretary are
obliged to daily undergo. But the for
mer has a robust constitution, and as
for Col Lamont, l know of no other
slightly built, nervous man who can
accomplish so much work, with no ap.
parent fatigue.
The President has greatly lightened
his work by systematiZing all his
| duties. He is cool, calm, self.con.
tanned, and naturally industrious, and
with happy faculty Of concentrating
/ his whole attention on each task in
! turn, he makes appointments and dis
| missals, answers correspondence, trans
! acts business and receives visitors with
| equal facility. He is usually up at z
! O'Clock, and breakfasts at s. After his
| morning meal, he goes at once to the
! library, where he spends most of his
| time. 1t Is large elliptical room, on
| the top dooI of the mansion. Adjoin-
| ing it are his private suite of apart
ments, and the room where the Cabinet
meetings are held. Col. Lamont g
| room opens into the latter apartment.
When the President enters the Ii
brary, he finds his private secretary
waiting for him, and such letters and
papers as require his special attention
are ready for his big oaken desk on the
bay window. Here he passes several
hours in dispOsing of the morning busi-
ness, when it is time for the reception.
The anti-roOms on the north side of the
mansion are full of visitors, who, when
the doors are opened, swarm toward the
library. They hand their cards to the
door keepers (who have quaint collec-
tiOns of cards. some of which are queer
aid even absurd The callers pass into
the library or into the room of :he pri-
vate secretary. for Col. Lamont has al
most as many visitors as bis chief. For
couple o. hours there is an unTemIt-
ting rush for admission into the two
rooms
The President stands up throughout.
He moves from man to man, and from
group to group, having pleasant word
and courteous reply for all who ad-
dress him. Even 20 positive beres he is
when he finds out one of those Tdrd
GUi1tnl who does not want an office. He
has humOT and keen sense of wit, and
he laughs easily and musically. He
has power OF repaTtee, which may be
better known before he leaves the
White House. It has served him in
many trying and annoying cOnveTsa-
tlOns during the seven months that he
has been IN office.
The interviews with many callers
concluded, he returns to his desk, where
he works steadily, only interrupted by
an occasional caller who has made an
engagement for some hour in the af-
ternoon, until after O'Clock. Then,
if the weather is pleasant, he usually
goes out for a walk or drive. He pre-
fers walking, and his favorite stroll IS
around by the Washington monument,
distance of nearly a mile. Even when
driving. he frequently descends from
the carriage and walks. He has two
carriages, a pretty little victoria and
Landau. He owns only two horses,
81, 600 team, and he has been talking
about getting a third horse to fill
pace in case one of the pair being ID
disposed. He is not especially fond of
the equine race, in which respect he
differs from his predecessor. in
whose time the stable was full of
thorough breds, and who used to drive
fOur-in- hand. The President never
rides in the saddle, probably because
of some consideration of averdupois. IL
former days, whea he weighed less than
2OO pounds, horseback riding was fav-
orlte amusement with him.
a Western Senator, who was here
during :he week, says he has heard very
little about the Republican Senators
lighting the Presidents nominations.
lie thinks that the President may pos
sIbly have sharp contest over the of
fenslve partisan issue, but he believe
that The Republican Senators could not
afford to make any idle opposition TO
him, and play the part of the dog in
the-manger. a Southern Congress
man who was present during our inter
view, says that it is his opinion that the
President will have a very sharp fight
with the Senate. He was anxious to
nave this fight come. He said nothing
conld happen which would be better
for the Democratic party. If the Presi-
dent becomes involved in a sharp war
with the Republican Senators all De-
mocratic differences will 6e forgotten.
X.