Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1885-04-16
Presidents Salary and Labor.

sPonslolllIy attached 10 the position.
Day after day for four years he has to
stand like commander of a ship at
sea in one continual storm. He. is in
one sense the highest court in this
country. Before him come tens of
thousands of clients, all friends, each
asking for Official positions generally
for friends While no man has a
right to be angry to be refused an Of
flee, thousands are angered, and in
venting their spite on a President,
who cannot possibly give Office to all,
injure their party and themselves at
the same time.
The hours of business are not so
many as are those of some others; but
there is not an hour that his brain is
not at work, that he is not in an en-.
vironment of responsibility.
BY eight o'clock President Cleve-
land has his breakfast and gets at once
to his business desk, where great hund.
les of documents await him. From
half past eight till ten he is hard at
work over these various and often
very perplexing papers. At ten
o'clock sharp, the front doors of the
White House are opened to all who
have business with the President.
Those who would see him merely to
crafty curiosity or congratulate him,
are not admitted till one o'clock in
the afternoon. From ten till one,
Members of Congress, Senator's, and
others of higa or low degree, who have
matters of petition or Importance to
present can gain access to him. The
front doorkeeper admits and learns
che nature of business. That is, if the
call is on business. If not, the visitor
is politely told at what hour to call
again. If on business. the visitor is
shown up stairs to a waiting room.
A gentlemanly attendant asks the visi-
tor who he wishes to see, private
secretary; or the President, and takes
the card of visitor to the person desig-
mated, waiting in the large waiting
room the while. At last his name is
called and he follows the attendant or
messenger to the Presidents room, a
large oval shaped library, surrounded
with book cases filled with books.
The room is we'll carpeted, ornamented
with oil paintings of former Presidents
and supplied with stout red leather
bottomed chairs and sofas. 1t will
hold and accommodate an audience
Of fifty or more persons, though not so
many are generally admitted at once.
At the lar end of the room, between
two large windows from which beau
tiful view is obtained, is large fiat
Office desk, on which are bundles of
papers, ink stands, etc, and generally
large bouquet of fresh flowers is
placed there every day. To the left,
as one enters the room, which is longer
than it is wide, is an old fashioned fire
place, with brass mounted andirons
and brass fender about the hearth.
Good old fashioned wood is here
burned and the fire place is handy for
men TO spit in, as we noticed, as
occasionally visitor forgets that q
business Office is not pig pen, is anx-
ious to unload his mouth of tobacco
before beginning his speech to the
President and fails to see the spittoon
or cuspidor standing outside the fender
for the benefit OF those who expectorate
as great men.
From ten till one, three no ours, the
President stands by or near'his Off.
cial desk, receiving visitors by the
scores. Senators and Congressman
introduce their constituents, many of
whom have told their nelghbors just
what they would say to a President,
but who, when in his presence are
dumb as oysters and cold as clans.
Others take aim and fire their speeches
at him point blank. President Cleve-
land is one Of the best listeners we
ever saw. He can do more listening
in FIVE minutes than some persons can
in week. One day we saw man
from Kent county, Michigan, talking
a streak of rail fence politics at the
President several minutes, and heard
him at one of the hotels in tie after.
noon say to friend
eyes, saw him and had my say,
but--me if l could tell whether |
made any kind of an impression or
not! He is deeper man than l
thought for, and appears to be looking
over the entire United States even
when he looks right into you"
The visitor is as brief as possible. If
he has papers he presents them, says
his say, the President kindly bids him
good morning and the visitor goes out
BY another door than the one by which
he enters, satisfied that he has seen
the President of the United States,
and that he is solid, thoughtful, large
hearted, kindly spoken man who i'm
presses each and every one who calls
witt his desire to do what he deems
best for the public, regardless of per-
sonal feeling
This business continues till one
o'clock, when congratulators are ad :
mitted for few moments. At two
o'clock he partakes of lunch, and then