The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-05-14
President.
Secretary Of the Interior.

Very little formalitv attends the
meetings. Under Mr. Cleveland's Adj
ministration, at least, the members are
very promptly on time. Mr.. Garland
is usually the first TO arrive. He is al
WAYS few minutes ahead of time, and
if the President is not engaged he fire.
quently goes into the library to see
him. Sometimes Mr.. Bayard is first
and sometime Mr.. Lamar The mem
-bcrs generally come singly, rarely in
pairs. Each always carries under his
arm portfolio such as lawyers use for
papers, only the Cabinet portfolios are
more Anticipated than those affected by
lawyers-aS old probably as Senator
Evart's hat The Cab net portfolio is
thing of calfskin, about twenty-four by
twenty inches. 1t has single
pocket covered by flap. 1t has no
lock, but is fastened by two straps and
buckles. Some of these portfolios are
probably a hundred years old, and a
greater number have seen from 4
quarter to half a century. The newest
is exactly ike the oldest in pattern.
and each is lettered with a stencil to in
dictate to what department it belongs.
Each member of the Cabinet shakes
hands with all the others when he ar
riveS. The President usually comes in
after nearly all his councillors have ar
rived He shakes hands with them all
around and chats with them for Il mo-
ment. and then takes his seat ut the
head of the table his advisers taking
their places in the order indicated in the
diagram. The session begins at twelve
o'clock exactly. whether the members
have AL arrived or not. The President
does moi rap the meeting to order, and
it is wholly informal throughout. No
vote l. taken on any question. If the
President wants the individual opinion
of his advisers on any subject. he asks
for it, but he decides the question in his
own way, without regard to whether i
majority of his advisers is for or against
his views. No minutes are kept of Cab
met meetings. and. as no reporters are
present, the proceedings are never given
in detail. An ex-Caoinet official SAYS
the public loses little nv the observance
of secrecy for the talk is discursive and
fragmentary and would not be read if
published.
Nevertheless all necessary precau-
tons are taken to prevent the proceed
ings of Cabinet meetings from being
overheard, and full report of one has
not been published since the days when
Webster was Secretary of State. An
,enterpriSing correspondent of that dav
in some way contrived to get into an
adjoining room. Ehere he could over
hear every word. Mr. Webster himself
discovered the leak after several meet
ings had been reported. and ever since
the rooms have been carefully watched.
Imagine what eight bank directors or
an equal number of asylum trustees on
pretty good terms with one another
would do if shut up in a back room
away from public gaze, and some
notion probably can be formed of
what a Cabinet meeting is ike.
All the pictures that are made
of Cabinet groups are abSurditieS
The Secretaries do not stand in tragic
attitudes. with hands thrust in the
breasts of close-buttoned coats, nor do
they stand with an elbow resting on the
mantel. nor sit with folded arms and
knitted brews. They just sit earelessly
and easily at table like other folks,
toying with penhOlderS, tearing scraps
of paper, or drumming on their port
folioS.
Abraham Lincoln, it is said. walked |
into the Cabinet meeting that was to |
consider the emancipation proclamation |
with copy of Artemus Wards book in |
his hand. and read passage from it
aloud before passing to more serious
business. Many a session, too, he en-
livened with quaint stories, if reports be
true. In fact, some of the best stories |
repeated in after-dinner circles during
every Administration are commonly |
reported to have been first told at Cab
met meetings.
There is no set form in which the
councils begin or continue. The sub
jectS discussed suggest themselves To-
day the Oklahoma question may be
nppermost, and the Secretary of the In
terror and the Secretary of War natu-
rally are the chief takers around the
table. Tomorrow the Central Ameri-
can news is interesting, and Secretary
Bayard and Secretary Whitney, Of !