Mexico weekly ledger., 1885-03-05
The Presidents Salary.

The Presidents Salary.
A superstition has been artfully
created BY designing journalists that
the expenses of the president in the
white house absorb the salary of S5O,-
900 year allowed him by congress
even as an editorial excursion deyours |
Il free lunch. The truth is, that un-
less Arthur is given to card playing
with army officers and other poker
sharps he ought to be able to salt
down at least half his salary. The
only charges that fall directly on the
president are the maintenance of the
household. his personal outfit, and u
limited number of so-called state din
ners to the diplomatic body, the ju-
dietary and members of congress.
Under his purely personal expenses,
however, is the salary of the femal.
manicure to attend to his finger nails.
What she gets nobody knows. Every
once ia a while he ha- to renew the
frill, which is said 10 adorn tie south
ern horizon of his night gown. As
the top of the mapis called the north
ern We suppose the bottom of the
night gown is its southern extremity.
Arthur puts on great many frillS,
and frills cost money. The white
house is furnished, heated and lighted
by large appropriation, a part of
which was diverted by late presidents
to different uses. The music ut Ie-
ceptions is furnished by the Marine
Band. The United States has to pay
the tooters for the president, hut he
has to pay the tutors of his daughter
and the sophomore youth who bear
his name.
Large conselvatories, kept up at a
cost of $4,000 year. furnish th,
flowers and plants 70. decoration.
Nearly al the servants are disguised
| messengers or laborers on the pa,
rolls. Thn barrier who erases the
stubhle on the presidential chin l.
down on the pay roll as clerk. The
choicest supplies for the white house
come from the army commissarlat al
wholesale prices, can of Boston
baked beans costing only four cents,
with sugar-cured ham thrown in fo'
pelon, as they say in Texas, when i
is for the president.
| And super-added to all these per
auisites and benefits it has become
the bad custom to use the public
property for the comfort, pleasure
and convenience of the president ant
his friends.
Although he never was sol'il L
Arthur makes himself at home in th
Soldiers Home in summer. thereh
compelling the aged veterans tn slee
three in bed, OF roOst in the trees
the back yard He uses a nations
. vessel for Miss Nelly and himself a
pleasure yacht, which he yach: Mt
: to do under any circumstances. N
: attention has been paid as a gener:
/ thing to the genteel plckings an
] stealings of his majesty. but when a
attempt is made TO create an impre:
} ion that Arthur has to spend all h
, salary to prevent Uncle Sam lookin
2 shabby in the eyes of foreign nation
r it is not inappropriate for the pres
h to cling in q few cold facts. II
K president saves greater portion I
: his salary, and the public finger
e scorn should be unswerviGgly pointe
at the subsidized journalists wi
+ seek to make it appear that it wou
= have been money IN Afthurs pock
q if he had never been shot into Il
u presidential chair. Ii there we
:. any truth in the statement that
u costs Arthur all he e, is he should
Ii congratulated that his suffer,ngs AT
!. privatioBs are almost over.