The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-09-03
NEWSPAPERS AT THE WHITE HOUSE.

About two hundred newspapers are re-
ceived at the White House daily, writes
the Washington correspondent of the
Chicago Mesos. These include the large
metropolitan dailies as well as the less
pretentious sheets. Only small proper
ton of these papers are paid for. Under
former regimes almost every newspaper
Of prominence had among its list of subs
scribers the president of the United
States. The amount thus expended was
charged to the contingent fund, and fire.
quently exceeded $1,000 per annum. An
exchange clerk, as he was called, was
employed at salary of $3.50 month to
read these papers and make such clip
pings as were supposed to be of interest
TO the executive. Almost the first of Co.'s
onel Lamont's official acts was to dismiss
the exchange clerk and reduce the ex-
pense of newspaper subscriptions at least
seventy five per cent. The effect of this
new departure has been noticeable only
in reducing the revenues Of the newspa-
per publishers. The number of papers
received at the executive mansion is fully
as great as ever. Newspaper editors are
determined the president shall know their
opinion of HIM, and if he will not pay for
the information they will send him the
paper free. New York state heads the list
with the largest number of dailies, This
is not surprising when it is remembered
that the president, Colonel Lamont and
two members of the cabinet live in the
state. In the list of cities Chicago comes
next 20 New York, with Boston third,
Philadelphia fourth, and Cincinnati fifth.
| The representation from New England is
very small. The Pacific slope including
California, Oregon and Nevada, sends but
one paper. The south has also feeble
representation, probably not dozen pa
pers in all being sent from that section.
These exchanges are carefully read each
day by Colonel Lamont, whose journals
tic training enables him to go over them
rapidly and call out such articles as it
may be advisable to preserve for refer
ence. These, carefully arranged in chron>
illogical order, are pasted in scrap books
under the heads of tariff, finance, civil
service, foreign policy appointments,
Icurrent comment, Indians, personal and
| the like. Colonel Lamont has a quick,
retentive memory, and such is his control
Of his faculty that he can tell the presi<
dent, with whom he is closeted every day,
the sentiment in regard to any particular
policy in any section of the country he
may mention The system of preserving
newspaper opinions by the occupants OF
the White House dates back to the forma-
ton of the government. Under President
Hayes the present plan of arranging these
| clippings in scrap books was first inaug>
urated. He was very particular that
everything relating to his administration
should be saved. and scarcely week
passed that the books were not carefully
read. Garfield, during his brief incum-
bency as chief magistrate, paid close at
tention to the scraps" as they are called
Garfield was very sensitive to newspaper
criticism, but his eagerness to obtain a
knowledge of public sentiment, as ex-
pressed through the press, was such thai
nothing, however hostile or vicious, was
Overlooked. Arthur was more indifferent
The clerks at the White House say he
seldom read the scraps" except during
the few weeks preceding the meeting OF
congress, when engaged in the prepara-
ton Of his annual message, and when he
had IN contemplation some particular
nomination whose effect he desired to see
upon the country before absolutely
committing himself. In such leases
he would allow the information to leak
out "semi officially" and then follow tnt
lpress comments carefully to see how i
was received. If public sentiment con-
ldemned it the nomination was never
made.