The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-11-09
TWO SECRETARIES.
Pen Pictures of Elijah Halford and
Dan Lamont.

Dan Lamont.
From the New York Commercial Advertiser
| WASHINGTON, Oct. 17.-Poor 'Lige Hal
ford lies on a bed Of sickness, recovering
from the effects OF a very painful and dan
gerous surgical operation. Hard work is
the cause of his condition now. There may
be persons who think that the Office OF pri-
vate secretary to the President of tn
U nj ted States is something of siuecure
but they are very much mistaken. 1t is a
place OF drudgery from early morn till late
at night, and added TO the vast amount OF
| actual labor that is to be performed, there
Is the heavy responsibility of looking after
absolutely everything about the
executive mansion, together with
the constant annoyance caused
by persistent Office seekers and til,
| thousand and one people who call to see
| the president every day in behalf of al
| sorts of schemes in which they are inter
ested. The president can see very few o.
| this class of callers, and as a matter o.
| course, they are turned over to Halford
He is conscientious and painstakipg man
| thoroughly devoted to his chief, but he doe,
not take care easily, as men in his posito
should.
He is made on different plan from his
friend, Dan Lamont, his illustrious prede-
cessor. Hard work sat light as air upon the
shoulders of the colonel, and the cares of
state rolled from his mind as easily as
water from ducks back. 1t is altogether
different with 'Lige Halford, and not
begin strong man physically he has
broken down beneath the weight of his
burden. He will be at his desk again soon,
for he is not in dangerous condition at
all, and rest and quiet will bring him
around. But be will have to exercise
x,,sAl l. L.
PEELED to resign his place.
Haltords makeup is peculiar for a mar
who has spent several years of his life in
western newspaper work. He looks and
acts more like New England parson than
| citizen of Chicago = and Indianapolis.
There is nothing of the hustler in his actions
| or in his disposition. He is very sober
minded, not at all given to Joking or light
talk OF any kind, and while he is
perfectly unassuming and just in the
reception OF hiss IA guest and
the discharge of hisT daily duties,
1t is patent to every observer that he is too
deeply impressed with sense of the respon.
sibility of his Office. sirNosr that his treat
ment OF the many people who have business
with him is at all open, to criticism, for
| there is nothing to complain of in this re-
gard; but he isso seriously affected by the
Importance OF his place; that the realiza.
ton OF it weighs him down. He has not
the temperament to standtse wear and tear
that he is every day subjected TO-
The comments of the newspapers on his
actions and personal characteristics are an
noying to him when theyioare unfair, as
they, perhaps, too often are. Referenc IS to
his scheming to get friends and relatives
into Office, his active connection with politi-
cal affairs in Indiana, etc. . seem to give
him great concern, although he knows
them all to be untrue, and they add great
weight to the load of labor and care
already large enough for q much heavier
man, physically, to bear.
Dan Lamont was the opposite of 'Lige
Halford in everything except bodily sizs.
Both are small men, it is true, but the re-
sembla1ce stops there. The New York
man, though he has a good business head
on his shoulders, is light and airy in his
general temperament, easy in manners and
has flood OF CHEEKY words, meaning moth
ing whatever, ready tor immediate use at
all times. He seemed interested, when in
Washington, in the business of every
man who called upon him, and sent
him away happy. If a man were awk.
ward, embarrassed and hesitating.
as a large majority of the white house
callers are, Dan, with clasp Of the hand.
jerk OF the buttonhole and wink of the
eye, would set him at his ease in moment.
If he had highly confidential information
to impart, the little colonel would lead the
man over to the corner behind his desk.
where the big window looks out over the
green lawn of the south grounds, and give
the closest possible attention until the tale
was done. Then he would wave the visitor
down the room to the door, turn to the next
man and forget all about the other fellow
unless he had particular reasons for re-
Numbering HIM before he had reachei the
stairs. Dan did not carry his cares to bed
with him and that is just where he was
smarter than the fellows who do. He was a
hard worker in that he did not spare him
self in his effort to pro-
mote the personal and pollti-
cal ends of his friend and patron,
Grover Cleveland. He did not borrow
trouble, however, and did not allow him
self to attach too great Importance to mat
tiers that seemed big in other peoples eyes.
The colonel had been through a good
schooling at Albany, where the schemes
that are brought TO the attention of the
executive are nearly as many and the bores
about as persistent as at Washington
Halford's days were spent in different
school and he cannot surmount the difficult
ties and perplexities of his daily work with
that apparent ease displayed by his prede-
cesSor.