The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-04-17
WHITE HOUSE HELP.
THE PRESIDENT ENGAGES LORD SACK
YILLE'S ENGLISH SERVANTS.


Trouble Over the Color Line and the
Clothes Line-The Imported Servants
Felt that the Administration Owed
Them Some Recognition on Account Of
the Murchison Letter.
WASHINGTON, April, o-As the tenau
of the White House President Harrison
finds that he cannot choose his own do
mestic servants and hire his own cook
with the same freedom which he was in
the habit of exercising as Citizen Harr-
son in Indianapolis. 1t is only during
the winter months, the fashionable sea-
son, the season of entertainments, that
a high-clasS chef lie cuisine is needed at
the White House. During the long
summer months an old colored aunty
adequately presides over the coppers
and wrestles with the pots. Paul Resal,
Mr.. Cleveland'S cief, is still in charge
has come to make change. Even if
Mr.. Cleveland had remained master of
the White House, the old colored woman
would be coming along about this time
10 take the place of the high-class cook
During Mr.. Cleveland'S term both the
cief of the winter and the c0lored
aunty of the summer season were en-
gagged through John F. Chamberlain,
the well-known restauater and epi-
cure, and Mr.. Chamberlain, VINO is
known throughout the country as one of
the best judges Of such things, is
authority for saying that not even in the
time of the exquisite Arthur were the
entertainments at the White House put
up in better style than under President
Cleveland. Leaving the official end of
the Presidents duties out of the ques-
ton, Mr.. Chamberlain has no hesitation
in expressing the opinion that there
never was President who managed the
social end of the White House with
greatar skill or finer taste, and at the
same time all was done economically.
Whether he will show equal style or
achieve the same effect, it is quite evil
dent that President Harrison intends to
initiate that feature of Mr.. Cleveland's
management, which usually comes un-
der the head Of economy. He had been
in the White House only few days
when he determined to dismiss the en-
tire domestic organization which the
Clevelands had left there. An unusul
ally fine opportunity was offered him to
make complete change and get no
less distinguished body of servants
than those who were stranded and left
on their beams ends in Washington
when Lord Sackville, the last British
Minister, was forced to bid farewell to
the American capital. The domestic
servants al the British Legation are at
tached TO the Minister and not to the
Legation. The Secretary may stay
though the Minister 60, but if the Minis
ter goes the cook, and steward, and hall
porter and coachman, and all the other
domestlcs get left unless they are
taken along, which happens only once
in while.
Lord Sackvllle brought his own serv
ants with him from Europe, just as he
brought his carriages and his plate. He
took most of his carriages and his plate
with him, but the servants he left be-
hind. When the action Of this govern
nlent left these servants without an EN-
ployer, they thought they had claim
upon the President or Uncle Sam or
somebody. They offered their services
to Mr.. Cleveland. but Mr. Cleveland told
them they had better wait until Mr..
Harrison came to the White House, be-
cause then they would have full Presi-
Dental term before them. They waited,
and as soon as President Harrison came
they presented themselves, setting forth
their own merits and also the grounds
upon which the former servants of Lord
Sackville had right to expect some
recognition from the Republican Presi.
dent elected at the close Of that cam
paisn in which the Murchison-Sackville
correspondence played such conspicu-
our part. Mr.. Harrison gave ear to the
application of the Sackville servants the
more readily because he saw they were
a very superior lot of domcsticS. we'll
trained to the ways of an ariStocratlc
household, and, moreover, they were
willing to engage for much less than
American wages. They came to this
country at European wages, and they
have never since ventured to seek any
thing better.
Through the new steward Of the White
House, Mr.. Zieman, whom President
Harrison brought from Chicago, bar
gain was struck and Lord Sackyllles
servants, from cook to chambermald,
from butler to coachman, were all en-
gagged to serve President Harrison at
the white House, the service to begin as
soon as the old servants, one by one,
could be disposed Of. Unfortunately
for President Harrison the steward
began by discharging Mr. Cleveland's
colored laundress and putting In her
place the white laundreSs from
the British Legation. The substitu-
ton of white for black caught the
eve of some watchful newspaper CORE
spondent, and Immediately the press of
the country was in such state of aglta-
ton about the color line and the clothes
line of the White House that halt had
to be called. No more of Lord Sackrllle's
retainers have yet entered upon active
duty at the White House, but they ex-
pect to reach the promised land pretty
soon, and if not they will want to know
the reason why. They have the Presi-
dents engagement in their possession
and they will expect him to stand by 1t.