Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1889-02-15
Life I'm The White House.
ALL OF THE PRESIDENTS HOUSEHOLD |
EXPENSES.

EXPENSES.
Wash. cor. Milwaukee Sentinel.
Perhaps the lady readers of the Sem
tiael might like to know something of
the experiences which Mrs. Harrison
will have when she reaches Wash
ington as the wife of the President
Will she pack simply her trunks with
wearing apparel and move into IL
house completely furnished and filled
with beds and bedding, silver and table
ware, servants and cooking utensils, or
will any or all OF these sthings have to
be brought alon er provided here?
This is II qucstio very often asked,
and with it good many others, rs to
| horses and carriages, coachmen and
waiting maids, cost of and payment
for the necessaries Of the kitchen, dim
ing-room, etc. 1t is il curious fact
that all the Cabinet officers are fur
nished horses, carriages and coachmen,
and the horses are kept at Govern
ment expense. If the President wants
any OF these things he must supply
them himself. There is stable near
the White House, built during Grants
time, with plenty of room for horses,
but every President who comes finds
it empty. And of course it costs him
lots of money to fill it. Whoever sells
Il horse or carriage to the President of
the United States expects to get about
80 per cent. more for it than if he sold
it elsewhere. OF course the President
must have three carriages and several
horses. Whether General Harrison
will bring any with him or buy them
is not known. Probably he will buy
new carriages, and of course Presi-
dents horses must be thoroughbreds.
And he need not expect much Of
them after he gets through his term
in the White House either, for Wash
ington pavements are hard on horses,
as President Cleveland's big seal
browns show. The President is also
obliged to furnish his own driver Al
bert Hawkins, a big colored man
whom Grant brought here before he
became President, is still driving at
Al I, l,.,c Il
since Grants term, and will probably
be re-engagcd by Mr. Harrison; but,
if he does, il will be at his own expense,
for the Government does not pay Al
bert's salary.
Inside the White House Mrs. Harri-
son will find employees waiting to be
re-engaged and paid for their services.
The steward, who has charge of the
kitchen and dining-room, the various
subordinates who sweep and dust and
cook and attend to the table and table
ware-they are all private employees.
Down in the basement, if you pass at
the proper time, you see the laundry
work of the White House going ON.
All these employees, however, arc paid
privately. OF course, there is IA yearly
appropriation for the contingent ex-
penses of the White House, but this
is intended more to keep up the fur
niture and furnishings generally than
to pay the cost of the Presidents iv-
ing or the hire of his servants.
One thing that Mrs Harrison will
find is completely furnished house
solid silver, the finest china, linen for
the tableand bed-chambers, elegant fur
nishings in the parlors and fairly good
in the private parts of the house. The
private dining-room is on the first
floor, just across the hall from the
state dining room. This is the only
room on the first floor used by the
family of the President The parlors
are used by the callers, and the entire
family or "living" rooms are on the
second floor. There are, perhaps, a
half dozen Of these, scarcely more; a
sitting-room or two near to the circu-
lar library room," where the Presi-
dent sits during his working and busi-
ness hours, and several handsomely
furnished bedrooms and dressing
rooms. An elevator carries the family
down stairs at meal time, and when
they 60 down for any other purpose,
if they desire it; but as rule they
walk up and down the broad, easy and
luxuriously carpeted stairs and through
the handsome and always attractive
corridors which lead the way to the
dining-rooms and parlors on the first
floor. There they find everything
ready, for the experienced steward is
able to relieve the mistress of the White
House OF all the cares of house-keep-
ing-if he is well paid for it.