The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-25
THE WHITE HOUSE.
TIE CAUSE OF THE MINNIE
FIGRT EXPLAINED.

Country's Chief Magistrate Lives
Like a King-A Walk Through the
Msnsion-Rooms Papered With Silk
From the Omaha Bee
The presidency OF the United States is
worth more than most people suppose
! They look upon the fat salary OF $50, 900 q
year. which our chief executive gets. as hi,
sole revenue. and every now aud then some
newspaper states that it costs all OF this aud
more to keep up the establishment don't
believe a world OF it. Nearly every Presi-
dentsaves money while he is in the white
| house and the extras which the President
gets are nearly equal to his salary every
year. He pays no rent in the first place,
and he has furnished house free He has
nothing to lay out on light or heat, for
Uncle Sam pays his gas bills, and he can
| have a wood fire in every room in his
house from morning till.midnight and ii will
not cost him a cent. He has grand con-
servatory for nothing, aud the
choicest OF flowers are cut and
placed in his room, and his
tables are decorated with roses in the mid
die of winter. The country keeps up bis
library, aud he has as many servants as he
C1n uhc. rs never n661S TO WTll6 a letter
| himself, and his high-priced private secre-
tary keeps the crowd away from him, aud
he has stenographers and clerks at his beck
and call. He never needs to open his own
| door, and il he wishes to shave IL will te
strange II one of the colored boys about the
executive mansion cannot skillfully handle
the razor. The stables which Uncle Sam
has built for him are as fine as many house
and his laundry has stationary tubs and
patent washing machines. The cost of
keeping up the white house, including the
Presidents salary, Is more than 300 900 a
year, and notwithstanding the official
troubles OF his position its occupant ought
to be happy.
THE WHITE HOUSE.
The white house itself covers about one
third of an acre. 1t is q long, low 2-story
| building with basement, which, at the
front, is almost flush with the sidewalk.
and at the back Is level with the lawn, and
| forms almost a third story to the mansion.
| You all know that the white house is OF
| dazzling CHASTITY white, but it has not that
rich mellow tint Of white marble, and its
! color is produced by white lead The build
Ing is made of sandstone, and it has been
painted again and again until in some
| places IL Is said that the white lead upon it
is actually a quarter of an inch thick. The
building was modelled after a castle in Dub
lin, and when 1t was first built it cost $500, =
| 900, and since then about 81, 700, 900 have
! been spent upon 1t, so that the total cost of
it to-day is something like 81, 200. 900. This
seems great deal OF money, but as you 60
through 1t you see that little was wasted.
AHAY WAGON IN THE vEsrIBULE.
The front doors of the white house are
double doors Of highly polished walnut, and
into each door is set an oval piece of plate
| glass with panels OF mosaic glass about it,
and through these the doorkeepers can see
who wish to enter. and il they are danger
GUS cranks can refuse to open the doors. In
one OF these door plates a card hangs This
card is made Of tin and upon it in black
letters is painted: open 10 a. m. /;
closed p. r. m" The white hous 9
O'Clock p. M, and after this time II
you have important matters and must see
| the President you must use the doorbell.
| The vestibule Is so big that you could turn
a wagon load Of hay around In it without
| touching the walls and the ceiling Is 80 high
that the man who drove the wagon could
stand up and his head would not Craze il.
| At the back Of it is a wall of the finest of
| glass mosaic. 1t is made of precious stones
and colored glass and crystal aud at night
1t shines like jewels Of the palace OF Monte
| Cristo.
THE BIGGEST PARLoR IN THE STATES.
| The east room is, perhaps, the biggest
| parlor in the United states and it is a won
der Of nIagnifcencs. Its walls are of silver
and gilt, aud in them are set eight massive
mirrors, each Of which is as big as the tops
of two billiard tables placed side by side,
and your feet sink almost up to the ankle
in the rich velvet carpet which covers the
floor. This room is 80 feet long
and 40 feet wide, and it takes
more than 400 yards to carpet it.
The furniture Is cushioned with genuine
hair, and it is covered over with the finest
of satin. This room is now lighted by
electricity, and there are In the neighbor.
hood of a thousand incandescent lights in
the mansion. The chandeliers in the east
room cost s., 900 apiece, and each contains
5000 pieces OF the finest bohemian glass
Historic paintings hang upon the walls and
the portraits which look down at you have
cost Uncle Sam 10 the neighborhood of $25
an inch.
| ROOMS PAPERED WITH SILK.
Most Of these parlors OF the white house
have been greatly improved since the Pres
ident was elected. The blue parlor has beer
redecorated by Tiffany, aud the entire wal
is now draped in a blue gray silk, fin,
enough to make a ball dress for q million
aires daughter, and this silk was made a
Paterson, n. J. Silk curtains hang at the
windows, and there is dado about tn,
lower part OF the wall. which is hand
painted, and the holdings are tinged witt
gold. The room has the same blue Cint tina
it had before, but under the electric lights II
looks far finer than IL did wheu
Dolly Madison used to reoei We
within 1t and when Harriet Ian,
here held her receptions. In addition to
this is the red parlor, which la furnished
throughout in red and has fine furnitur,
and many curious pieces of rare bric-a.
brac. The green room has been redecorated
aud the pink of the peachblow and a touch
of gilt has been added to it. The furniture
is of gold and satin, and the long promenade
corridors, with its portraits of the Presi
dents of the past. has been made more
beautiful than ever. The blue, red anc
green rooms open into this corridor, and also
the east room, conservatory and state dining
room, and at one end of it Their,
is stairway Leading to tn,
second floor. The corridor itself Il
fully as wide as the average parlor, and
is Furnished just like parlor, with soft car
pets, fine furniture and cozy corners.
don't know row much it cost to furnish it
but you may get some idea OF the money
, spent on the fixing upof the white house by
tire fact that the decorations and the rett-
, ting of the east room during this admins
, tration, are said to have cost more than
1900. 1t would indeed be an extravagan
, woman who would object to such furnish.
ings, and the wives of the various candI
dates will not need to bring any piece,
? from their own homes in order to help ouj