The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-08-14
NO REST FOR THEPRESIDENT
Go Where He Will, the responsibilities
andsCares of Office Are With Him.
The Only Person in the Country Who Cannot
Take Real vscation-Karrison's Daily
Grind at the Capital and Away.
specia, to the 1ndianapo,is ,ournal.

tuo July cuUCI VI tuc cbtdDllcu.
ment of the government whose work is
never done. Secretary Foster. of the Treas
ury Department, goes to Middle Bass island
for q weeks fishing. and leaves an acting
secretary" to attend to his duties at the de-
partment. Attorney general Miller goes to
Indianapolis on private business or to the
New England coast for vacation. and leaves
Solicitor general Aidrich to act in his stead.
Every member of the executive establish
ment. from the humblest department clerk
to the members of the Presidents Cabinet.
is entitled to vacation in this hot weather.
But the President has no vacation.
Whether he Is at Loon Lake or Cape May
Point, or in Washington, the President of
the United States is always the President
of the United States. and always in active
service. The President was speaking of
this to one of his friends day or two be-
fore he left Washington. Wherever he
might 20, he said. sleeping OF waking, be
was always under the shadow of his official
responsibility. There is no deputy Presl-
dent" and no acting President" or Presi-
dent pro tempore. There is only one sig
nature that will make an executive docu-
ment official, and that is the familiar
signature of "Benj. Harrison"
During the summer months, when Con-
gross is not In session. the business of the
suspension. The heads of departments are
away, and the President is away,
and unless emergencies occur the ex-
ecutlve work is allowed to drift quietly
along until the hot spell is past and the
whole country begins to resume business
With the Adjournment of Congress the
Presidents labOrs are lessened greatly; but
they never cease altogether so long as he Is
within range by mail OF telegraph. When
Congress has adjourned. there are no bills
to sign or veto. no message to write; but
there are appointments to be made. and
executive documents to be signed. and the
documents are almost numberless.
AN EXAsPERATING DUTY.
The most exasper ating part of the Presi.
dents duties is the signing of documents.
The hundreds of bills which he signs at
each session of Congress is but trivial
part of his work in that line He has TO
sign appointments and commissions, and
extradition warrants and pardons. If
notary public for the District of COlumbia
is appointed his commissio must be signed
by the President If an Indian wishes to
sequestrate his lands The Great Father"
must affiX his signature to the deed. The
President always finds q stack of papers on
hisdesk in the morning awaiting his sigma
ture, and Others pour In upon him all
through the day.
Next to the nuisance of signing his name
is the nuisance of shaking hands. Three
times week the President goes into the
big East Parlor and shakes hands with the
public; but between these receptions. often
during his busiest hours Senators and
Represen tativesin Congress lead their con-
stituents iinto the executive Office and in
trOduce them. They shake hands with the
President. cape at him and 60 ont; and
then the President goes back to his inter-
rupted work for few minutes.
While the. members of his family were
away, and before his departure for Loon
Lake. the Presidents spent almost the en-
tire day IN his office. In the, White House
he rises almost invariably at 7:30 O'Clock.
eats q simple breakfast at g. and at
o'clock he is IN his Office. He finds
on his desk the letters sorted out from his
correspondence the night before. He looks
over these, has conference with Private
Secretary Halford, and is then ready to
receive visitors who como by appointments,
or members of his Cabinet, who are privi-
legged. He usually has one or two appoint
ments with Senators or others who have
asked an interview. and whom he has IN
vlted to call at the White House. BY the
time ne has disposed of these visitors some
business has come from the departments
commissions or warrants to sign. The
morning mail has been sorted ont, and the
letters which are Of terest to him are laid
before HIM by Mr.. Halford. They are very
few. The President does not see dozen
of the scores of letters that come to the
White House every day addressed to him.
PAPERS READ AT THE WHITE HOUSE.
At 1:30 the President goes to luncheon.
On the three days when he has public re-
captions he goes to the East Parlor and
shakes hands with the public just before
his luncheon. After luncheon he reads the
newspapers for half an hour or more. The
two papers which he readsrs gularly are the
Now York Tribune, which is the Eastern
organ of the administration. and the In.
dianapolis Journal. which liz his "home
paper" as well as one of his stanchest
journalistic supporters. The ether papers
the New York sun and other New York
dailies. the Philadelphia Press and other
leading papers East and West-Mr Halford
reads, and the President gets the news
from them at second hand. There is an
other class of papers. less important, which
Is read by the executive clerks and mar ked
for Mr. HaIford's benefit when anything of
interest or importance is found.
When he has read the papers the Presi-
dent returns to his office and resumes the
work of the day. He finds an accumula-
tion of papers on his desk: and when these
are disposed OF more business has come over
from the departments; and then there is
some visitor to talk TO; and SO the after
noon passes very quickly. IL 10 usually 6
O'Clock when the President leaves his desk
to 90 for a drive. Usually some one of his
friends accompanies him. for he has many
friends. not only in Congress. but in the
departments Returning, he takes tea at
$50 o'clock, seldom alone and then goes
out on the south pOrticO to spend the
evening enjoying the cool breeze drom the
Potomac. At II o'clock tho President goes
to bed. This closes the record of q warm
day at the White House. 1t would not
have been surprising, even il Mrs. Harri-
sons health had been perfect, for the Pres
tary work-day life ana to have been inn
patient for the adjournment of Congress
and the comparative freedom of the mount
aIns.
The President does not escape all this
work by going to Loon Lake. The execu-
tive warrants and commissions must still
be signed, and the mil which comes TO the
Presidents desk in Washington is still for.
warded to him. But all of this business
will come to tho President at Loon Lake
by mail or all occasional messenger aud all
of 1t can be disposed of at one time.
WORKING on HIS LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE.
The President has taken with him his
confidential stenographer, +. +. Tibbott
and Mr.. Tibbott Will open his mail and pre-
,pare it for his consideration each morning;
and the President will dispose of il all
probably In an hour or two. Then the
President can devote the greater part of
the day to recreation OF to his letter &C.
cepting the Republican nomination for the
presidency. This letter o. acceptance will