Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-18

vacations. and one of these he utilized in
flying visit to Detroit to welcome the ar
rival of a new baby, the fourth of the group
that Will inherit the proud record Of know
ing that their father was called from his
lawyers desk to be the private secretary
to the President of the United States, Dur
| ing the long, hot days of the past sum-
1 mer Mr.. Thurber knew no rest He has
been, and still is, in the habit of arriving at
| the White House from his hotel which is
\ just outside of the grounds, before 9 o'clock
| In the morning, and remaining until mid
| night, and later, with only the brief respite
| Oh lew minutes for lunch and dinner.
| He has lost some flesh in this uncomplain-
| ing devotion to his duties but he has gain
| ed the proud satisfaction of knowing that
| ne has been of great service 10 the Presi-
dent.
. 1t has been often said that Mr. Thurner
| does not hold the same relations 10 Grover
| Cleveland that Dan. Lamont did, and that
! Llge Halford did TO President Harrison.
ana that he is rot so Invaluable to the
| President as either OF these two private
| secretaries vas. The truth IL, however
! that while Mr. ThUrhcr is not. of course.
| identified with the personal and roIitical
fortunes of Mr. Cleveland, as Col Lament
| was and is, and as Maj. Halford was to
Mr.. Harrison, he is, nevertheless, OF great
service to him. night and day, fact which
| Mr.. Cleveland Is not slow to admit Col
| Dan. Lamont is Pre;ileu- Cleveiard's con-
| slant shadow nov, Just as he was in the
days when Mr.. Cleveland was governor Of
| first term as President Col Dan. is still
| the political man of the cabinet, whose chief
| relies upon him for every him: ,.Ist as he
mas since the lesinning Of his public CA
reer ana the secretary of War is as often
| at the White House as at the War Lepart-
ment
But Col Lamont's White House duties
| consist altogether in political maninnIat
! ing. while Mr.. Thurber as private secretary
has charge of everything pertaining to the
. duties of the executive.
Much Entrusted to Him,
Evidence of the high appreciation which
MI. cleveland has of his abilities as law
yer and an executive official is shown in
the 1act that under the new White House
| order Mr.. Thurber attends to much of the
| personal business that heretofore devolved
| upon the PRESIDENT himself All of the clerf-
| al force OF the executive Office is directly I'M
uer MI. Thurber's charge, and in addition
| 10 seeing everybody that calls he is expect
GU 10 attend to the great mass of CORE
( spondence, personally debating replies to
the orlcial and semi-official comm unications
which must be signed by the President
Much tact is required in drawing up dipIo-
matte replies to invitations and requests FOR
the attendance of the President at all sorts
| OF pubic ceremonies, and although Mr.
| Thurber has dictated thousands OF such
letters not one of them has ever met with a
word of criticism. When Mr.. Thurber's
rrna ana patron; Don Manuel Dickinson.
| Ieconlnended his law partner as the Presi-
| dents private secretary he credited him
with one extra senSe-tact-and this uuali-
| ncatioh SHINES forth In the diplomatic man.
| conducted. "
| The true test of his ability and of Mr..
] DICKINSON recommendation Of him as
man possessed of the extra Sense-tact-will
| be demonstrated, however, this winter,
when the so-called social life of the White
house begins, with its crowd of ambitious
American citizens, all anxious to Obtain
an invitation to the so-called state reccp-
| tons. 1t will be harder to get rid of this
1 class OF visitors than of the office seekers
and congressman who now clamor for an
| audience with the President
Much Of the criticism upon the manner
| in which Mr.. Thurber receives some of the
onicial callers and the ingenious remarks
whlch ne makes, such as that when he said
| TO the managing editor of great New
YORK newspaper that he supposed he had
called TO pick up an item, is due to the fact
that before coming to Washington Mr.
| Ihurber had not been brought into contact
Win puplc men, newspaper writer's gov
eminent officials. office seekers. lobbyists
ana other classes OF American citizens that
are in the habit of being more or less in
ana about the Executive Mansion For
nearly twenty years ne has been a hard
begun work under Mr.. Dickinson soon after
leaving college. e'
He' came to Mr.. Dickinson's law Office
from the University of Michigan. which he
entered as graduate of the High SchooI
at Monroe. the pretty little town on the
bank of the Raisin river. where he was
o oofh IN lsoi. HIS father was a democrat
anu a lawyer OF prominence. and his family
were among the most well-to-do and So
claiIy prominent in southern Michigan AS
boy at school Mr.. Thurber was always
prlSht and pushing, and among his class
mates and companions went nv the MOI
name of Uncle" The name ciung to hin,
until long after he left college. but pradn-
any became forgotten as he met less and
less less often the friends of his boyhood. The
lttle city OF Monroe which because of itS
iuxuriant foliage is known as the aoraI
CITY, boasts of having been the home Of
Suster, the gallant Indian fighter whose
death in the great massacre of 1870 sbocka "a
the country. and the home also OF thar IA
nous crew of oarSmen who under the NAVE
-, ~ .lie oho,,Wa-cae-metts. few years ago
were the champions of the United States
ana would have wrested the laurel from tho
Englishmen on the Thames but for the end
Gen ana unfortunate attack of illness that
disabled the celebrated, bow oar pohant
McClelland the democra tic Secretarv -, 81
interior under President Pierce. and Isaac
r, Chrlstiancy, one of the ablest LAWYERS
WHO ever sat IN the United States Senate.
were also residents of Monroe which might
never have been heard of again but for fbe
Iact that 1t gave birth to the home of Presi-
deht Cleveland's private secretary.
IN detroit Mr.. Thurber had very con,
1orlaple income as a member of the law
nrm or Dickinson. Thurber & Stevenson
ana was very well known. especially i'm a
S SoC,sI way his wife. a charming and
OF the aristocratic old French families who
rounded Detroit and whose grandchildren
are now among the best of its citizens ona
1many OF whom possess great wealth Mrs
inurper ana her husband both took an o.
i've part in the social life of the citv ona
entertained charmingly in their bandson,a
nome on Jefferson avenue which is The
lIsost lashlonable part of the beautiful "CItv
now He Was Appointed
MT. Ihurber's appointment as the Presi
oeht $ private secretary came to him az
H'uch OF surprise as anything that has
happened to him in his life Six days he
lore he Joined the presidential train on ito
way from New York to Washington he had
never thought of such a thing as leaving
MS law practice in Detroit to ACCEPT any
appointment. 1t was about five DAYS be-
fore the 4th of March when Mr.. Dickinson
came 10 him from a trip east and abruptIy
asked him how he would like to go To
Washington as President Cleveland'S pri-
vate secretary. Mr.. Thurber laughed and
said he would not like it at ALL Mr.. Dick
1nson then became serious and said that
President Cleveland had been very much
worried over the matter of selecting a pri-
vate secretary and had been unable to find
Just the man he wanted. He desired q
man, he said, of business ability and some
legal knowledge, and who possessed in
dustry. tact and the knack of getting on