The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1894-06-30
BESIEGED BY WOMEN.
They Thron9 the White House
with An Sorts Of Wants.
The Lie Of Private Secretary Thufber
Rendered Exceedingly Interesting
by Fair Callers with Requests for
tho Presidents Signature.

ed by women carrying bedspreads and
crazy quilts on which the president OF
Mrs. Cleveland were to write names
says the Washington Post. At last this
fad assumed such alarming proportions
that bureau for the reception OF al
such things was established across the
hall from Mr.. Thurber's office. can
not say, but strongly suspect that
clerks were employed in this depart
ment to sign the names, and credulous
women worked in floss and filoselle the
names Of the head official and his wife
that had been written by young men
and women hired to do the writing al
so much a week.
Mr.. Thurber is besieged constantly
by women who want to see Mrs. Cleve-
land and the babies. "Can't you just
take me into Mrs. Cleveland room and
tell her who am. She won't care and
I won't do anything but look at her" /"
they explain in their confidential way.
When he assures them that Mrs. Cleve-
land is not on exhibition at that time,
they beg for a special dispensation for
themselves, never realizing that If the
demands Of the people were regarded
Mrs. Cleveland and the children would
be on inspection drill twenty-four hours
every day withouta a moments cessation
for eating or sleeping.
Some people come to the private Sec
retary with pathetic appeals They
want to see the president that he may
have their husbands or fathers re-
turned to the government employ,
from which they have been removed.
The little stories of their sorrows and
trials are quite as vivacious as they are
pathetic, and though because of the
impossibility OF it doing them any
good they never reach the president
they are not less kindly heard by his
secretary.
Sometimes woman suffragists. float
into the white house and up the softly
carpeted stairs to Mr.. Thurber. l re-
member one who wanted consulate.
She said, in her manly voice, as if de-
livering speech from the Auditorium
stage:
"Mr. Secretary, it has been proved
conclusively that woman is mentally
mans equal. In. endurance she is his
equal, and in morals his superior Mr..
Secretary, call upon you to know if
this is not sop
Mr.. Thurber stroked his pale drab
mustache, looked very doubtful and as
sented. s. :ta la Et.t af1
ssMr. Secretary, in the name Of the,
women of these United States, in the
names of mothers who bore the voters,
by the right of their intelligence and
the nobility of their motives, I demand
that they may be given vote"
"But, madam, 1 cannot enfranchise
women" said Mr.. Thurber, apprehen-
sively. te s53.lfi ar52 1aa
''Mr. Secretary, J. don't want you to
women, but want you to
show your approval of bestowing that
grand and glorious privilege upon the
nobler, If weaker, sex by securing for
me consulate. isset1
The grandiloquence of the speech
slightly aroused Mr.. Thurber, who said:
"In order to save you time and trouble
IN going to the departments will tell
COu now t0at you are NOT e0g1Ole 70
end consequently cannot
nave it, no matter how much you and
Ill your friends think you should"
Then he explained at considerable
ength that only citizens were eligible,
md that women, not being citizens,
could not be ambassadors 1t was i'm
to misunderstood such q
cngthy and kindly explanation and
he woman was naturally deferred
rom carrying the matter any further,
,ut, unwilling to leave without once
more asserting her dignity, she drew
lerself up to her full five feet nine |
md said:
''Mr. Secretary, it is an unjust rul- !
ng, and ] shall see that our represen-
ative to congress has it changed"
Up to date, however, il has net been