Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-11-03

lkE W" suit is known at the
headquarters Of the
two parties-long before 1t has been made
public-he will know whether he is to write
messages of congratulaticn or of coincidence
to the political friends for whose success
he is hoping.
The telegraph room at the White House
Is the busiest place in Washington on cleo
ton night. There are the usual bulletin
boards on the streets, with shifting crowds
watching the news as 1t is posted. But In
the Presidents house the little group
watching the returns as they come in will
be unchanging until the result Of the cleo
ton is known-at least, the result in the
chief places where the Presidents interest
lies And while the crowds elsewhere will
rely on one source of information for ma
terial out of which to coin enthusiasm,
every source of information will be at the
immediate command of the President and
his friends.
Abraham Lincoln got the news Of his re-
election at the War Department. In his
day the governments only special wire ran
into army headquarters. The department
telegraph service and the wire to the white
House date from comparatively recent
time. Gen. Grant, when he was President,
had a special wire run into the Executive
Mansion, and read the election news In
his Office. But the ESTABLISHMENTS Ol d tci-
egraph office In the Presidents house took
place in the time of Mr.. Hayes. Early In
March, 1877 the first permanent wire was
run from the Western Union Telegraph OF
flee to the Executive Mansion. From that
day to this the department Of telegraph
informal ton, as 1t might be called, has been
a feature Of the Presidents Office
The President in Communication With
the World.
The telegraph office is not merely means
Of bringing within 'easy reach of the Presi-
dent the news of elections or nominating
conventions. These could be had very
easily by means of a temporary wire such
as President Grant used. The value OF the
special wire at the White House Is In the
means it affords the President of commun-
icating rapidly with any part of the United
states in a case of great emergency re-
curing his official attention while he Is In
Washington. Or. If he Is any other part OF
the United States, and desires to be put In
communication with his people at the w nte
House he can talk With them on a few
minutes notice freely as though they
were open to telephone communication.
These facilities have proved their great
value In many emergencies. The wire MAD
hardly been put in the White House before
the great strike riots of 1877 created a use
for II, and during the whole or that tenn
pestuouS period when the lie OF the re-
public was threatened, the President ana
his advisers at Washington were in COM
munication constantly with the governors
of states, with the commanders or the
government troops which had been sent TO
the assistance of state authorities, and
with all other persons in authority with
whom II was necessary for the President TO
talk at long range. For a time during these
strikes there was a cabinet meeting every
day, and the bulletins from PittsburS and
other cities where there was danger were
brought to the cabinet meeting, where the
President read them aloud to his advisers.
The telegraph company gave these mes
sages right of way. In fact, in any great
emergency the President has special wire
to any point which he wishes to reach. All
commercial business gives way to that OF
the nation. When President Garfield died
at Elberon the government took possession
Of the telegraph wires. That is not neces-
sary when the President of the United
States wants to attend to any urgent busi-
ness for the government. All that he has
to do is tc express wish to use the wires,
and they are at his service to the exclusion
of business and personal messages. In the
same way railroad schedules seldom cause
the President any inconvenience. When
President Garfield lay In the White House
dying the Pennsylvania railroad kept
special trains ready, with steam up, at
Philadelphia and New York to bring to his
aid on a minutes notice the celebrated
specialists who were called in consultation
from time to time by his physicians. One
night when he was supposed to be dying,
a message went to DIR. Agnew In Phiadel-
phia and Dr. Hamilton in New York. and at
4 o'clock the next morning a special train
bearing DR.. Agnew drew into the Pennsyl-
vania station here and two hours later DR..
Hamilton arrived from New York.
When Garfield Was Nominated.
The first convention returns received at
the White House over the government wire
came during the convention which nomi-
mated Garfield. The night before the norni-
nation was made President Hayes was in
=, Mr.
who has charge of the telegraph service,
until a very late hour. 1t was after mid
night when he stopped reading the bulle-
tins and went to bed. His family was
with him that night. The next day was a
cabinet day, and all the members Of the
Garfield's nomination was received. 1t
came at 80, and the time was marked on
the bulletin which Carl SchurZ read to the
little group in the telegraph room before
the operator had formed the last letter Of
the message. $780, Garfield nominated"
1t said. There was a buzz of comment from
the Presidents friends. The President re-
turned to his office, and a little later sent
In to the telegraph room an autograph mes
sage Of congratulation to Mr.. Garfield. Mr..
Hayes received the news of Garfield's cleo
ton In the telegraph room. Webb Hayes.
who acted as his fathers private secretary,
handled the bulletins for him, and later
brought them to him in his library. The
next important occasion when the govern
ment wire was called into use was when
President Garfield was lying near death in
the White House. There was no clerical
work done in the Presidents office during
that sorrowful time. Business in all the
government bureaus was paralyzed, and
the paralysis was most complete in the
White House. All the interest conferred in
the telegraph Office, and the operator was
kept busy receiving and sending messages
When the famous specialists were not in
Washington they were always within quick
telegraph CALL All the bulletins about the
Presidents condition went out officially
over the Presidents wire. The most i'm
portant Of these were the bulletins sent by
Mr.. Blaine over his own signature. The
country learned to rely on these for its
knowledge Of the Presidents condition
Every night at 10 or IL o'clock Mr.. Blaine
came to the telegraph room and wrote the
bulletin for the day on a piece Of the State
Departments official blue paper. At the
bottom he wrote the name Blaine" in
bold firm letters. After he had written
the bulletin he would hand 1t to the opera
tor and have 1t read aloud to him to as
sure him that 1t was going out correctly.
When Arthur Was President.
There was an intense interest In the pro-
ceedings Of the Chicago convention which
nominated Mr.. Blaine for the presidency,
and no one had a livelier interest In 1t than
Mr.. Arthur, for he was a candidate against