Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1896-09-18
BESIEGED BY WOMEN.
they Throng the White House
with All Sorts Of Wants.
The Life Of Private Secretary Thurber
Rendered Exceedingly Interesting
By Fair Callers with Requests for
the Presidents Signature.

l. VI - bAAAiC ~ thC pCS VI LLt
present administration Private Secre-
tary Thurber was almost hourly visit
ed by women carrying bedspreads and
crazy quilts on which the president or
Mrs. Cleveland were to write names,
says the Washington Post. At last this
fad assumed such alarming proportions
that bureau for the reception of all
such things was established across the
hall from Mr.. Thurber's office. 1 can
not say, but I strongly suspect that
clerks were employed in this depart
ment to sign the names, and credulous
women worked in floss and floselle the
names of the head official and his wife
that had been written by young men
and women hired to do the writing at
SO much week.
Mr.. Thurber is bcsieged constantly
by women who want to see Mrs. Cleve-
land and the babies. Cant you lust
take me into Mrs. Cleveland's room and
tell her who l am. She won't care and
won't do anything but look at her."
they explain in their confidential wav.
When he assures them that Mrs. Cleve-
land is not on exhibition at that time,
they beg for 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 without moments cessation
for eating or sleeping.
Some people come to the private Sec
rotary 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. / re-
member one who wanted a consulate.
She said, in her manly voice, as if de-
livering a 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.
Mr.. 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, l demand
that they may be given vote"
But, madam, l cannot enfranchise
women" said Mr.. Thurber, apprehen-
sively.
Mr.. Secretary, 1 don't want you to
enfranchise women, but want you to
show your approval of bestowing that
grand and eilrious privilege upon the
nobler, if v ~ ~c- ~ securing for
me consuta--
The grandiloq lence of the speech
slightly aroused Mr.. Thurber, who said:
In order to save you time and trouble
in going to the departments will tell
you now that you are not eligible to a
consulate and consequently cannot
have it, NO matter how much you and
all your friends think you should"
Then he explained at considerable
length that only citizens were eligible,
and that women, not being citizens,
could not be ambassadors. 1t was inn
possible to misunderstood such a
lengthy and kindly explanation and
the woman was naturally deferred
from carrying the matter any further,
but, unwilling to leave without once +
more asserting her dignity, she drew
herself up to her full five feet nine
and said:
Mr.. Secretary, it is an unjust rul-
ing, and l shall see that our represen-
tative to congress has it changed"
Up to date, however, it has not been
changed.