The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-07-12

for the presidency will be a hard one.
The candidates will be abused by the
opposing parties, and the man who sue
ceeds will have his character and his
tory laid bare by the x rays Of the
newspapers and stump speakers. 1t
will be a wearing and worrying race
from start to finish, and the prize at
the eEd is the White House with all it's
cares. Is the game worth the candle?
Can a man who is doing we'll afford
to be a candidate for the presidency?
Let US see.
EXPENSES OF A CANDIDATE.
In the first place, it costs great deal
to be a presidential candidate. Nc
Kinley, for instance, has kept open
house for the past six months, and
there will Lot be a day between now
and November that he can sit down at
his table alone. Republicans of promi
nence from all parts of the union will
come to Canton and he will have to
maintain a large clerical force to an
Swer his mail. Benjamin. Harrison was
quite poor when he was first nominated,
and he had to borrow money to keep
him going between that time and his
election His son-in-law Robert Nc
Kee, paid a large part of his expenses
and other friends put up for him or
he would have beer. decidedly cramped.
Andrew Jackson lost a lot of money
during his three presidential cam
paigns, and it took the proceeds of his
cotton crop to pay part Of his expenses
in the White House. Martin Van
Buren,, rich as he was, was robbed
right and left, and when he ran for
president during his second campaign
the politicians actually came to the
White House doors and demanded food
and got it. The presidential candidate
has numerous demands upon him for
charity. It was told at Canton that
about one-third Of the letters which
Mckinley receives are begging letters,
and such letters will increase now that
the nomination is made.
PRESIDENCY A FAT JOB.
And still the presidency is a fat job.
The salary in round numbers for the
four years amounts to 100000, and the
White House and lots of perquisites
are thrown in addition. Think what
$4,000 a year means! 1t is $4,166 a
month, or $138 a day. And this money
the president, and the treasury bank
never bursts. The salary, however, is
less than two-thirds of what the presf-
dent gets For this year congress is
asked to appropriate $43, 900 to run the
White House. The president pays no
rent. His fuel and light cost him moth
ing. He does not even pay for his own
newspapers, and as for stationary he
:, h. H. II
duce, and there is a stenographer al
ways at hand to save him from writing
letters himself. He has a half dozen
watch dogs to keep the crowd away
from him. His private secretary re-
ceives 900 year, and the man who
sits outside his office door to open it
and close it gets a salary of 1900. He
has men to read the papers for him. He
has a telegraph operator and a tele-
graph instrument ia the White House,
and Uncle Sam pays his telegraph bills.
He seldom If ever buys a postage
stamp, and the thousand and one little
incidentals which eat out the heart of
the ordinary mans salary are paid for
him. He pays no rent for his stables
and congress gives him some money to
keep them up. The amount that is
asked for this year is $8,000 ard this
includes stationary, reading matter and
the caring for the presidents horses,
harnesses and carriages. A great fuss
is made about the social expenses of
the White House I venture to say
that President Cleveland does not pay
more than $4,000 a year for his state
DINERS, and 1 would not be surprised
TO know that he saves $35, 900 a year
out of his salary. Think of it. His
four state receptions are practically
free entertainments The Marine band
paid by the government furnishes the
music. The flowers come from the
White House conservatory and the
public gardens, ard the police aid the
servants in taking care Of the crowd.
There is no food of any kind offered
and it is mighty hard to get a drink
of anything. even water, on such an
occasion. The whole entertainment
consists of a handshake and, if you are
especially favored, smile, and hand
shakes and smiles are cheap.
WHITE HOUSE PERQUIsITEs.
And then, there are lots of things
that go with the White house. Among
its servants there is usually good bar
Der, who shaves the president and
cuts his hair without charge. There is
a billiard room in one corner Of the
executive mansion, where Grover
Cleveland can go and handle the cue
without its costing him a cent. The
kitchens have all the latest improve
ments, and the government pays the
White house steward, who attends to
the marketing, about $35 a week, or
81, 500 a year. The cooking utensils are
of copper, and one Of the cooking
stoves is so large that you could almost
roast an OK whole upon it. The dishes
used by the president are of the finest
china and of the most beautiful cut
glass. Many of them were made es-
peoially for the White house. Of the
thousand dishes made for Mrs. Presi-
dent Hayes there are still four hun
dred left, and the set ordered by Mrs.
Harrison is almost perfect. Their there
is the china made for the Grants. This
Is the china that is now used on the
presidents table. There is still some
Lincoln china left and there are choice
bits from nearly every administration.
The presidents wife pays nothing for
her liner. There are great closets filed
with bedding and towels, and others
in which are kept the finest of table
cloths and napkins. The napkins used
are all about yard square and of the
finest damask They have the Initials
L. S. on them, but this rather improves
than Injuries their appearance, and the
greatest beauty of it all is that they
don't cost a cent.