The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-05
DAY WITH THE GOVERNOR
1-NUsUAL LETTERS RECEIVED BY
THE INDIANA EXECUTIVE.
some Want His Judgment on Family
Matters-Visitors That Come
with Odd Requests.

In the routine of the Governors office
many things Of interest occur every day
Recently a Journal reporter spent day at
the Office with view TO learning just what
sort of daily life the Governor leads. Read
ers Of the Journal will doubtless remember
that when the Governor was indicted
into office he set an example for all
the denizens of the Statehouse by getting
down to his office at an unusually early
hour in the morning, and this custom is
still continued.
Mr. Wilson. the private secretary, rises
early in the morning, goes to the Denison
House for breakfast. and then proceeds to
the postoffice to get the Office mail The
first thing he does, after opening his desk
on arriving at his Office is to run through
the vouminOus correspondence. sorting out
that which is of nature purely personal
to the Governor, retaining that which is of
fetal or semi-official. Then he calls to his
aid the services of Mr.. Phillips the execu-
tive clerk and stenographer, and proceeds
TO answer each and every letter with great
care and impartiality. All important letters
pass under the scrutiny of the Governor and
receive his approval before leaving the Of
fee.
Among the letters are frequently found
some from insane persons, or people who
have illusions of a more Or less peculiar
character. Such letters afford much amuse-
ment to the secretary and his stenographer
except of course. when the element of
pathos is strong in them. A few samples of
such freak letters received during the
visit to the Governors office may possibly
general public.
There was a letter from a gentleman in
the southern part of the State, who evil
IDENTIFY labored under the impression that the
Governors duties embraced that of consol-
ing the sick and suffering members of his
constituency. He said: Dear Governor
You will no doubt remember the young man
who drove you from the railroad station to
the meeting here during the campaign last
fall. We'll, he had a severe fall out of an
apple tree, shortly after that incident, and
has been laid up. ever since 1t has oc-
Cured TO me that a letter from you would
prove of great benefit to him in relieving
the tedum of his confinement to the house.
and l respectfully request that you write
him d letter of consolation
Another letter proved to be from q man
who had heard that the Governor was is
trbuting maps of the United States, and
he did not want to be left ''out in the cold"
A railroad map of Indiana, issued by the
State Board of Tax Commissioners, vas
sent to this citizen, and the attaches of the
Governors office are now looking for veri-
tication Of the old story of the lame dog"
Still another of the Governors supporters
wanted to know of him whether hogs should
be kept and fed through the winter or sold
now. He expressed implicit confidence IN the
Governors judgment on this subject.
WANT GOVERNORS JUDGMENT.
The mail contained request for a definite
statement as to rumor said to be going
about in certain part of the State, to the
effect that the Governor had predicted a
great rise in the price of wheat next year
Requests for recommendations to be written
in behalf of whom the Governor has
never seen and does not know, are very
common.
1t is a rule of the Office to keep the doors
locked until o'clock, in order that the Gov
ernor and his secretary may have an oppor-
tunity to go through their mail unhindered
by visitors. 1t often happens that the mail
is so extensive that the task of answering
it cannot be completed before the public is
allowed to enter. In such cases interruptions
Of various sorts, consisting of people with
schemes to present to the Governor, cranks
who want to tell him how to run the State,
book agents, men with knife-sharpeners,
relatives of prisoners, seeking clemency for
the poor unfortunates intervene to make
the effort to get any work done an almost
futile one.
On the morning of the day in question a
10
was finally induced to confide the nature of
his business to Mr.. Browning, the Govern
or's messenger, it developed that he wanted
to direct that the cannon now occupying
such point of vantage on the east side Of
the state Capitol be removed. He said that
the presence of the cannon there was a
menace to good government, in that it in
sulled thoughts of war into the minds CT the
school children when they should be taught
to think of peace.
a blear-eyed individual asked. in voice
thick and husky from years of dissipation,
if he could see the Governor for Just a
few minutes" When inquiry was made as
10 the nature of his business with the Gov
ernor, he replied: 'Oh, it's purely personal"
Adroit questioning ELECTED the fact that he
was a morphine eater and mendicant, and
that his object in wishing to see his Ex-
cellency was to hold him up for a sum of
money 10 be devoted, as he said, to having
his arm amputated. How would you like
to carry that arm for thirty-five years?''
said he exposing an arm showing no
wounds but those caused by Accommodations
Of dirt
Almost a volume could be written of the
experiences of a single day in the Gov
ernors office, but these viii suffice to show
that the Governor and his assistants have
something else to do beside uphold the dig
nifty of our great commonwealth and draw
their salaries.