The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1897-03-26
THE PINCH OF POVERTY
How 1t Is Shown In Washington
Official Life.

Official Life.
A HOTEL MANAGERS COMPLAINT.
Even the President Has a Hard Row to
Hoe-Yet All This Does Not Prevent a
Great Scramble For Office-The New
Presidents Secretary.
WASHINGTON, March 26-[Special. +
Behind the scenes in Washington high Off
cial life there are many facts which would
surprise the country could they be revealed
for instance, the economy which men
occupying places in the cabinet and in the
senate and other posts of responsibility and
honor are compelled to practice in order to
make both ends meet. AS like as not the
greatest sacrifices are endured simply that
a certain style may be kept up in society,
a display made that will please the fash
ionable and avert any gossip as to the
stinginess of the official and his family.
When the pinch of lack of ready money
comes to a household in official life, the
greatest sensitiveness accompanies it. They
imagine they are under suspicion in every
ones mind. They fear the whole town is
talking about how they are compelled to
skimp and save and scheme in order to get
along at all. There are plenty Of such fam
lilies in town. Go into their drawing rooms
and you will think you are in the abode
of people who do not care for expenses
and who have plenty of money to do what
they please with. Go down to their kitch-
an VI will hot HOY, L
on the plainest fare, so plain and scant
that the cook threatens to leave because
she cannot get enough decent victuals to
eat. This is not an exaggerated picture
There are plenty of families making social
pretensions' and giving social displays who
are not even able to pay the cooks salary.
A Poor Cabinet Member.
A few days ago l saw member of the
cabinet out hunting room for his own
use. He did not want house now, be-
cause his family will not come on till next
autumn. In looking for an apartment for
himself the. cabinet gentleman had two
things in view-he must have room with
private bath and he must not pay more
than certain sum for it. In the course OF
his travels he found great many hand
some apartments and suits of apartments,
but the price was too high. 81 am poor
man. said the official, "and l have de-
cided to live within my income. 1 know
just how much l can afford to pay and l
will not pay more He found a room at
length within his reach, and the cost is
only moderate sum per month. In the
same building one of the well paid clerks
in his department, an unmarried man, oc-
cupies apartments much handSomer and
more costly than the modest room of his
chief.
The manager of u large hotel or apart
ment house here tells me great difficulty
he has with his guests is that they will per-
sist in cooking meals in their rooms against
the rules of the house. You would be
surprised" said he, eff l were to tell you
the truth. Senator Blank and his wife
have the incest rooms in my hotel. They
are sumptuously furnished, and Mrs. Sen
ator is very fond of giving receptions in
them. The rooms are much admired and
she is deemed very lucky by her friends to
have such beautiful place to live Yet
after the guests are gone the senator and
his wife rig up a sort of coffeepOt over the
gas jet. They cook an egg or two. The
senator takes out of his pockets some sand
witches he has bought down town, and that
is the way they dine. They do not go to
the restaurant any more than once a day
and sometimes not at all. They get their.
meals in their room. l should think a SEN
ator's salary was sufficient to enable him
to live like other people.
"Home" Cooking.
"But this is not the only case of the sort
I have on my hands, - continued the man
ager. "We know that considerable num-
Der of our guests-senators, Representatives
and other ofiicials-are doing the same
thing. They put on all imaginable style in
their clothing and their apartments and
scrape up meals in their rooms. They
spread piece Of oilcloth over the heavy
oak OF mahogany table which is so much
admired in their drawing room and make
sort of kitchen out of it. l know one
woman who keeps a carriage hired by the
month and who insists that her coachman
shall be attired in the most fashionable
livery, and yet this woman, to my knowl
edge, has not eaten a good, square meal,
except when invited out to dinner, in
month" --.-.'
President Mckinley complains that he
has not time enough to attend to the duties
of his office The rush of callers is almost
as great as it was three weeks ago, when
he was first inaugurated and they take up
down and get at the serious affairs of his
office During these three weeks the pres
ident has had hard row to hoe They
have been after him from early morning
till late at night. 1t is hard work to re-
ceive hundreds of people in day, to con-
centrate the mind upon their various re-
quests, to understand all the ms and outs
and details and human nature of a long
list of offices and an infinitely longer list
of office seekers. To keep this up day after
day, always trying to look pleased and pa
tient and cheerful and to avoid giving
offense and to make sure of sending every
one away in reasonable frame of mind,
even if not wholly satisfied, is a task which
wears man ont quicker than the most
arduous physical labor. President McKin-
ley has been model of patience and good
natures but the time has about come for
him to shut down on the office seekers a
little and secure to himself time in which
to attend to the real business of his office.
The New Presidents Secretary.
Mr.. Porter, the presidents secretary,
has made good impression upon the pub
lie men and newspaper men who frequent
the White House. He has no affectation of
business about him. He is plain, direct,
matter of fact, apparently sincere. He
e+o ,,Ic cloco IN man 1OOEc him in the