The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-07-09

Keep from them information as 10 what is
going on. Then there is the correspond
ence Its volume is too great to be disposed
of by the secretary alone. He must have
assistance in reading letters and in prepar-
ing replies to them. This means that AS
sistant Secretary Pruden, Executive Clerk
Cortelyou, Telegraph Operator and Ste
nographer Montgomery and various other
clerks and employees must every day be
more or less familiar with what is going ON.
A Private Telegraph Office.
1t may not be generally known that the
| president of the United States has n tele-
| graph office of his own. In small room
1 at the northeast corner of the building,
second story, sits Operator Montgomery.
| BY means of an arrangement with the tele-
| graph company he is enabled to send and
receive messages direct from his table to
all parts of the United States Scarcely an
hour passes in the day that important tele-
| grams do not pass one way or the other
over this wire. Messages are sent concern
| ing foreign appointments of the highest
Importance, as, for instance the mission
to Spain. Last month Operator Montgom-
cry handled at least score of messages
about this one office, any one of which
would have made interesting reading could
it have been given to the public. Tele-
grams are sent to influential men concern
ing lending appointments, and more than
one administration tnngle is Strengthened
out by means of the presidents wire.
kilograms are frequently sent to the cap
itol or to the departments. Senators are
always calling up the White House, either
by wire or telephone, TO know when GER
tain nominations in which they are inter
ested are TO be sent TO the senate. Opera
tor Montgomery has charge of the tele-
phone as well as the telegraph, and it il
safe TO say that the amount of confidential
Information which comes 10 his busy ears
and industrious brain amounts almost to
an inside history of the administration day
by day Yet never word of all this leaks
out from him. One might as well attempt
conversation with the sphinx of Egypt as
with this punctilious operator.
Men Who Keep MUM"
Charles Loefller, the presidents door
keeper, is another White House employee
who is in possession Of a vast number Of
secrets of state. Mr. Loeffler's duty Is to
sit at the door of the cabinet room. through
which important visitors are admitted by
appointment. In hot weather this door Is
either left open or is covered only by
screen, that there may be free circulation
of air. The result is that as Mr.. Loeffler
sits at his post he Is compelled to overhear
more or less Of the conversation within.
1t frequently happens that the presidents
visitors talk in "a loud voice, and the man
at the door is so near that practically all
they say Is perfectly audible to him. But
that makes no difference. Mr.. Loeffler has
been hearing this sort of talk for 20 or 25
years. 1t is an old story to him. 1t all
goes in one ear and out the other.
These White House employees have been
there most of them, for many years. They
serve through administration after admin
istration. Pruden, Crook, Montgomery
and others have been there since the days
of Lincoln and Grant. They are among
the most trusty men to DO found in the
whole government service. But what
book any one of them could write II he
were to sit down and rummage among his
recollections of famous men and scenes
Porter's Tact.
I have often been asked the question
who has the most influence with President
Mckinley. That is a hard conundrum to
answer. but II were going to make an
effort in that direction should certainly
place Secretary Porter before all Others.
Porter has influence with the president
chiefly because he does not try to have any.
He is thorough believer In keeping his
place. He does not intrude his opinions.
IL he did, perhaps they would not be SO !
well received. But Mr.. Porter is man
of ability and judgment. He knows hu. |
man nature. Having been a newspaper |
writer he knows how to size things up |
quickly. The president long ago recog. |
nized Mr.. Porter's good qualities, and he |
leans on bis secretary more than any pres.
ident In recent years has leaned on the |
man occupying a similar position, unless |
we except Mr. Clevelands relations to Dan |
Lamont during the first Cleveland term.
Mr.. Porter has a tremendous advantage |
In that he Is always by the president. Mr.. |
Mckinley Is not q man of moods He Is |
nearly always the same-yesterday, today |
and tomorrow-but there is some trifling |
variation, and no one knows so we'll what |
TO say and when to say 1t and when to |
keep still as Mr.. Porter. II he has any.
thing he wishes TO offer, he waits till the |
moment Is propitious. Others, even cabi.
net officers, are generally compelled to
speak when they get the chance, be the |
moment fay orable one or unfavorable |
Many times q day the president asks for |
Mr.. Porter's advice, and he has learned to |
value It when he gets it. The president |
has discovered that In his secretary he has |