The times., 1897-04-05
ALL ABOUT ]. ADDISON PORTER
Henry Maefarland Pronounces the
Presidents Secretary a success.

delphia Record gives his opinion OF Presi
dent McKinley's private secretary in the
following interesting manner.
Mr.. John Addison Porter is a success
as the first secretary to the President.
He promises to be as successful in his
office as any of his predecessors, back
to Col. Timothy Lear, who held that re-
lation to President Washington. 1t may
seem to be premature to record such an
opinion, before the first month of the
new Administration is out, but 1t is en-
tireIy safe to do so: for the first two or
three weeks of service shows the ch~r-
acter OF the man who holds this place,
and his reputation is usually made for
good or i'll in that time.
Poor Private Secretary Thurber's repu-
tation was made before he got here
by that extraordinary interview pub
lshed in Detroit when he accepted Mr..
Cleveland's offer OF the place, in which
he was quoted as saying, in very grandiose
language, that this proud honor would be
his priceless hequest to his posterty
There can be no doubt, L think, that he
was the most unpopular private secretary
OF onr time, and yet it is hard for me to
realize this, because he seemed to me to
have an agreeable manner and an obliging
mind. He had marked self-respect, but L
saw nothing OF the arrogance and vain
glory reported by others. His chief mis-
take was In guarding President Cleveland
so closely and with so little discrimination.
And not simply with newspaper men,
most of whoTa did not expect to see the
President, and many of whom, 1t must
frankly he sad, dil not care to, although
that was because they did not know him;
nor even with the less weli-known and
influential Senators, Representatives or
other public men. but with men of the
first rank in public life, and men who
were Mr.. Cleveand's trusted and intimate
friends. L know, for example, that Chief
Justice Fuller was more than once turned
away by Priv ate Secretary Thurber
Now, such instances tald | know, from
the lips OF prominent men who were in
innate with Mr.. Cleveland, that they oc-
cured over and over again, and with
number of different indiyidualsJ showed a
lack of judgment, for in all the occasions
that l have n mind Mr.. Cleveland would
have been as glad to see his callers as they
would have been to see him
These facts explode the theory some
matters, was simply acting under Mr..
Clevelands orders and ought not TO be
held responsible The truth is, Mr.. Cleve-
land probably never heard of any of these
instances, for the men who were turned
away have told me, in several of the cases,
that they never thought of speaking To SIR.
Cleveland about it, but simply waited
more convenient season for seeing him.
But the contrast between Thurber and
Porter is as great as the contrast be-
tween Major Halford and Thurber, TO say
nothing of Col. Lamont, hitherto the model
of private secretaries. Mr. Porter had the
advantage over all the other three men
OF having lived for several years in WASH
ington and in the best circumstances for
knowing public men and public affairs.
To know his uncle, the late William Walter
Phelps, was political as well as lib
eral education, and Mr. Porter saw Wash
iugton under his guidance, and this OF / L
self was the best preparation he could have
possibly had for the work he is now doing.
He came here knowing the principal men
among the Senators, the Representatives
and the Washington correspondents. He
had met them often and under the hest
auspices, and he knew their point of view
and how things looked behind the scenes
Newspaper men are, of course, the best pri-
vate secretaries to Presidents and other
public officers, and SO the very fact that
Porter is newspaper man was OF the
greatest service TO him, taken with his
former experience in Washington.
Take the newspaper men, through whose
eyes the country generally sees what goes
,,r3
or wrongly, have for four years felt them
selves to be unwclcQme at the White House,
and have gone there as little as possible.
and many of them not at all During the
past three weeks they have been made TO
feel just the opposite, so that when PreSi
dent Mckinley invited them TO aninformal
reception on Tuesday afternoon there were
more OF them present than had assembled
together for any purpose in many day
1 do not suppose that as yet Mr. Porter
has been able TO give out much news,
except of a routine character, such as is
given out every dayat the White House un-
der all administrations, and he certainly
has not been able to let many of the news
paper men talk privately with the Pres
dent for there has not been an opportunity
for that. vet ne has made them all feel that
he is their friend and at their service.
Senators. Representativ the new Cabi-
net officers and other public men who
have come in contact with the new sccre-
tary to the President, all give the same
testimony. Every day he has had To meet
scores OF prominent men. each thinking
much OF HIMSELF, many OF them with con-
stituents by their side, watching TO see
how they are treated; and, although it
has not been possible for him to let them
all see the President promptly, or, in
many cases, at the first call, have yet
to hear OF the first word of complaint
against his treatment of them. This of
itself is a high tribute to his patience and
politeness, but [ have been hearing over
and over again more positive praise from
those who felt particularly pleased.
The secretary of the President under
this Administration will be even more
than any OF the private secretaries have
been the right hand OF the President for
there is q very special friendship be
tween them. Mr.. Porter said the other
day that he would not have undertaken
a similar office for any other man living,
and Mr. Mckinley shows constantly his |
confidence in Mr.. Porter, and a certain
feeling, like that of an elder
brother
The office demands personal zeal as we'll |
as unfIagging industry to meet ali the re-
uuirements and perform all the multi
farious duties, for the incumbentis Assist |
ant President all of the time and Acting !
President part of the time, at one-tenth |
of the salary and with none OF the glory. |
Yet it has it's eompensations i'll the un- |
rivaIed opportunity for seeing history made, |