The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-04-07
Porter is a Success.

Timothy Lear, who held that relation 10
president Washington. 1t may seem TO be
premature to record such an opinion before
the first month of the new administration
is out, but it is entirely safe to do so; for
the first two or three weeks of service
shows the character of the man who holds
this place, and his reputation as usually
made for good or i'll in that time, writes
Henry Mcfarland from Washington.
Poor Private Secretary Thurbers repu-
tat:on was made before he got here by that
extraordinary interview published in De-
troit when he accepted Mr.. Cleveland's Of
fer of the place in which he was quoted as
saying IN very grand!ose language that this
proud honor would be his priceless beQuest
to his posterity.
That interview made everybody in Wash
ington public life laugh. and prejudiced
public men and newspaper men against
the new private secretary so that he had
something positive TO overcome when he
got here, before he could accomplish any
thing. He never did overcome il, and for
some reason, probably a lack of tact or
judgment, he never made himself popular
here.
Personally I never had any but pleasant
experiences with him. so that of my own
ant things. but have heard so much from
others 10 the contrary that 1 know TO be
true that l must accept the fact OF his I'M
popularity. and some at least of the tales
that are told to justify the general attitude
towards him.
There can be no doubt / think, that he
was the most unpopular private secretary
of our time. and yet IL is hard for me to
he IN
have an agreeable manner and an obliging
mind. He had marked self-respect, but
saw nothing of the arrogance and vainglory
reported by others. His chief mistake was
in guarding President Cleveland so closely
and with so little discrimination.
Every private secretary has had TO turn
away in the course of the administration
more people than he admitted to see the
president. Sitting the callers is one of the
must important functions, but its process
depends upon the way II is done. 1t would
take something Ike intuition for a private
secretary who had never lived in Washing
ton or been in public life to decide &C.
curately at the outset of the administration
who should and who should not be allowed
TO see the president, but Mr.. Thurber does
not appear TO have acquired the art of do
ing this even in the four years of his SER
vice, and ii was the lack of this, perhaps
more than any other one thing, which made
him unpopular.
And not simply with newspaper men,
most of whom did not expect to see the
president, and many Of whom, it must
frankly be said, did not care TO, although
that was because they did not know him,
nor even with the less well-known and In
fuential senator's representatives or other
public men, but with men Of the first rank
in public life, and men who were Mr.. Gle
veland's trusted and intimate friends. I
know, for example, that Chief Justice Full
Ter was more than once turned away by
Private Secretary Thurber.
But the contrast between Thurber and
Porter is as great as the contrast between
Major Halford and Thurber, TO say moth.
ing of Colonel 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 Washing
ton, and in the best circumstances for
knowing public men and public affairs. To
know his uncle, the late William Walter
Phelps, was a political Is well as liberal
education, and Mr.. Potter saw Washing
ton under his guidance, and this OF itself
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 best aus
pices. and he knew their point OF view and
bow things looked behind the scenes. New.
paper men are of course, the best private
secretaries 10 presidents and other public
and SO the very fact that Porter
is a newspaper man was of the greatest
service to him, taken with his former ex.
rerience in Washington.
No one who has not seen It has any idea
Of the procession that moves through the
office at the White House even
on Cabinet days, when It is comparatively !
thin and small. swelling on other days TO
something like e torrent at times. All the |
business callers at the White House do not, |
Of course, see the secretary, for his assist !
ants can attend 10 many Of them, and those |
VINO must see him, or think they must, are |
enough to take up all mis- time.
On Monday evening Mr.. Porter had only |
been able to look at half dozen of the |
hundreds of letters that had come in that |
fay. and to sign as many more that went !
put and. of course, he simply had TO work /
until after midnight that night, as he has /
twice as many people Qeaving out the hand |
shakers ct the popular reception in the /
East rcom) every day as the president,
and although he has not the presidents re-
spensibilty, he has his own, which is in It's
way es great so that IL Is no wonder that
le begins to look tired.
The little room at the eastern end OF the
Write House which he occupies. as Mr..
rhurber nd Major Halford did before him.
s filled with people from 10 o'clock. when
he president begins to receive, until cahi-
let hour or lunch hour on other days and
Z is .ever empty until the president and
is secretary go out for tfeiI exercise, late
n the afternoon.
One door separates the crowd from Pres
dent McKinley's Office. ard Mr.. Porter
must decide on the instant IN scores, II not
n hundreds, of cases every day who mus.
nd who must not pass through that door,
somehow he does not make it forbhding,
ven to those who cannot go through. !
sometimes in the afternoon the door actual
y stands open. and the callers in Mr.. Por-
er's room can look through before they go
n II all seems very hosp!table 20 the call
T. and soothes his feelings. SO that he goes
way satisfied, even IS he hasn't gotten
nythiug.
The secretary OF the president under this
will be even more than any
Z the private secretaries have been the
light hand OF the president. for there Is a
cry special friendship between them Mr..
'orter said the other cay that he would
OF have undertaken a similar office for
ny other man living. and Mr.. Mckinley
bows constantly his confidence in Mr..
'orter and a certain sTectionate feeling.
Ike that OF an elder brother.
In all the 5el,cate diplomatic work which
he secretary has 70 do for the president
: dealing with MS cabinet officers, with