The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-04-10
MAIL FOR THE PRESIDENT
McKiHley'S Correspondence in
Excess of All Records.
FROM EVERY PATH in LIFE
Inventors Write of Their Genius
and Poor Appeal for Charity.
Poets Send Their Springtime
Rhymes ard ickea
Mortals Confess Their Sins.

President McKinley's mail averages
1000 letters day, not TO mention several
large sacks of newspapers. Some days his
letter mail ruas up to l, ECO or 300 letters
The old employees at the White House say
that there has never been any such mail re-
ceved in the history of the Presidential
mansion.
They are written by persons in every
estate in life from that of Senator and
Cabinet officer to that of the humble col
ored citizen who names new baby after
the President. Every subject known to the
mind OF man is discussed 10y him in these
letters. Not ohly on the general and solemn
subject of appointments TO office is Mr..
Mckinley the object OF an avalanche OF
missiyes; the man who has ideas on
financial and religious and moral and
ethical and supernatural questions wishes
10 bring them directly TO the eye OF the
nation hy reaching the President first. The
inventor W no has ideas TO patent on per
.petual motion or flying machines seeks
the President, and the husband and wife
who have family differences wish to make
him the arhiter of their affairs.
Innuuierable letters come To the Pres
dent relating TO local State government
affairs, with which he has no possible
connection. Inhabitants of foreign coun-
tries ask him to look up lost relations, and
money that they believe TO lie due them
from estates in this country. lnnumerable
appeals for charity come ever day. Con
tributions to the great conscience fund
that the Treasury is running are sent 10y
remorseful gentlemen And last, but
not least, poets, especially spring poets,
send to the President their plaintive and
gay chirpings.
Some of the funniest of these letters
come from the aforementioned perturbed
families, who seem to have implicit con-
fidence In the omniscience and omnipo-
tence of the occupant of the White House.
They sometimes write his or her own
version of the family trouble, dwelling
infinitely on ala its various phases, and
saw that whatever the President decides
shall control their after-lfe implicitly and
absolutely The wonderful inventions OF
the craaks go, OF course, to the Patent Or
flee Not all OF these people with ideas
20 patent have flying machines and solu-
tons of the perpetual motion problem; once
in awhile a really meritUrious idea comes
through the mail
1t is probable that the subject next in
importance, 50 far as members is concerned,
TO that OF offceseeking is the financial
question. Many and strange are the sure
solutions to our monetary troubles
The handling of this great mail is as in
teresting as the letters themselves. A
good many people are employed ia reading
&c and sorting 1t and answering it, for
every letter that goes to the White House
receives an answer on the day il arrives
The President is particularly conscientious
about his mail, ami has made it a rule that
no correspondent shall be sighted
When received at the EN- ecutive Mansion
al the letters are first placed upon the
desk Of Mr. Cortelyou, the Presidents
executive clerk He sorts it carefully,
and sends such as is intended for the per
sonal perusal OF the President to Secretary
Porter Such matters as require Sec
rotary Porter's personal attention are at
once taken tO him, and at some time dur
ing the day or evening. usually rather late
at night he dictates the answers or indi-
Gates briefly the wishes OF the President
concerning them.
made OF the correspondence are MIR. b. F.
Montgomery and Mr.. W. S Young, both Did
attaches of the White House force, who
have had long experience in such matters
Mr.. Cooper, of Ohio, who has been the
Presidents stenographeT for some time,
is one of the recent additions TO the Execu-
tive Mansion staff He helps Mr.. Porter
with much Of tie personal part of the
correspondence.
Major Pruden, the assistant secretary, has
charge Of the papers OF officeseekers who
want positions not under any of the De
partments, and which the President per
sonally wishes TO look after. In addition
to his other duties as assistant secretary,
Major Pruden has charge of the White
House invitations and public social mat
tiers, the messages to Congress and the
nominations.
Mrs McKnley's mail is also very large
Col Crooke, one OF the White House staff,
longest in service, in addition to being
disbursing clerk, has charge Ct TIE great
newspaper mail, and the more important
dailies and periodicals constantly receive
his careful attention. Col Crooke's file
Of scrap hooks, covering many years back.
is awonder, andtestifies TO the thoroughness
of his work Everything of importance
In the newspapers is shown TO tie presi-
dent.