The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1897-03-25
SECRETARY sHERMAN's RESIDENCE,


In the official household Mr.. Pruden
and Colonel Crook rank next to the
Presidents secretary, and are his ex-
ecutive officers. Mr. Pruden has
charge of the numerous bills, and is
the Presidents messenger to Congress.
Colonel Crook is the paymaster of the
house and looks after the files; but be.
sides their routine duties they are both
looked upon as oracles in official mat.
terS, and are consulted on all difficult
questions.
There We're at the capital during In
auguration week the daughters Of
three Presidents: Mrs. Semple, the
daughter of President Tyler; Mrs.
Sartoris. the daughter of President
Grant, and Mrs. Stanley Brown, Pres
ident Garfield's only daughter. There
was also present Mrs. Harriet Lane
Johnston, the niece Of President Bu-
chanan, who, both while her uncle was
Minister to the Court of st. James and
while he was Chief Executive, presd-
ed over his household with dignity and
grace.
President Mckinley has had some
training in the business of seeing men
and women who called upon him to
''pay their respects" but he is just
now finding out for the first time what
it is to be asked to listen to the lmpor-
tunitieS of those who seek office. The
Office seekers are losing no time. They
were at the White House in shoals on
Friday morning, and at times they con-
tributed to the crush on the stairway
from the main floor to the Presidents
Office on the floor above. While the de-
partments are still In need of new AS
sistant Secretaries, and the chances Of
appointment are open the patriot who
is prepared to give up lucrative pri-
vate business in order to be able to
serve his country In Washington will
be very buoyant. The pretexts with
which some Of the men of this class
refer to their search are entertaining
because they are 80 old. while the
makers of them congratulate them
selves that they are new and original.
one New York man, who would not be
quite satisfied with anything less than
an Assistant Secretary's place, tells
those who speak to him about his am
bition that he does not care much for
Office holding for the sake Of the fame
or the emoluments of the office. 81
have a great admiration for the Pres
ident,' he says, conceived when he
was in Congress. l know that he will
have task quite herculean. A Re-
publican can do nothing more useful
or patriotic than to relieve the Pres
ldent OF some Of his labor by sharing
1t. l am willing and anxious to be a
burden bearer" But this gentleman.
who Is lawyer, whose experience
ought to have made him a valued ad-
wiser. seeks to be a burden bearer at
salary of $4,000 or $4,000 year.
There are no would-be burden bear
ers' who have announced that they
would prefer to take places without
salary than be disappointed in becom-
Ing helpful to President Mckinley.
or resurrected persons there is n
goodly number. They will vex the
President greatly, for, having once
held office, and having had the expe.
rience required in obtaining II, they
are more artful than the tyro. The
Minister abroad who seeks reappoint-
ment to his old post and who brings
recommendations from the nation to
which he was accredited is at once
too proud and automatically indlscreet,
for the State Department does not like
IN Iovn rnoo,urnaO1n y .io,,. ~ .h,. 1t,
They are apt to be taken as Indicating
thai the .ui'i.>tcr A~a col,natc,. IAN
own popularity too strictly.
SENATOR.