The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1897-05-22
LIKE HUNGRY WOLVES.
Horde Of Office Seekers at the
White House.
SECRETARY PORTER Is BEsIEGED.
The Great Crowd Enforces the Need of
New White House-A Sadly Over
worked But PhenomeRaily Patient
President--A New Elevator Wanted.

w ASHINGToN, May ll.-tor c0u
pie of months we have had such
great crowds of visitors at the
White House that demand has
sprung up for a new executive man
sion. The old house has been found
inadequate to the demands made
upon its space. The president of
the United States is very popular
man about this time. He has more
than his share of visitors. Every
day his anterooms are crowded. The
White House is so constructed that
there is really no place for the ac-
commodation of the horde who call
there on business. There is but one
place for them to wait, and that is
sort of corridor running through the
house from west to east. 1t really
is not room at all. 1t is imperfect
~ lighted. In the gloom of this
place, about l5 feet by 80, one may
often see several hundred people
huddled together. There are chairs
only for small part of them. Hour
after hour they stand about, men
and women, young and old, await
ing an audience. Too often they
wait till they are utterly worn out,
and then are told that the hour for
the presidents luncheon has arrived
and that no more visitors can be
seen. tits not the presidents fault,
for he works from early morn till
late at night with all his might
There are too many people, and
there is only one president
PATHETIC SCENES.
Some of the scenes in this ante
chamber are pathetic enough Ev-
cry day you may see three men well
advanced in years who not long ago
were on the topmost crest of pros
perity. They were senators or con
gressmen or influential politicians.
Then they could get what thes
wanted by simply asking for it.
Now they are o1t at the heels. They
brayely try to hide age and poverty
and decrepitude and despair. They
put on a bold front. Some of them
look as if they were really hungry.
But they wear the air of grand gen
tlemen. They salute you as il they
had millions at their back. They
laugh with forced laugh, and
smile with smile that is painful.
But they keep their eyes on the
door, and if you look carefully you
can see wild, despairing look in
those eyes.
Here they are, all mingled togeth.
er. For the most part they sit in
silence. Every one knows his neigh
boris GRAND. 1t needs no dover of
prescience to discover that every
last one of them is after an office.
Not one perhaps in all this assem-
blage will succeed. All these hopes
are to be dashed to earth. 1t is
really pitiful to watch the eager ex-
pressions upon their faces when
Secretary Porter makes his appear
ance at the door of his office. In
an instant they are all up and at
him. They pounce down upon him
like pack of hungry wolves. They
extend cards to him by the score,
and beg that he will get them an au
dience with the president. The pa
tient secretary must listen to doz-
en- talking to him together. In the
end he generally raises his arms, as
If to ward them off, explains that
the president is busy with senators
or members of the cabinet and
makes his escape back through the
door into his office. Then the crowd
moves slowly and sorrowfully back
to its nesting places, some to give
up and resolve to come another day,
Others to wait and wait and hope
against hope.