Evening star., 1898-03-05
YEAR OF HARD WORK !
An Arduous Period for President Nc
Kinley.
HEALTH SEVERAL TIMES THREATENED
Wearied by the importantly Of Of
flee Seekers.
LITTLE EIs.URE TIME

With the exception of a few months rest
last summer President McKinley's first
year has been an arduous one. Before him
he probably sees year of still harder and
more difficult work. the problem OF what
to do with the Cuban being still unsettled
and In a more aggravated condition than
when he was sworn in year ago yester-
day.
Those who are intimately acquainted with
the Presidents routine at the White House
know how hard has been his work and
now close his confinement since his return
from his vacation last fall. Once~or twice
his health has been threatened by this
confinement and he was almost forced by
his friends to take little more exercise
and get away from his Office for a longer
period each twenty-four hours. The Presi-
dent had consented to go south for brief
period OF rest just prior to the Maine dis
aster. That horror caused him to change
his plans and to remain in his office
Along with his official work is the never
enulng importantly of the office seeker and
his equally persistent congressional callers.
Some of the same people who appeared at
the White House one year ago were on
hand today. The story has often been told
day
The Office Seekers.
The President has to give time to the
influential friends of these Office seekers
Z.
This takes practically all his working
hours in the daytime. Late in the after
neon and at night he has to investigate
the stories told him by senators and rep
resentatives and go over the papers of
applicants. Between hours he gives con-
sideration to important public questions
ana takes hasty glance at newspapers to
Keep up with public thought and the news.
With these and hundred other things he
Is kept busy from 8 o'clock In the morn
ing until II at night. During the social
season his retiring hour was frequently
O'Clock in the morning.
Five months ago sculptor began work
on clay model of the President, from
which to make a bronze bust. The sculptor
could have completed the work two months
ago had the President been able to give
MIN as many as two more sittings of thirty
minutes each. But the time has not been
at the disposal of the President and the
model remains unfinished
The same hard work has characterized
the executive force at the White House.
Since the 4th Of last March the clerks have
worked from early morning until late at
mght. rarely getting away from their desks
The Correspondence.
The correspondence has been heavier
than ever known, and the President has
insisted on every letter being answered a
rule to which he has adhered for MANY
years and which had something to do with
being popular with the masses. To an
swer this mass of correspondence several
extra clerks have been borrowed from de-
partments. Congress having failed to pro-
vide for additions. These extra men have
not relieved the regular force to a large
extent When Daniel Lamont was private
secretary to President Cleveland he estab-
llshed rule the reverse Of that now in
force as to correspondence. Half of the
letters received at the White House then
were not answered, Mr. Lamont holding
this unnecessary. and saying that an an
swer to a letter always brought about two
more letters to be answered. This system
curtailed the work Of the White House
clerks and permitted them to enjoy the
same hours of freedom as other clerks.
The popularity of the system now used Is
attested by the pride observed in many
people when showing the letters they get
from the White House. The fact is that
a large majority of these letters are stereo-
typed in nature and mean nothing but
courtesy, yet they are exhibited as evil
dences of the standing Of the recipient
with White House officials.
There Is not much probability that the
President will get a. rest for months. II he
has recently mapped out progressive pol
Icy as to Cuba and Spain, as heretofore in
dicated in The Star, he will be forced to
remain on duty at the White House as in
cessantly as during the past four or five
months.