Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-05
IN THE WHITE HOUSE
Pauline Pry Investigates the Presi-
dents Domestic Service.
HOUSEKEEPING UNDER DIFFICULTIES
The Force of Servants and the Re-
qulrements,
The Force of Servants and the Re-
n Z Ed OF A r E F o r NJ

Written for The Evening Star.
Fancy politics among ones pots and ket-
tlest
Such is the involved problem in good
housekeeping which confronts the wife of
the President of the United States.
And how does she dispose of it?
Precisely that is what l recently set forth
TO learn. for is not this problem one of per-
sOnal interest to any sex throughout our
glorious, free country? Just as little Amer
lean boys. if they are good, may always
grow up and be President. SO little girls in
America. if they are nice and pretty and
mind their managing mammas. may always
grow up and marry the good little boy, ard
thus become Presidents wife and first lady
in the land.
How the Presidents wife keeps house
therefore, is something any little girl may
one day be called upon to know. and that
she may not meet the obligation unprepared
l wished to equip her with Ill necessary IN
fOrma ton
Accordingly, / went down to the Execu-
tive Mansion and said to member of Pres
fdent Mckinley's household: Il desire to in
White House"
There isn't any" was the reply THE
White House menage is all practical poll
tics and Hail Columbia"
1 begged for facts to sustain this asser-
ton. and the difficulty / had in obtaining
these went long way in proving their
point. 1t is an absolute. fixed and invari-
able rule at the White House to tell moth
ing about the domestic end. In response to
my request to know such innocent things
as the organization and routine of the
homework. wages paid. equipment etc.
after | had made numerous pilgrimages to
the w mite House, attended many confer
ences held among officials kindly bent on
helping me out If they could the court of
last resort was always the steward and
the steward held his tongue even in saying
no He merely shook his head, but shook
1t always so positively, that finally the
most kindly among the officials delivered
an ultimatum- 1t was really impossible to
tell me anything
Why?
Because. forsooth, these things had never
been told.
As if that were not reason enough for a
woman's finding them out
l said as much, and | was given to IN
derstand these were private personal con-
Germs of the President, which were no
body's business. and to pry into them was
accordingly indelicate.
The People Keep House.
This is plausible, but not true The peo-
pie of the United States keep house for
the President. Except chef, coachman.
and footmau, all the Presidents servants
are paid by the government: the entire
household equipment is the property Of the
government. and. the actual fact is the
people are not Informed concerning the
domestic economy of the White House be-
cause if a better understanding of the
matter Were had the existing order which
depends solely upon political favor for its
security. would be compelled to reorganiZe
on basis of intelligence, economy and
good form.
No less than the people the President is
interested in a spread of information con-
1PTn91 IF IL
affairs at the White House.
Probably no feature of his administration
causes a President to realize more keenly
that he is a servant of the people than his
domestic experience in the Executive Man
sion In this matter he finds himself, his
family, his friends, his fOrtune-his whole
personal relation. in short = subject to
machine that is shaped by jingOism and
operated, first of all, to the end of salts
flying a certain class of voters
The lingo sentiment that is the boyle and
organizing principle of domestic affairs in
the White House gets its force from the
ignorance of the people concerning these
affairs. and takes its color from popular
zeal and for what is fancifully termed DEM
OcratiC simplicity. As a matter of fact, true
democratic simplicity is no enemy of Gle
gance and refinement in living. As con-
strued by the voting strength of the United
States, however, this is perverted to mean
with reference to the social order sort of
large-whiskered. shirt-sleeved, drink-fron1-
your-Saucer and eat-with-your- man
ner of Hving-that blatant defiance of good
form and gorf breeding which the Amer
lean people in the abstract of those ma
Jorfties which determine principles at the
polls count to the glory of their stalwart
Independence and unbOunded liberty This
social standard of pure democracy is con-
stantly looming up at the White House to
measure Presidents loyalty to the insti-
tutlons of the government he serves. and
the Presidents household is all the time
haunted by the fear of doing sometbfn.,
.
style unbeconing ID successor of Thomas
Jefferson and Andrew Jackson. This fact
Is taken advantage of by the lucky persons
whom politics have put I'm charge of the
PRESIDENTS pots and kettles. with the result
mat on the one hand, 10 protect the PresI-
Gent from the unpopular reputation of Civ
ing hiinSef airs. and. on the other hand to
prevent reforms, obnoxious and possibIv
disastrous to present incumbents of fomes-
NC offices, the adminstra ton of domestic
affairs at the White House remains a YER
taDie star chamber proceeding.
Campaign Capital
Ihe amount of campaign capital that
can be got out of White House domestic
matters was made historic during the cam
paign OF 1910, when Representative OeIe
delivered a speech in the House attacking
the extravaganza of Mr. Van Buren, and
Els predecessor IN the Executive Mansion
Just now sensitive the people are on this
point Private Secretary Porter not so long
ago experienced when he set out to nut
w mite House servants in livery In a
lumber room OF the War Department have
seen the buttons manufactured according
10 The special design of Mr.. Porter for
these liveries. buried forever beneath dust
and the contempt Of ''tr tr true Ameri-
cans. ] have also been told by a member
OF President Mckinley's household that
upon the occasion of a state dinner when
the spread includes commonly as many
as fourteen courses, with wines and
liquors to correspond. the menu of this is
guarded more carefully than a treasury
note. lest getting into the hands of the
same "tr tr' true American" people the
Presidents imperiallstic tendency be de-
duced therefrom and howl of outraged
republicaniSm go up over the length and
breadth of the land to concentrate possibly
In serious practical form at the next cleo
ton
Concerning a Presidents lavish hospitali-
ty, right here I'd like to clear the minds of
our great free people with d tip of informa-
ton and logic All the cost of victuaIs and
drink at the White House is borne BY the
President, The salary of the chef Is also
paid by the President. President Mckinley
entertains handsomely and a state dinner
such as he gives, never costs him less than
music, which the government supplies.
Now, So far from this being opposed to the
interests Of the conscientious democracy OF
America, II Is pretty compliment to them
and most generous one. The President