The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-12

| Will ne as well TO return TO the private
! fund which IS granted every year.
| This fund mas been considerably 1imn-
| iShCd in recent years. Up to within me
! last decade it custOmarily amounted to
| about 100000, but economical congresses
! nave pared it down somewhat. Further
| more, it used to be allowed to accumulate
! 50 that, if there was an overpus in any
| twnlVemonth, it was permitted to stand
to the credit of the occupant If the white
| house. 1t is probable that some times the
| sum thus credited to the president reach
| ed $3.50 000 or more. Nowadays however. .
whatever is left over at the end of each
| year is covered back into the treasury.
In 1898. owing to the war. the de-
| mands on the emergency fund were eNcep-
tionaly great and practically all of it
was expended either to get information in
anticipation of the conflict or for procur-
ing intelligence during the progress of the
latter. Some economy, indeed, had to be
exercised in its managa,n& It, though a
large additional draft for ike purposes
was made upon the $50 loJ.G21
! lnasmuch as the accounts relating to the
/ expenditure of the privare fund are not
| accessible to anybody. even though con-
| greSs We're to make the demand. it is OBJ
| viousiy impossible - give detailed inform
alton as to the purposes. to which the
money has been put in any given year
| Nevertheless, an intimate acquaintance
! with the workings of the department of
state enables the writer to furnish a GER
| tain amount of fairly definite information
on this interesting subject. For example
in some years the annual diplomatic
breakfast of the secretary of state has
| been paid for out of his fund. 1t is part
| Of the official duty of the secretary OF
| state TO give reception on New Years
! day to the members of the diplomatic
corps in Washington. The Spread must
| be adequate, of course, and there must be
unlimited champagne Indeed when Mr..
Hayes occupied the white house, and
! water flowed like champagne in the
executive mansion. there was no lack of
| the dffusive stimulant at the diplomatic
| breakfasts.
Now. many secretaries of state have
| been poor men. and some of them at all
| events have not hestated to draw upon
| the emergency fund for the caterers bill
| representing the cost of the diplomatic
breakfast. 1t is safe to say that this was
not done by Mr.. Hay. who is a multi
| millionaire. having married a daughter of
Amasa Stone who divided s12 600 900 with
her sister. Mr. Day was not called upon
to give any such entertainment to the di-
plomatic corps because he did not occupy
the office of secretary of state on any
New Years. AS for the predecessor of
Hay and Day in the department of state
Sherman and Olney We're rich; Foster was
well-to-do; Gresham was a poor man:
IbdNhlh was OniS LARRY wen Blaine
worth about half million when he
died. Fish and Frelinghuysen were rich
men. 1t is impossible to know which of
them paid for their diplomatic breakfasts,
and which satisfied the caterer with
vouchers drawn by the president. At all
events, the cost of the entertainment
which is apt to reach 81, 900 or more, could
not fairly be charged against the modest
| salary of the premier of the cabinet I'M
| less he were SO disposed.
The principal official expense of a presi-
dent of the United States is for the state
| dinners. This always runs up to several
| thousands of dollars per annum, the
| wines offered being very costly. 1t is I'M
derstood, however. that the annual diplo-
matte dinner is sometimes paid for out of
the emergency fund, though 1t is impossi-
pie to ascertain what presidents have done
this The function is one that has moth
ing to do with the private affairs of the
chief executive, and accordingly there is
no reason why the cost involved should
| not be liquidated by the government The
same thing, indeed, might be said of the
other state dinners, to the judiciary, etc.
Every now and then the president is re-
quired to give an additional entertainment
of this kind. to the peace commission
ers the other day, or in honor of some for
eign visitor of distinction, and this is so
much extra expense to him.
The real purpose of the emergency fund
is to provide for unforeseen demands. and
in this way 1t is chiefly employed. When
Mr.. Cleveland sent Paramount Bount to
the Hawaiian islands, his salary and ex-
penses were paid out of this money. The
expenses incidental to the negotiations of
the reciprocity treaties arranged by Mr..
Blaine were thus liquidated, and the same
may be said of recent reciprocity treaties
brought into being under the Dingley law.
| for the furtherance of which Mr.. kasson
| thnr
| from which cash could be conveniently
| drawn to pay for the negotiations which
| led up to the Boring sea tribunal. When
| Ii Hung Chang visited Washington, not
| long ago special courtesies had to be
| shown to him as China's representative.
| and a great dinner was given for him-at
| which, by the way. he carefully refrained
| from eating anything-at the Arlington
| hotel The decorations and flowers were
| gorgeous. as might well be, inasmuch as
| all the bills were settled by the president.
| Thus it will be seen that the demands
upon the presidents private fund are suf-
ticiently varied. There was a period an
tecedent to the recent war when it was
very necessary for the administration to
know what was going on not only in
Spain but in Germany, France and other
countries of continental Europe This in
formation cost money. and the $oo,ooo,ono
had not yet been appropriated by con-
sress. For instance. our ambassador at
Berlin may be asked to find out what in
the next hostile action to be anticipated on
the part of the German authorities in re-
gard to our meats. He has got to employ
people to ascertain the facts.
Presumably. never again will president
of the United States have unrestricted
command of millions of dollars of public
money for which he is not obliged to ac-
count At the same time, there will al
ways he of necessity large private fund
from which he will be at liberty to draw
for emergencies, and this he will be allow
ed to spend in whatever ways he may
think proper. not even congress having
power to Interfere with him in the matter.
Tidal Waves and Air Pressure.
The so-called earthquake or tidal