Omaha daily bee., 1902-03-16

"VF the president of the United
States were obliged to pay postage
$3.50 on every piece OF mail matter
ykn<Rl sent out from the White House
- the expense would amount to
one-sixth of his salary. Since President
Roosevelt has been in office the mail adj
dressed to the chief magistrate has been
the heaviest in history and 1t is steadily
growing rather than diminishing In proper
lions. Probably no other one man in the
world receives every day in the year SO
many personal letters as are sent to the
president of the United States, and very
certainly no other man receives m
cations OF such varied character. At the
present time anywhere from 500 to 1000
letters are received at the White House
every day. In addition to this hundreds
Of pieces Of printed matter are received
every day.
To consider and answer the half a mil
lion communications which COM to the
presidential mansion each year requires
the almost continuous services of upward
OF a dozen men. This, too, without taking
into consideration the employees OF the
general postoiice at Washington, who are
detailed to distribute the presidents mail.
The first step in the handling of the
White House mail at its destination is
taken by the trusted empIoye OF the White
House, who makes three or four trips
daily to the postofice to secure the mail.
Upon the arrival of the letters at the
White House they are turned over to n
clerk whose sole duty is to open the en-
velCpes and unfold the letters. The COM
munications next pass to a clerk who
sorts the missives. Many OF the letters
pertain to what might be termed routine
governmental matters and are turned over
to one or another OF the executive depart
ments. The great bulk CT the presidents
mail goes to his secretaries, and most OF
1t they answer over their own sigma
lures without ever troubling the busy chief
magistrate with the matter.
what the President Reads.
The president does not peruse personally
one-tenth of the letters which are adj
dressed to him. Indeed, fifty ~communica-
lions a day is a liberal estimate Of the
number which comes under his eye. The
letters which by reason OF their seeming
Importance or the doubt OF the secretaries
as to their proper disposition do finally
pass the gauntlet and come into the hands
Of the president himself are disposed
in one OF three ways. In the case of many
Of them he turns the letters over to the
SSSIetaIles WIN an lnuicallOn OF the Cnar-
acter OF the reply to be sent. To a few
of the letters the president dictates re-
plies which he signs personally. and to a
very limited number of personal friends
he pens confidential letters. President
Roosevelt writes very few autographs let
tiers.
Naturally such inscriptions as per
sonal' and private" cannot be regarded
In opening the White House mail, but
there are ways In which the initiated may
insure their communications reaching the
president personally, The approved plan is
for the writer to place his initials or name
In autograph in the lower left hand cor
ner Of the envelope. For Instance. a con-
hdential note from the presidents personal
friend. Senator Lodge, bears in the corner
the initials II. C. L. In a majority OF cases
the provision Of these safeguards is super
huous, for the clerk who opens the mail
las come by experience to recognize in
stantly the handwriting OF relatives and
intimates Of the chief executive, and
their letters go through without molesta-
tion. Sometimes individuals not personally
known to the president. but who have
learned OF the plan in vogue. seek to reach
his ear by placing their initials on a mis-
sive. or occasionally even resort to the