Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-29

embodied them in his famous speech at
Buffalo.
Three minutes from the moment Presi-
dent Mckinley was struck down at Buffalo
arrangements were being rushed to estab-
lish an exclusive long distance telephone
circuit between Secretary Cortelyou at the
presidents side and Assistant Secretary
BENJAMIN Barnes and Colonel Montgomery
at the White House. In less than fifteen
minutes from the moment the assassin shot
the president this long distance telephone
was I'm use. It was over this wire that the
first oficial details OF the crime were re-
ceived at the White House, and without
interruption, day or night, this wire con-
tinued to convey telephone tidings OF the
stricken ruler, communications between
cabinet officers and general instructions
relating to national affairs from September
6, 1901, to the moment the funeral eortege
started to Washington.
An Independent system.
II has been during President Roosevelt's
administration that the White House tele-
phone system was made a central ONCE,
absolutely independent Of the city central.
Four trunk lines connect the White House
with the outside world, and they are kept
busy. II Is between the White House and
the departments, however, on the exclusive
lines that the great volume Of business Is
transacted.
The Treasury department, for example,
has nearly 100 telephones. All these are
directly connected with the White House,
so that II the president or any member OF
the White House force wishes to speak with,
say the commissioner OF Internal revenue
the director Of the mint, the superintendent
-AaAANaa guEugu mr. anU
other treasury Onheial. connection is made
, without delay and over wires entirely under
government control.
In the same way all senators and repre-
sentatives at the capitol can be spoken to
directly from the White House, and, OF
course, the State. War. Navy, Agricultural
and Interior departments. the Department
OF Labor, the Smithsonian institution, and
In fact, every federal branch Is In con-
slant touch by telephone with the Whit
House. Thus, in the aggregate, in the
White House telephone system there are
several hundred miles Of exclusive wire.
In the ofhces Of the White House there
are seventeen separate telephones. Secre'
tary Loeb has a telephone at his desI
through which he transacts much OF the
/ executive business assigned to him. His
chief assistant. Mr.. Barnes. who sits at 4
desk by his side. also has a telephone
which begins ringing early in the morning
and continues with little cessation unit
long after the close of ofhcial hours.
But President Roosevelt. while he usei
the telephone a great deal, does not hav'
one at his desk. When some senator, hnan.
cier or perchance some obscure citizen wh'
has a communication which only the presi
dent can attend to asks to talk with thu
president, Mr.. Roosevelt leaves his desk
walks rapidly through Mr.. Loeb's room and
entering the ONCE Of Colonel Montgomery
hurries into a telephone booth, closing tn
door after him. In such instances not ever
he White House operator listens TO tn
conversation. so that only the president ant
the person at the other end OF the wire ar
possessed OF the information contained fl
their conversation.
LORE-DiEtanee Talks.
When the matter is not OF such a conn