Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-11-23


shut off. 1t is not known to whom the
man was addressing his communica-
tions but he evidently found White
House stationery and good advertising
as he kept it uE until coldly thrown
down.
Many Kinds Of Trouble.
Once in q while minister of good
address and repute will cause a good
deal of annoyance at the White House
by volunteering to act as the Presi-
dents adviser in matters religious,
philosophical and moral, calling fire.
quently to impress the chief executive
with his manifest duties along these
lines. There is no doubt whatever
that most Of the advice was good ana
ought to be followed. The only trouble
was that the President did not have
time to hear it ALL With population
of 80,000,000 and the travelling facili-
ties of the present day, it is easy for
sage counsellors to get to the portals
Of the White House to make It possible
for the President to divide a twenty
four hour day among all who present
themselves. Not few persons of
philanthropic turn of mind, however
city without calling on tn, President
to get message from him to carry as
a greeting to the gathering. OF course,
it makes quite hero of the one who
conveys it at the other end of the
line; such message seldom loses any
thing In gravity or impressiveness by
the Journey.
The secretary's Hard Task.
| The private secretary to the Presi-
dent has to stand between his chief
and the White House bores. They do
not like to be kept away from the
/ President. They think the reason
they are not hurried into the inner
sanctum is that the private secretary
fails to realize how important they
are, and SO they go away pronouncing
him mot equal to his job" An cpl
sode occurred with the late private
secretary, Thurber, which is absolute
ly typical Of the way the regulations
Of the private secretaries suffer. A
clergyman of national reputation called
at the White House and asked to see
the President. When Mr.. Thurber
forwarded the request, Mr. Cleveland
recalled some Of the unkind things
which the clergyman had said at the
time of his defeat four years before
and announced that he should never
see him. The denial was diplomats
cally conveyed to the clergyman with
the usual persifage about the Presi
dents number of engagements, etc.
After the clergyman had met several
experiences of this kind, he concluded
that the private secretary was fail
ure. Accordingly, however, he pre-
pared an article for religious paper
on Washington affairs. in which he ex
pressed that view, and as it happened
to circulate in the denomination with
which Mr.. Thurber was connected, II
was highly embarrassing to him But
he could say nothing. It was one Of
Il the penalties Of his office to bear il
silence the criticism.
Every day an attache of the White
House has to break the news gently
to many persons that their contem
plated call on the President is not sc
important to him as they think 1t is
and In the extraordinary pressure fol
time upon the chief executive, he will
have to forego the pleasure which ar
! interview with them would, in othel
circumstances, give him.
"Who Are Your"
One Of the difficulties which thu
White House secretaries labor under
comes from the fact that custom hat
not decreed that men shall wear labels
telling who they are. In spite Of tn,
practice Of sending in cards, and othe,
methods Of compelling Identification.
Of callers, great many persons ge
into position to ask for conference
with the President before the privat,
secretary has any means of knowing
who they are. New congressman ar,
said to give the most trouble. The.
assume that everybody here knows
who they are upon their arrival /,
town, but with 1856 members of tn,
house nearly third of whom are nev
every congress, it is no small task t,
keep track of them. All manner O
questions designed to Jolt out of tn
caller some indication of his identit,
fail. The question how he left every
body at home is answered in a man
frS