The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-05-06
THE BUS OFFICE OF
STRENUOUS PRESIDENT
White House Force Handles with Marvellous Expedition
Vast Volume of Mail, Telephone, Telegraph
,~"~@ 49, and Cable Business ~ .-@ ~a WI

messages received at the White House
are in, cipher, and the expert operators
at least two of them are on duty at
all times. day and night-get'. practice
in sending and receiving messages in
ten different codes, including the presi-
dent g private code. Moreover, these
codes are changed at frequent inervals,
in order to maintain secrecy, so that the
White: House telegraphers are necessari-
ly expert In every branch Of their pro-
fession. ma ,.-5 rs 49,
AT the west end Of the White House
office building and occupying almost as
much space as all4the other Offices put
together is the large general office eecu-
pied by the correspondence and book
keeping divisions and other branches Of
this up-to-date business establishment.
This section OF. the executive offices is
under, the personal direction Of Assist
ant Secretary to the President Forster,
who has his desk at n end Of the big
room, which Is. we'll lighted from win
dows on three sides.
All letters sent out from the White
| House, save the few autograph ones
! written by the president, are typewrit-
ten. and a good-sized corps. OF, steno-.
graphers and typewriters is employed.
All these typists are men and very rap
id operators. They take dictation from
Secretary Loeb or one of the assistant
Isecretaries. AS mentioned above, con
siderable portions Of the White House
naiIsean be answered by the form
method, altho an individual letter is
written in each case and there is never
anys<resort, to printed forms, imitation
typewritten letters or other %expedients
Of modern business. To illustrate the
function Of the form letter in the dis
position Of White House correspond
ence, however, it may be cited that
when some months since an erroneous
newspaper report went forth that the
president intended TO e make. a s,mone,
family, the White House was deluged
with applications for the rewards. Ar
individual letter was written to each OF
the president g correspondents telling
him that the announcement was unau
thorized, but all these replies were du.
plicates and each Typewriter copied
from g. form, thus saving an immense
amount Of time v what would have
been consumed had each reply been die
tated separately. - !.
Along with the imitation typewriter
letter and other twentieth century bust
ness schemes which are ,tabooed at thu
White House as undignified, is tn,
. economical method Of signing letters b,
means Of the autograph signature rub
I Der stamp Every missive that goe
forth from he White House bears tn
, penned signature of the president O
Secretary Loeb. An employee Of tn
: rather responsible task is j.. r. 7
Smith, who opens ali the White Hous
|, mail.
The average person who writes I
. the president marks his letter "pr
> vate,'' ts~personalo or ssconfdential.
but Nj. Smith disregards ali thes
hints and scans all. communications i
order to, assert them according to thei
proper destination for consideration
r for be 1T known, many communication
. are sent to, the president which shout
: departments at Washington.
An Interesting figure at the Whit
House office is NJ. C. Latta, who hs
served for some time past as Presider
Roosevelt 8 personal stenographer.
the president does not dictate h
speeches, letters, messages to- congress
etc, to his secretary, MI. Loeb, he di
tates to Nj. Latta. Nj. Latta has
8 dual role, for he is also nominatio
clerk, and spresides over the president
! set Of books recording therein 2 2
L the president, as we'll as making O,
the commissions and performing 9th,
clerical. work in connection with Il
q comforting of authority upon new a
pointees. +asa.x.
The disbursing office Of the Viii
u House is an unobtrusive branch Of IL
n presidential establishment, and yet
forms an important cog in the machin
'e Colonel w. H. Crook, the disbursi,
It officer,zshas been rat the White Hou
70 In an official capacity since the da,
Of President Lincoln. He makes {
g governmental expenditures at the 9
e~cutive mansion, even to the purcha
G Of new china for the presidents tab:
is and he pays all the salaries of t
le White Henseemployees. He does n,
is however, pay the president. The s,
,e aryr5of the chief magistrate, int
lie form of q warrant, is sent over fr6
IA the treasury department on the last d
70 Of each quarter.