Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-12-30
CAPITAL CHAT.
CONTINUED from Page One.)

zeal employees SlCW uoWu tIIt lHoiiiS'i'
the President leaves town is eau
ton When he is in town they work
on the jump. They are on hand at !
o'clock in the morning and they work
till s, and even o'clock. That means
two and even four hours more than the
other government clerks work and Il
few hours extra service is much
more grievous thing to the precise gov
eminent clerk than 1t is to young men
on the farms and in the stores Of Ken
nebec county, Maine. The government
clerks proceed or the principal of stu
diously doing the least possible for the
governments money. That, however,
does not actuate the men who do the
Presidents immediate bidding from
Secretary Loeb. who is $4,000 official.
to the assistant secretaries and the
clerks and typewriters. They are will
Ing workers and their willingness is
app cciated.
The mail, however. keeps coming
which keep. furnishing something FOR
the White House office force to do. but
the various members of that force
work along very easily, when the Pres
ident Is not on hand to keep up the
supply Of daily toll. The telegraph Of
flee, however. works quite as much as
ever when the President goes visiting
or speaking. The messages keep pour
ing in from every quarter and instead
of being handed over to Secretary Loeb
OF to the President. many OF them
must DC wired away again to the Lou
isiaEa Cancbrakes or TO Pine Knot,
Va, as the case may be. The telephone
workers also have their hands full. for
the White House Is equipped with an
excellent long distance service and
when the President does not go too far
away he can talk to any Of his cabi-
net or to any important officials Of his
administration OH short notice.
Notwithstanding the bustling siren
uous days at the White House Offices,
days when the unwonted activity
threatens to expand the walls, burst
open the doors or smash the glass OF
the tail. small paned windows, there
arc also many long and easy holidays
The place il as sleepy during the not
summer months as one of Names de-
serted farms. The President practical
! ly quits work for two or three months
| in the summer and only three or four
people go with him to Oyster Bay
Even those have very little to do.
Then there is long holiday for every
body about Christmas time. for it has
| long been the custom of the President
and Mrs. Roosevelt to get away just
about Christmas time and spend three
| or four days or even more in some Sc
cIuded spot where they can forget Of
| fetal cares.
| Whenever the President returns from
a vacation. however, he is more siren
uous and more Industrious than ever
| He gets up earlier and goes to bed
later for many days and devises more
things to busy the people around him
! than any other man in public life
could do. But he can always start
enough work to keep his office busy
spend the forenoon with callers and
! get around TO more work before the
first tasks are finished for him, Their
| take an hour and a half for luncheon
return and start some more work
then 60 out walking Or driving or rid.
| ing and come back before that WORK
| is all ready for him. Then in the even
| lug he makes even more work. some Of
| WHICH tloS u DE uOIle anu upon Ills
desk by morning. He frequently dic
! tates many pages Of manuscript as
! late as midnight and very much of this
| is ready for his eye, done in nicely
| typewriter pages by 10 o'clock the fol.
| lowing morning. by which time 10,
of Washington people have hardly got
| ten their eyes open.
| TIE White House offices have beer
! going this winter at the rate of speed
just indicated. although. it should be
said, that things have not been NOV
iE6 under the same high pressure as ir
| previous years. That is because the
President has not been doing quite as
much as he has been accustomed tc
doing in previous years. He has taken
UP no campaign with Congress for i'm
portant legislation, has had fewer, al
| most no consultations with the con-
gressional leaders. He is allowing
| things to drift and yet is working a,
the pace that would kill many men in
| a year or two.
WILLARD c. LOVE.
a. ~