davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1908-12-13

second term. The first Adams after
cepting Washington's cabinet dismissed Il
after much wranglng and after fndinS
that Hamilton controlled il, although not
a member. Then jefferson. who l:e'd DeN-
ter over from Adams administration.
Clipped out with him. and upon asking
him to resign was astonished to find him
refusing to go out. Then he had 10 re-
move him.
Then came Madison. causing comment
by using Gallatin. the Secretary OF the
Treasury, as his chief adviser, instead oc
the Secretary of State.
But of all Presidents, Jackson treated
his cabinet most shabbily, respecting
more the advice of outside politicians. de-
risivey dubbed the Kitchen cabinet" The
chief cabinet crisis of his administration,
however was due to his taking sides with
the much -gossiped- about Peggy O'Neil,''
wife of his Secretary Of War. against the
wives of his other advisers. who broke the
cabinet up with a pretty row. But when
Tyler came in he found cabinet that had
conspired to dominate him. This was
Harrison 8. which he held over, and which.
upon Harrison's death. passed vote oe
want of confidence In the new Presi-
dent. whom they tried to persuade to take
the oath merely as acting President"
tried to dictate his policies from outside
the cabinet. Preparations for secession
also disintegrated Buchanan's cabinet to-
ward the close of his administration. but
Lincoln's generally worked in harmony.
despite the fact that at one time over
half of its members We're democrats-
though Union democrats. OF course. john
son also had a stormy time with his Of
fetal family toward the close of his term,
and was hampered by an act of Congress
taking from him the right of absolute re-
moval of his advisers So when Stanton
refused to be removed he could merely
be "suSpeaded." and the Senate refusing
TO agree TO the charges preferred to it
against him he had to be restored tp off
flee. Then came Grant. inauSuratng n
new policy by leaving to the head of each
executive department far greater freedom
of action than they had enjoyed before.
Since then cabinets have been compara-
lively happy families
JOHN ELFRETH WATKINS.
Evening star., 1908-12-13

deposits of the public revenues from the
national banks to various pet banks. '
as they were then derisively called. So
Jackson had to withdraw Taney and ap-
point Woodbury. in his stead
The Constitution makes no mention Of
the cabinet, and there are special
qualifications for its officers prescribed
by statute, except in the case of the
Secretary of the Treasury. who. according
to law, must not be an importer. There
is also an unwritten law against the ap-
pointment to the cabinet of heads Of
great corporations seeking government
contracts, as for armor plate. etc. A
general statute also forbids cabinet Off
United States while in Office or for a
year after leaving office.
Precedent will be overturned If Mr.
Taft does not retain in his cabinet a
number of the present Roosevelt ad-
visers. All who have been promoted
from the cabinet to the presidency, as
in Mr.. Taft's case, have invited several
of their former colleagues to remain.
Thus Madison, who was Jefferson's Secre-
tary of State, retained Gallatin, Granger
and Rodney. who had sat in the cabinet
with him; Monroe. who was Madison s
Secretary of State, retained two of his
Meigs, and John Quincy Adams, who had
been MonrOe's Secretary of State, re-
tained Southard, Mclean and Writ his
former cabinet associates. Up to this
time. since Washington, all Presidents
had previously served as Secretary of
State, whose office was therefore, locke
upon as a sure stepping-stone to the presi-
dency. Thus when the election of Monroe's s
successor was thrown into the House.
where Clay used his influence to throw 1t
to Quincy Adams the latter rewarded Clay
by appointing him Secretary of State
which was believed to assure him imme-
diats succession to the highest office. 1t
was then that John Randolph. bitter
partisan of Jackson, the defeated candi-
date. called this alleged bargain "a coali-
ton between Blifil and Black George, the
Puritan and the blackleg,' words which
led to the duel between Clay and Ran
dolph. Jackson's followers four years
later broke the spell by electng him over
Clay. But the rule worked again when
Evening star., 1908-12-13

fanciful title but the event amounts to
that, all the same In official parlance this
federal contribution to the Yuletide shop
ping activity is termed the Sale of Ar
tices Accumulated i'm the Division of
Dead Letters and it takes place each
year during the Christmas holidays by
order of the Postmaster General
This year the sale will open on Mon
day, December II. and continue for
week. 1t is an auction sale, and just
about the liveliest sort of an auction sale
That could possibly be imagined Each
day the proffering and bidding begin at
10 o'clock in the morning and continue
with very brief Interruptions until dark
Then at o'clock In the evening the auc-
tioneer resumes his oratorical efforts and
the sale progresses until, say. II O'Clock,
when an adjournment is taken until the
following day.
Although this unique sale takes place at
the National capital. the purchasers are
BY no means limited to persons residing
or visiting at the seat of government.
The Post Office Department issues thou
sands OF catalogues-this years catalogue
is book Of 235 pages-Of its novel sac
rifice sale, and these are mailed to all
parts of the United States upon request.
So many out-of-town residents desire to
Did for the articles put up for sale that
there has of late years developed q dis
tinct field of activity In Washington for
brokers" who act on behalf of absent
clients In bidding on designated articles
as per the instructions sent them.
No person who has not attended one of
these quaint sales can have an adequate
conception OF the number and bewilder-
ing variety Of the articles which are an
nually lost in the mails with no clue to
the owners. For. be II explained, only a
fraction of the total number OF articles
that gO astray in the mails ultimately
find their way to this. picturesque clear
ance sale. The major portion of the waits
of the mails that are consigned TO the
dead letter office, because of lack or ab-
sence of address any other cause. ui-
timately find their way to their rightfut
owners. thanks 10 the exceptional dis
Evening star., 1908-12-13

erased and spreading green tree added
in it's stead. The late Secretary Bayard
also made hit with the "plain people
by forbidding his family to use the de-
partment team.
X x
Mr.. Tafts Secretary of the Navy will
have at his disposal one of the dispatch
boats of the navy. on which he can make
inspection tours amid the luxuries of a
private yacht. the Dolphin being now gen.
orally used for this purpose. All of the
members of the cabinet will have the use
of Offices of fine appointment. befitting the
dignity Of their station, the most lux
urious of all being the official quarters
of the Secretary of State, who, in addi-
tion to his private office suite has reserv-
ed for his use a pretentiously appointed
apartment, adjoining. where he receives
the representatives of the foreign powers.
But in luxury of appointment his offices
hardly excel those Of the Attorney Cen
eral, whose Office suite occupies the man
sion at Vermont avenue and X street,
which was occupied once by Cornelius
Vanderbilt and which was the former
home of Archibald Lowery, the wealthy
father of the Duchess de ARGOS. The
clerical force of the Attorney Generals
office occupies former hotel adjoining.
which also the government has leased and
which for some years has been connected
with the LOwery mansion by doors cut
through the walls. The other cabinet
heads have their offices in frescoed rooms
in the respective department buildings
owned by the government, save the Sec
retary of Commerce and Labor, who is
situated in rented office building on 18th
street. facing the Willard Hotel
Each member of the Taft cabinet will
be expected to eXpend his entire salary
''for the glory Of the republic" and an
idea of the burden of official hospitality
falling upon each may be CLEANED from
the fact that each Secretary's wife will be
relieved from the necessity of returning
official calls In person. that she may keep
open house throughout the week, during
the social season. Iii fact. our cabinet
homes are to our capital what our en-
bassies are to foreign capitals. and cabi-
net members of wealth expend three or
four times their official salaries for enter
tainment. Some, in recent years have
expended more than their salaries for the
rental of their Washington mansions.
Elihu Root is said to prefer election to
the Senate to retention in the cabinet,
that he may be freed from the eXacting
social duties of the latter circle.
The wives of cabinet members will
form the ''women's cabinet" presided
over by Mrs. Taft and meeting one day
each week during the social season, to
schedule official hospitalities SO that there
will be no conflicting dates, and society
matrons will consult this cabinet for
''open time before deciding upon dates
for functions. The cabinet wives will
also receive with Mrs. Taft at White
House functions; SO the men whom the
Evening star., 1908-12-13

to the great annual auction sale.
1t Is wOeful commentary on the pro-
portion of our citizens who evidently do
not know how to take the first step to
trace articles lost in the mails that this
annual postal sale contains thousands
upon thousands of articles. There are
instances a lot consists of a single
article, but as a rule each item com
prises from six to twelve separate arti
cles. which are thus grouped because of
similarity of character or for some other
reason. Many of the unclaimed articles
are of such small value individually that
the thought might suggest itself that the
losers had not considered it worth while
To trace them, but. the other hand,
there are hundreds of really valuable
articles, including numbers of diamond
rings. golG and silver watches and other
pieces of jcwelry.
To some readers the question NAV
naturally present itself of why this sale
is held each year just at Christmas time.
Evening star., 1908-12-13
az

flee the actual barter is i'm the hands If q
private auctioneer-tlliS task being be-
slowed by contract upon the lowest bid
der-th3: is. the auctioneer who is willing
To Sell The postal stock on the lowest per-
cenIaSc Of commits sion. The terms are
strictly cash. tnc,r sam usually derives
gross receipts in excess of $1,000 from
this sale. which. deductig for the cost
of catalogues aai other expenses. means
AT least SS4"o net prof. This is turned
over 10 the United States Treasury. How
ever. if at any time within three years 4
person shall prove that any article dis
posed of at The sale was his property
when lest in the mails the government
will restore TO that individual the sum
derived at the sale from the disposition
of his property. Because of this respon-
sibility il is necessary for the govern
ment officials TO keep al accurate detailed
record o. he transactions at each sale,
with notation as to the sum received for
each article sold.
There is always plenty of amusement
for the vast throngs that crowd each dead
letter auction sale. For all that each lot
offered Is comprehensively .hough brief
~ described il tie catalogue. there are
invariably numerous bidders who through
failure to consult the catalogue or be-
cause they are carried away by the spirit
of the occasior. purchase on the pig in
poke plan. and the dsmay that re-
suits when some Of iliase -, ght unseen
parcels are opened is sufficien; to recom-
pense these spectators who have come 10
the sale merely for the fun that is pro-
vided fer the onlooker.
The average price per lot brought at
the dead letter sale is well above 81. The
lowest prices recorded are usually for the
parcels 6f vocal and instrumental music.
which go for ID ~ cents per lot"
whereas the tOp-nOtch prices are derived.
of course. from the jewelry sales, notably
the diamond rings solid gold ring set
with diamond weighing slightly more
than half karat sold AT last years sale
for So0--a decided bargain at The prices
at which diamonds were then selling. All
the packages containing jeweiry of value
are sealed. but the post Office officials
supervising a sale will usually break the
seals and display in advance any desig-
mated pieces of jewelry If requested To do
so by bona-fide bidders. Not all the par
cells offered at the postal sale such
as can be carried home by the purchaS a..
Many lot is contained i'm a huge
wooden box. In this years sale oae
fem Is represented by "A packing case as
large a piano box. filled with souYs.nr.
post cards. Another almost large holds
n miscellaneous assortment OF cheap jew.
elry.
Evening star., 1908-12-13

Van Buren,. Jackson's Secretary of State.
succeeded him to the presidency. Since
then. however, no Secretary of State has
become President, except James Buchan-
an. the premier of Polk's cabinet, and he
did not succeed directly-not until after
three others had been elected President.
Webster and Blaine, however. came near
eralizing this promotion.
Mr., Taft is the only cabinet officer who
has lived to be President, save Grant.
who served a brief term as Secretary of
War In Johnson's cabinet, which expert
enco was no factor in his choice as chief
executive. Thus the only cabinet men,
bers who have become President have
Secretaries of War.
:: ::
Two hundred and eighty-fye men have
sat in our cabinets since the government
was established, and the following figures
will show the average tenure under each
office in proportion to the number of years
that it has been established: Secretaries
OF Agriculture. Al years: State, 81:
Navy. %; Postmasters General. IS:
Treasury. 81: Interior. 2.6S: War. 2.64:
Attorneys General, "A: Secretaries of
Commerce and Labor. 1.6. Thus the aver
age cabinet officer has served less than
three years. excepting Secretaries of State
and Agriculture. The only cabinet which
remained intact throughout. without any
changes whatsoever. was that of Franklin
Pierce. jackson had no less than nine
teen advisers and there were but six seat
at his cabinet board beside his own
Washington. it will be remembered had
but five, John Adams being the first
President to have "a Secretary or the
Navy; Taylor the first to have a Secre-
tary of the Interior: Cleveland the first to
have a Secretary of Agriculture. and
Roosevelt the first to have a Secretary of
Commerce and Labor
Whether Mr.. Taft's cabinet will consist
of advisers. did Cleveland's first or
merely of administrators, as did Cleve-
lands second. the public will be interested
TO learn as his administration develops
Not all cabinets have been happy FAM
lies by long shot. and even, the first was
a house divided against itself Hamilton
and Jefferson being continually a logger
heads, Washington striving all the while
to do equal justice TO both. and jefferson
resigning the State portfolio early. in his
Evening star., 1908-12-13

The annual auction sale of postal odds
and ends having been SO largely derived
from Christmas postal derelicts, it is pc
culiarly appropriate that the articles
should be sold at the holiday season.
when these self-same articles can be made
to second time do service as gifts
There is doubt that this is the dis
position to which many of the purchase
are put. Then. too. il is a genuine bar
gain sale. Uncle Sam has no reserve
price, and he never bids In an article
The articles are sold i'm regular order
numerically, as they are listed in the cata-
logue, and each lot in turn is knocked
down to the highest bidder without re-
serve and without regard to how made
quate the price may be as compared with
the real value of the article.
.
Although the annual postal sale is cor
Quoted under the direction and supervi-
sion Of the officials of the dead letter Of
Evening star., 1908-12-13

President-elect may choose for his counsel
board must expect their wives to be in
the full glare of the social limelight each
year. from New Year day till Ash We'd
nesday.
The social status OF the cabinet was
elevated when Congress- not so long ago.
put 1t directly in succession to the presi-
dency. in case of the death of the Vice
President. Before that time, when sue
cession fell to this President pro tempore
of the Senate. and after him to the
Speaker of the House. the cabinet was
elbowed into the social background,
especially by senator's, who claimed pre-
cedence because they confirmed the ap-
pointments of cabinet members. But
under existing conditions. should the Presi-
dent die and should there be no President.
the Secretary of State would become
President. and after him the Secretary of
No cabinet member, however, can sue
ceed to the presidency unless a native
born citizen, thirty-five years old and
who has not been confirmed as cabinet
officer by the Senate. But even since the
act of succession was passed the wives of
senators have demanded first calls from
the women of the cabinet.
*
The Taft cabinet will meet Tuesdays
and Fridays in the little. one-story brick
building which President Roosevelt had
built westward of the White House,
and which is connected thereto by a
covered terrace. In the cabinet room,
in the northeast corner of this struc-
ture, the Secretaries will meet shortly
before the hour appointed, each bear
ing in a portfolio the papers from his
department to be called to, the attention
of the President and of the cabinet as a
whole. AS Mr.. Taft enters the Secre-
tares will rise, according to custom, and
he will then seat himself at the head of a
long mahogany table, running north and
south. The cabinet officers will then
group themselves about the table in the
order of their succession the Secretary
of State on Mr.. Taft's right the Secre
tary of the Treasury on his left, and
thence. alternately. from right to left.
ending with the Secretary of Commerce
and Labor. who is the official tail-ender.
The meetings will not open with
prayer and there is no fixed order of
business which will govern the pro-
Evening star., 1908-12-13
PREPARING PACKAGES FOR tn E AUCTION.

of the following year is chiefly recruited
At the holidays many persons who are
not familiar with the preparation of par
GELS for the mails make use of this serv-
ice. with the to-be-expected sequel of i'm
properly wrapped parcels. missing ad-
dresses. etc. Thus. too, 1t is during the
Christmas holidays. when the va. ume of
mail Is heaviest, that the greatest pro-
portion of wrappers are accidentally torn
from parcels in transit. thus creating
waits of the mails. Finally. there is
less tracking of packages lost at Christ
mas than at other seasons. for the
reason that many a prospective re-
cipent of a Christmas gift, unless indie
pendently advised, has no means of know
ing that parcel has been mailed to his
address. whereas the giver. unless an
acknowledgment is requested. has no
means of knowing that the gift failed
to reach its destination. Doubtless many,
heartburn has been caused by the
failure to deliver the articles that have
place in Uncle Sans huge auction stock.
Evening star., 1908-12-13

The reason advanced by the prosaic
POST Office Department is that it is the
natural time for a clearance sale since
II is the season when the work of the
calendar year is being brought to a
close. and. obviously. it is desirable to
clear out the capaciOus storerooms at the
postal headquarters and make room for
the nucleus of the new years accumu-
lation of unclaimed parcels.
i ::
However, there are several circum-
stances which make the holiday season an
especially appropriate time for this gov
ernmental bargain sale. In the first place.
IA surprising proportion of the articles
contained in the sale are such as the
average person prefers to give as Christ
mas Sifts-eloves. Christmas cards hand
kerchiefs. dolls toys, books and jewelry
lnueed. II is from the wreckage of the holi-
day postal rush that the dead letter sale
Evening star., 1908-12-13
.5EcEErAExsfNAv NAvx.1 1D15EATcHboAr

CALARY Twice That of
- Washington's H a We
Horses, Carriages and Wallets
Furnished Them Since An
cient Times - Some Office
Luxuries = Exacting Social
Duties Wives Will Form
''Woman's Cabinet" Which
Will Meet Weekly to Trans
act Social Business Social
War With Senate Over Prec-
edence l. A Secretary Who
Must Not Be an Importer
Some Bitter Quarrels That
Have Disrupted Them.
Evening star., 1908-12-13
READY FOR THE CHRISTMAS BARGAIN SALE.

cernment of the blind readers and
other tracers Of lost letters in this branch
OF the postal institution. 1t is only the
letters and parcels that are absolutely
battling in their lack of means of identi-
fication that have chance of finding
their way into the stock of the Christmas
bargain sale.
= x
There Is further sitting of these un-
identified postal victims, for. after the
experts of the dead letter office are forced
to abandon hope of tracing the origin or
intended destination of a strayed parcel.
the waif is held at the Post Office De-
partment for II year in the hope that the
owner may on his own initiative apply
TO the department for his missing prop
erfy, and thus enable its restoration.
When, finally. there seems TO be no hope
OF reading the riddle by this means.
either. the unclaimed parcel is consigned
Evening star., 1908-12-13

'BLIC interest in
M r. 7 a f t is
focused upon his
cabinet selections.
He will have nine
official advisers,
whereas Washing
ton had but five,
and their salaries
will be $4,000 per
a n n u m a half
again as much as
the present Roose-
Evening star., 1908-12-13

T is doubtless news
to many readers
that the United
States government
conducts a Christ
mas bargain sale.
but such is the
case. OF course.
Uncle Sans holi-
day flyer" in the
marts OF trade is
not officially desig-
mated by any such
Evening star., 1908-12-13

Copyright, 1893. by John Elfreth watkius)
The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-03-06
IS CLAIMED GOOD
FOR THE BLOOD
GOOD HOME MADE MIXTURE SAID
TO MAKE KIDNEYS FILTER
OUT IMPURITIES.

All medical authorities are agreed
that the blood is the great source of
disease or of health in the human sys-
TEN. II the blood is pure. the indi-
vIdual is strong and healthy, II the
blood is impure or diseased then there
is sickness or decay in the whole sys-
TEN.
Rheumatism is strictly blood dis
ease. 1t is caused by excessive mie
acid. Sores, pimples, etc, mean bad
blood. Catarrhal affections must be
treated through the blood to get per-
nlanent results. To get well. to fec!
strong. hearty and vigorous one must
have good clean blood and lots Of it.
You can't clean the blood thoroughly
unless the kidneys are made active.
Bad blood means clogged, inactive kid
neys and liver which causes, too, such
symptoms as backache, nervousness,
bladder and urin..y difficulties and
other sympathetic troubles.
Here IS a simple home remedy and
the recipe for making it up is as fol
lows:
Fluid Extract Dandelion, one'half
ounce, Compound Kargon;- one ounce,
Compound Syrup sarsaparilla, three
ounces. Shake we'll in bottle and
take in teaspoonful doses after each
meal and again at bedtime. The in
gradients can be obtained at any good
prescription pharmacy at small cost
Here the readers OF this paper have
a simple yet powerful and effective
remedy for all forms OF blood, kidney
and bladder diseases which should re-
lieve rheumatism and catarrhal afrec-
tons and replace that weak, wornout,
Indifferent feeling with strength, vlgor
and health.
The prescription is considered a
fine system renoyator and being made
Of vegetable extracts only is harmless
and anyone can mix it at home. Try
this anyway before investing in the
secret unknown concoctions of the pat
ent medicine manufacturers.