Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-10-22
MUST Be IN TOUCH
Necessary for White House to
Be Able to Find Mr.. Taft
at Any Time.
is DIFFICULT SOMETIMES
Telegraph and Telephone Bureau in
Executive Mansion Must Work
Night and Day.

! r
necessity for which the general publ,
seldom gives thought is that of main
tanning constantly uninterrupted com
munication between the White HOUSE
at Washington and the president wher
| ever he may be.
1t is when the president sets out OF
a prolonged journey such rs the pres
ent transcontinental tour that the lin
| telligence officers" ut the White House
| are put to their wits ends to forge III
| elastic communicative chain that viii
| always link the White House on wheels
| with the executive offices overlooking
| the Potomac.
1t is not merely the distance. al
| though. to be sure. that does consti
tutes a handicap when the chief mag
istrate is upward of 5000 miles from
home. Much more serious is the cir
cumstance that the president is con
stantly jumping from place to place
at the behest of whirlwind itinerary
and has ut no time what could be dig
nifed as permanent address"
President Always Kept Informed.
Finally. in the case of tours such as
that of this autumn, the fact that the
presidential party spends days now
and then in isiOated localities further
complexities the chore of keeping the
presidential finger on the pulse of the
nation.
Presidential business is transacted
through the White House even though
the boss be thousands of miles away.
1t IS because q vast volume of mail.
often numbering 1000 letters n day.
pours into the White House and by
reason of the rability of having as
much of it as possible disposed of at
the executive offices that the president
leaves at his base of operations his
trusted secretary. Mr.. Fred w. Carpen-
ter, and contents himself for the time
being with Assistant Secretary Wen
dell w. Mischief as his immediate aid
aboard the train.
Letters Forwarded Every Day.
OF course there are some letters that
require Il personal reply from the pres
ident and cannot well await his return
to Washington. and these. together
with the commissions to be signed and
other government documents requiring
the presidents autograph. are forward
ed once a day to the presidential train.
With the system working smoothly the
White House each day dispatches
batch of mail to the presidential train
and receives from the train a bundle
OF communications.
Such mail to or from the White
house can be dispatched by special
pouch if it is deemed desirable. and
postal authorities keep the White
House fully advised us to the time re-
quired for transmission. so that the
mail from the White House to the
president is always sure to make con-
nections with the presidential train.
For all that there is this continuous
interchange of mail the main reliance
for keeping the president in almost
momentary touch with the White
House is placed. of course. upon tele-
graphic and telephone means. The
responsibility for the maintenance of
this electrical bond rests with what is
known rs the telegraph and cipher
bureau of the executive mansion-in
effect the nerve center of American Of
ficialdOm.
The official in charge of this tele-
phone and telegraph headquarters de-
tails one or more of his expert opera
tors to accompany the presidential
train and keep open the communicative
system at that end. whereas at the
White House the telegraphers. work
ing in shifts, maintain an ever SEN
sitive receiving station-an institution
that is open for business every minute
Of the twenty-four hours. seven days
week. 1t is the only institution of the
kind under the government that is
never closed
BY means of a chart and a thorough
system of reports from train dispatch
ers the exact location of the presi-
dents train is always known ut the
White House, and in an emergency a
can be placed in the hands Of
the chief executive almost at a mo-
ment's notice.
Something like two dozen telegraph |
wires enter the White House. and it is |
possible to secure a d. |
rect wire to any city at any time, re- |
it for presidential business as
ong as desired. a double wire is pro-
vided for direct communication with |
the president wherever he may be. |
and in days gone by some remarkable |
records were established for speedy |
work in establishing direct commune |
cation with a presidential party afield.
The president has a private tele- |
graphic code. which he can use while |
travelling for the transmission of mes
"a ges that it is desired shall reach the |
White House in absolute secrecy. This |
s seldom resorted it. however. Presi- |
lent Taft is an enthusiast in the con-
7enience of the long distance tele- |
,hone and has ever since he entered |
,fficial life made extensive use of the |
method of communica- |
ion.
council. and that the street commits
ioner act as foreman of all men en-