Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-23
PLENTY .0F; TIME IS TAKEN
Change From Methods Under Roose-
welt Administration.
MATTERS FULLY DISCUSSED
Some Differences Among Congress
men in Regard to Appointments.
=
Senator Nelson's Illustration.

It's a curious and interesting little
struggle that's on between Congress, or a
portion of it, and the White House as to
appointments for conferences and the
general question of getting at the
chief executive.
And while 1t wages with deep emotion,
and some temporary bitterness, on the
part Of few congressman, President
TAFT takes it all as placidly as he does
everything else. The real sufferers are
Fred Carpenter, private secretary, and
Rudolph Forster, assistant secretary
Each Of these faithful coworkers Of the
President and guardians of his health
and time. when approached on the sub
ject. simply says that callers. be they
congressional or otherwise. must get used
to the grinding of the new machinery
They cannot and must not expect the
habits and methods that prevailed in the
last administration.
The kicker then was the man who was
pushed through the White House with
the rapidity of a pig being sent through
one Of the big packing houses Of the
west. The kicker now is the fellow who
has such important business that II can
not wait to be ground through at ALL and
who frequently refers to the ease with
which he could see President Roosevelt
Col. Roosevelt's Way.
President Roosevelt made paratiye-
ly few private appointments. and saw
the majority of his congressional and
other callers. practically en- masse, merely
taking zone to one side at time, finish
ing him or her in quick order. and then
taking a few steps to the next one.
That's how many good news items leak
ed out Of the White House. One caller
would overhear what Mr.. Roosevelt was
saying to another. and then tell his good
| newspaper friends. When Mr.. Roosevelt
did see callers behind closed doors his
nervous nature quickly finished the inter-
view unless the subject was one Of ex-
treme Importance.
In the first part of his administration
President Taft could have little privacy,
his own room and the waiting rooms be-
ing so closely connected that the voices
of callers could be heard just outside the
closed door.
The New Way.
The new addition to the executive offices
has changed all this. The President has
a large. comfortable private room sepa-
rated by a wide hall from the waiting
rooms. He does mot see the impatient
strides of Senator. So-and-SO as he walks
backward and forward across the con-
gressional waiting -room often glancing
toward the presidential door to see how
soon he will get in. The President is
content that he Is having a satisfactory
talk with the man ahead of the senator.
He doesn't see the congressional callers
going away from Mr.. Carpenters door
with wry faces because they have been
told that the Presidents appointment
list Is crowded for the next week or ten
days and tina: ii will be impossible to
make date before that time. He does
not see the half dozen congressman who
have stroIled in without appointment.
hoping to strike an opportunity to get in
anyhow, as they go out sore because in
the past they had no trouble in seeing
Mr. Roosevelt, even If they did have to
wait an hour or two. possibly more. They
know that there will be no chance at all
with the large appointment list OF the
President ahead.
Poor Fred Carpenter, however. hears
and knows it all. Once in Awhile he