The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-02-01

L
The President energies from his Office
when he has closed his forenoon s la
bors, but often there are few yet to
see him, and with them he converses
while Dulany shaves him. The Presi-
dent talks volubly. He is always rest
less, but Dulany shaves away without
concern, and has never been
known to nick the President s skin. He
has been known to be so accommodate
ing that he would comb and uncomb
the President IS hair two or three times
if some one was talking who had not
quite completed all that he had to say.
OF course, in such eases. the visitors
were men whom Dulany knew and whom
he was fairly certain the President
would not object to talking with a
little longer.
Outside of Washington there is prob
ably little comprehension of the in
tense hostility of Congress toward the
President. 1t now extends to little
things, which ordinarily would have
been passed over without particular
Comment. The President is showing
himself quite as human as the Con-
gessmen. He, just as much as they,
sizes upon minute advantages in this
merry warfare of the winter.
When Senator Clay, Georgia Dem
nrat, arose in his seat the other day
To protest against raising the Presi-
dent s salary, he quoted figures to show
tlat the country has been paying
$4,000 annually to President Roose-
1elt, which, outside Of the $50, 600
salary, as has been much emphasized of
late, is ten times what the country was
paying for its Chief Executive twenty
five years ago. The figures were sup
piled to Senator Clay from Republican
appropriation committees, where they
have been worked up in much detail
The $4,000 included numerous items
toward the maintenance of the White
House, the expenses for which have
mounted at rapid rate ever since Mr.
Roosevelt became President.
Grumbling About the Extravagance.
The grumbling in the appropriations
committees over Mr.. Roosevelt's ex
travaganee, as the Republicans openly
characterize it, is of long standing
Those committees have an additional
grievance because when they summon
officials to explain how the money ha:
been spent it has been exceedingly
difficult to obtain adequate statements
During the earlier part of Mr.. Roose
velt's ineumbency, General Bingham
now Police Commissioner Of New Yorl
/ City, was the army officer assigned here
as superintendent of public building
land grounds. That is fancy detail
mich sought by army officers because
o. fts social prominence. The superin
t,ndent has charge of numerous ex
benditures in connection with tn
White House.
1t is well known in Washington b,
this time that when President Roose
welt wants anything he wants it, an
woe to the official who does not fin
:. way to get what the President wants
General Bingham, then a colonel o
the active list, found the expenses grow
ing by leaps and bounds. The Hous
Appropriations Committee summone
him to explain, when it came to max
up the appropriation bill that carrie
similar items for an ensuing year. TIL
authority of the committee in demand
ing such explanations is paramount
Even cabinet officers have to walk tn
carpet when the committees that hol
the purse strings speak,
Topped His Official Head Off.
General Bingham stated the situf
ton frankly and went into details, sue
as the diversion of unusually large sum
to the White House laundry. Their
was much of the testimony that shocl
ed the appropriations members, who &c
grouchy because the public, while Ell
joying the dancing, does not stop t
think of the reckoning for the pipe
The hearings are executive, and til