Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-02-15
things HIVE CHANGED
Taft Family Goes Into White
House Under Favorable
Auspices
MRS. JOHN ADAMS WOES
First Mistress of Presidential Home
Found Surroundings Not at All Fav-
orabIe to Comfort and Socialbility-
Taft Twenty fifth President to oc-
cupy Venerable Building.
JOHN ADAMS
WOES
Especial Correspondenee.l

Washington, Feb. 15.---William How
ard Taft will be the twenty-sixtf
president of the United States and The
twenty fifth president to occupy the
beautiful structure was not made ready
for it's tenants until 1900, and when
John Adams first entered it the plas-
tering was still fresh and damp.
That was 100 years ago. George
Washington was the only president
who never lived in the White House
He laid the cornerstone of this build-
ing and also laid the cornerstone of the
national capitol. 1t is said that Wash
ington gave to the executive mansion
the name White House, after the name
of the old fashioned mansion whence
he took the widow Curtis a bride. The
Washington of 1900 and the Washing
ton of 1909 furnish the greatest contrast
gail Adams heart sank with discour-
agement as she surveyed the cherries
and almost hopeless prospect as she
was dumped from a wagon on the
White House steps as the first lady of
the land. The capital had been laid
out twelve years before in the fields
and woods and swamps. The public
buildings in some instances had been
just begun; some were half done and
others were in various stages of COM
pletion. The White House was the only
federal structure anywhere near fin
ished. Its walls rose in a veritable will
derness. The nearest neighbors were
the Inhabitants of the quaint little VII
lage Of Georgetown, at the head of the
Potomac navigation.
When Mrs. John Adams Got Lost.
President John Adams and his wife
had made the journey to washington
in the middle of November and over
probably the worst roads ever seen.
Mrs Adams and her attendants got lost
in the woods between Baltimore and
Washington and wandered about for
hours before being rescued by an old
negro who showed the way The desc
late state Of the national capital at that
time is we'll described in the words of
W-0lcOtt TO MS VIE:
There is but one good tavern. about
forty rods from the capitol, and sew
eral other houses are built or erecting;
but / do not see how members of con-
gress can possibly secure lodgings. un-
less they will consent to live like schol-
ars in college or monks at a monas-
terry, crowded ten to twenty in one
house, and utterly excluded from socie-
ty You may look in almost any direc-
ton over an extent of ground nearly
as large as the city of New York with
out seeing a fence or any object except
brick kilns and temporary huts for la
borers"
Mrs. Adams wrote from the White
House a pathetic story Of the difficult
ties of keeping house in her new home,
of the scarcity Of wood, looking glasses,
etc. and how she was compelled to
hang up the family wash in the east
room.
Woods are all you can see from
Baltimore until you reach the city,
which is so only in name. No woodcut-
ters or carriers to be had at any rate.
We are now indebted to Pennsylvan-
ia wagon to bring us, thru the first
clerk in the treasury office, one cord
and half Of wood. which is all we
have for this house, who're twelve
fires are constantly required, and we
are told that the roads will soon be so
bad it can not be drawn. Briesler pro-
cured 200 bushels Of coal, or we must
have suffered This is the situation of
almost every person.
Visiting Was Hard Work.
''The public officers have sent to
for wood cutters and wag-
ons. The vessel which has my clothes
and other matters had not arrived.
The ladies are impatient for drawing
room; have no looking glasses but
dwarfs for this house, nor a twentieth
part lamps enough to light 1t; my teat
china is more than half missing. You
can scarcely believe that here in this
city should find my time
so occupied as it is. My visitors-some
of them-come three or four miles. The
return of one Of them (the visits) is
the work Of one day. Most of the
MORE EVIDENCE.