Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-05-21
ARE SAVING Cash
Tafts Have Introduced Econo-
my Even Into the White
House.
ONE TABLE FOR THE HELP
Number of Servants Reduced in Diff
ferent Departments-No More
Roosevelt LuncheOns.

President and Mrs. Taft are going on
the principle that If the government is
to economic economy ought to begin
penses of the White House are being
cut down. Since March savings and
lcurtailments have been effected in va
rious directions about the executive
mansion.
| Mrs. Taft Is responsible in a large
measure for the savings that have
been brought about. for one thing
when the new administration took
possession of the laundreSseS. The
number has been reduced to three.
Formerly there were an engineer. an
assistant engineer and plumber
about the establishment. One man Is
aow retalnedx to do any engineering
work or plumbing work that is neces-
sary.
| Under the Roosevelt regime Pink
ney. the colored stewart. was an i'm
portant functionary about the estab-
| liShment. Now a steward Is no longer
kept. Pinkney has gone on the govern
| ment rolls as messenger. Mrs. Taft
| has obtained a first class housekeeper.
Miss jefferson. The management of
| the White House In large measure
rests with Miss jefferson. who attends
| to the buying. Mrs Roosevelt used to
do much of the buying for the estab-
lishment herself.
One of the important reforms
wrought about the White House con
siSts I'm reducing the number of tables
at which the negro servants take their
meals from three to one. 1t used to he
before March that there were three
| tables for the co!ored help. One table
was for the high caste part of the
force Of servants. Here Charles Read
err, the coachman; Pinkney. the stew
ard, and u few of the elite of the serv-
ants assembled and dined on the fat
of the land. having what the White
| House family had The second table
was reserved for the chef and the mid
| die class of servants. The third table
was for the laundreSses and the scrub
women. Now, 1t appears. these dis
| tinctions have been thrust aside. and
| Miss jefferson has caused all the col
| ored help to eat at the same table
| The days OF terrapin for some and no
| terrapin for others have gone. All the
servants are treated alike. Doubtless
i this has caused some heartburning
| and dissatisfaction but If there has
| been any murmuring ii has been done
under cover. The White House Is too
| good q place to work and the wages
too coed to imperil Il job by complain
ing about distinctions of caste at the
dinner table.
Are Other Reforms Too.
These ard other reforms have been
effected. or course it will not require
so big bill for supplies for the White
House table In this administration as
it did In the former one. One reason is
that luncheon is not made as much OF
by President Taft as Mr. Roosevelt
used to make ii. Roosevelt insisted on
having a lot Of people Mt lunch. He
hated to eat alone. and he liked to take
advantage of lunch to extract an inf
mite amount of information out of, a
variegated assortment of people. And
the amount of information he got in
this way was astonishing. President
Taft does not eat luncheon himself
save an apple. and so the chief White
House functions now are the dinners
which are quite up to the best White
House standard.
If the various departments and bu
reaus go at the economizing business
as thoroughly as the White House hes
1t will be possible to make some re
; auctions in appropriations.-Wa
ton Cor. New York Globe.