The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1909-05-12


body ought to begrudge salary of
100000 a year to Mr.. Taft, in view
of the dignity and greatness of his
position, but to urge that such an
income is necessary for the comfort
able maintenance of the president is
absurd: for it should be considered
that his pay is only fraction of
what the nation actually allows for
his support.
What are Mr.. Taft's expenses?
The answer is that he is scarcely per-
mitted to have any. The nation pays
nearly all of them outside of his sal
ary. For instance, there is the item
of rent, which to the ordinary citi-
zen is the most important single tax
on income Mr.. Taft lives rent free
in a beautiful house, furnished and
provided by the government with
everything that can possibly be want
ed for housekeeping purposes, even
to the silver, chinaWare and linen.
The ordinary citizen has to pay
quite a sum every year for fuel and
light There is, furthermore, a con-
tinual wearing out of carpets, up
hOlsteTy, and other articles of furni-
ture which must be replaced-not to
mention breakage of chinaware and
new things to be bought for the
kitchen. Mr.. Taft has none of these
expenses. The government pays
$3.50 a year for. the upkeep of
his dwelling, and meets annual bills
of $4,000 for lights and $4,000 for
fuel.
500 Pocket Money.
All of the above mentioned $685.
600 is a contribution to the presi-
dents own pocketboOk. He and his
wife spend it just as they may hap
pen to see fit. If Mrs. Taft wants
anything new for housekeeping pur-
poses she sends for the official ma
jor-dOmo, who is an engineer officer
of the army, and tells him to get it
for her. No law governs the mat
ter except ner own wishes. 1t must |
surely be very pleasant to have an
allowance of $3.50 a year to spend |
on the mere upkeep of ones house
in which respect the mistress of the
executive mansion is certainly one of
the luckiest women in the world
The Little Matter of Servants.
Then there is the matter of SER
wants. The white house has a but |
Ter who gets 1,S00 a year, but the !
government, not Mr.. Taft, pays him. |
His salary comes out of the afore-
mentioned $4,000 year, as does
likewise the pay of a housekeeper, !
a valet for the president, and a maid
for Mrs. Taft. The housekeeper is |
a sort of upper chambermaid, all re-
spOnsible duties relating to the care
OF the establishment being under |
control of the butler, who is called
the steward
The steward gives a bond of
$4,000, his position being one of
no little responsibility. Great GUAM
titles of gold and silver tableware,
precious china and cut glass are
placed in his charge, for no plated
ware is used in the white house ex-
cept in the kitchen, all of the spoons.
forks and metal dishes on the presi-
dents table being of pure silver or
gold Six dozen gold forks and a
like number of gold spoons, handed
down from the Van Buren, admins
tration, are kept for special occa-
siOns.
The White House Silver.
The solid silver service was bought
by Mr. MOnroe-every piece of it
marked with the American eagle and
the inscription, Presidents House" ,
1t was Mrs. Benjamin Harrison who
imported from France the cut glass. (
496 pieces, at a cost of $1,973.
There are a few additional ser
wants, required for minor duties. !
who are paid by Mr. Taft himself /
In the kitchen are three women-a |
cook, an assistant cook and a soul (
llon-whO act as helpers to a French J
chef during the social season. For
the rest of the year the chef is dis
pensed with. There are two more
women in the laundry, and upstairs
are four men, who do the work or
dinarily done by chambermaids and
parlormaids. These latter assist the
steward in the diningroom and pan
try. Thus it appears that the help" |
employed in the white house com |
prises eleven persons, in addition to
the chef, housekeeper and butler.
Buffers Job a Good One.
The butler, or steward, of the
white house is quite an important
parsonage, controlling a considerable
patronage. Not only does he en-
ploy and discharge on occasion the
under servants, but he buys all the
food supplies for the establishment.
as well as the wines, liquors and eli
gars. Accordingly, as may well be
supposed, his favor is much sought
by tradesmen in these lines. But an
express condition in which it is be-
slowed is that the white house Gus
tom shall not be utilized in any way
Tor advertising purposes. If a butch
er or grocer were to make it gem
orally known that he supplied the
executive mansion he would prompt-
ly lose its trade.
Apart from servants wages almost
the only expense the occupant of the
white house is obliged to meet Of
clothes be eXcepted) is for food.
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