Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-10-04
Things You Want to Know


The task of conducting the affairs OF the
United States government. carrying with
Il an annual expenditure of nearly $1,000,
1000. represents the greatest governmental
undertaking In the world. IL requires more
than 100000 people to man the great ma
chine. and their aggregate annual salaries
amount to fully s25OOOOOOO. The great mas
ter mechanic of this vast enterprise is the
president of the United States. When he
begins his term of office there lies before
him the supervision OF the expenditure Of
near $4,000 OO0,OOO, approximately one-fourth
Of which goes toward the payment OF
salaries.
In England the acts Of the king are con-
sidered as being those Of his advisers, who
are held responsible for them. In the
United States the acts of the cabinet are
considered as being those of the president,
and he is responsible for whatever official
action any member of his cabinet may
take. This body has no real constitutional
standing as a collective organization, and
its decisions are not binding upon the
president. This is illustrated by an anec-
dote of meeting of the Lincoln cabinet.
Mr. Lincoln brought before 1t a PROPOSE
ton which he favored and the cabinet
voted solidly against It. Lincoln declared
the vote to be seven noes and one ave.
Therefore" said he, "the ayes have It."
In the beginning Of the presidency 1t was
thought advisable that the cabinet should
be made up OF members representing all
political beliefs Washington appointed his
first cabinet with that end In view, but
the experiment proved an unfortunate one
and never has been tried since. There have
a..
party were selected to cabinet positions. but
in these cases the men selected have been
in harmony with the attitude Of the presi-
dent they served
There are few buster places in the govern
ment service than the executive offices at
the White House, especially when congress
is in session. Such vast number of things
claim the attention of the president that it
is little short of wonderful that he is able
60 give them the attention they demand and
yet find time for necessary exercise. The
mail received at the White House is pro-
digous. 1t is a dull day when the private
messenger does not bring at least 1000 let
tiers addressed to the president, and in
many cases double that number come in
the course of twenty-four hours. Any spe-
cial story concerning the president or the
White House will attract the letter writing
procivities of thousands OF people. When
Mr.. Roosevelt first enunciated his cele-
brated anti-race suicide doctrine, some
newspaper man with a we'll developed bump
of humor wrote a story to the effect that
the president had received twenty eight
baby carriages. Ii was published broad
cast, and hundreds of poor families wrote
| Mr.. Roosevelt begging that he send them
one of his surplus supply. In the old days
xayac ia aai hat Attrfn he
Grant administration the executive force
would play croquet during the dull hours
of the day, and upon the arrival of a letter
one of them would be summoned to the
| executive office.
1t is comparatively easy for the president
to attend to his mail. There is a complete
system of asserting the letters, so that
| out of the thousand or more received dur
ing the day. less than 100 will be laid on the
presidents desk. There is a clerk whose
| sole duty is TO classify the correspondence
as 1t comes in. Probably 100 letters may be
answered by a single form letter. Several
hundred OF the remainder will be referred
| to the poper department, and perhaps less
than half will reach the secretary to the
president. He examines these gives their
! substance to the president and receives in
structions as to the character of reply to
| make. Letters are often addressed to the
president marked personal and private"
These marks are diNegarded. 1t is only
letters that are initiated by intimate per-
sonal and political friends which reach the
| president unopened.
The constant stream Of callers and the
vast amount of office routine business make
the heaviest demand upon the president 8
time. Office seekers and their friends are
to be met, people who simply wish to pay
| their respects to the chief executive, and
all imaginable classes of men and women
who come on every sort of errand. During
the first three weeks of an administration
1t is not uncommon for the president to
shake hands with from $1,000 TO 5000 peo-
| pie Unless hd learns to grip the hand OF
his visitor before the visitor grips his, he
| is apt to have badly swollen arm as a re-
suit Of the experience.
There is much monotony about the presi-
Dental office and the grind usually tells
on the incumbent. Between signing papers,
examining acts of congress. receiving visi-