The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-04-13

Silent, smooth. efficient is the business
force in the Office of the nations ChleI
Executive at the White House. me To-
tai business staff, including ushers, mes
sengers and so on, numbers little more
than forty. And the modest one-story
office annex TO the White House does not
represent more than fraction or the
floor space occupied by many large
corporation
Mail Big Task.
Handling the White House mail is one
Of the heaviest responsibilities of the
business done there. 1t is doubtful II
there is any other place where the in
coming mail varies so tremendously from
day to day. In addition, there is rule
that every letter addressed to the Presi-
dent shall be acknowledged from the
White House. even though it is referred
to some government department.
Moreover, there is rule also to the
effect that every letter received must be
answered within twenty-four hours un-
less exceptional circumstances make this
impossible This policy of promptness
taxes the resources of the White House
business establishment when. as some
times happens, the daily receipts jump
to 1,0oo letters or more.
1t is only fair to say, however. that
though many newspaper readers have
been led to believe that the President
received at least 1000 letters every day
of his occupancy of the Office. AS a
matter OF fact, there are weeks at a
stretch when, under normal conditions,
the daily mail will seldom exceed 200 let
tiers and the average for long intervals
during the last administration was In the
neighborhood of $50 letters day.
when Avalanche Comes.
But this normal volume may be quick
" changed to the abnormal The appear
ance of some new national issue, an in
ternational crisis, an important declara-
ton of policy by the President, pro-
posal of new legislation or any one of
number of turns of affairs is likely to
bring down upon the White House an
avalanche Of letters of inquiry, advice,
commenda ton and witticism.
Needless to say, the President sees
but a fraction of these letters and he
replies personally to only a limited num-
Der, not more than 10 per cent of the
total, even in the case of the present
Executive, who dictates answers to more
letters than have most of his predeces-
lsors. The winnowing process to which
the letters are subjected starts with the
mail clerk who opens az incoming letters
except the few missives which in ac-
cordance with a prearranged plan bear
upon the envelopes autograph initials or
other insignia which serve as secret
passwords indicating that these partic-
ular letters are TO pass to the hands Of
the President unopened. For the response
TO a considerable portion of the letters
received the mail clerk Is able to ar
range without troubling the President
or his secretaries. Among the corre-
spondence taken out by this first sitting
process there may be cited all those in
quiries on any subject which may be
prominently in the public mind and to
which the White House makes a more
or less stereotyped response. This. will
suggest to the practical business man
form letter work, and Yet, as a mat
ter of fact, the White House makes
very little use of what is commonly
known as the form letter.
No Rubber stamp.
Not only is the filled in form letter
but even in the case of letters Of reply
which duplicate one another in general
purport every effort is made to vary the
phraseology and give each letter as much
individuality as possible. Incidentally it
may be mentioned that letter signature
by proxy or the rubber stamp method
is unknown at the White House. Every
person who receives a letter bearing the
sured that the Chief Magistrate person
ally penned the name.
Letters which cannot be handled by
the White House mail clerk on his own
responsibility are passed on to the sec
rotary 10 the President or one of the two