The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-05-31

Never was there a business office
where the machinery was more COM
pletely hidden or where a more noise
less office routine prevails than in the
headquarters OF our national execu-
tive.
The prestige OF the establishment
as a model OF its kind. says Waldron
Fawcett in Business, rests on the cir
cumstance that possibly nowhere else
is so much mail handled and so many
callers received by so small an office
force, or so heavy volume of bust
ness done in such limited quarters
The total business staff including
ushers. messengers and so on. num-
bers little more than forty. And the
modest one-story office annex to the
White House does not represent more
than a fraction of the floor space oc-
cupied by many q large corporation.
Handling the White House mail Is
one of the heaviest responsibilities of
the business done there. 1t is doubt
full If there is any other place where
the incoming mail varies so from day
to day. In addition. there is a rule
that every letter addressed to the
president shall be acknowledged from
the White House, even though it Is re-
ferred to some government depart
ment.
There is rule also that every letter
received must be answered within
twenty-four hours unless exceptional
circumstances make this impossible.
This policy of promptness taxes the
resources of the White House bust
ness establishment when. as some
times happens, the daily receipts jump
to 1000 letters or more. There are
weeks at stretch when the daily mail
will seldom exceed 200 letters.
The president sees but fraction of
these letters and he replies personally
to only limited number, not more
than 10 per cent OF the total The
winnowing process starts with the
mail clerk, who opens all incoming let
ters except the few which bear upon
the envelope autograph initials or
other insignia which serve as pass
words indicating that these particu-
lar letters are to pass to the president
unopened. fF5
Not only Is the filed in form letter
unknown in White House practice, but
even in the case Of letters of reply
which duplicate one another in gem
eral purport every effort is made to
vary the phraseology and give each
letter as much Individuality as posi-
BILE. incidentally it may be mentioned
that letter signature by proxy of the
rubber stamp method Is unknown at
the White House.
Letters which cannot be handled by
the mail clerk on his own RESPONSE
bility are passed on to the secretary to
the president or one OF the two assist
ant secretaries. Those communities
lions which seem to merit the personal
attention Of the chief executive are
ready for the president the first thing
each morning The president may dis
pose Of letter that requires his per-
sonal attention by debating a reply,
or. as is more often the case, he may
return all the papers In the case to
his secretary with penciled notation
that will guide the secretary in franz
ing q reply.
Six stenographers are kept busy
tipping the letter dictated by the press
tdent, his secretaries and mail clerk,
and this corps, when the volume of
mail is unusually heavy, must be sup
plemented by men (there are no wo-
men employed in the presidential bus
mess office) detailed. temporarily from
one of the departments. Letter press
copies, instead of carbons. are kept.
1t is but natural that each president
upon retiring from office should take
with him from the White House most
OF the letter press books that have ac-
cumulated during his administration.
The White House stationery is
MADE OF plain White linen ponu OF the
finest Quality, and for almost all pur-
poses there Is used a double sheet OF
note size which in three folds fits into
an envelope size or two smaller than
those most favored In ordinary bust
rnass. -sfassaet4ce,.- ne paper stock used
is so strong, though Of fine surface.
that 1t will stand up under almost
any amount of rough usage.
The only inscription on either letter
N ig IN
House" printed in small caps or block
letters. All White House typewriters
are fitted with blue ribbons to match