The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914, 1913-06-17

ries did not come as much into the
public notice as they do today. The
change is not due in any way to push
ing qualities on the part of the mod
ern secretaries, but 1t is due to the
fact that their duties are SO much
more onerous and that they are COM
PEELED to stand between the president
and an ever pressing and sometimes
importunate public.
When Joseph p Tumulty first came
to Washington as secretary to the
president, the wonder of stranger Wis
itors to the White House was how
Tumulty knew their names Now OF
course a good many cards were pre-
scented, and at times 1t was possible
for the secretary to know the card
corresponding to the caller, but not
always. Tumulty, however, invariably
called each man by his right name,
and saw eyebrow after eyebrow arch
In surprise.
1t is great thing to-k know a mans
name, for it goes some distance along
the self-esteem route to help man
bear up against final, if gently adj
ministered, disappointment. How did
Tumulty know the names at the out
set?
Do They Use. an Eye code7
The suspicion has been that the
secretary. and the assistant secretary,
Rudolph Forster, who knows the
name of every living man between
East Cape and Mendocino, had a
Morse alphabet which they dotted and
dashed out by means OF a rapid
winking
Tumulty's desk is at the south side
of goodly sized reception room.
Forster's desk is at the west side of
a room adjoining, but there is an
open doorway between the Offices,
and the line OF vision from Tumulty's
desk to Forster's is az straight and
unclouded as the daily walk OF the
body's name before he spoke to him,
and if the information was not con-
veyed by an eye code it was conveyed
in some subtle, Elusive manner which
was past the discovery of the curious.
If Forster did the telegraphing and
was himself at loss for name
which hardly seems possible, by the
wayne had only to call up a base
station at his immediate left, where
sits Thomas Brahaney, who knows
the sur, Christian and middle name Of
| nine-tenths OF the men born Amer
leans. Today Joseph p Tumulty, sec
| rotary to the president, knows every
body's name, and pretty nearly ev-
erybody's personality. Joseph Is as
wise a man as his namesake of the
| Old Testament, although his name
probably was given him in honor of
| one of the two Josephs of the gospel.
Some people say that, Of course,
Washington correspondents write
nice things about presidents secreta-
ries. It might be suggested that the
| files be searched in order that it may
be known that some things not alto
gether nice have been written about
some of them.
TumuIty's Great Success.
Joseph P Tumulty is good fellow,
and, moreover, he has been astound-
| ingly successful with new and try
| ing Job. He has to send away men
who are bent on seeing Mr.. Wilson
| but he knows how to send them away
with their heads up and pleased
light in their eyes. Senators. mem
bers. department officials and stranger
visitors drop in and drop down into
| seats Of the chaired circle. Tumulty
| swings round the circle, calls every.
body by name, asks what he can dc
for him, and makes lightning differ
| entiation. Some men see the presi
dent and some do not, but all of them
get satisfaction out of their visits
New Jersey must have good pre-.
paratory school for the District OF
| Columbia
William Loeb, Jr., talked for Theo
dore Roosevelt on many occasions
| Loeb and Tumulty are absolutely diff
ferent temperamentally, but they are
very much alike in method Tumulty
is not afraid to speak for his chief
and in being unafraid, he shows that
he knows his ground, that no rebuke
is in store, and that he has added just
so much to the time which Woodrow
Wilson can give to the contemplation
of the tariff and the currency
Joseph P. Tumulty is a hard work
er. If he were not willing worker
he would not be secretary to the pres
ident. There are millions of roses III
Washington at all seasons of the year
out of doors or in the hothouses, but
none of them has ever been plucket
to help make bed of roses for the
man who acts as secretary to the
president of the United States.