The Washington herald., 1913-03-16
GREAT AMOUNT OF WORK
Done IN EXECUTIVE OFFICES
Every Letter Received at White House Is Answered Within
Twenty-fou Hours Special Postman and
Telesraph Office. ..

but rather by a system whereby II Ii
sought to have each subject OF general
correspondence handled in all cases by
the Secretary who has specialized on
| that particular matter. 1t is only an
occasional letter that the Secretary TO
the President cannot dispose OF without
consulting his chief.
Those communications which do seem
| to merit the personal attention OF the
Chief Executive he has ready Tor the
President the first thing each morning
The President may dispose OF letter
that requires his personal attention oy
debating a reply. or. as Is lore often
| the case. he may return all the papers
| in the case to his Secretary with pen
ciled notation that will guide the Secre-
| tary in framing a reply in accordance
| with the Presidents wishes.
SIX stencgraphers Kept Busy.
: Six stenoeraphers are kept busy typing
the letters dictated by the President, his
secretaries and mail clerk, and this
corps must when the volume of mail Is
unusually heavy. be supplemented by
men uhere are no women employed In
the Presidential business offices) detailed
Z temporarily from one OF the depart
ments 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 accumulated during his ad-
ministration. In many instances carbon
copies are also made. for not infre-
quently the President desires to send
copies OF a letter to several quarters.
The White House stationery is digni-
fled and distinctive, being made of plain
white linen bond of the finest quality.
and for almost all purposes there is used
double sheet OF note size. which in
three folds. fits. snugly into an envolep
a size or two smaller than those most
favored in ordinary business practice.
The paper stock used is so tough and
strong, though of fine surface. that 1t
will stand up under almost any
amount of rough usage in the mails.
The average person may little appre-
ciate the texture OF the White House
stationery until he casually attempts to
tear across a sheet or envelope prepara-
tory to tossing it into the waste basket.
Then he may find it all but necessary
TO resort to scissors.
The only inscription on either letter
paper or envelope is THE White
House." printed in small caps or block
letters. All White House typewriters
are fitted with blue ribbons to match
this ink. Penned signatures are almost
invariably in black. OF course. no post
age is paid on outgoing mail and the
words The White House. which serve
as a frank, result. as do ordinary
stamped envelopes. in the saving OF
some time in the mailing room.
Has Special Postman.
The President Of the United States
subscribes in effect to the policy of the
man who has no mail delivered by car
rier at his place of business, but instead
rents lock box at the local post-office
or nearest postal station. No mail Is
delivered by regular carrier at the White
House. In fact, the President has his
own special postman, a member of the
messenger force at the Executive Offices.
who is provided with a horse and buggy.
and who makes two or three trips daily
to the Washington Post-office dispatchng
the outgoing mail and returning with the
incoming. The final trip of the day is
made at a comparatively early hour in
the afternoon. a circumstance which, OF
course. facilitates the task of replying to
most letters on the day on which they
are received.
The Office force is called upon to handle
one class of correspondence which has
no counterpart in the operations OF the
ordinary business institution. This is the
social correspondence, and il is of quite
nedNy NOlurne during the winter mOntnS
when formal dinners, receptions, and
other entertainments are held at the
White House in rapid succession. All
this work is under the personal direction
of social clerk, who is a specialist in
his line, and who is fortified for his task
by a complete card index of WHO'S
Who" in officialdom. For this branch
of the work. too, there are on duty at
the White House offices several expert
penmen who fill in, during the course
of a winter. the individual names OF
close TO 1000 invited guests on cards of
invitation to the big receptions. and al
most invariably the name penned in
script defies detection from the plate
engraving that makes up the body of the
invitation.
Private Telegraph station.
Closely akin to the correspondence by
mail at the White House are the tele-
graphic interchanges. The President has
his own private telegraph station at his
business offices. in charge of three oper-
ators, one or the other of whom is on