Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1914-03-27

A Republican senator, one OF high
standing in his party, said the other
day that he had been at the White
House to see the president on bust
ness four times since last March and
that not once had he been asked to
sit down.
Now, this experience OF the Repub-
lican senator does no mean that
President Wilson is discourteous, and
especially it does not mean that he
singles out Republican senators for
standing room only" Nearly all Wis.
itors to the White House, If they are
physically able to stand n If their
visits are not to consume more tina
five minutes, transact their business
while standing on their feet 1t Is all
2 part and parcel Of President Will
sons CELEBRITY methods" and is born
of his desire to get through with pub
lie business and not to clog its wheels
by sprinkling in the sand of useless
conversation.
Woodrow Wilson gets through with
an enormous amount Of work in a
comparatively short time. From 10
a. m. each day until lunch time. bar
ring, of course, cabinet days, the seized.
ule of the White House business looks
like the time table OF a metropolitan
railroad which is serving some mir
ions Of suburban passengers.
President Fixes the Time.
Perhaps it is not an ~exaggeration to
say that nine-tenths of the appoint
ments are made for ive-minute pc
RODS only. Appointments are made
by telephone or In person by those
who wish to see the president the
next day or the day after. The list
of applicants for audiences is submit.
ted to Mr.. Wilson and he fixes the
hour and minute at which he will see
each caller, If at all. OF cclrse, SEN
ators and representatives and others
who have public business rarely are
denied, but it is frequently true II
their business is not Of pressing 1m'
p%ortance that they are compelled t
wait for two or three days until tho
schedule lightens up a little.
Nine out OF ten OF the presidents
callers must be content with inter.
views lasting no longer than five min
utes. OF course If the business is one
requiring some time for consideration
the president frequently will direct
that the caller come just after
IN hours time to be taken out Of the
afternoons outing, usually allotted
for health n recreation purposes.
AS for the morning hours, each one Is
divided up into twelve five-minute sec
tons and during the continuance OF
each five minutes the president stands
and his caller stands.
Hs 10 Not Inaccessible.
Members Of congress have com
planned that President Wilson is in
accessible. AF a matter of fact he
Is not as inaccessible as was his
predecessor in office. Mr.. Taft wanted
to see everybody, but he had a habit
Of talking for three-quarters Of an
hour to every man who came in and
the result was that many who were
outside the door, although having ap-
p~ointments, would be compelled to go
away without seeing the president at
all.
BY splitting up his day as the presi-
dent does into five-minute, and ever at
times shorter sections. President VIII
son manages to see pretty nearly
everybody who wants to come to see
him. During the course of the short
conversation the president generally
hand is of enough Importance to de-
mand more time. OF course he an
not give more than five minutes at the
first interview, because he has an ap-
pointment with someone else when
the five minutes are up, but he will
tell his caller to come again and he
will fix a time of the day when the
interview a be more prolonged.
Canal Builders for Repeal.
the chief engineer of the Panama
canal, said he a in favor of the re-
peal Of the provision exempting
American coastwise vessels from the
payment of tolls. 1t is known to YOU
correspondent that the other great en-
gineers of the isthmus, the men who
have done the big individual pieces
of work, feel in this matter as Colonel
Goethals does. BY the backing of the
chief engineer ana the division engi-
neers, President Wilson has gained
something, for congress is likely to
give heed to the opinions Of the canal
builders. The Democrats who are op-
posed to the repeal nay be glad Of
this expert advice, because they can
use it perhaps as an excuse for chang
ing their minds so as to agree with
the administration.
Judging from what has happened in
congress to proposals to substitute
American ship builders, it seems deh-
nitely settled hat the American peo-
pie as a whole are opposed to the
granting OF out and out subsidies. The
exemption of American coastwise
trading ships from the payment OF
Panama canal tolls is looked on in
Washington by a good many officials
as being a disguised subsidy.
Democrats in congress who are n
sympathy with the administrations at
tempt to secure the repeal of the act
granting free passage to American
coastwise ships say the courage OF
the administration in this matter Is
most admirable.