The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-02-04

bule was put in during his adminissl
,tration by Louis Tiffany. the artist
/; the empire round table, the four cab
,inets. the clock. the brass dowei'l
bases by Tiffany, and many other
ornaments in this corridor were thel
personal selections Of President Ar
The White House never had III
,,brary until President Fillmore's adj
ministration, and it, stablishmentl
was then due to Mrs. Fillmore. Un-l
der her influence, the president asked
Congress for the necessary apprcpri-|
alton, and room was furnished with
books. President Cleveland gathered
a very unusual collection OF chill
drep's books, some Of which are still
on the selves of the White House,
library 1t Is now general used asI
Ia living room.
President Van Buren, was probably
the most luxurious of the presidents. |
and. although he did not spend as /,
much money upon the improvement
and furnishings Of the White House
as have some Of its other occupants. |
he did spend a great deal to CRAFTY
his personal taste for rich and well I!
appointed surroundings. Further-l
more he was the only president who
has been seriously criticised in Con-
,gress for extravaganza in the decora-
tion and management OF his house
hold.
Martin Van Buren, had the nature
LOT. a courtier and. an aesthetic. He
Twas frankly fond of elegance and re-
Jfinement, and was determined to In
ldulge his personal tastes regardless!
lof the criticism which they excited,
even before he became president.
Indeed. he seemed peculiarly indif-
ferent to criticism, retaining the most
tunrufied demeanor throughout his
stormy administration.
! AS soon as Mr.. Van Buren, took
charge of the White House, there
was great cleaning and renovation.
In all, SGT ,00A was expended by the
new president for the Improvement Of
the White House, and most Of this
seems to have gone in small sums
for reappointing the rooms he was to
OCCUPY. purchasing new furniture
land identifying the grounds. He
spent over thousand dollars during
1.-THE month of his Inauguration.
4 Among the bills rendered by various
tradesmen was one Of over $4,000
flor household linen, and another OF
that amount for gold leaf and guild
ling materials. labor and expenses"
for the decoration Of some of the
apartments. The new president spent
lsomething over $500 for cut glass
land futed wine decanters and cool
4 ers The giving of little dinners
served with perfecti1n in eve.y de-
4 tail was President Van Buren's de-
Hight. and he brought his chef over
from London.
i Van Buren, was the leader q an
administration which, like all 9th
Ter administrations. was cpmnJtted
Ito a policy of economy. and his ene-
mics in Congress made great capital
.lof the fact that he was not spractictng
lin the White House what he preached
Ito Congress. The NOSE ferocious at
tack upon him was made by Repre-
sentative 0gle, of PENNSYLVANIA,
whose speech upon "the regal SPLEEN
dor OF the presidents palace" is
probably one of the most amusing
. passages in the Congressional Rec
lord. When the general appropriation
. bill came up for consideration in the
House, he moved to strike out the
Item Of So, 665 for addition furniture
flor the presidents house and then
!. proceeded to cover many pages wittl
reasons why this should be done.
Apostrophizing the absent president
he shouted:
your house glitters with all i'm
|, aginable Injuries and gaudy orna-
iments: you set an example which
!, your subordinates are eager to imi-
tate; and the result is shameful and
tlruinous prodfgality in every branch
i of the public service.
: The speaker especially upbraiceS
!. the president for having purchased
: so many Of his. ornaments and fur
! nishings in Europe, instead of pa
| ltronizing home industry. He also
1clared that the people were no longer
, inclined to support their president
, 's'in a palace as splendid as that Of the
, Caesars, and as richly adorned as the
Eproudest Asiatic mansion"
L Thus. we see that the modest
i White House. which is today often
) commented upon as an inadequate
. establishment for the executive of a
/ great nation. was once regarded as
la thing Of almost royal splendor.
Mr.. Van Buren, brought a storm Of
!, icriticism upon himself by spending
.1S27,000 to improve 1t. Congress
associations of the White House
and the things 1t contains, that make
1T dear to the American people.
,iingtor &
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