El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-10-16

the second, Thomas W. Brahany, a ma
tive of Wisconsin. who has been there
four years. 4 third member Of the
staff Is n. P. Webster, discussing otti-
Ger of the white house, who has charge
of all vouchers and payments under the
contingent fund, and the travel fund,
and who purchases all Of the supplies
needed by the executive office Mr.
Webster succeeded Col. Crook when the
latter died a few months ago.
Another member OF the staff, and one
of long experience. Is Warren =. Young,
who has served in various capacities for
80 or 40 years, and who knows IN
timately important phases OF the work
which would escape the average man.
As already mentioned, the presidents
private stenographer Is Mr.. Sven, and,
in addition, the staff includes about Is
clerks, among them a record clerk, cor
respondence clerks. messengers. and six
or seven stenographers in normal times,
although when business pressure Is I'M
usually heavy additions are made to the
force.
White House Telegraph Force.
Located ut one eide of the staff room
is the telegraph room, where three
operators are reg 3s.rly on duty, two IN
the day time ard one at night, their
number being increased when necessary,
under a law which gives the executive
office permission to ask other depart
ments of the government to detail men
for emergeny use. As a matter of fact,
the telegraph room Is so highly impOr-
tant a part Of the executive office that
a number OF the staff engaged IN other
work are fully competent to act as
telegraph operators at any moment, and
the telephone operators are among the
ablest switch board men in the country.
\ dozen telegraph wires running from
this corner of tine staff room are con-
neeted with the main offices Of the
Western Union and Postal Telegraph
companies in Washington.
Getting IS Main" Instantly.
From the switch board, telephone
wires lead to all departments OF the
government, and a direct wire runs
from the white house hundreds of miles
across the country. far up to the presI-
dents summer home in Cornish, New
Hampshire. Another telephone wire
runs directly from the executive office
to the main switch-bOa in the capitol
building at the father end Of Pennsyl-
vania avenue The purpose OF maintain
ing these various direct wires Is to
avoid any possible delay in getting con-
nections through telegraph loops or
telephone central stations
While there Is nothing in the regula-
tons to enforce the rule, vet 1t Is a fact
that telephone connection with the white
house is practically instantaneous. If
YOU happen to be in the city Of Wash
ingion, and wish TO see how quickly the
telephone can be operated under ad
vantageOus conditions, step into a drug
store, hotel. a cigar shop, a depart
t.. e.
public telephone statiOn-take down
the receiver and ask the unseen operator
in the central station to give YOU
&c Main" that being the white house
number. Before the words have fairly
left your lips. voice at the other end
responds: This Is the white house
You viii find the telephone connection |
50 quick as to be almost miraculous.
Need for Direct Wires.
The need for direct wires may be I'M !
derstOod when one remembers how M /
portant it Is Tor the president to be kept /
IN constant means Of communication !
with cabinet members and other advisers /
throughout the country. It has been 4
said that the executive office Is the I
nerve center o. the nation" and in a 1
sense this may be true; for public opin 4
ion Is registered there, in the form of 4
letteIS anu leLelIdAls, Nuel Lu&tLeis OF \
wide and urgent Importance arises. For /
example, in times Of quiet, particularly
IN midsummer, when all OF official /
is absent from the capital,
and when domestic as well as foreign
affairs pursue their usually peaceful ]
way, sometimes less than so kilograms
a day come over the wires into the
white house
kilograms by the Thousand. !
Yet at other times the number re- \