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

ceired not infrequenjly runs up to 1000
OF 1900. occasionally even as high as
200O but this only when intense in
terest Is aroused over some critical sit
uation. or because Of a definite cam
paign carried on in order to pass or de
feat some pending congressional meas
ure or government policy.
Within a Jew DAYS after the Lusi-
tania was sunk by a German sub
marine. kilograms poured into the white
house literally by the thousand. Presi-
dent Wilson had no difficulty in ascer-
tanning what public opinion was in that
crisis. Again, it happens not infre-
quently that some organization, push
ing a particular measure, will start a
chain of kilograms through its MEM
bers. and if the membership be large. the
result Is a flood of messages directed to
the president.
Artificial Public Opinion"
OF course. such a chain of kilograms
does not really register public opinion
which fact is well understood by every
president; but it does indicate the Opin-
ion of a greater or small number of in
dividuals who are members of the or
ganiation engineering the chain of mes
sages. 1t Is not unreasonable TO believe
that the standing OF the organization
in question, and the responsibility of
its leading members, may carry as much
weight as the hundreds or thousands of
chain kilograms, for artificial public
opinion Is easily manufactured. as every
experienced journalist knows; vet it
seldom has more than passing and in
effectual results. None are quicker to
detect a worked-Up campaign OF artifi-
cial public opinion" than the expert
eneed men who spend their lives in the
staff room Of the executive office.
From 200 to 1000 letters each day
are received at the executive office.
and they are delivered to the mail
clerk. who opens very large majority
OF them
Presidents Personal Mail.
- The presidents personal mail goes
directly to his private office without
being opened-aad the mail clerk IN
genuinely personal He can spot
them at a glance, and 1t is said that
he. does not make a mistake one time
in 1000 Scores Of letters directed TO
the president, written on expensive sta
tiOnery. and marked Personal or
Private" reach the mail clerk day aft
er day, but almost none OF them are
sent TO Mr. Wilson's own office until
they have been examined by those en-
ployed for that purpose It is not that
the PRESIDENT AuAl1 dAOuL rum MS AEA-
lOw-citizens who are sufficiently, in
terested to sit down and write him,
but that IL is physically impossible for
any one man to read and reply to such
an enormous mail. and also find time
enough TO attend to anything else
Now there are multudes OF Amer
leans who have legitimate reason for ,
writing. on occasion, TO some high Off
ciaI in Washington. and are not sure
whom they should address
Writing to the President.
As a definite case in point. let rs
suppose that John Smith residing IN
some little village. east or west, north !
or south. wants TO be postmaster He
knows that his local postoffice comes /
under the head Of presidential APP !
poiuJments." and very likely thinks I
that the president himself selects the I
occupant finally chosen. SO he gets his /
friends 10 write TO Mr.. Wilson-Or who I
ever may, be president at the time [
and when the mail clerk in the staff 4
room opens these letters he promptly +
sends them over TO the postmaster gen .
erals office While a great deal Of
mail is addressed 70 the president ?
which should not be so addressed. and .
which, Of course. he never sees yet all I
letters thus directed are carefully read i
and are delivered to the Official or the I
been sent by the individual writers
All Letters Answered.
Notwithstanding this careful sitting
OF mail addressed TO the white house 1
and forwarded from there to other
branches Of the government great
deal remains that must be answered by
the president or by his secretary. and
In normal times the services OF six
or seven rapid stenographers are
needed TO handle H. Supervision Of
this vast correspondence is one OF Mr.
most important duties He
e a a
written on white house stationery, but
he does see every note that is sent out
from the executive office In no other
way could he possibly keep in hand.
Or in mind. the thousand strands OF
upon a thousand sub
'ects. running from the white house
10 the uttermOst parts OF the earth.
any one of which may be potentially
alive with a spark Of vitality meaning
much 10 the national comfort and pros /
lerity. So great IS this task that the
secretary TO the president himself has
3 secretary.-Copyrigh 1915. by the Z