The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1920-06-15
oE REING PRESIDENT UNIT
IN STATES BRINGS A SALA-
ny NEARLY ALL CLEAR.
UNCLE SAM PAYS BILLS

a., Residence, Completely Equip
ped With Servants, Yacht, Sum
ner Home, Private Train and Many
Other Perquisites.
The attractive position of the
presidency of the United States no
ionoar seeks the man. Particularly
th;s wear men, scores of them, are
,aokino the job. Although each
,ros;dent in turn declares that it IS
- omntv honor, so fraught with
h,,rdons as to be undesirable, yet in
yarjablv a president seeks another.
term if obtainable.
The work is tremendously hard, OF
course. but there are compensatlons.
Mr. Wilson. who came to the white
bonse a poor man, will leave it fairly
well to do. His salary is $4,000
YEAR If he saved two-thirds of this
in eight years time his savings would
amount to 100000.
The truth is that president need
not spend half of the $4,000 a year
unless he chooses to. He has lew
necessary expenses, because Uncle
Sam pays nearly all his bills. To be-
Gin with, this nation provides him
with a palatial home, completely
furnished, rent free. He. gets his
fuel and light for nothing and the
wages of most of his servants are
Maid out of the treasury. Even MS
wife maid and his own valet draw
their stipends from the government:
The four "chambermaids, all OF
them men, who do the upstairs work
in the white house are on the gov
eminent pay roll. So are the two
women employed in the laundry, the
butler, two chauffeurs and the house
keeper. Mrs. Wilson has social
secretary, but her salary comes cut
of a congressional appropriation.
Must Buy Own Food and Clotle-.
The president has food to buy and
clothes. He pays the wages of a
cook. a scullion and three or four
other servants. Barring incidentals.
these represent almost the sum total
of his necessary expenses, except for
the cost of entertaining. President
Roosevelt spent many thousands of
dollar to entertain, but in this line
the Wilson's have exercised notable
economy.
The nation has spent more than
S4.OOO,OOO on the white house, includ-
ing its upkeep. More than $1,000, 900
has been spent for furniture and fur
nishings. The cost of upkeep is now
$4,000 a year, but at frequent in
tervaIs congress is called upon to APP
propriate big additional sums for
specific purposes.
Should the presidents wife want
a new carpet or curtain or piece
of furniture she is not obliged to
consult her husband on the subject.
She merely tells the major domo to
buy it, and when the bill comes in
he pays it out of government funds.
Entertains at Little Cost.
The presidents wife can give a
really gorgeous entertainment at a
comparatively small cost. For music
she has the free services of the ma
rine band, one of the finest bands In
the world, and, being the presidents
own, is at all times at her disposal.
Nothing to pay and she might have
a concert every morning at breakfast
if she chose.
Then there is the matter of flow
ers. They are expensive, but the
white house mistress doesn't have to
worry about florists bills. She could
have CARLOAD of roses delivered
every morning from the greenhouses
If she SO wished. The greenhouses
are supposed to belong to the Dis
hict of Columbia, but their output
is entirely at the disposal of the mis-
treSs of the white house. If she
wants orchids one of the finest col
lectlons of plants of that kind in the
world is at her disposal.
One greenhouse whose output goes
exclusively to the white house is a
grapery in which are grown for the
Presidents table Hamburg, Muscat
and other choice varieties of grapes.
The president and his wife do not
nave to pay for the stationery they
use or for the kilograms they may
chose to send on personal matters
There is in the business annex tel
egIaph Office always at their dispo-
sal Invitations sent out locally are
never mailed from the white house
nut are invariably delivered by a
uniformed messenger.
Private Summer Home and Yacht.
Few people are aware that the
president has in Washington sum-
mer cottage always kept at his dis
posal. 1t is located in the beautiful
park that surrounds the soldiers
nome on the outskirts of the city.
lincoln, Grant and Arthur spent a
good deal Of their time there in
warm weather, when they could not
seG away for a vacation elsewhere.
If a chief executive wishes a sea
,,gyage there is the presidential yacht
Naytlower at his disposal. This yes
stt ftted luxuriously, is kept in con-
s,aht readiness twelve months in the
bsar with complete crew ever
+nandy to take the vessel to sea on
'"ehtF-four hours notice.
Has Right of Way.
OF