Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-05-24
pgNRosE's OFFICE STAFF
u Requires Ten People, Some Of Them
Experts, TO Handle His Business.
The Rev. William Under;
woods Job--Death Of e..
J. Gibson
BY GEORGE Nox MCCAIN


squad of specialists.
One member Of his staff is an expert on
pensions and takes charge of all matters
pertaining TO that department.
Another is an authority on the tariff. He
also attends to the general correspondence
OF the office that is not assigned to some
one else.
1t requires the services of one man alone
to properly file the correspondence.
Each specialist has his own library. In
! which are arranged all documents relating
to his particular department.
The Senator's correspondence, extending
back through the period of his successive
terms in the United States Senate, Is stored
away, but ready for instant reference, in
two separate storerooms.
There is also q vault in charge Of a Gus
todian In which his more valuable papers
and correspondence rcpose.
An AVERAGE of 500 letters day are
"A received by him.
1t requires one man an even hour every
morning to open the mail
1t is then separated and sent to the vsri-
Gus experts, TO Private Secretary Leighton
G. Taylor or directly to the Senator himself.
Every letter is answered. IL possible, the
same day that it is received.
1t would be physical impossibility for
any one man to answer this number Of COM
munications owing to their widely varying
character. Several dictaphones are en-
ployed, from which the stenographers work.
IL any one fancies that Senator Penrose
sees every letter. reads 1t and personally
answers it, he is what the English would
call a natural
Nor does the Senator. save in the smallest
number Of instances, sign letters even of
personal moment.
His secretary signs his personal mail
On other correspondence IL takes one man
GALL f.n,.
to sign the letters and seal them for delivery
to the mail.
And the signature is a facsimile of the
original.
1t is remarkable that the returned mail,
due to faulty addressing or other cause, is
less, on an average, than two day.
THE Rev. William Underwood is the par
L ticular star in the Penrosian galaxy of
stars.
William is a gentleman of color and an
expert on scarce bills and rare documents.
He has had a quietly spectacular career
for a citizen of his age and color He is
approaching fifty.
His first employment was as factotum and
special sendarme for the late Senator
Spooner.
After the Senator's departure for New
York the Rev. William was attached to the
encourage of Senator Nelson Aldrich.
1t was in this connection that he became
saturated with tariff lore and all matters
thereunto nppertaining
He knows every tariff bill from Mckinley
down: and then a few.
With the disappearance of the New Eng
land statesman William was taken on by
Senator Philander Chase Knox.
From Knox TO Penrose was an easy and
natural transition.
M Xrr,, , ,,,u.
~ "i' ie'os"'Neu 10 INC ne'. "n''ain
~ as an authority OH bills and documents
that other Senators frequently utilize his
ability in that direction
Lei ghton y. IaElor, senator Penroses
private secretary, makes the statement that
Underwood IS the most reliable specialist in
TINS respect around inc GaPltoi'
natural aptitude for the work.
10 is not ~ be iosbeJ nr ioiI;ed bv INV
,nto hOC oont,ot, 1' .ha. " 'ou' Io IT,, az LIZ
Snsors Instantly op anv vantcJ docnmont
HJt's verv rore cir very raro J,Il do
INV best ~ ohtoir a. for ron >, 10 wii,;n,';o
;Sr.vioL,o 81 60 .hnso 'rho soo, h;n a.
aistanoo T., sooroh Cor oort, IN doorn,ont
III, nv naner
!. t. o.Li ,,oro ,ho oli
n;na fron, a i.st wncl.s no,v.naner tbo
80, onan.or oos
'"'o e'
xr,uE por Nr I-rdorrood 10 q stondir,
"
.,, %. -, ,,.n,N
suppE lor colorG1 it napt''' anu "e'uo-
disL churcnes ~ tne DiStriet r.
ne Is ,S.n Sti $500; .h roaot;nn ,ho
suppI' LIP. pup "e NV '"1
reHm.ar Th paS.oiSh pho h h.d h;,, so .bo. b;a
IhoSc Mho hane nea'u nm Sus ena' ms
vocapuiary S nTt OILY extensive ou' p'c-
turesque ana po!sSnapte .,;.L..
II "au't.on 5os ~ n.' 80 Tnonh nJ SnneinL
I
iatIons IN snose ahsprses, rI ua Aha. -.
translotiops arc ali right eycent that thov
oransa.ions s, are a ;,s. tr,sa ~" troa ''e'
aie ~ UN US oomnonsat;"n 5%'' for this ,aIont and
ns IohptSatUn h;',t, .ba P ITndornood s;nna nmu
t Ip'eo abo,t @ nnnos;to tbo. .fs'roS stson
'"I va pa shom,d hive more T'''''
he snou'u nave inore.
,., o,,sc>, H., =
E,DnAh d. "inSoN o'eo ho' ohs ago IN
- Washington