Vernon Parish Democrat., 1921-04-07
ABOUT THE ONLY MAN THAT
GETS TO WORK AHEAD OF MR..
HARDING is MILK MAN,
EARLY BIRDS IN CABINET
Hoover and Hays Like the Early Hour
Proeedure-About Only Plant in
Case Comes From the Newspaper
Men, Who Are Used to Later Hours.
BY EDWARD B. CLARK.

of Washington, unless it be the milk
man. OF course, the sun does not
rise as early just now as it will in
June, but at that the White House
dWeller gets ain early start
Newspaper men who call at the
White House offices at the regulation
hour of 10 a. m. find generally that
Mr.. Harding has been "at it, an hour
before their arrival. Nobody knows
how long this will keep up. 1t is a
hard rule that never is broken. The
wonder is how George B. Christian,
the amiable secretary to the Presi-
dent likes the early hours. 1t is an
unwritten law that the secretary to
President shall get down to the brass
tacks Of work before his chief. Mr..
Christian doubtless is grateful that
his Marion fellow townsman does not
obey the eight o'clock whistle.
1t was only a few days ago that an
invitation reached the President TO
play an early morning game of golf
out at a place called Grasslands. He
accepted and was on his way to the
links while the morning was still dim
ly light and misty with the morning
exhalations of the Potomac. He
played SO holes, and as there is 20
longer a thirty-seventh hole in golf,
he was able to finish his play, take
the licking which we understand was
administered by one of his cabinet
members, who is a better golfer than
his chief, and return to the White
House nearly three hours before Mrs.
Harding called him to lunch.
How About Cabinet?
A word of inquiry has been written
as to the manner in which Secretary
Christian regards the peep O. day
habits Of his chief, but perhaps an
even more pertinent question is as to
how the cabinet members look on the
sun-up rising of their great and good
chieftain.
1t is said that Herbert Hoover likes
early hour procedure. Hoover is fair
" young, and the lie-abed habit, there
fore, has not had time to grip him.
WIN II. Hays, the Postmaster Cen
eral, is still younger, and as for Hays,
he never sleeps. These twain arrive
at the White House on the mornings
that they go there at an hour that is
nothing less than astounding for it's
"previousness." This is all very we'll
from the viewpoint Of the welfare of
the great American republic, for early
hours generally mean long hours in
this town, and If every hour is full
of work as the first hours of the day
seem to be, things ought to go ahead
fourishingly.
The only plant in the case comes
from the newspaper men, who have
been accustomed to the somewhat lat
er hours of the administration which
Just closed, and who were accustomed
to what might be called the leisurely
hours of the Taft administration.
Even Mr.. Taft's friends admitted that
he was a leisurely gentleman.
So far as the clerical force at the
White House is concerned, things are
as they always were. The hours of
the government toilers are fixed with
out regard to the predictions for
the early or late risings unto their
tasks of Presidents of the United
States, or of cabinet officers. So nine
o'clock found the clerical force busy
in other years as it finds them busy
in this year.
Worries Correspondents.
All that is left for the newspaper
man to do is to take that bit of ad-
vice which was given way back in
the scriptural days, go to the ant,
thou sluggard; consider her ways and
be wise" 1t is not exactly proper
to make it appear even distantly that
the President Of the United States is
an ant, but so far as work is con-
cerLed he seems to be much like one.
President Harding has told the
newspaper men through his secretary
that he will see them once a week.
that is he will see each batch of
them once a week. The men repre-
senting the morning newspapers will
be received by the President for the
quizzing process in the afternoon. The
hour at which the afternoon newspa-
per meL are to be received has not
yet been set, but the strong hope in
the breasts Of the afternoon men is
that the President will not summon
them with the milk man.
There is no telling to what lengths
the early morning habits of the White
House may go. Even afternoon news
paper men have their seEsibilities and
some few of them need an hour or
two for sleep.
Innovation Causes Gossip.
There are some men in Wash
IngtOn, who perhaps know what they
would like to have happen, who
think that the lease of life of
Vice President Coolidge as an outside
member of the cabinet is likely to be
a short one. In other words, there
are some officials in legislative life
who do not like the idea Of having
the vice president sit In at the cabi-