South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-03-26
HUNDREDS SEEK TO
SPEAK TO HARDING
Wheat Separated From Chaff
a Many Kinds Of Visitors
Come.Io White House.

Come. 10 White House.
WASHINGTON March EST
must see the president
The person making this demand
81 the White House almost daily may
be Of either eek may be dressed in
rags broadcIoth. sIss or satns: may
be miid-mannered or Ioud-voiced.
but they are All equally insistent
what happens 90 them2
How ie Prest Harding protected
from tho importunities2 There is a
simple yet very effective method Of
handling such White House visitors
through the medium Of the secret
service detail When Prest Harding
leaves the white house iu the morn
Ing 20 70 90 his desk I'm the executive
Office building he is careflly guarded
bv several secret service men. They
remain quietly and uuobtrusively on
guard in the immediate vicinity Of
the office as long as the president
remains
All persons visiting the executive
offices during the time the president
rs present have 90 explain their mis-
sion go the two policemen on duty
in the lobby ~ the visitors mission
Is apparently legitimate he is di-
rected back 20 the doorkeeper. who
arranges for their reception 10y
ser'y Christian. TO whom they ex-
plain in detail their mission.
~ The visitor has a suspicious
manner or gives the policeman the
impression of being a crank he is
asked 20 wait in the lobby while the
policeman sends for the doctor
The doctor" is the head or acting
head Of the secret service detail
without any ostentation the suspect
IS ushered into ono of the ante rooms
OF the executive office building and
subjected 20 the most rigid cross
examination bv the secret service
expert
No third-decree methods are used.
TIE visitor does not even suspect
that ne is being Eriued. hut the op-
erative gets his Information and acts
upon it, IF the visitor has an err
rand which may properly be laid
before the president he is taken in
TO see Mr.. Christian who makes an
engagement for him with Mr.. Hard
ing. II the visitors errand may be
more expeditiously taken mp with p
member OF congress or the head of
a department he IS given the neces-
sary directions as 20 how 20 go about
f.
Some visitors. however. are not
amenable 10 these suggestions and
insist upon laying their grievances
before the president direct. Calmly
and in soft tones. the inquisitor di-
reefs the visitor TO follow him, and
ne IS given a personality
excursion 10 one OF the large gov
eminent hospitals in Washington,
where he is placed under observation
and treatment as 90 his mental
status and his relatives notified. The
efficiency of the secret service i'm
handling these unbalanced pilgrims
10 the president is "a source of won
der and remark among those who
are familiar with the methods used
Hundreds of letters have been re-
ceived by the secret service detail
from anxious relatives thanking
them for the information on unbal-
anced members of the family In
most instances the visitor is victim
Of an hallucinatiOn and has wan
dered away from home There are
very few violent cases handled at
the white house now. but there are
a large number afflicted with the
mania for insisting upon talking to
the president" about their real or
fauCied wrongs. A note 60 a relative
usually brings expressions of graft
tUde and prompt action i'm bringing
the victim OF The hallucinatOn back
home. and the entire incident has
passed without publicity due 10 the
efficiency of the secret service
methods