The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1923-08-03
PRESIDENT Job
SAPS STRENGTH
OF STRONG MEN
Executives Forced to Be at
Work Early and Late on
Weighty Questions,
BY FRANK J. TAYLOR
Times Staff Correspondent

Around Washington, folks who
have watched both Presidents Wilson
and Harding at work, and seen them
collapse, say this is so. Uncle Sam
has a reputation for being pretty
good employer. so far as working
conditions are concerned, but this ap
parently does not apply to the man
in the White House.
Visit Washington any time and you
see the thousands OF ordinary EN-.
ployes of the Government depart
ments fiocking to work at o'clock,
and streaming home from 4:30 to ..
With half an hour for lunch, that
makes but a seven-hour day. And
nobody overworks himself, except vol
unfairly. Generous vacation leaves
offer plenty OF time for recuperation
every year.
On Job Early and Late
But with the President it is differ
ent. Mr.. Harding was on the job
daily at o'clock, those who know the
present routine of the White House
say. His desk was stacked with let
ters and documents which needed at.
tention.
Most Of the morning he dug away
at routine matters, seeing depart
ment heads about details Of running
the Government. That through, he
received each day dozens, sometimes
hundreds, OF visitors. He received
them right up to o'clock. his lunch
con hour.
Each person who saw the President
had something to urge upon him
That required strength of concen-
tration. 1t Slapped the Presidents re-
serve powers. Even his meal hours
were not free from this. Rarely did
-he lunch without some one at the
table for business reasons. often his
political associates took dinner with
him TO talk over party affairs. All
this drained his strength.
The Presidents afternoons, with
the exception of two per week, when
he took three hours off for golf. were
TANNED with conferences with depart
ment executives and details Of man
agement OF this huge business we call
the Government.
Not infrequently the President was
on the job at his office. or else in his
library, until late at night, plodding
away at his huge task
Business Is Huge One
The long and short of it. as this
brief sketch OF the Presidents day
showed. the business OF running the
United States Government has grown
to be such a huge job that It broke
down even strong men like Mr.. Hard
ing.
This problem has been seriously dis.
cuissed by the Cabinet. The first time
II came up, one Cabinet member pro-
posed the Government machinery be
remodeled so the entire responsibility
for running the Government would not
fall on one man.
In no other modern government is
one man asked to assume the accumu-
lated worries and responsibilities
heaped upon the President of the
United States.
In France, for instances, the Presi.
dent is the titular head of the gov.
eminent. but his activities are con-
fined largely to formal ana social at
fairs. once he has chosen his premier
and his secretaries. The same is true
in most other countries.
Not so in Washington After the
President finds his men to do his
work, he must act as contact between
them and Congress. In other govern
ments, the secretaries report directly
to the congress- In the United States.
the President must personally study
what his executives do and must be
able to explain their work to Con-
gress. Likewise, he transmits the
wishes Of Congress to the depart.
ments
Requires Close Study
All this requires an enormous
amount Of close study and attention.
No recent President has ever sue
cessfully accomplished this work in
an eight-hour day, nor a ten nor
twelve-hour day.
Theodore Roosevelt, who is remem-
bered in Washington as superman
Of energy, and a remarkable executive
in that he was able to forget on a
moments notice any phase Of his job
was equal to the Job.
President Taft left his work largely
to his secretaries, and thereby saved
mis- health. However, when held per-
sonally responsible for the work of
his lieutenants, he lost out politically.
President Wilson. more than any re-
cent executive, ran the whole Gov
eminent personally. He suffered
complete collaI e as result, as every
one knows, and has not yet recovered
probably never will.
The breakdown of President Hard
ing in San Francisco is attributed not
so much to what he ate that dis
agreed with him, as to the fact that
overwork had Slapped his reserve
strength.
What can be done about 1t?
Well, there is the suggestion of one
Cabinet member, who said If the Sec
retaries could attend the sessions of
Congress every so often, report direct
ly when matters Of policy came up, 1t
would cut the Presidents work in
half
Another would be to add a new
wheel to our machinery Of Govern
ment creating a premier, or prime
minister, who would attend to the
work Of running the Government.
leaving the President free to look
after matters of policy, report to the
people, keep contact with them, ct
cetera, all Of which he could do in an
eight-hour day.