Evening star., 1935-01-13


with which the White House is now
being run form a strange contrast with
the generosity and liberality OF the
Presidents of the past. Up to this
time in our history no President has
made money out of his Office by saving
on the soap and the cooking. Cleve-
land is reform President but so far
this White House economy is the only
reform he has inaugurated. The por-
tails of the White House front door are
filthily dirty with the greasy hands
and oiled heads Of Democratic Office
seekers who have leaned against them
The kitchen ranges are growing rusty
for lack of use, and Cleveland has
lately discharged the French cook and
installed a Negro woman in his stead.
The cook was paid out of the Presi-
dents own salary, and is, believe, the
only one of note who has been dis
charged. The employees paid by the
Government are retained. Rumor has
1t, however, that when the hot Sum-
mer days come the Presidents per-
sonal expenses will be even further cut
down and that he will cook his own
breakfasts of eggs and coffee over the
gas jets as some of the ladies en-
ployed in the departments now do.
At his present rate of expense
Cleveland ought to make some money
out of his job. He gets s50.00O a
year and there is no law as to how
he shall spend it. Buchanan, the last
Democratic President did not save
cent from his salary. Hayes is
believed to have spent the whole Of
his s50,000, and even Andrew Jack
son came out of the White House poor.
Jackson. whom Cleveland tries to
emulate in some things, spent more
ceived and the same may be said of
every President since then
Senator Don Cameron has sold his
house on Scott Circle within the past
few days for s95,O0O 1t is a big
double brick with enough rooms for a
, Summer hotel, but hardly enough
ground for a family garden. The
house cost him $4,000 to build and
don't suppose the lot could have
cost over $4,000 at the time he bought
it. So he has made a cool $4,000
by the bargain.
Senator Cameron's father started
life as printer. Don was we'll edu-
Gated and graduated in business as
bank cashier. His father had made
fortune before Don came to man.
hood, but now the son is richer than
the father, and is said to own a
great quantity of real estate in Wash
ington. Another richer son of rich
father is John r. Mclean of the
Cincinnati Enquirer. Both the Nc
Leans own fortunes In Washington
real estate. John has about $500, 900
worth of Washington property and
his father has recently added to the
hundreds of thousands he owns, the
Sickles mansion. I suppose the two
McLeanS now own as much II not
more Washington property than any
other non-resldents. They are put
ting their money in good place. too.
Washington is growing like a green
bay tree and it will double itself with
in the next 20 years. A census Just
! taken shows that it has now more
/ than 100000 people, an increase of
| $4,000 in the five years since 1880.
In 1900 the town numbered about
| 5000, in 1910 it contained 5000: in
1850 about 10000, in 1860, $1,000;
in 1870, 100000. 1t now has 203 900.
A prominent railroad official who
was close friend of the late John
w. Garrett. the millionaire president
of the Baltimore g. Ohio Railroad.
gives me the following interesting
gossip about him and his children:
| John w. Garrett" he said. left
/ s37,000,000, dividing it equally be-
tween his three children. He set aside
the interest of 100000 as perpetual
fund tor the poor of Baltimore. and
s50,000 year for other educational
and charitable purposes. He required
his children to keep intact for 20
years 10000 shares of Baltimore g.
| Ohio Railroad stock which, as the
stock is now worth about 5000
share, amounts to S6,000.000. This
with the stock owned by the City of
| Baltimore gives the CARROTS the con-
/ troll of the B. g. o. The railroad is.
! you know, stocked at Sl5.000,000, but
John w. CARROTS son, Robert. and
| his sons in turn are large holders
| of the stock. Robert Garrett will
probably continue to be its president
as long as he lives.
John w. CARROTS career" his
friend continued. reads like q ro-
nance. His ancestors back to the
second generation we're poor, but his
| father had amaSsed some money and
at the time John reached manhood
he was a -four dealer and banker.
He took his son into partnership with
him and the boy soon earned the
confidence of the business people of
Baltimore. The new firm prospered.
When John had reached the age of
38 he had acquired such standing
that the stockholders of the Balti-
more &, Ohio, which was practically
bankrupt, came to him and asked him
to take charge of the road. 1t had
been mismanaged for years and it
had never paid anything Of conse-
quence. At the end of CARROTS first
year it paid small dividend. while
three years later it was on a firm
paying basis. Mr.. CARROTS first
action on taking hold was to make
horizontal cut. He at once dismissed
half of the employees in every branch.
The officers came to him and re-
monstrated. This can't be done
they said. Mr.. Garrett, you will ruin
the road
"I don't think the situation can
be any worse than it is now,' Mr..
Garrett replied. But if you find that
you can't get along come to me with
your reasons and if they are good !
will increase the force
The result was that he got the
road down to the lowest working
basis and that it was much better
managed with about half the former
employees. John w. Garrett was q
great man for details. He looked
over everything himself. Had he been
content to leave some of the work
to his subordinateS I think he would
have lived longer.
THE great railroad official had an
iron will, but his wife had power
over him. For years Mr.. Garrett
had been in bad health from over
work, so his physicians had prescribed
that his meals be regular and that
business should not be talked at the