Evening star., 1935-02-18
FIRST PRESIDENT
ALSONEEDED ROOM
Roosevelt but One Execu.
tive Who Required Larger
Business Offices.
BY FRANK w. HUTCHTNS.

to enlarge the White House TO give
him more "elbow room" A pretty
good yard-stick for measuring our
national growth lies in the space anu an
equipment required for the Clle1 ,' En-
ecutive. What would George Waei.
ington think of the spacious ne" VI
fees of Franklin D. Roosevelt?
Imagine the first President stepping
from his crarnped quarters into tlle
wide clerical rooms into the Special
rooro for cabinet meetings. into tne
lofty oval elegance of Mr.. RooSe'elV
private Office. .,s,+
When Washington was PresioenI
and Philadelphia was the natlohal
Canital. the executive mansion was AZ
100 High street, just then gettlng us
new name. Market street. Washihg-
ton rented the house from Rooert
Morris. Large as it was. 1t afofoeo
scant space for both home ana
presidential office. Indeed alter IAN
ily and upper servants were accom-
modated and rooms assigned LOT s3ini, SEM
nublic use, only room on the tlillo
f1oor was available for the ONCE Vi
tho President of the United states.
washington was greatly troubled
ovar This location of what he calleo
the public office" He complained
tbet "nersons on business had TO
ascend two pairs of stairs and pass ny
nrivate chambers to get to IT..
Cramped and Chilly.
And when one got there, 1t was
not much of a room, neither large nor
Convenient. The President must nave
Sound cramped accommodations WIN
. secretary and several CLERKS at work.
chilly IN there. too, when the winter
wind set in the north, despite the
small open fireplace ana the sVohe
backlog and the iron fire-dogs,
washington required unfalllng m
6ustrv in this room. From oclocH
IN 3. ouills scratched busily' anu
fhere were no holidays but sundays
and no Office girls in those old tlines
10 brighten up the picture.
Co much for President washington
oublic executive room. But, OF course
there was also the presidential pI1!aU'
ofice perhaps that made more I'M
pressive showing. Step Gown W ~ ~
floor below There, that Is N'i,o .r
little whitewashed room tucheo III
back Of the stairway. ,.
Tr,,lv a strange enough admins
+ratiye office-evidently a dressing
room Along one side, Washington
French dressing table and his toileC
accessories. But. observe the Dig
mahogany desk. That, and necessity
,,.ade This dressing room also George
Washington's study: and neceSsNy
again made it President Wasnlne-
ions nrivate Office. The little room
nod two close-set windows looking
ont ,non a wide tree-grown garoen-
Desk Impressive Enough.
The fact that the desk here was a
large one helped a good deal IN con-
vertine a dressing room into a preSI-
dentiaI sanctum. Washington bougnV
+he desk in New York, supposedly
from the retiring French minister
who had brought it from Paris. OI
mahogany inlaid with satin"ooo' ~ ~
was an impressive piece even /!
scarcely artistic. Upon it stood a tau
Quaint candelabrum with reflector.
The desk is yet preserved IN tlie
museum of the Historical society
of Pennsylvania; the canolelaDruill' a.
TOO in the National Museum at
Washington. ,...,o
.Iohn Adams, in European dlctlon,
used to call this little presidential
Office "Washington's cabinet" Ana
that suggests a question. 1t was at
+his ~ time that the word cabinet, "
though in quite another sense, found
American political usage. In tnls
house was born the Presidents cabinet
washingtons first practice had been
IN consult his heads OF departments
separately. Now he had them meet
with him at his house. Informally ae
first. then in regular council upon MS
summons. The question is, did Presi-
dent and cabinet meet in this little
room back of the stairway?
There is evidence that they did
sometimes. anyway Not so Impossible,
nerhaps, when it is remembered tnaV
IN those DAYS there we're but four caol-
net members, and washington did not
ALWAYS include the Attorney General.
And vet. the evidence seems scarcely
strong enough to squeeze the group
in. There would be Washington him
self. 21O pounds OF him, and Jetter-
son. over 6 feet and inclined to sprawl,
and Hamilton, small but restless, ana
Knox. recurring space for 280 pounds.
If. indeed, cabinet meetings were held
In this room, no wonder their known
lack of harmony.
Walls Hold Secret.
But. cabinet or no cabinet, this little
room was through long years the
executive center of the new, doubtful
experiment in democracy. 1t was here
that George Washington administered
the executive affairs of the United
States. Here he held his conhdentlal
interviews, here prepared his impor-
tant state papers, here watched and
guided the infant Nations uncertain
footsteps. How much this room saw
Of hoping and planning, of fighting
and almost despairing, never to be
known outside its narrow walls!
Just "his room," the family called
it-in truth, the tiny watch-toWer OF
the young republic.
For the most part, that private
Office of President Washington was
peculiarly private. With friends selfish
ly using him, and foes abusing him,
the man drew more and more within
fimself-and this little white-washed
room. Not at Valley Forge, but in
the executive mansion at Philadelphia
did George Washington make the
supreme sacrifice for his country.
So, as we look back across the years,
we see his great figure bending very
Cravely over the big desk there by the
windows. Fortunate for him that the
two windows looked out upon a gar
den. Such nature lover would find
help In the birds and the trees through
the hard days in that little presiden-
e-Afn nia.arr