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Show VaRecluse yb .Ife'ib , , ,. . ; I Is J I 4 "V i - , j worries of impending --f 1 v I i railroad strikes and one --slitv I I , may gain some idea of I' " s l"N'''i,-tl why tnere is n0 Peace of A I - - 'J mind for the chief exec- i " i i - i utive' I J 1 v 'I One must remember Id v i I'.s I to that ln these war a 1 " 4 l ' - J ' times congress has be- 'ivo-J stwed upn wdrow t JfrvAWV X y' Wilson powers and func- TfWAt ' !X vVffr V tlons wider than those lvWl'f L - 3rs('" 1 ,x) possessed by any mon- ' il 7 h 1 ' " t 3 arch. He is empowered VA I -W f;'l'-4 A g to commandeer ships IfMfj V' 7' n . and shipyards, to take SJZtSV .XAQ C over industrial establish-I establish-I ' I 4 fv IL,-----SO 1 . ments and operate them, r4 M-1'?!!! i to construct a great mer- lSH'-V r' millions of Americans to fe'r841 IVVl i the trenches ln France, 1 ;, JCX if to provide officers for an CWS5 ,1' rXX4l s aviation service that Is M4if X I ' t0 eXPend 5640,000 000 3 iHltV XiXsi ,T to administer the food 4 N li 1 supply of an entire na- I. Av -v--V- 1 s, J There Is little wonder I lWv T t I then that Mr. Wilson has tHaV'O v X fe' I shut himself In and that I r4UV J domestic matters which , s i might engage him in - - y tuese times of peace now must be handled by as- Jec TuntuJty d-f,j JPek ' sae first time in 1 By THEODORE TILLER. I (In New York Sun.) WAR has made almost a recluse of the president. It has closed the White House to all save the really important impor-tant visitors, increased the work of the president and his staff fully 50 per cent and imposed upon Woodrow Wilson responsibilities and tasks heavier than those resting on any crowned head. The comparative isolation of the man In the White House is not an entirely new thing. AVar has merely accentuated the normal enforced isolation iso-lation of the chief executive. President Taft spoke of such isolation one day in a rather plaintive plain-tive little speech before the Washington newspaper newspa-per correspondents. More than three years ago, before Europe went to war, President Wilson, addressing these same correspondents, spoke of the stately restraints of the office of president. Mr. Taft regretted that "nobody drops in" at the White House. He missed neighborly visits, chats. Everybody comes by engagement, complained com-plained the jovial Mr. Taft. This story of a wartime president will reveal how few, even by engagement, come to the White House nowadays, and why President Wilson has become a near recluse because of war. Also it should show how Secretary Tumulty and his assistants, Rudolph Forster and "Tom" Brahany, are striving harder each day to keep little worries from the president and to save his strength and judgment for vital things. Practically all business with the president Is now transacted in his study at the White House. Except on "cabinet days" he does not use the executive offices. These offices were built by direction of Theodore Roosevelt so that the White House proper might be used only for living and social purposes. President Wilson began the steady use of the White House library and study about the time of the breach with Germany, when war seemed but a question of weeks. It was then that the president presi-dent began to tighten up on his engagements and to conserve his energy for the major problems of armed neutrality and impending war. The engagement list of the.presldent nowadays will average three to five names. Before the war, or rather before the International situation demanded so much of his time, it was not uncommon uncom-mon to find a dozen to twenty names on the engagement en-gagement sheet that lies on his desk. Senators and representatives, public officials and citizens of prominence were able to get to the president during pence. He found time to see the newspaper correspondents occasionally, to greet the Daughters of the American Revolution Revolu-tion on their annual visit to Washington, to shake hands with delegations of schoolgirls and boys' corn clubs and to exchange pleasantries with bashful constituents presented by members of congress. War has changed all this. The president can now see but few senators and representatives and his visitors from Capitol Hill are almost exclusively ex-clusively men Interested In Important legislation Immediately before the congress. Secretary Tumulty is, and must be, the buffer between the president and the legislator who wants to air a pet theory or present a patronage matter. Under the stress Secretary Tumulty himself sees the president two or three times a week. Time was when Mr. Tumulty saw "the Governor" Tumulty still calls him that a dozen times a day. To save the time of the president ' communication com-munication between the executive offices and Mr. Wilson's desk is today Inrgely made by memoranda. memoran-da. The secretary finds that the written note presents a matter concisely, requires less of the president's attention and obviates extended conversations. con-versations. These memoranda are written by Tumulty and sent direct to the president by special messenger. messen-ger. To Important papers are attached red cards marked "special" or "Immediate," and the president pres-ident knows upon receipt that something requires Ills prompt attention. Suppose that a senator calls and seeks to pour into the president's ear some complaint about patronage. The president, engaged in the eon-duct eon-duct of a great war, cannot well give a halt hour's time to the settlement of a dispute over n oollectorshlp. Secretary Tumulty gels all the facts, dictates n memorandum and the president is soon advised about as follows: "Dear Governor: Senator Blank called and desired to see you. lie wants to proli-st against the reported approaching appnlntim lit of John Doe as collector of the port at . lie retards re-tards Doe as unfitted for the place and wants to give his reasons. I suggest that ynii write the xenalor saying the appointment hus not been made and you will lie glnd to have a letter from him advising you confidentially In the premises." This sort of a memorandum Is not. i n I'reiptenl l.y followed by presidential ai.ilon of the kind suggested. sug-gested. The president has been saved the (rouble of listening to the complaint of the senator after verbal recitation of It. to Secretary Tuinully. If Secretary Tumulty had gone personally to see the president the latter would have been obliged ! in make a written memorandum siihslanlially like I hat briefed for Ids consideration by the secretary- for the president cannot carry everything !u bis ln-ad. Memoranda relating to a great varlcly of subjects, sub-jects, minor and major, pass between the desks uf president and secretary dally. If there Is a news slory or an editorial which Tumidly feels the president should see a memorandum is sent reading something like this : "The president may be interested in this editorial edi-torial from the . I invite your attention particularly to the underscored paragraph." Or a delegation may call at the executive offices seeking the president's aid in some project, such as the adjustment of a labor dispute. The story Is heard by Tumulty and briefed by him in a note for the president. Sometimes the memorandum memo-randum is merely one of recital ; again the secretary sec-retary will suggest that the earnestness of the delegation and the story presented might Justify a statement of the administration's attitude. The memorandum system, used whenever possible, pos-sible, Illustrates the departure from the peacetime peace-time routine of the White House, and the extraordinary ex-traordinary methods used to save the president time, worry and strength. It is found absolutely essential. The wartime day's work of the president Is one of momentous performances embodied in, a program which reads like routine. Here is a sample day : Arises 7 a. m. Eats breakfast at 8 a. m. Goes horseback riding with Dr. Gary T. Grayson, Gray-son, now a rear admiral by the president's appointment, ap-pointment, or golfing with Mrs. Wilson or Doctor Grayson. Returns to the White House after recreation of an hour or so. Dictates to Charles Swem, his personal stenographer, stenog-rapher, until Swem has a bookful. Fills an appointment or two before lunch. Takes lunch at 1 p. m. Fills other engagements and dictates again. Goes automobiling late in the afternoon. Attends a theater once or twice a week. That might seem like an easy day to a man who plows from sunrise to sunset. But It's the in-between worries that count and cause the president to need every minute of rest lie can take. For instance, there was a time recently when the president had before him all these major (roubles at once: The Giiothals-Donnian shipping board row that was halting the construction of ships to combat the German submarine menace and to feed the allied armies on (lie ba 1 1 lellelds of Europe. A reorganization of (lie purchasing and contracting con-tracting system of the council of national defense. de-fense. In this war the contractu of this government govern-ment will run Into billions of dollars, and the president Is directly or Indirectly responsible for the wise expenditure of enormous sums. Insurrection in congress against the fond control con-trol bill, which the president regarded as legislation legis-lation absolutely essential for the successful con-duet con-duet of tile war. The determination of a policy regarding the exemplion of government clerks and others drafted for service in Franco. Price fixing on steel, cnal and other arlieles to be used 111 great (pianlities by the Culled Slates while at war. Appointments o fill vacancies In the Interstate commerce commission. Complaints of questionable utlcranees of certain cer-tain Gorman-American and other publications concerning the raising of an army, conscription and oilier governmental policies. Add to those I rnublesiiiiie questions of major Importance the thousand and one little things that skip across the desk of a president of the United Stales pal i-omige row s, applications for execiillvo clemency, requests for Interviews, protests pro-tests aualnst pending I ' : : i s 1 : 1 1 ion, factional wrangles wran-gles within Ibe party, demands for action concerning con-cerning race riots and Industrial (roubles, the the country's history the very exterior of the White House exhibits the seclusion of the presi-dent. presi-dent. In the daytime a policeman stands guard at every gate. When night comes, soldiers with loaded guns and bayonets take places about fifty paces apart on the sidewalks surrounding the spa-clous spa-clous White House grounds. The soldiers have strict orders to make every one move on. There is no loitering whatever about the White House after sundown. A copy of the president's daily engagement list Is furnished the policemen at the gates. When a person who has an engagement with the president pres-ident shows up afoot or in automobile the gates swing open and he Is admitted to the grounds. The visitor Is again "looked over" as he approaches ap-proaches the entrance to the executive mansion, where two' or more policemen are always on duty. No other persons are admitted to the grounds except at the west gate, immediately adjoining the executive offices. Here visitors having business busi-ness with Secretary Tumulty may gain entrance upon the proper showing. The gates to the White House were closed the day relations were severed with Germany. At the same time an order went forth denying tourists tour-ists nnd others the privilege of going through the lower rooms of the executive mansion. Thousands Thou-sands of tourists have come to Washington expecting ex-pecting to "go through" the White House, only to be stopped by the officer at (he gate. The police guard about the president when walking or riding has been doubled since the outbreak out-break of war. Two motorcycle policemen clad in kliaki pick up the president's automobile the moment it swings out of the grounds onto the street. They follow within five feet of his machine ma-chine to and from the golf links or wherever else it may go. In a big automobile twenty to thirty feet to the rear ride half a dozen secret service men. So strict is the rude against admission to the White House that the "special card" hours have . been abolished. Heretofore it has been possible for a member of congress or an official of the government to obtain a card from Secretary Tumulty admitting a constituent or friend to the lower lloors of the mansion. Tills Is now absolutely abso-lutely forbidden and (here are no exceptions. Those surrounding the president will take no chances. In consequence of these restrictions the president presi-dent and Ids family are spending more time on (he lower Hour of the White House; they are not confined so much to the bedrooms and rest rooms above. The president and Mrs. Wilson attend comparatively com-paratively few social functions. Likewise social callers are few. War lias virtually brought an end (o social activity at the While House. The president attended the state receptions given by Secretary Lansing to the foreign commissions that recently visited (ids country, but lie and his wife have about eliminated social activity. In discharging bis many duties the president is usluir the telephone to an unprecedented extent, ex-tent, lie confers a great deal by plume with the secretary of war and navy. Dlivct lines, touching touch-ing the White House switchboard only, connect Ibe president's desk and those of the secretaries. A plain telephone wire, with no switchboard whatsoever, connects the desks of Hie president and Secretary Lansing. Should the president be Interested In legislation pending at the capllol and he generally Is he Is more likely to tall; to the loaders of the senate and house over the telephone than (o request that they come to (he White Mouse for a con I'eienre. lie has fornd thai the telephone saves him both face lo fa' i' interviews I. ,fl Veltcr writing. |