TIIESTJNDAY OliEGONIAX, PORTLAND, MAY 9, 1920
FUN TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE UNIT.
Among the Reasons Are a Palatial Residence Rent Free a Private Yacht
Summer Home and Train All to Yourself, Not to Mention $75,000 a Year.
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BT RENE BACH.
NEVER before in the history of
this country have there been bo
many ambitious persons hope
ful of becoming- president of the
United State3. There is a positive
Klut of candidates for the office.
It is an attractive job. Each one
of its actual holders in his turn de
clares that it Is a frightful bore and
-o fraughf with burdens as to be un
desirable; yet invariably, as it would
eeem, a president seeks another term
if obtainable.
The work is tremendously hard, of
course. Probably the only presidents
who ever fiad what might be called
a good time in the White House were
Chester A. Arthur and Theodore
Roosevelt, the former because he was
an epicurean philosopher and knew
how to amuse himself; the latter for
the reason that incessant activity de
lighted him, while the exercise of
power gave him an intense joy.
Mr. "Wilson had a beautiful time
while abroad. It is no small thing
to be acclaimed as the greatest and
most important citizen of the world.
But since he came back everybody,
both here and in Europe, has been
Jumping on him. his popularity has
waned, he has been engaged in an
Interminable fight with the senate
and, to cap the climax, he has been
disabled by illness.
Nevertheless, there are compensa
tions. Mr. Wilson, who came to the
White House a poor man, will leave
it exceedingly well to do. He has
been one of the thriftiest, of the pres
idents. To suppose that while hold
ing the office he has spent J25.000 a
year is probably an estimate well
outside of the fact. But accepting
that as the figure he will quit the
job with $400,000 of savings, his sal
ary being J75.O00 per annum'.
The truth is that a president need
not spend half of $25,000 a year un
less he chooses. He has few neces
sary expenses, because Uncle Sam
meets nearly all of his bills. To start
with, the nation provides him with a
furnished house rent free. He gets
his fuel and light for nothing and
the wages of most of his servants are
paid out . of the treasury. Even his
wife's maid and his own valet draw
their stipends from the government.
The four "chambermaids," all of
them men, who. do the upstairs work
In the White House, are on the gov
ernment payroll. So likewise are two
women employed in the laundry. The
butler (known officially as "stew
ard") gets his wages from Uncle
Sam, as does also the housekeeper.
The services of two chauffeurs, who
drive a couple of $12,000 automobiles
(paid for by the government) do not
cost the president a cent. Mrs. Wil
ton has a -social secretary, but her
salary comes out of a congressional
appropriation.
The president has food to buy and
clothes. He pays the wages of a
cook, an assistant cook, a cullion
and three or four other servants.
Barring Incidents, these represent al
most the sum total of his necessary
expenditures, if exception be made
and this, of course, is important
of cost, of entertaining. Colonel
Roosevelt spent quantities of money
for entertaining, but in. this line the
Wilsons have exercised a notable
economy!
From first to last ' the nation has
spent a good deal more than $4,000,
000 on the White ( House, including
the upkeep. More than $1,000,000 hab
been expended for furniture and fur
nishings. The cost of upkeep is now
$35,000 a year, but at frequent jn
ttrvals congress is called upon to
appropriate big additional sums for
special purposes. Colonel Roosevelt
spent $555,000 at one whack for re
construction. Suppose that the president's wife
wants a new carpet, or curtains, or a
piece of furniture. She is not obliged
to consult her husband on the sub
ject. All she does is to tell the ma
jordomo to buy it, and when the bill
comes in he pays it out of govern
ment funds. This is a very pleasant
way to settle bills, particularly in
these days.
The president's wife can give a
really gorgeous entertainment at
comparatively little cost. There
must be music, of course, and so she
tells the majordomo to have the Ma
rine band on hand for the occasion.
It is one of the finest bands in the
world, and, being the president's own.
is at all times at her disposal. Noth
ing to pay, and she might have a
concert every morning at breakfast
If she chose.
Then there is the matter 'of flow-
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ers. xThey are expensive, but they
do not cost the president's wife any
thing. She could have a cartload of
roses delivered every morning from
the greenhouses if she so wished.
The greenhouses are supposed to be
long to the District of Columbia, but
their output is entirely at the dis
posal of the mistress of the White
House. When she gives an enter
tainment the mansion is filled with
flowers and tropical plants. If she
wants orchids, one of the finest col
lections of plants of that kind in the
world is at her command. On every
morning of the year great vases in
every room are freshly filled with
exquisite blossoms.
One greenhouse, by the way, whose
output goes exclusively to the White
House, is a ' grapery, in which are
grown for the president's table Ham
burg, Muscat and other choice va
rieties of grapes, such as common
folks like you and me have rarely if
ever tasted.
The president 'and his wife do not
even have to pay for the stationery
they use, or for any telegrams they
may choose to send on private mat
ters. There is in the business annex
a telegraph office, the facilities of
which are always at their disposal.
Invitations sent out locally are never
mailed from the White House, but
are invariably delivered to the re
cipients by a uniformed messenger.
Few people are aware of the rather
interesting fact that the president has
here in Washington a summer cot
tage, always kept at his disposal if
he wishes to occupy it. It is lo
cated in the beautiful park that sur
rounds the Soldiers' home, on the
outskirts of the city. Lincoln, Cfrant
and Arthur spent a good deal of time
there in warm weather, when they
could not get away for a vacation
elsewhere.
In former days news of the presi
dent's contemplated departure or ex
pected arrival inevitably drew a
crowd of the vulgar to the railroad
station, curious to get a glimpse of
him. It was not merely annoying;
it might even be dangerous. On such
an occasion it was that Charles Gui
teau, lurking behind a door in the
waiting room of the old Pennsylva
nia depot, jumped out and shot Gar
field in the back.
This condition np longer exists.
When the president starts oh a Jour
ney he is driven direct to his own.
private entrance of. the Union sta
tion, reserved for him exclusively, and
gets aboard the train without en
countering any people other than the
railroad men who are at. hand, to min
ister to bis comfort, Oa iiii return
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to Washington the same conveniences
are afforded him.
It is not merely a private entrance
that is provided for htm. When the
Union station was built an entire
wing of that enormous building was
set aside for his exclusive use. Royal,
ambassadorial or other important
personages visiting the national cap
ital may from time to time enjoy its
conveniences, but only by his special
permission. 1
It goes without saying that the
president always travels in a private
car. The whole train is private.: No
multi-millionaire enjoys so much lux
ury or equal privileges on the rail.
The engineer and train crew are men
who have been long In the service,
picked for reliability. No matter what
the congestion of traffic, the presi
dent's train always has the right of
way. He can make his town time
schedule to suit himself.
Until recent years whenever the
president went traveling he did it on
a sort of charity basis. The .rail
roads furnished the . train Irea. of
Iwas sufficiently manifest, and so con
gress at length put an end to it by
.-- ... . tw.fc,....... a major in the regular army, and
giving the chief magistrate $25,000 a
year to pay his own travel cosia.
The president, of course, has no
doctors' bills to pay, and even the
medicines required by himself ana
his family are furnished gratis by the
government. Very pleasant! It is
also exceedingly agreeable to be able
to throw remunerative advantages in
the way "of persons one likes. Mr.
McKinley made his door messenger
mere captains, though graduates of
West Point, were- obliged to salute
him when they came to the White
House.
There is scarcely any end to the
president's "perks." Even theater
tickets are his for the asking, with
nothi?ig to pay; and each of the
principal playhouses in Washington
provides a box for his use whenever
he cares to occupy it. Mr. and Mrs.
Wilson like a good variety show bet
ter than anything else, apparently,
aiid they sometimes take stalls in
preference to a box.
KAUSTRUP'S LOVE AFFAIRS
SCANNED FOR KEY TO SLAYER
Former Fiancee of Murdered Chauffeur Telia Details in Slain Man's
Life Which Police Hope Will Furnish Clew.
CHICAGO. The recent life of Paul
Kaustrup. chauffeur, whose body
was found Saturday in the ga
rage of the Conrad Eeipp mansion at
3300 South Michigan avenue, contains
details which police expect to lead to
identification-of his murderer.
Lieutenant Duffy of the Cottage
Grove avenue station, in c" ' je of the
Investigation, said stories told by the
dead man's intimates and relatives
had pointed to clews which gave
promise of immediate development. i
. Kaustrup's brother, Andrew, . hur
ried . lieie froui Milwaukee. Tiie
brother added to what already had
been learned of Paul's rassion for
diamond collecting.
He gave the name of a Milwaukee
dealer in precious stones with whom
the slain man had frequently negoti
ated purchases.
The brother also knew details of
Paul's love affairs. He had been
told of the break between Paul and
Miss Minnie Miller, for a long time
the fiancee of the chauffeur.
"But Miss Miller knows nothing of
the.ca&e," Lieutenant. Duffy .explained.
"We have questioned her and are con
vinced she has told us everything
she knows of Karustrup's life."
Joseph Wood, neero expressman,
who saw Kaustrup boarding a train
for Winnetka, was requestioned.
Lieutenant Duffy also quizzed again
Sven Johnson, superintendent of the
Westinghouse Air Spring company at
2534 S. Michigan avenue. Johnson
was an intimate of Kaustrup's. He
admitted to the police lieutenant that
he owed Kaustrup $40.
Johnson denied that he had a key
to the rooms of .the murdered man.
Report to this effect originally was
given - the police. He also denied
that he was with him at the approxi
mate time which the coroner's phy
sicians estimate the murder was com
mitted. Within the last week Kaustrup
made two trips. A week ago Sunday
he went to Milwaukee and visited his
brother. Last Thursday he went to
Winnetka, as reported by Wood.
The circumstances of both journeys
are being looked Into.
Just before noon of the day he was
slain Kaustrup went to the Franklin
Trust & Savings Bank, where he
maintained a savings account, and
withdrew $65o. Neither this money
nor several large diamonds he was
known to carry were found. One
theory developed consequently is
based on a robbery motive.
It is assumed under this conclusion
that some .person, presumably with a
diamond to sell, made advance, ar
rangements with Kaustrup and met
him after the money for the purchase
had been taken from the bnk.
This individual is supposed to have
followed the chauffeur into his rooms
and to have struck him down from
bebind. the first weapon used being
the blackjack which was found on
the garage floor.
But the fact that after life ob
viously was gone the slayer con
tinued to cut the body lends strength
to a motive of intense hatred or re
venge. The police cannot justify the
theory that a robber would have
driven a , screwdriver into the bkull
after doing the killing-