THE WATCH ON THE PRESIDENT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8309, 6 May 1905, Page 2

THE WATCH ON THE PRESIDENT.

Measures Taken to Pretoot tbe LU. of '■ President BooiiTOlt. (tf-c York Ban.) "Hands out of your pockets 1" , "Hat in your left hand 1" ? These orders were quietly Bpoken, but they were said so firmly that they were never once disobeyed. They showed that a .President of the United States will not soon again be put in danger of his life through a man or a" woman approaohing him with extended hand covered by a half or hand^eroMef and holding underneath a deadly weapon. No person will get the 6p^ portunity of shooting a President through the pocket of a coat or overcoat. The Secret Service will see to that. -■.'■■.__ It was January 1 when these orders were given to a few of the four or five thousand visitors who shook hands with Mr Boosevelt in the Blue parlour of the White House. The long line of people passed in through the main north door, across the corridor to the Red parlour and through there to the Blue parlour, to where the President stood, surrounded by his receiving party, an£ incideritolly, b> Secret Service officers. ".. .. ' Just at the door where the Ome en* tered the Blue parlour, within twenty feet of the President, stood , Chief WUkie. of the Seoret Service,^ and one of his best men. The orders were imperative that no man should .pass in through that door with his right band holding his hat or covered in any form, or with his right hand in his overcoat pocket. / The day was cold and everyone wore an overooat. The line of people passed in between the two detectives, and. whenever a man carried bis hat in his right hand or his right nana »_ his pocket he heard the quick but quiet command mentioned. There was instant obedience, too. Every person passed the^ President ori his right and shook bands with the rieht band. Consequently the precaution was a good one. These + immensj> receptions are so arranged, too, _tnax the man in line does not see the President until right upon him, and rt frequently happens _ *haf a ifw^gf fellow has shaken hands with the President and got a few steps beyond before he realises that his desire has already been gratified; ' . .. < The President himself gives little r consideration to the , possibilities of harm from contact with thousands of curiosity-moved people. He has often said that if the ife of a President is sought it would bo ea-y, to take it from a distance with a rifle -or some other longdistance weapon. „»*^«f ■ whose duty it .is to «^.^ J£« dent leave nothing undone to protect ViiTn ~''\. They arrange alj receptions with as much view to his; comfort and. safety as to anything else. . The great .New Year receptions at the White House furnish openings„that are not relished, Sd that is why Secret /Service nien and policemen are on duty every jfew feet inside the^building -and keep .a close watch on the movements ot thounands of people. ■ ■ Roosevelt rarely^ manages to elude the Secret Service officers and St aw#y from the White House without olor more of them near .him. They are under the strictest instructions from Chief Wilkie never to lose sight of him, wherever he may be, and they follow these instructions. When the President /first came to Washington to take up fhe executive sISS did^not lik e*«he idea of Jbeing followed everywhere by officers, and mfny times he got away from them by suddenly emerging from his offices for a long walk alone. In the ? course of time, however, he came to look upon them as necessary and valuable. .He never -stops : 'to consider whether they are around When he goes for a walk or drive or starts to keep an engagement, but he is nbt surprised when he sees them near. 1 __•___„„>.«! ' The presence of Secret Service officer-: wherever the President «^uvthe outgrowth of the assassination of President M'Kinley af-Buffalo. Up to that time Secret Service-men had little place at the executive offices. During -he four years of President M'Kinley's first Administration, even during the Spanish war, there wasnot a detective on duty at the White House y except when receptions were held or were was serine function that would draw strangers. pShe regular White House force of ushers exercised a watch over the movements of the President inside the building. This 'did not extend to the outside. , President M'Kinley werit for long walks through' the principal streets pf Washingtpri unaccompanied or followed by a soul. "' In the 'middle of the day's work, whenrhis visitors had grown few, he would leave his offices,, go out the rear door of the building and take a stroll through the grounds or neighbouring Streets:' ; He wanted the sunshine and fresh air, and that was the only way he oonld enjoy both. He

did not care much for the exercise, aa is the oase with -'resident Roosevelt..

One Secret Service officer always accompanied President M'Kinley on his journeys through the country, ad much with the idea of keeping him from being too rudely jostled and handled by surging crowds as anything else. Two deteotives were with him when he was -hat at Buffalo, but that was the larg-* est number ever with him on a trip. There are two or three times as matty near President Roosevelt when his goes '.cut ©f town, ■ . 4