Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-08-30
GOV. M'KINLEY TALKS
INTERESTING INTERVIEW WITH THE
OHIO STATESMAN.

of His First Law Case.
Governor Mckinley is queer presiden.
tial Sar'idate. went from Washington
to Columbus to see what he is doing to
make himself president of the United
States. Every one knows he is to be one of
the leading candidates before the Repub-
lican national convention. Ohio has de-
cared herself for him, and Mckinley clubs
are being formed all over the Union. Co
lumbus ought to be the headquarters Of
the campaign, and expected to find Il lit
erary bureau at work.
There is nothing of the kind. The state
house is as torpid as n snake in midwin-
ter, and the governor apparently shows no
more interest in wire pulling than though
he were the chief executive of one of the
poorest territories of the west. He is not
doing a stroke to help along the move
ment and he refuses to say u word upon
national politics for publication. He will
not talk about the presidency, and he says
his ideas on public questions are so well
known that it is useless for him to make
any statement as to the probable platform.
During my talk with him asked him
how he prepared his speeches. He replied;
"When | have an important speech to
make it absorbs me. 1t is hard work. and
it takes all there is in me- go over the
subject again and again in all its phases
in my mind. read all can get hold of
upon it, and the speech gradually grows
until it is ready for delivery. If it is one
that has to be given to the press, l dictate
it to my stenographer and see that the
copy is given out beforehand. This Clari-
ties NV thought and though l seldom
max" "c9ntly the same speech that l have
di.i'l IS substantially the same"
"j.p}nu like to spcak?"
$50; o. not, replied Governor Nc
KIM ...rhatically. 81 dread it. My
heart it.. Down into my boots whenever
get up Lv.,.u an audience, and tremblc
until 1 have begun to talk. This is al
ways so, and still 1 have been making
speeches for 20 years"
"Do you remember your first public
speech?' l asked.
eyes, indeed, very we'll" replied The
governor, with laugh. at was upon my
return home with the troops at the close of
the war. l lived in the little village of
Poland, near Youngstown, and n reception
was given in honor of the soldiers. Ono
Of the judges of the county made the well
coming speech, and l was chosen to give
the response. was then just 81 years old"
"How old were you when you went into
the army, governor" 1 asked.
81 was just H., was the reply. 81 was
acting as a country schOoltcaChcr at the
time the war broke out. My father was
anxious to give me good education. He
moved with his family to the little town
of Poland in order that l might go into
the academy there, and when l was about
Is or Is he sent me to the Allegheny col
lege, at NCadvillc, Pa. 1 fell sick there
and had to come home. When l became
BETTER took up teaching and got n coun-
try school near Poland. This left to go
to the army"
"By the way, governor, what did they
pay you for teaching?"
"My wages were, 1 think, S25 a month";
and 1 boarded around. My parents, how
ever, lived only three miles from tho
schoolhouse, and the most of the time
staid with them and walked to the school
and back every day. Six miles would DO
big walk for me now, suppose, but it
did not seem much then"
"Wcll, while l was teaching, " continued
Governor Mckinley, Fort Sumter was
fired on, and every one was wild to go to
the war. a company was formed in Po-
land, and 1 enlisted. General John G. |
Fremont inspected and mustered in tho |
company He examined me. was then
very slight-not much bigger than you |
are. General Fremont, remember, seem
ed great man to me, a boy Of II, whose |
mind had been thrilled with the story of |
his wonderful adventures in the west l |
remember he pounded my chest and look
al into 11,-,
nopnced mo fit for a soldier"
I'm what regiment were you, governors" |
"My first service was in the Twenty
third Ohio and l remained in that regi- |
ment throughout the war"
"DO you remember your first law case, |
governor, and what do you think of law |
as profession? Financially and otherwise, |
is it worth the best work of mans lifes'
Il will answer your last question first, "
replied Governor Mckinley. II consider
the law the best of professions. There is |
enough in it to bring cot all there is in
any man, and, under proper conditions, it |
is financially profitable. AS to my first law |
case, it was suit for replevin, which |
Judge Belden of Canton asked me to try
for him"
Glow did it turn out?"
- IL was successful.
"What did you get for it?"
"Twenty five dollars"
E'In looking over your career, governor
have you ever wished that you had stuck
to law and kept out Of politics."
Eyes" replied Governor Mckinley, 81 !
have number Of times. But think per
haps it is just as well as it is. The things
we want in this life, you know, are the
things we have not got. do not suppose
there is man in any profession who does
not at times think he would have done
better in some other, and this has been the
case with me-
"How did you get into politics."
My first office was that of prosecuting
attorney. My friends made me candidate
in 1869. l was elected and served for two
years. After that l practiced law until
1876, at which time l was nominated for
congress. l was not anxious to be the can
didate at that time. l thought 1 was too
young to go into politics. had good
business, and was not well enough off to
enter public life Still 1 was nominated
and elected by a large majority"
Governor Mckinley, you are the great
apostle of protection in the United States.
How did you come to make the tariff life
workY'
81 don't know when I was not interest
ed in the tariff, replied Governor McKin-