Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-08-30
GOV. MKINLEY TALKS
INTERESTING ,NTeav,Ew WITH The
ONO STATESMAN.
Political Matters Touched Upon,-Telis ~
His Boyhood Days-Ths Republican Cam
didats Tells How He Taught school and
Sf HIS First Law Case.

osdnto Tells now ho Ihugnt bcn"oi ana
Sf HIS First Law Case.
Governor Mckinley Is "a queer prcsiden-
tial candidate. 1 went from Washington
TO Columbus TO SEQ what he II doing To
make himself president Of tho United
States. Every one knows he Is 10 be ono Of
the leading candidates before tho Repub-
lican national convention. Ohio has de-
clarod herself for him, and Mckinley clubs
arc being formed all over the Union. Co
iumbus ought 20 be tho headquarters OF
the campaign, and expected TO find lit
erary bureau nj work.
There Is nothing of the kind. The state
house IL as torpid as IA snake I'm midwin-
ter, and tho governor apparently shows no
more interest In wire pulling than though
he were tho chief executive OF ono OF the
poorest territories Of the west. He Is not
doing "A stroke TO help along tho move
ment, and he refuses TO say 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 IL Is useless for him to make
any statement as TO tho probable platform.
During my talk with him l asked him
how he prepared his speeches. He replied:
"When i have an important speech To
IL takes all there Is In me. / go over the
subject again and again In all its phases
In my mind. i read all i can get hold OF
upon It, and tho speech gradually grows
until IL Is ready for delivery. III II Is one
that has to be given to the press, i dictate
II TO my stenographer and SEQ that the
copy Is given out beforehand. This clari-
fies my thought, and though / seldom
make exactly the same speech that have
dictated it is substantially the same"
"Do you like to speakf'
"No; 1 do not, replied Governor Nc
Kinley omphatically. II dread it. My
heart goes down into my boots whenever
get up before an audience, and tremble
until I have begun to talk. This Is al
ways So and still have been making
speeches for 90 years"
"Do you remember your first public
speechf' asked.
Eyes, indeed, very WE'LL" replied the
governor, with a laugh. 1T was upon my
return home with the troops at the close of
the war lived In the little village of
Poland, near Youngstown, and a reception
was given in honor Of the soldiers. One
Of the judges of the county made the well
coming speech, and I was chosen to give
the response. was then just 81 years old"
"How old were you when you went into
the army, governorf" asked.
~ was just H." was the reply. II was
acting as a country schoolteacher 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 might go into
the academy there, and when I was about
10 or 16 he sent me to the Allegheny col
lege at Meadville, Pa. 1 fell sick there
and had to come home. When / became
better, took up teaching and got coun-
try school near Poland. This left to go
to the army"
"By the way, governor, what did they
pay you for teachingY"
My wages were, / think, $25 month,
and boarded around. My parents, how
ever, lived only three miles from the
schoolhouse, and the most Of the time
staid with them and walked to the school
and back every day Six miles would be
big walk for me now, 1 suppose, but 1t
did not seem much then"
"Well, while was teaching" continued
Governor Mckinley, "Fort Sumter was
fred on, and every one was wild to go to
the war A company was formed In Po-
land and 1 enlisted. General John @.
Fremont inspected and mustered in the
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.
remember he pounded my chest and look
cd square into my eyes, and finally pro-
nounced mo fit for soldier
sin what regiment were you, governor?"
"My first service was In the Twenty
third Ohio, and remained in that regi-
ment throughout the war;
"Do you remember your first law case,
governor and what do you think Of law
as professionp Financially and otherwise,
is it worth the best work Of q mans lifeY"
~ will answer your last question first, F"
replied Governor Mckinley. II consider
the law the best Of professions. There is
enough in 1t to bring out all there is in
any man. and, under proper conditions, 1t
is financially profitable. AS to my first law
case, 1t was suit for replevin, which
Judge Belden Of Canton asked me to try
for him.
"How did it turn outp"
"It was successful"
"What did you get for itp"
"Twenty. five dollars"
"In looking over your career, governor,
have you ever wished that you had stuck
to law and kept out Of politicsp'
yes" replied Governor Mckinley, II
have number of times. But think per-
haps 1t is just rs well as it is. The things
we want In this life you know, arc the
things we have not got. 1 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 mo-"
"How did you get into politicsf"
"My first Office was that Of prosecuting
attorney. My friends made me n candidate
In 1869. was elected and served for two
years After that 1 practiccd law until
1876, at which time was nominated for
congress. was not anxious to be tho can
didate at that timc. / thought was too
young to go into politics. had n good
business, and / was not we'll enough off To
enter public life. Still I was nominated