Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1896-10-03

Benny Mckee? He was no brighter
and no better than other little boys, but
the newspapers were filled with lauda-
tions of Baby Mckee, and his peculiari-
ties. One morning President Harrison
went aboard the Dispatch for a trip
down the Potomac, and took his family
with him. OF course Baby Mckee was
there, too. In compliance with the
request of the employees at the navy
yard. President Harrison came on deck
and began to make a little speech to the
men, when Baby Mckee inside the yacht
began to cry and howl over some baby
trouble. He yelled and yowled and
howled, until he broke up the speech
of his grandfather, who went inside,
pacified the kid, and then came back to
conclude his speech to the workingmen.
When he went on his speech-making
tour in 1891, President Harrison did not
take Baby Mckee with him. He conse-
quently did not have his oratory dis
turbed by competition with the erratic
lungs of his precocious grandchild.
During the present administration the
secretary of the navy has made use of
the Dispatch for his own pleasure trips
because President Cleveland preferred
the Violet and the Oneida.
If he were disposed to accept them,
the president might have many per-
quisites in the form of presents from
the people. There is man in Connecti-
cut who sends splendid turkey to the
president every Christmas day, and an
other for the New Year dinner at the
white house. He has been doing this for
a score of years. 1t is generally under
stood, however, that presidents will not
accept presents, and the practice for
merly prevalent is practically discon-
~ fhQro
Virginian who sent to President An
drew jackson a cheese so large that it
would not go through any of the white
house doors or windows: and Gen. Jack
son had it cut out on the big front lawn,
and invited the citizens of the little vii
lage of Washington to come and help
themselves. At that time there were no
more than $4,000 or 10000 people in all
the District of Columbia.
The president who has a family and
who loves his children must have a high
appreciation of the spacious grounds
about the white house, in which the
children may play with abandon and in
safety. The wide-spreading trees, the
velvety lawn, the fountains. the flowers,
are all surrounded by a high iron ferce
and every gate is guarded by watch
man. There children may play without
fear of assault or accident, while the
children of tens of thousands of other
dwc1lers in cities must be cooped up in
their houses or play in the si.apeIess.
cramped little yards The mansion it.
self and the surrounding grounds may
be regarded as among the presidents
best official perquisites-
Senators when in Washington have
free shaves and shines in the senate bar
ber shop at the capitol building: but
the president is obliged to hire his own
barber and bootblack. He has no per-
quisites of unnecessary or question
able nature The fish commissioner FUR
nishes the white house aquarium with
gold fish and other fancy fishes. while
the horticultural and agricultural de-
partments furnish all varieties of fnw-
ers in addition to those which are
grown in the large conservatory y of the
white house; but these little decora-
tions and ornamentive beauties are real
ly the perquisites of the presidents
wife; for fancy fish and flowers are
more pleasing to the feminine than the
masculine eyes
SMITH d. FRI.
The ouly knife the average man can