The Irish standard., 1896-06-06
M'KINLEY WHEN At Home
Plain and Unassuming, Without
any Frilis or Nonsense
About Him.
Lives i'm rlodest, Unprete1tious
Way, with No Fear of
Losing His Head.
His First Fee as Lawyer Received
Under Protest, Before He Had
Opened an Office.

have come to Canton in order to tell
you how the leading Republican candi-
date for the nomination looks, acts and
talks within few days Of the ccnven-
ton at St. Louis writes Frank G. Car
penter. Maj. Mckinley is today the fore
most man in the thoughts of the Ameri-
can people. There are millions of Re-
publicans who think that nothing but
death can prevent his being the next
president of the United States. I have
no doubt that he holds the same opinion,
and that he feels himself face to face
with the problems and responsibilities OF
one Of the most trying times in our his
tory. Within the next three weeks the
most momentous questions Of his life are
to be decided, and in the minds OF many
the future prosperity, Or the reverse, OF
the American people depends upon him.
You would imagine that a man in such
situation would have his nervous system
keyed up to it's highest tension. You
would picture him surrounded by an
army Of lieutenants and wire putlers.
Your mind would suggest d great literary
bureau, a corps of telegraph operators
connecting his Offices with all parts OF
the United States and the other political
machinery which is supposed to be con-
nected with every great ante presiden-
tial campaign.
expected to find something Of this
kind myself, but if the major has it he
does not keep it at Canton. The work.
ing part Of the machinery may be in op-
Grafton at Cleveland, where Mark Hanna
is in charge; at Mansfield or Columbus,
where Col. William Hahn pulls the wires,
or-but / trust not-at Washing gton
where the genial Gen. Crrosvenor blows
predictions, covered with figures, like
soap bubbles into the air--fach bubble
iridescent with the glowing future OF
Mckinley. -..... ....' .
Maj. Mckinley, to all outward appear
ances,. has more leisure than any other cf
the presider tial candidates. I have
spent day with him, and he is 5as cool as
the center seed Of a cucumber. He has
time for plenty of long walks, and he,
takes drive every afternoon with Mrs.
Mckinley. In the evening he goes out
to call upon his friends, and he spends
part OF each day with his mother who
lives here within about mile OF MS
house. He rises about 30 every MORN
ing, breakfasts at 8, lunches at l, and
has his dinner at $50. He goes to bed
every evening at about IL O'clock, and
sleeps like a baby. He has no trouble
whatever with his digestion, eats what
he pleases, ond smokes I'D libitum with
out fear OF affecting his nerves. The
chief part of his time is taken up in the
L.ac 1es hn1
In chatting with his friends on the yer
anda which runs around the front of his
house His life today seems to be more
Of rest than that Of work. For the past
dozen years he has been in the thick Of
political life. and he seems today to be
taking a vacation. The excitement in
regard to his nomination has not phased
him and I have never seen him in better
physical and intellectual condition than
he is now. He has, you know, q, wonder
fuI uower Of endurance, and as public
sneaker he can talk for hours without tir-
ing. I have heard striking stories ct his
oratorical feats, and if he should become
president and take q Swing Ground the
circle" he will break the record. In his
trip through Kansas last year he spoke
10 $50, 900 people in two days. He spoke
twelve times in one day, and during an
other part of the journey he made Il
speeches In 16 hours and looked as fresh
as q daisy at the close. During another
tour he made $40 speeches, and at an
other time he averaged more than seven
speeches a day for eight weeks speak
Ing TO more than 100000 people within
two months He takes DO stimulants
during hi. campaign. He is not drink
ing man in any sense of the word, though
he is not prohibitionist He speaks
easily, but has no special methods OF
training nor any rules OF diet, in order
to keep himself in trim.
He once tod me he did not like to
speak and. that he tr,emblea whenever he
appeared before a new audience. he
said that his heart went downlnto his
boots whenever he rose to speak and that
this was the case Notwithstanding the
fact that he la d ebnina emgk o-eiol,eh, n
fact that he had been making speeches
for more than a score OF years.
The man who knows Mckinley only
upon the stump, however, mas not the
proper conception Of the man. lie IS lar
different in private con versatlon. als
speeches are serious matters with him.
lie prepares for them and never jokes
nor tells stories during them 1t is dit
is then perfectly at home, and ne Illus
trates his points by anecdotes. He tells
a story we'll, but never relates any
thing that could not be told in the pres
ence of ladies' During my stay here such
conversation as have had with him has
been with the understanding that It is
not for publication. The situation is
such that anything he might say today
would probably be misconstrued by his
opponents, and he has so far refused all
attempts to draw him out. There are
now a half dozen newspaper men here,
representing journals from all parts Of
the country, from Boston to San Fran
cisco. The governor is polite and friend
" with all, but he viii talk politics with
none.
But let me tell you how Gov. McKin-
ley lives at Canton. His home is g house
with q history Every room in It Is as
sociated with the life Of the governor,
and his possession Of it today Is to- a
large extent a matter Of sentiment. He
J, does not own the house, think, but
il rents 1T. NhsnsI met him Ell Columbus
during theslast dayis off hlis goYsr Tsaip,