Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-05-26
A GREAT STRAIN.
The Tremendous Load Carried
by the President.
Has But Little Time for Consider
alton Of State Papers.
Office Seekers the Great Bother-Tru,h and
uH'ce Seekers the Great Bother-Truth and
Sincerity is Needed.

.cAi' AslSty -O.-tSDccldi).---
among the intimate friends of President
Mckinley find considerable anxiety con-
corning his health and his powers Of en-
DURANGO. Although tho president is well
IN .hc sense that he has suffered no illness
since he came to the White House az
months ago, he Is very tired. The strain
which ne has been under for year or a
year ana half IS beginning to tell upon
MN, ana his nearest friends arc advising
nm to protect himself in every possible
way. The Cuban complication is sure to
make a great demand upon his mental
ana Physical vitality. to keep him up
nights, 10 lriDg sloepless hours to his pill
low. The responsibility of war or peace is
gong to be momcntous one for him to
bear, and he will have need of all his
strength. In conversation u few days ago
with member Of tho cabinet was told
that every one of the presidents official ad-
visers had urged Mr.. Mckinley to shield
himself from the horde of people who want
to see him, to adopt rules which will give
him certain amount of leisure every day
Tor consideration of pressing public bust
ness.
A Hard Worked Man.
81 do not believe the country appreciates
tenth part of the work the president per-
forms" said this cabinet officer. 1.-THE
president is an carly riser. He breakfasts
every morning at s o'clock. BY 9 he is
ready for work in his office. From that
hour till late at night he knows not what
rest is. There is no pause, no moment in
which he cGn sit down and take it easily.
During the forenoon senators and members
of congress call to see him. There is a
steady stream of them. They not only
come themselves, but they bring friends
and constituents with them, and to each
of these strangers the president is expected
to saya few words, to shake hands, to con-
centrate his mind upon them and their af
fairs Any one that has ever had any ex
pcrience in this work of concentrating the
mind upon one man and one thing after
another hour after hour, knows what Il
strain it is upon the nervous forces. 1t
just pulls a man down by inches, tires
him, takes the vitality out of him and in
the end, unless he gets rest, breaks him up.
The trouble with the president today is
that, while he Is sound and well physically,
mentally he Is as weary as man can be.
SAT II o'clock twice week he must
meet tho cabinet This is not so hard. In
cabinet the president really rests, for the
conferences are as often social as anything
else. We tall, and laugh little over our
work and try to make it easier for our
chief. 1t is well understood among us that
we shall make these meetings as lively and
plea SAINT as we can, not too serious or in
tense because we want to help the presi
dent carry his load We are all amazed at
Mr.. McKinleys endurance. 1t often hap
pens that one of us has to run over to the
executive mansion for consultation. We
find the presidents anteroom filled with
people waiting to see him.
The Ubiquitous Caller.
"If tho president could have his after
moons or even all his evenings to himself,
it would not be so bad. But he permits
the callers to come all day. In the after
noon at o'clock he goes down to the east
room and shakes the hands of from 400 to
700 people who have assembled there to
Pay their respects to him. All this takes
tilno and strength Then in the evening
there are nearly always important callers,
senators or members of the cabinet, who
run in for a talk, or personal friends from
out of town who must be entertained and
for whom the president has such affection
he wishes to do everything to make them
earnest, serious consideration of important
state mattersg What would you think OF
a lawyer whose time was wholly taken up
receiving people in his office and at MS
house? What opportunity would he have to
prepare his cases and make his researches
and studies? The trouble with the presi-
dent is that he likes the people and loves
to meet them and please them, and he IS
l.; ont Iojno If He has uc-
cepted several invitations out of town, and
every trip of this sort is another straw
upon the camel's back. Our hope is that
he will prove strong enough to endure the
ordeal that lies before him..
One day last week President Mckinley
wanted to SEQ the papers filed at the state
Department in the case of certain con-
suisbip. Tho president had about con-
cluded he would make an appointment TO
that Office and wished to look over the ap-
nlicatious of the various candidates. lie
sent TO the state department. for the docu-
ments. and went on receiving callers. A
little later he happened to think oil the pa
nors for which he had sent, and asked Sec
rotary Porter to bring them in. II mink
JON had better come out here ana see
tben Mr.. President, said Secretary FOR
tor The president was II little surprised
at this. but walked out in the next roolh'
and there he saw large sofa full OF for
midable looking papers contained In big
envelopes and jackets. What's thlsf ne
asked. .sThe papers in the consulate which
Won asked about" Mr.. Mckinley gave IL
nm He told Secretary Porter to take the
documents back to the state department..
He did not want to look them through
NO. rTucI, ss.JOlly,"
There is q good deal OF complaint among
~ at,ice seekers that certain senators lie
70 them and deceive them. The truth APP
. ~ 70 he that the office seeking craze
has developed to such proportions .hat
s s,,s Of our public men deliberately adopt
2 nolicv which is slangily characterized as
.f!oIlving.' They palaver with their con-