Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-21


where he courted his wife. and. as one
story goes. he became acquainted with her
through her being a teacher In another
Sunday school of the town. The two al
Ackfnley's Ill health prevented her going.
and in Canton. you know, the President
elect walked regularly TO church with his
aged mother on his arm.
1 believe that President Mckinley gets
rest today by his care for his wife. Mrs.
Mckinley though she is better now than
she has been for years. is still quite weak at
times. and the President often leaves his
work and goes to see her. He is devoted to
her. and when with her doubt II he thinks
OF the cares Of state or the troubles of
Office seekers and congressman. 1t is the
loosenlng the string of the bow now and
then that preserves its elasticity, and II Is
thus that the Presidents love forms an
other secret of lis strength.
Mckinley Mt Lake Champaign.
But whatever the Presidents natural
strength may be he has certainly added to
IT by his stay here. There is no more
beautiful place in the United States. Lake
Champlain lies between the Green noun
tains and the Adirondacks, in a little hol-
low so rooted with the sky which hangs
upon the dark blue mountain tops. that
You seem to be in great amphitheater
somewhere high up in the attic story of
the world. The President is here just over
the eastern rim of the great Mississippi
DdSlI, winch forms the great central part
OF the United States. He is in the lower
basin of the st. Lawrence and the Great
Lakes. only an hours ride by rail from the
Canadian line. Think of that! Twenty-Five
miles from here is a country with which
the great nation over which the President
rules Is to a certain extent at odds. The
London papers after the late Sherman seal
letter were filled with rumors of war. Were
this not a civilized age how easily could a
couple Of regiments from Canada slip over
and kidnap the President. / walked past
his rooms at midnight last night, not a SOL
der was on guard not a policeman was in
sight. not even a detective in citizens
clothes to sound the note of alarm.
There Is no man in the country who leads
a simpler or palmer life than Mckinley
does here. He is in the hotel one of the
guests. and outside of having his meals
with his family In his own rooms he is, at
his own request, treated almost absolutely
the same as the rest. He has not a snob-
bish hair on his head. and he Is as plain
In his ways here one OF Andrew Jack
sons old clay pipe stems. He walks about
the grounds alone. at times going down to
the lake and wandering through the pine
forests which skirt its banks below the
hotel. He Ia the ruler Of 10 ,Qo0. 600 people.
and he has more power than Queen Vic
toria but he puts on no more airs than the
man who Is now driving the lawn mower
In cutting the grass in front of this hotel.
He could have had cottages in q dozen diff
ferent mountain sections if he would have
accepted them.
An IdeaI Place.
Several score of hotel proprietors wrote
him offering him their hospitality, but in
stead he picked out this place by the ad-
vice Of the Vice President and Secretary
Gage, and then made a plain, everyday
business arrangement as to prices and ac-
commodations. I don't know what his bills
will be. but know that he expects to pay
for everything he gets, and that he will ac-
cept no favors in any way. Is it not a cur
ious thing that the President of as great a
country as ours should have to consider
the question of expense? But 1 doubt not
that Mr. Mckinley does so, for he has a
large family, and when you add to this the
half-dozen secretaries and clerks VINO are
needed along you can see that the account
is no light one, especially at n place ike
Hotel Champlain. where the regular price
for rooms is s. per day.
And still this is ideal place for
presidential vacation. Mr., Mckinley does
not like to change, and II Is not improbable
that next summer will find him again
where he is now. Here he is away from
the Office seekers. He has given orders
that only the most imperative mail be for
warded to him, and all the surroundings
are of health and peace. The hotel itself
is very large. 1t covers at least half an
acre, but its guests are singulariy quiet,
and the politician is not to be sesn.
silence and Beauty.
How quiet It Is. You can hear the clack,
clack. clack of that mans feet as they
touch the steps Of the stairs which lead
from the hotel piazza down the blum to
the beach. You can hear the birds singing
in the trees, chattering at one another
and one now and then bursting out into a
volume of liquid song. That is the con-
cert which greets the Presidents ears as
he opens his eyes in the morning-a con-
cert which is kept merriy up all day long
You have read the kilograms about the
hah ao fa1r
one or two yacht trips. and how he has
crossed once or twice over the lake to Yer
mont. He has taken rides to see Au Sable
chesm, about twelve miles away. Here
the waters of the Au Sable river. after
dashing over a great falls. boil and foam as
they wind their way through one of the
most wonderful gorges of the United
States. 1t Is 200 feet deep and two miles
in length. and its beauties have been COM
pared to those Of the Yosemite In minfa-
ture. You have heard how he has gone
fishing and what he has caught, and can
tell you In passing that so far his hook has
not been halted beforehand with fish in
order that he may be reported as lucky nor
has deer been tied up by guide that
he may make a sure shot. as according
to the story told here was done for Pres
ident Cleveland during one of his Adiron-
dack hunting excursions So far as I can
learn President Mckinley has no ambi-
ton to shoot deer. He has not so far
even attacked the ground squirrels which
he meets with In his walks on the lawn.
and so far as attempting to murder any
of the innocent hogs which are found I'm
the country roads away from the hotel, as
our bloodthirsty Ben Harrison did when
he was taking presidential vacation in
Virginia, 1 know that Mckinley would
scorn 1t.
With the Grand Army.
The President will be in his element at
the Grand Army reunion at Buffalo. He
Is strong Grand Army man, and always
wears a red. white and blue button in the
lapel of his coat. He had one on when
called upon him today. He likes to go
over his soldier life with his old comrades
and his eyes lighted up when mentioned
the Grand Army. He Is fond of military
affairs. and 1t is not known to many that
he narrowly escaped being swallowed up
in the regular army when the war closed.
He entered the service. you remember. as
boy. was promoted to be captain and
finally rose to the rank of major receive
ing much honorable mention from his su-
perior officers. He was given to under
stand at the close of the war that IL he
remained in the service that he would be
well treated. and he came back home full
of the idea of joining the regular army
and Eaking war his profession for life A