The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-05-25
The Heavy Burdens Placed
on the President.
He Now Appears to Be Being
Pulled Down by Inches.
No Time for the Consideration OF
Important State Papers.

Among the intimate friends OF President
Mckinley find considerable anxiety con-
erning his health and his powers Of endur-
ance. Although the prs dent Is well In
the sense that ho has suffered no illness
since he came TO the White House ga
months ago, no is very tired. The strain
which he has been under for year or
year and half is beginning to tell upon
him, and his nearest friends are advising
him to protect himself in every possible
way The Cuban complication Is sure to
make great demands upon his mental and
phsyical vitality, 70 keep him up nights,
20 bring sleepless hours 10 his pillow. The
responsibility Of war or pence is going to
be a momentous ono for him to bear, and
he will have need of all his strength. In
conversation few days ago with mem
Der of the cabinet was told that every one
of the presidents official advisers had
urged Mr.. Mckinley 10 shield himself
from the horde OF people who want to see
him, TO adopt rules which will give him "A
certain amount of leisure every day for con
sideration of pressing public businoss.
A Hard Worked Man.
"I do not believe the country appreciates
a tenth part of tho work the president per
FORMS" said this cabinet officer 1.-The
president is an early riser. He breakfasts
every morning at s o'clock. BY o 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 can sit down and take 1t easily.
During the forenoon senators and MEM
bers of congress call TO see him. There Is
steady stream of them. They not only
come themselves, but they bring friends
and constituents with them, and 10 each of
these strangers the president Is expected TO
say few words, to shake hands, to con
centrate his mind upon them and their af-
fairs. Any one that has ever had any ex-
perience in this work of concentrating the
mind upon one man and one thing after
another, hour after hour, knows what a
strain II Is upon the nervous forces. 1t
Just pulls 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, wifiie he is sound and well physical
ly, mentally he Is as weary as a man can
be.
"At IL O'Clock twice week he must
meet the cabinet This Is not so hard. In
cabinet the president really rests, for the
conferences are as often social as anything
else. We talk and laugh little over our
work and try TO make it easier for our
chief It Is well understood among us
that we shall make these meetings as live
ly and pleasant as we can, not too serious
or intense, because we want to help tho
president carry his load. Wear all amazed
at Mr.. Mokinley's endurance. 1t often
happens mat 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 the president could have his after
moons or even all his evenings to himself,
II would not be so bad, but he permits the
callers 10 come all day. In the afternoon
at 3 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 time
and strength. Then In the evening there
are nearly always important callers, sen
ators or members of the cabinet, who run
In for a talk or personal friends from out
of town who must DO entertained and for
whom the president has such affection he
wishes 10 do everything TO make them
happy, What time is there i'm all this for
earnest. serious consideration Of important
state mattersY What would you think of
lawyer whose time was wholly taken up
receiving people in his office and at his
housof What opportunity would be have
To prepare his cases and make his re-
searches and studics2 Tho trouble with
the president Is that he likes the people
and loves TO meet them and please them,
and he Is wearing himself out doing It,
He has accepted 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 en-
dure the ordeal that lies before him"
One day last week President Mckinley
wanted 20 sec the papers filed at the state
department I'm the case of a certain CONSUL
ship. The president had about concluded
be would mako al appointment TO that Of
flee and wished TO look over the applica-
tions Of the various candidates. He sent
to the state department for the documents
and went on receiving callers. A little
later he happened 20 think of the papers
for which he had sent and asked Secretary
Porter 10 bring them in. II think you
had better come out here and SEQ them,
Mr.. President" said Secretary Porter.
The president was a little surprised at this,
but walked out in the noxt room, and there
ho saw large sofa full " formidable look
ing papers contained in big envelopes and
Jackets. What's thisY" he asked. 1.-The
papers In that consulate which you asked
about Mr. Mckinley gave IL mp. He
told Secretary Porter TO take the docu-
ments back to the state department.. He
did not want 60 look them through.
Too Much Jolly"
There Is a good deal Of complaint among
The office seekers that certain senators lie
to them and deceive them The truth ap-
pears 20 be that the Office seeking craze has
developed 20 such proportions that some OF
our public men deliberately adopt policy
which Is slangily characterized as Jolly
ing" They palavcr with their constitu-
ents, half promise them, put them OFT, say
they will attend 20 IL next day or next
week, put their arms around them and
whisper honeycd words IN their ears, and
80 ON. 1hnt n great deal of this Is going
on know from observation. One thing
may be- accepted as truism, and this Is
- IL