The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-03-03

about today. III Major Mckinley had
gone into private life instead of into the
governorship of Ohio when he retired
from the house of representatives, he
would have ceased to be a political
quantity of more than local Importance
Politicians said to me when the major
retired from congress, HE has ceased
to be presidential possibility unless he
gets the nomination from the next ma
tional convention" They were wrong
The major kept himself alive by becom-
ing the governor of a great state.
McKin1ey's Double.
Here is where Major McKinley's
double comes into the story. A gentle
man conspicuous in the politics of Ohio
said to a friend, 81 will not support
this man Mckinley for governor. -
''Why?" said his friend. Because, he
replied, ST cannot support for governor
a man who gets drunk. - ''Drunk!'' said
his friend. E'You never saw William
Mckinley drunk. I doubt if he ever
tastes liquor "That shows how little
you can know of the man, said the
first speaker. 81 saw him blind drunk
not many days ago at - Major
McKinley's friend was much disturbed.
He knew there was a mistake some
where. But where? He went to the ma
jor in his extremity, and it happened
that on that very day there came to the
home of the major a man who lived not
many hundred miles from Canton. His
card came in when the conversation
was in progress. The major listened to
what his friend had to say of his con-
versation with the accuser. Then he
sent for his other visitor. He entered.
The first caller looked at him in sur
prise. If he had met him on the street
he might have mistaken him for Majol
Mckinley. The major smiled that quiet
smile which has made so many of his
recent visitors at Canton feel at ease.
"Were you at - on such day?" he
asked. The newcomer said he believed
he was. ''My dear fellow said the
major, "you will ruin me if you don't
take the pledge. Here is a gentleman
who brings me the story that I was
drunk in on that day, when ]
wasn't within 100 miles of the place 81
The visitor confessed that he had in
deed been drunk on the day and at the
place named. He was a good friend OF
the major. He was not a public char
acter, and he had not realized that his
conduct was matter of Importance tG
and himself. He and the major had q
good laugh over the confusion of theil
identity, and the first visitor went away
provided with an alibi for the major
and solution of the story which his
friend had told.
President Cleveland's Double.
President Cleveland, as I have said,
has many doubles. Some people think
that A. A. Wilson, the marshal of the
District of Columbia, looks like him.
The resemblance does not strike me, but
all eyes do not see alike. Any stout man
with fat face and a mustache, without
positive features, might look little
like Mr.. Cleveland to some eyes. Speaker
Reed is another fat man who has dou-
bles. The chief among these in Wash
ington was the late Charles n. Bell, the
photographer. He really did look like
Reed, the point of difference between
them being that Reeds little mustache
was black, while the shadow which
hung on the upper lip of Bell was red.
If Mr.. Bell were living now and had
shaved of his mustache, as Mr.. Reed
has done, there would be little to dis
tinguish one from the other. What made
it easy to recognize Mr.. Bell or Mr..
Reed when Mr.. Bell was alive was the
fact that Mr.. Bell rode up Pennsylvania
avenue in a carriage, while Mr.. Reed
always walked or took cable car. Few
of the statesmen who sit in the house or
senate have carriages.
The likeness of Mr.. Bell to Mr.. Reed
was source of annoyance to Mr.. Bell.
This is not often the case with men who
are doubles. Usually the double takes a
pride in his resemblance to some public
man, and sometimes he uses it as a
means to play jokes or get drinks. There
is clerk in one of the departments who
is used as the instrument of a practical
joke very often. He looks like a con-
| spicuous statesman, and he is introduced
to a group of strangers by his friends as
| s'SenatOr -" He assumes the char
| acter very seriously, and the visitors &c