The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-01-07
HE READS THE PAPERS.
President Mckinley Keeps Post
ed on News of the Day.
SERENE AND GOOD NATURED.
Retains His Equanimity Through All the
Trials and Cares of Office-Enjoys Social
Relaxation - Studies Public opinion.
Gives His Cabinet Ministers Free Rein.

Gives His Cabinet Ministers Free Rein.
| WASHINGTON, Jan. 7.-[Special. Men
who call on President Mckinley In the
evening, after the bulk of his days work
Is done, say they are astonished at his
light heartedness and freedom from care
and worry They marvel that man who
is SO much annoyed and vexed as he Is
| every day should be in such fine spirits
every evening. The president usually sits
| down to dinner at o'clock. Previous TO
| this, If the weather Is fair, he has had a
walk or drive. He always takes plenty OF
time for dinner, and his table is rarely
without some guest. After dinner, no
matter how heavily the public business
presses upon him, he sits down for fami-
| " chat and smoke. He refuses to permit
| these after dinner siestas to be disturbed
| by anything or anybody. If callers come
| in, members of the cabinet or intimate
| friends, they must not be too serious. The
president wants to lay aside all cares at
this hour If his visitors start business
talk, Mr.. Mckinley has a deft way of
turning the conversation in lighter lines.
He is an adept in small talk, in playful
ness, in good natured banter and remi-
niscence.
To his insistence upon his daily outing
and his evening siesta probably the presi-
dent owes much of his good health and
serenity of manner. Mr. Cleveland was
president who rarely took exercise, save
when he went away on his shooting trips,
and after dinner he would go up stairs to
his desk and plunge into work. He worked
like demon all the time. He thought
about little else and rarely or never sat
down for a quiet conversation with his
family and friends. Mr. Cleveland did not
like newspapers either and only read
those which were specially called to his at
tention by his secretary or others of his
clerical force.
Knows What Is Going On.
President Mckinley, on the other hand,
is great newspaper reader. His intimates
marvel how he manages 10 find the time
to keep up with the news and comment
and gossip, but he does it somehow. Ev-
erything of importance or of special in
terest to him he reads, and his visitors are
often astonished to find how well informed
he is as to everything appearing in the
press. Not only this, but the president is
sup" on all the latest gossip of the capital,
social, personal and political. l do not
like To write it, but Mr.. Mckinley is fond
of gossip, only it must be that which has
no malice in it. He likes to know all the
little things occurring in the town and
among the congressional people, and there
is very little going on that he does not
know The members of his cabinet, prom
inent senators and members of the house
who have MIR. McKinley's friendship are
aware of his liking for gossip, and they
take care that he is kept abreast Of the
times.
The president is also n very close student
of public opinion. Men of great expert
ence in Washington say we have never had
in the White House president who kept
in closer touch with what the people
throughout the country are saying and
thinking. He has deft way of extracting
information from all his callers, no mat
ter how important or unimportant they
may be. Mr.. Mckinley likes to know !
what the farmers are saying, how the
workingmen in the factories like his adj
and he is as keen as fox
in seeming out tho truth. Altogether it
may be said that Mr.. Mckinley really and
truly loves his place and his work. He is
not oppressed by its responsibilities He
has Il way of throwing off care and then
taking 1t up again when he must and not
before. He docs not worry.
Conquered Insomnia.
An example of the presidents happy
faculty of guarding himself and his
is found in an experience of his
last summer. He had always prided him
self on his ability to go to sleep within q
few minutes after his head touched the
pillow. He knew that as long as a man
could go to sleep when he wanted to work
was not likely to hurt him. But he sud-
denly found he was not sleeping we'll. He
tossed about for an hour or two, some
times longer, with his brain going over the
work of the past day and the responsible
ties Of the future. This continued for
some time until the president concluded
it had gone on long enough. He took
himself in hand, resolved to overcome this
weakness. He worked less, permitted him
self to be driven less by callers, INDUCED
In a little more exercise, regulated his diet
and his smoking and added to all these
precautions his will power. In week he
had overcome the tendency to lie awake
on restless pillow, and from that day to
this he has had no trouble in going to
sleep.
There is one lesson which President Mo-
kinley learned from his old friend, Ruth
erford b. Hayes While Hayes was in the
White House Mr.. Mckinley was men,
Der of congress, just beginning to make
his reputation. He was favorite with
Mr.. Hayes and also with Mrs. Hayes and
was often at the White House. Mr.. Nc
kinley once told me, and this was before
he was himself talked of for the presi-
dency, though not, / believe, before his
ambition had secretly turned in that di-
rection, that Hayes was happy in the
White House, and happy because he would
not permit himself to be annoyed by all
the details of the great departments.
Follows Hayes Example.
when President Hayes chose his cabi-
net ministers, said Congressman McKin-
ley to me, "he tried to get men who were
competent to take full charge of their de-
partments. Having chosen them, he said
to them they were to go ahead and carve
out their own careers. They were free to
manage their affairs in their own way.
and he neither wished to dictate to them
nor to be unnecessarily harassed by their
little troubles. Il have appointed you,
and l trust YOU was Mr.. Hayes way of
putting 1t"
President Mckinley appears to have re-
membered this 1t was always his theory