The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-05-10
MANY STORIES ARE
BEING CIRCULATED
In Regard to the Health of the
Chief Executive.
A STRONG CONSTITUTION
Is One of the Presidents Possessions,
and He Has Stood the Strain
Well-Win Convene Con-
gress in the Fall
STRONG CONSTITUTION


many stories being circulated about the
presidents health some peIng founded on
fact, others not The fact of the matter
is that when a president has a headache
it is of much Importance now as when
Nero couldn't sleep, and Rome had to be
| carpeted. The majority of business men
would have broken down under the strain
| which the president has been laboring, and
| professional men would not have held up
half so long.
| President Mckinley has a remarkable
| constitution and up to the present time has
| stood the strain upon his nervous system
wonderfully well. Add to the fact that he
is called upon at all hours of the day and
night to settle some vexed question, and
| the additional fact that Mckinley really
and earnestly tries do do what is right,
and one can get some idea of the immense
amount of work he has done during the
| past year.
Some reports about Washington have 1t
| that the president Is in a very nervous and
| eXcitable state of mind. Others that he is
| suffering from a nervous affection of the
| stomach; and still another that he has
| locomotia ataxia. Certainly he has not the
| last, for 1t has been less than week since
| I saw him on Connecticut avenue with Sec
| rotary Long, and then he was seemingly
| as well as ever. Those a the White House
deny that he has any stomach affection,
but admit that he is suffering from insom-
MIA. The last named trouble seems to be
| at the basis of all the alarming reports
which are now in circula ton.
The president is some what nervous but
during the day attends to his routine BUSH
ness as well as he ever did. 1t is only at
night that he suffers any inconvenience.
dow fe,4 bn e1a all 4
only dropped into a doze at at o'clock.
Saturday he had a very uncom Portable
night also. The worse part is that he Is
unable to sleep in the day time. Senator
Hanna once said that one could hang the
president on nail in the wall and he could
sleep well as bat. This is no longer
true, and his physicians say that he has
got to take care of himself or else he will
break down altogether. 1t is under such
advice that he is going to remain away
from Washington as much as possible. The
coming year will be a trying one for him,
as we'll as for every member of the adj
ministradon.
VIII Call Extra Session
There is hardly any doubt that the presi-
dent intends to call congress into extra
ordinary session in. September or October.
The reason for such step is obvious. There
is a tremendous amount of work ahead of
the next congress. The long session, I'M
|
midsummer. With the work ahead of the
next session the first session of the Fifty
sixth congress would continue until Octo-
Der or November If 1t did not meet sooner
than next September.
This would carry it into the fall cam
paign and greatly perplex the political
complexion of things. 1t would also be of
some advantage to the opposition.
The question of building the Nicaraguan
canal will come up for final settlement at
the next session. Laws will have to be
framed for the governments of Hawaii and
Porto Rico, and the present indications are
that the whole currency question will be
gone over and a new system of finance |
adopted Added to this is the Philippine |
Issue, as it has now become, and the mat |
ter of standing army of a hundred thous- |
and.
The republicans have only a majority of |
thirteen in the next house to begin all this |
business WITH and then, too, 1t has no |
Reed to shape matters at the start and to |
whip this small majority into line on party |
questions. There is a speakership fight on, |
and from present indications it will be |
difficult one to settle harmoniousy.
The president told his cabinet at the last |
meeting that he had practically decided to |
call congress in session early in the fall
1t seems that this has been his intention
all along He told a number of senators
who made their intentions known of going
to Europe to leave early so as to be back
by October. But the fact that he had
definitely made up his mind seems only
Just to have become known. The cabinet |
is not unit by any means on this propo-
sition. Secretary Gage wants an early |
session for he believes that in this way |
he will be able to get some sort of finan-
cfal bill through. Secretary Alger and the |
secretary of state, Mr.. Hay. are opposed to |
one. the other members of the cabinet be-
ing indifferent to one.
The Carter Case
There is no question which has come up |
within the past two years which has given
the president more anxious hours than the
Carter case. 1t almost seemed unfair to
him that he should have been torn this |
way and that over case which admits of |
such easy disposition. He realizes what is
being said over the delay in this case, but
to make a decision at once would be to |
turn down some of his life long friends.
The case of Lieutenant Lang was differ
emit This officer had no influential friends.
Then, too, he was merely convicted OF liv-
ing in second-class boarding house for
one week with woman who was not his
wife, Unluckily for him there was another
officer of meagre standing, in the house at
the time who Caught on to 1.-The little |
game" as he expressed 1t in the courtmar-
tial This latter officer reported the Of
fence to the department and courtmartial
of Lang was at once ordered. He was
found guilty and sentenced to dismissal
from the army. The president approved
the sentence five minutes after 1t reached
him. OF course the friends of Lang fail
to understand why his sentence should
have been approved five minutes after
made when that of Carter, who was con-
yicted of stealing millions from the gov
eminent should be allowed to continue
unapproved for nearly eighteen months.
Next week Weigh McVeigh and ex-senator