The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-10-02

for printing things he did not like. He
wrote personal letters to the editors
about these reporters, too. and both
of them had printed true stories.
Similarly, the president is fond of
praise. He likes to read nice senti-
ments about himself in the newspa-
pers. He is not SO great a newspa-
per reader as President Mckinley
was, but he patronizes the press-clip-
ping bureaus and pores over the clip
| pings every day. President Roose-
welt is generous with his condolences.
He will tell his friends anything and
then bind them not to reveal what he
has said. This makes it inconvenient
sometimes for newspaper men who go
| to see him, for the president tells the
same thing to everybody, and often
the story gets out when the man 20
whom it was told originally must
hold it in confidence or break his
word.
The president gets angry easily
He says harsh things TO those who
run afoul Of him. When he gets ex-
cited he can use triangular words
with anybody. When he isn't excited
his favorite words of emphasis are
BY Godfrey" and by Jove!" The
president is very hearty eater. His
appetite is prodigious. He likes a bot
tie Of white wine with his dinner. He
drinks very little besides that. The
president says he is 'de-light-ed" so
times a day. He is "de-light-ed" TO
! see you, delighted" to hear you are
we'll, and "de-light-ed" everything
else. He uses many superatiyes
Everything to him is the best or the
worst ever.
Mr.. Roosevelt always starts his
speeches the same way. He says:
Ladies and gentlemen, and you,
Sons of Veterans. or you" some
| thing else, or you thus and so. He
likes to pick out a man in his audi
ence ind talk to him. He did this at
| Syracuse when he opened the state
fair picking out Grand Army man
and addressing him exclusively for
| five minutes, much to the embarrass-
ment Of the Grand Army man. Mr..
| Roosevelt is not an attractive public
| speaker. He generally reads his
speeches from printed slips, and
keeps close to the text. He writes
and dictates fluently, and has an es-
pecial fondness for the word "very,'
which is sprinkled through his pub
Ac addresses and documents and his
| private correspondence.
| The presidents enthusiasms are vi
client, but not Iong-lived He always
wants to do everything himself. He
takes a hand in al arrangements and
| gives orders about the most trivial
affairs. He formerly had no cOmpunc-
ton about saying things about his
enemies. Now he thinks it is as well
10 say nothing il nothing good can
| be said. His action in the last two
years have been mainly directed by
the chart Of 1904. He is sharp and
stern with his subordinates, dictate
rial and severe. He sometimes makes
a joke. but really has a poor sense
| of humor His jokes are generally
sad. Witness the famous Secretary
Shaw joke when he told Shaw dU-
| ring the coal strike settlement he
| would senu him back to de mines
| Des Moines)." Shaw comes from
lures senators and representative a,
times as if they were schOolbOys. He
calls them up to the White House
and lays down common statements of
fact as if they were new discoveries
| by himself He thinks in cOnven-
tiOnal lines, Notwithstanding his rep
utation for originality. He is plati-
tudinOus.
When the presidents special train
during his recent tour Of the cOun-
try reached Nebraska Governor
Mickey Of that state joined the party
70 escort the president across the
S0tS. 1 lie pI6SlutH W as, uC-IitoiAt-CU
to meet the governor of Nebraska
and asked him about a hundred CUES
lions, political, industrial, social and
personal, winding up with, How
many children have you, GOVERNOR
Nine" answered Governor Mickey
You are a id good man., ex-
claimed President Roosevelt. You
are a better man than | am. | haveI
only six" And Governor Mickey,
who is a Methodist elder, gasped with
establishment.
When Mr.. Roosevelt first became
governor he called all the Albany
correspondents into the executive
chamber and said: Il propose to re-
ceiye you all freely and to talk to you
very frankly, but if you ever print
anything I say without my permits
sion I shall deny it."
DO you know, Platt?' asked the
president of a friend, and meaning
+ho venerable and sage senator from