The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1909-08-19
Buchanan
to Mckinley
A Colored Mans Running Resume
Of the Presidents He Knew
at Washington.
Paper Read Before the Chautauq,.a Circle.

fupef RGUU BeTOFe tHS CHuuuuqut CUCte.
Stout, clean-shavenmen resemble one
another very much and in the distance
it is hard to distinguish them. have
been mistaken for Charley Mitchell,
the. English prizefghter, Pat Sheedy,
the American gambler, Col. w. r. Nor
rison, member of Congress, who wore
choice growth of alfalfa, Tom johnson
of Cleveland, Senator Hanna of the
same place at the time and President
Mckinley. was not to blame for that.
might go into details but that would
be too long.
was in Washington several times
during the spinach" war and called on
a Minnesota Member of Congress who
took me over to the House. AS we
came up to the doorkeeper ne called
me "Governor" and walked right in
with him. Only Governors, Senator'S,
Members of Congress and ex-Members
of Congress are admitted to the floor of
the House. Some ex-Members of Con-
gress, however, are spittoon cleaners.
"That is another story" as Kipling says.
During this particular sojourn in
Washington stayed at the Arlington,
Just across from the White House and
on that occasion [ wore a frOckcoat,
silk tile and the other ixings that go
with it-a regular statesman's outfit.
When you are in Rome it is customary
to follow the ways of the Romans.
Some friends of mine were staying at
the Arlington-a gentleman and his
wife-from Paris, France, not Paris,
KY. We were to take drive after din
ner and 1 went around to the ladies' re-
ception room to wait for them. The
ladies are generally about half hour
to an hour late in their engagements
and on this occasion [ was compelled
to wait fully half hour.
If you want to get the inside gossip
of place you must get into the atmos-
phere of it. Books aud newspapers
furnish only the polished side of affairs
or the reverse. Sometimes the truth
comes out in various ways. At the
Arlington was an old "cullud gen man.
who acted as doOrkeeper and attendant
to the ladies who lived there and who
called on those who lived at the hotel
l arrived, as the French say, at the
ladies' ordinary On time but my friends
were late. The "cullud gen'man' spied
me first, called me "Guvnor," got me q
large leathercovered chair, large enough
for three of my dimensions, amidship
beam and aft, and l sat down Ihand
ed him quarter and he became loqua
cious. He knew l was Westerner be
cause gave him tip. If [ hadnt
given him anything he would have
charged me up to New England.
'Guvnor," he said, "it's right smah
wahm."
l said eyes," laconically and then b,
proceeded.
81 have been heah nigh onto sixt.
yeahs. Bon heah. Have been will
the Arlington fohty yeahs, sub, yessuh
L have known all the Presidents from
Old Buck James Buchanan) down t.
Majah Mckinley, sub, yessuh.
"Old Buck was crouch, sub, an
very close in money matters. He wor
slovenly clothes and never did look yer
neat. He chewed tobacco, leahned tn
habit ovah in the Senate, sub, yessul
All remembah when he left town, sui
yessuh. He left alone and every on
was glad he was gone. He allowed th
con crackehs to get hold of all th
goy'ment arms and munitions of wa
AS All said, when he left there was n
weeping or wailing or gnashing {
teeth. Nosuh.
sThen Mr.. Lincoln became Pres
dtnt-God bless him-the noblest ma
that eveh lived. He was q very sa
man, used to take long walks in IL
White House grounds. Came ov'
heah quite often to see friends. E