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FROM TENT TO WHITE HOUSE 
 
From Tent to White House 
 
 OR 
 
 How a Poor Boy Became President 
 
 BT 
 
 EDWARD Si^ELLIS 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 
 "PERILS OF THE JUNGLE," "THE WHITE MUSTANG," 
 "GOLDEN ROCK," ETC. 
 
 
 ^3r^ ^fiF^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ 
 
 New York 
 
 THE FEDERAL BOOK COMPANY 
 
 Publishers 
 
 lm[^ 
 
Ck??7rigi»t, 1858. 1899 sn<5 «90i, 
 By STREET & SMITH 
 
 By 1 ranster 
 D. C. Public Libraiy 
 OCT 1 5 1934 
 
 Em 
 
 . E4-73 
 
CTAmW^LZT^^ 
 
 I^ P^ E P^ -A. O E . 
 
 Surveying the whole list of our Presidents, it is im- 
 possible to find a more perfect type of American manhood 
 than William McKinley. Born in a little cottage in a 
 small town in Ohio, feeling the pressure of hard times, if 
 not the pinch of poverty, the sturdy boy, endowed by na- 
 h ture and birth with a stout heart and a wise head, worked 
 u his way upward inch by inch until by grit he reached the 
 top, and from the uppermost round of the ladder stepped 
 into the sky. 
 Lj We are yet too nea'* to the third of our martyred 
 ^ Presidents to be able to estimate him at his full value, or 
 to give him his rightful place among the world's leaders ; 
 but in the years to come it is certain that the name of 
 zz, William McKinley will shine far up among the greatest 
 — names in history. His life was not a meteoric flash, but a 
 -< star, clear shining and constant — a white radiance that 
 c/: never grew dim. Strength of manhood, consistency of 
 m life, beauty of soul, splendid honesty of administration, 
 CJ and a wise vision that almost amounted to foreknowledge 
 ^ — these were the things that raised him head and shoul- 
 ^ ders above his fellows and made him great. 
 
 It is strange that such a man as this should be singled 
 out as the victim of a traitorous Anarchist; strange, in- 
 deed, that so horrible a crime should be possible in these 
 days of enlightenment. It is an open question whether 
 
8 PREFACE. 
 
 the material advances of which we are wont to boast have 
 touched the human heart. Witness the roll of our mar- 
 tyred Presidents. 
 
 President Lincoln, a great and good man, was assas- 
 sinated in April, 1865, one month and ten days after his 
 inauguration for a second term. The President attended a 
 Cabinet conference on the afternoon of the fourteenth of 
 April, and in the evening, accompanied by Mrs. Lincoln 
 and two friends, Miss Harris, a daughter of Senator Har- 
 ris, of New York, and Major Henry Rathbone, went to 
 the performance of "Our American Cousin," at Ford's 
 Theatre, Washington. In the midst of the play a shot 
 was heard, and a man who later proved to be John Wilkes 
 Booth, an actor, was seen to leap to the stage from the 
 President's box. Brandishing a dripping knife, with 
 which, after shooting the President, he had stabbed Ma- 
 jor Rathbone, and shouting ''Sic semper tyrannis! — the 
 South is avenged !" he made his escape by a rear door of 
 the stage, mounted a horse and rode away. 
 
 James A. Garfield, a m^ijt ot sterling integrity, inau- 
 gurated President on'"March''4,' 'i'88i, "died on September 
 19, 188 1. He was shot by Charles Guiteau on July 2 of 
 that year. President Garfield was starting on a trip to 
 New England. He was passing through the waiting- 
 room of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in 
 Washington when he was shot. The assassin, who was 
 a disappointed office seeker, shot twice, the first bullet 
 passing through the President's coat sleeve. The second 
 bullet entered the back and lodged deep in the body. 
 
 And finally President McKinley, whose kindliness of 
 heart was proverbial, was shot down while holding a re- 
 ception in the Temple of Music at the Buffalo Exposition 
 in Septem'ber, 1901. The assassin was Leon Czolgosz, 
 an avowed Anarchist, whose only statement after the 
 
PREFACE. 9 
 
 dastardly deed was, "I have done my duty as an 
 Anarchist." 
 
 We can ill afford to lose such men as these, and some- 
 thing must be done to lessen the danger from the traitor's 
 pistol. It is difficult to so set the bounds of civil liberty 
 as to give the utmost freedom to the citizen and at the 
 same time secure the safety of the Chief Magistratej but 
 one result of this latest crime must be that stringent 
 measures shall be taken by the great governments of the 
 world to render the cowardly, malignant assassination of 
 a nation's ruler impossible in 'the future. 
 
 But not all the Anarchists on earth can erase the mem- 
 ory of McKinley. His name will endure as long as gov- 
 ernment by the people and for the people exists. All 
 honor to the heroic dead. May his spirit lead us into 
 higher living and nobler self-sacrifice for the common 
 good. 
 
 Tom' Taylor's lines in London Punch were often quoted 
 by him in eulogy of a dead friend ; but surely to no one 
 were the lines more applicable than to William McKinley 
 himself : 
 
 He went about his work, such work as few 
 
 Ever had laid on head, and heart, and hand, 
 
 As one who knows where there's a task to do. 
 
 Man's honest will must Heaven's good grace command. 
 
 Who trusts the strength will with the burden grow, 
 
 For God makes instruments to work His will 
 
 If but that will we can arrive to know, 
 
 Nor tamper with the weights of good and ill. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 I— Birth of William McKinley . . .11 
 
 II— McKinley Enlists as a Private . . 19 
 
 III— A Brave and Thoughtful Act . . 29 
 
 IV— A Daring Exploit .... 39 
 
 V — Admission to the Bar . * . .49 
 
 VI— Lawyer McKinley's First Case . . 59 
 
 VII — "Gerrymandering" . . . .69 
 
 VIII— The McKinley Bill .... 79 
 
 IX — Organization of the Government . . 89 
 
 X — The Preliminary Campaign . . 99 
 
 XI— In the White House . . . .109 
 
 XII— Cuba's Early History . . .119 
 
 XIII— McKinley's Trying Position . . .129 
 
 XIV — Prompt Action of Congress . . 139 
 
 XV— Spain's Defiant Action . . , .148 
 
 XVI— Military and Naval Terms . . 156 
 
 XVII — Capacities of the American Nation . 163 
 
 XVIII— The President's Nominations , . 170 
 
 XIX— The Exploit of Lieutenant Hobson . 178 
 
 XX— The Surrender of Santiago . , 186 
 
ii CONTENTS. 
 
 XXI — President McKinley's Second Term . 196 
 
 XXII — The Assassination of the President . 201 
 
 XXIII— Bulletins from the Deathbed . . .208 
 
 XXIV— The President's Last Words . . 217 
 
 XXV— Borne to the Capital . . . .221 
 
 XXVI— "All the World at His Funeral '' . 227 
 
 XXVII— The Doom of the Assassin . . . 232 
 
 XXVIII— William McKinley's Predecessors . 237 
 
THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT M'KINLEY. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 BIRTH OF WILUAM MCKINLEY — THE m'kINL^YS OF A BY- 
 GONE AGE — WHAT THE SCOTCH-IRISH HAVE DONE — 
 BOYHOOD OF WILLIAM m'kiNLEY — THE YOUNG STU- 
 DENT EVE OF THE GREAT CIVIL WAR THE BOMBARD- 
 MENT OF FORT SUMTE;r — ITS EFFECT IN THE NORTH 
 AND SOUTH — YOUNG m'kINLEY^S PATRIOTISM. 
 
 The people of Perthshire tell the story of how, when 
 Charles II. was king, and Sharp, the apostate, was spill- 
 ing" the best blood in Scotland in the interests of the 
 Laudian persecution, a little family bearing the forever- 
 to-be-honored name of McKinley packed their few be- 
 longings and embarked on a frigate for Ireland. Land- 
 ing somewhere near the Giant's Causeway, they jour- 
 neyed a few miles southward and took up residence in an 
 old stone cottage near Dervock, County Antrim. But 
 Ireland was hardly more peaceful than Scotland, and it 
 would seem that at least one member of the family was 
 tried by drumhead court-martial for storing arms for 
 the use of the United Irishmen, and was sentenced to 
 death. Coleraine records show that in that town one 
 William McKinley, of County Antrim, was so sentenced 
 in the year 1798. Whether this could have been the 
 grand-uncle of President McKinley, as some biographers 
 
12 BIRTH OF WILLIAM M'KINLEY. 
 
 assert, it is impossible to say beyond peradventure, but 
 certain it is that shortly after this the McKinley family 
 crossed the Atlantic and settled, part in Pennsylvania and 
 part in the Southern States. When the time came for the 
 decisive blow for American independence, the McKin- 
 leys, with their Scotch-Irish brothers, were the first to 
 take up arms in the struggle for liberty. 
 
 "We shall find," wrote George Bancroft, the historian, 
 "that the first voice publicly raised in America to dissolve 
 all connection with Great Britain came, not from the 
 Puritans of New Enigland, not the Dutch of New York, 
 nor from the planters of Virginia, bnt from the Scotch- 
 Irish Presbyterians. 
 
 From such a stock sprang the martyred McKinley. 
 His father was born on the Dougherty Farm, Wolf Creek 
 Township, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, November 15, 
 1807, and in his twenty-second year married Nancy Alli- 
 son, the following children being born to them: David 
 Allison McKinley, Annie McKinley, James McKinley, 
 Mary McKinley, Helen Minerva McKinley, Sara Eliza- 
 beth McKinley, William McKinley (born January 29, 
 1843), Abigail Celia McKinley and Abner McKinley. 
 
 Nancy McKinley was all that a good woman should be. 
 A friend, writing of her in later years, says: "I recall 
 her quiet dignity of manner. She had that blending of 
 sweetness and strength of will and purpose that has been 
 a rich inheritance to her children." 
 
 William McKinley 's father was a grave, earnest man, 
 large-hearted, wlnsom.e, strong to uphold the right and 
 quick to denounce the wrong. He established an iron 
 foundry at Fairfield, Columbian County, Ohio, and was 
 for twenty years interested in iron furnaces in New Ar- 
 lington, Ohio. In the midst of his labors he took pains 
 to see tliat his family should early begin their education. 
 
BIRTH OF WlIvIvIAM M KINLEY. it 
 
 The younger William needed no urging in this respect. 
 He was passionately fond of his books, and friends who 
 came to the house often said : "That boy is always study- 
 ing, studying, studying." 
 
 Not infrequently the father remonstrated and sug- 
 gested that all work and no play was unwise ; but he felt 
 that his boy was laying up a store of knowledge that 
 would one day be useful to him, though he did not sus- 
 pect the part that the lad, when he had grown to man's es- 
 tate, was to perform. 
 
 The boyhood of William McKinley was so similar to 
 that of hundreds of other boys that little need be said of 
 it. He was one of the most diligent of scholars and ever 
 stood high in his class. After school hours he would 
 climb into his favorite chair in the comer of the living- 
 room and open his book. But not always would he be 
 allowed to enjoy it undisturbed. More frequently he 
 was called upon to read aloud ; and the man who, in later 
 years held thousands spellbound by his eloquence, never 
 had a more attentive audience than that little company in 
 the old frame cottage at Niles. 
 
 As the head of the family saw his four sons and fiVe 
 daughters, all bright, intelligent and fond of knowledge, 
 growing up all around him, he felt the need of better edu- 
 cational advantages than were afforded at Niles. Accord- 
 ingly, in 1852, the family moved to Poland, a small town 
 ihat had two academic schools^ one under the control of 
 the Methodists and the other of the Presbyterians. The 
 latter was destroyed by fire shortly after the McKinleys 
 went to Poland, and the facilities of the two institutions 
 were united under the name of the Poland Union Sem- 
 inary. 
 
 William McKinley's religious principles were strength- 
 ened, and, although more bound up in his studies, he was 
 
14 BIRTH OF WILLIAM M'KINLBY, 
 
 well liked for his genial and kindly disposition. He was 
 founder of the Everett Literary Society, named in honor 
 of the celebrated orator of that name, who was then at 
 the height of his fame. William was the first president 
 of the club, and its soul and life. There was no question 
 too profound or abstruse to frighten those budding ora- 
 tors, statesmen and scholars. They were ready to tackle 
 anything, and the debates, if unheard of outside of the 
 walls of the little building, engaged all the faculties and 
 skill of the debaters themselves. In those debates William 
 presided or took part. When his interest was deeply 
 moved, he would call a member to the chair, and, taking 
 the floor, would become one of the most earnest and con- 
 vincing speakers. Beyond question he thus laid the 
 foundation of his extraordinary skill as a debater and 
 helped to acquire his convincing style. 
 
 Thus the days passed until he reached his eighteenth 
 year. Not only had he attained the front rank among 
 the students, but his wide reading and the association 
 with his parents had broadened his knowledge. He was 
 fully prepared to enter college, and when he presented 
 himself at Allegheny College at Meadville, Pa., his exam- 
 ination was so brilliant that he was admitted to the junior 
 class, thus cutting the required course in half. 
 
 But offended nature now made herself heard. Neglect- 
 ed recreaton, "all work and no play," caused such a break- 
 down in his health that he was compelled to leave college 
 and leturn to Poland. His mental activity would not al- 
 low him to remain idle, and he hired as the teacher of 
 the public school in the Kerr district, some two and a 
 half miles from his home. The brisk walk to and fro- each 
 day helped to build up his health, and it looked as if he 
 would soon be able to gratify his dearest wish of return- 
 ing to college and completing his course of study. 
 
BIRTH OF WIIvLIAM M'KINIvEY. 15 
 
 If my readers will reflect, they will note that the most 
 critical time in our history was drawing near, while young 
 McKinley was teaching his country school. Congress was 
 torn by the slavery debates, there were wrangling and per- 
 sonal collisions, the air was filled with threats of dis- 
 union, and the thoughtful ones saw the approach of civil 
 war that was to fill the country with mourning, and spread 
 death and desolation through thousands of homes. 
 
 There was no person more intensely interested in the 
 sweep of events than young McKinley. He eagerly read 
 the news, and had he been old enough, would have cast 
 his vote for Abraham Lincoln, in whose principles he firm- 
 ly believed. The election was in November, i860, and 
 South Carolina proved her fearful earnestness by formal- 
 ly withdrawing from the Union on the 20th of the follow- 
 ing month. Other States followed, the Southern Con- 
 federacy was formed, and on the 8th of February Jeffer- 
 son Davis was chosen president of the Confederate States 
 of America. 
 
 Then followed the inauguration of President Lincoln, 
 accompanied as it was by threats of his assassination. 
 Armed troops filled Washington, to which city he had 
 made his way by a secret midnight journey from Phila- 
 delphia. His inaugural breathed no ill-will toward the 
 men who were loud in their threats of seceding from the 
 Union. He declared that he was firmly resolved to sup- 
 port the Constitution and the laws. Indeed, no other 
 course was left to him, for had he wished to do otherwise 
 he would not have been permitted. 
 
 But the South was determined to secede. Nothing 
 could stop her. As one of the leaders answered the plea 
 of a Northern friend : 
 
 "If you should give us a blank sheet of paper on which 
 to write our own terms for remaining in the Union, we 
 
i6 BIRTH 01^ V/ILLIAM M'KINLEY. 
 
 should refuse; we are going to secede and nothing can 
 stop us." 
 
 Such was the spirit that sent State after State out of 
 the Union, until eleven of them were arrayed against the 
 national government. Nor did the South hesitate to prove 
 her sincerity. When Major Anderson, in command of 
 Fort Sumter, in Charleston harbor, was summoned to 
 surrender and refused, fire was opened upon him. For 
 thirty-four hours the bombardment continued, and then 
 the exhausted garrison hauled down the Stars and Stripes 
 and surrendered, prisoners of war. 
 
 Who that can remember those days will never forget 
 the effect produced throughout the country by the news 
 of the fall of Fort Sumter? Never again will such scenes 
 be witnessed? There v/ere thousands of good and loyal 
 men who had urged almost every conceivable compromise 
 in the hope of restraining the South from its mad course. 
 In their anxiety they went to the furthest verge that self- 
 respect would permit. They censured the North for its 
 harshness and insisted that it was- still possible to prevent 
 civil war. 
 
 But all this was changed by the bombardment of Fort 
 Sumter. The "peace at any price" men now became the 
 most ardent in demanding the conquest of the revolting 
 States. They clamored for war and insisted that the op- 
 portunity should be given them to march against the foes 
 of their country. Through every city, town, village and 
 hamlet, and across the plains of the West, the martial 
 spirit swept like a prairie fire. The man who spoke in 
 favor of the South or of letting the "erring sisters" go 
 in peace was mobbed. The few who dared to raise their 
 voices in such a plea had to flee from their indignant 
 neighbors to escape with their lives. The air rang with 
 shouts, bonfires blazed, war meetings were held by the 
 
BIRTH OF WIIvLIAM M'KINLEY. i? 
 
 hundred and one unshakable resolve swayed and con- 
 trolled the North from end to end. Sumter's cannon had 
 unified her people. 
 
 And it was the same in the South. There had been 
 worriment, anxiety and argument there, for amid the de- 
 lirium that seized the leaders, there were many who still 
 loved the old! Union, and this love could not be destroyed 
 in a day. Their fathers had followed Old Glory too many 
 times through the flame of battle to victory and triumph 
 to turn their backs upon it and swear allegiance to a new 
 and strange flag, and yet, as in the case of the North, 
 all was changed by the roar of the guns in Charleston 
 harbor. Doubt and hesitation vanished. The love for the 
 Union turned to hate, and the Southerners were equally 
 clamorous in shouting for the Stars and Bars and de- 
 manding a chance to risk their lives in driving back the 
 invaders of the "sacred soil" of the South. 
 
 One of the most prominent of the Confederate leaders 
 told me that although his family were strongly secession 
 in their sentiments from the first, he curbed their feelings 
 with an iron hand and resolved never to abate his effort 
 to prevent the secession of the State (Virginia). This 
 resolution did not falter until the bombardment of Fort 
 Sumter. 
 
 "Then/* said he, "my whole nature seemed to be 
 changed. I became a more extreme disunionist than any 
 member of my family. Before the call for troops was 
 issued, I set about raising a company, in which my only 
 son was the first to volunteer. I saw him die at Manassas, 
 his head on my knee, and mourned because I had not 
 another son to give to my country.'* 
 
 Now that war had come, there was no hesitation on the 
 part of the national government. Fort Sumter surren- 
 dered April 14, 1 86 1, and the next day President Lincoln 
 
l8 BIRTH OF V ^^M M'KINIvKY. 
 
 issued a call for 75,000 volunteers. Hardly was t^ 
 dry when 300,000 patriots strove for a place in tl-. 
 The call was for three months' men, but as the m t; 
 
 of the impending struggle grew to be undo^ e 
 
 President on the 3d of May asked for three y^u' */i- 
 
 teers and a large addition to the regular army a vVy. 
 
 William McKinley had finished his engage '^ as 
 
 teacher and was serving as a clerk in a store, preparing 
 for his return to college. He was stirred to the soul 
 by patriotism, and when one bright day in May, the Po- 
 land Guards, composed of the young and undisciplined 
 youths of the place, marched to Youngstown,, to the music 
 of fife and drum, they were followed by scores of men 
 and boys, among whom were William McKinley and his 
 cousin, William M. Osborne, of about the samx age. Both 
 were slender striplings and neither very strong, but they 
 
 i^re thoroughly imbued with the war spirit. 
 
 Walking homeward at the close of day, they were silent 
 for a time, both in deep thought. Suddenly McKinley halt- 
 ed, and, looking his cousin in the eye, said: 
 
 "Bill, we can't stay out of this war ; we must enlist." 
 
 "I should love to do so, but we cannot get the consent 
 of our parents." 
 
 "They must consent," said the young patriot, as they 
 hurried to their homes. 
 
19 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 MCKINLEY ENLISTS AS A PRIVATE — THE TWENTY-THIRD 
 
 OHIO SERVICES IN WESTERN VIRGINIA m'kINLEy's 
 
 FIRST PROMOTION TRIBUTES BY HIS OFFICERS AT 
 
 SOUTH MOUNTAIN BATTLE OF ANTIETAM. 
 
 Those were solemn times, full of tears and mourning 
 and fears for the loved ones, who marched to the field of 
 battle, many, alas ! never to return. And yet the gravest of 
 subjects seem to have a humorous side. I remember that 
 account by my old friend Artemus Ward, the prince of 
 humorists, of a Union meeting. Nearly all of those w^ 
 volunteered did so as officers, the favorite position be 
 that of brigadier-general. Men who had never so muc.i 
 as aimed and fired a musket announced themselves eager 
 to serve as leaders. Artemus proposed that they should 
 raise a company of brigadier-generals. When the squad 
 came to be drilled he said they particularly excelled in 
 **restin' muskets." He himself reached the highest pitch 
 of patriotism when he announced himself ready to sacri- 
 fice all his wife's able-bodied relations for the glorious 
 cause of the Union. 
 
 Now, the patriotism of William McKinley was not of 
 that sort. Hardly had be reached his home from Youngs- 
 town when he began pleading with his father aiid mother 
 for their permission to enlist. No parents loved a son 
 more than they, but the appeal of the young patriot won, 
 as did that of his cousin, and the next day they hurried 
 back to Youngstown. McKinley had no thought of 
 honors. His guiding principle was duty. All he asked 
 
io M'KINLEY ENLISTS AS A PRIVATE. 
 
 was that because of his slenderness and lack of rugged 
 vigor he might be rejected. In truth, there was some 
 was a chance to fight for his country, and his only fear 
 grounds for this fear, for so many lusty young men were 
 enlisting that the government could afford to be particu- 
 lar. Had McKinley been refused by the recruiting officer 
 it would have well-nigh broken his heart. When he stood 
 up, looking as manly as possible, and the officer who 
 thumped his breast said, ''You'll do," there wasn't a hap- 
 pier member in the whole regiment. General Fremont 
 showed a special interest in him, though young McKinley 
 feared he was simply considering whether or not to ac- 
 cept him as a recruit. 
 
 William McKinley became a private in Company E, 
 which, with others, from various parts of the State, 
 formed the Twenty-third Ohio Volunteers. 
 
 Years afterward, when fame and honors had come to 
 William McKinley, he referred to his war experience : 
 
 "I always look back with pleasure upon those fourteen 
 months in which I served in the ranks. They taught me 
 a great deal. I was but a schoolboy when I went into 
 the army, and that first year was a formative period in 
 my life, during which I learned much of men and facts. 
 I have always been glad that I entered the service as a 
 private, and served those months in that capacity." 
 
 The Twenty-third Ohio was one of the most famous 
 regiments of the war. The men who composed it were of 
 a high order of intelligence, many possessing unusual at- 
 tainments, while the majority were strong, rugged and 
 resolute, and all were inspired by lofty patriotism. The 
 first colonel was William S. Rosecrans, ofted called "Old 
 Rosy," who became a prominent Union leader in the war. 
 Rutherford B. Hayes, afterward President of the United 
 States, was the first major, and Stanley Matthews, who 
 
M'KINLEY ENLISTS AS A PRIVATE. 21 
 
 later was United States Senator from Ohio, and Justice 
 of the Supreme Court of the United States, was the first 
 lieutenant-colonel. 
 
 A few statistics are eloquent. From the organization 
 of the regiment to the day it mustered out it had 2,095 
 men; the number killed in battle was 169, the number who 
 died from disease was 107, making 276 the total loss. 
 
 There is one truth regarding the War for the Union 
 which few people remember. We recall and very justly 
 mourn the thousands of precious lives that were lost in the 
 prosecution of that mighty struggle, but are apt to forget 
 that thousands of lives were also saved through service in 
 the ranks. Many men are living to-day because of the 
 robust health gained by the march, the rough outdoor 
 life and the hardships and training of the camp. When 
 William McKinley enlisted! at the age of eighteen he was 
 weak, delicate and almost an invalid. It would be pre- 
 sumptuous for us to attempt to say what would have been 
 the result had he, instead of enlisting, re-entered college ; 
 but it is not presumptuous to claim that it was his service 
 in the field that gave him his superb strength and a phy- 
 sique capable of doing and standing more work to-day 
 than one man among a thousand. 
 
 What woful lessons were taught to both North and 
 South by the opening months of the great civil war! 
 Secretary Seward declared that it would not last ninety 
 days, and he was confessedly one of the most sagacious of 
 statesmen. Prominent Northern leaders boasted that 
 New York's famous Seventh Regiment would find it a 
 picnic to march through Virginia and the Southern States 
 to the Gulf of Mexico; Jeft'erson Davis in a speech pro- 
 claimed that he could hold all the blood that would be 
 shed in the hollows of his hands. There was as much 
 boasting in one section as in the other, for every one 
 
22 M'KINLEY ENLISTS AS A PRIVATE. 
 
 seemed to forget that American was now to be matched 
 against American, and since they are the bravest people 
 in the world the fighting must be of the most terrific 
 character. 
 
 The battle of Bull Run, fought on Sunday, the 21st day 
 of July, caused the scales to fall from all eyes. Then it 
 was that the North awoke to the fact that the South was 
 united, brave and resolute, and her armies were led by 
 skilled generals. The war was to be a long and bloody 
 one and preparations were made on a vast scale to push 
 it to a successful conclusion. 
 
 McClellan was called to command at Washington, and 
 on the 23d of July General Rosecrans assumed charge of 
 the Department of the Ohio. The Union cause sufifered 
 many discouraging defeats for more than a year after the 
 opening of hostilities, about the only section where there 
 were any successes being in West Virginia, first under the 
 command of General McClellan, a brilliant, dashing of- 
 ficer, until by his transfer to a more important command 
 he became timid, hesitating and tardy, and finally wore 
 out the patience of President Lincoln. 
 
 McKinley first saw fighting in Western Virginia, where 
 his regiment did excellent service. At the head of 15,000 
 soldiers, drawn mainly from the West, McClellan ad- 
 vanced against the Confederates, who were under the 
 command of General Garnett, a former instructor of Mc- 
 Clellan at West Point. Garnett took position on Laurel 
 Hill, west of the principal line of the Alleghenies and cov- 
 ering the road leading from Philippi to Beverly. Colonel 
 Pegram with a detadhment was posted on an isolated hill 
 named Rich Mountain, which was a few miles south of 
 Laurel Hill. McClellan advanced against both of these 
 positions and halted on the nth of July a little way from 
 Rich M'ountain. The following morning General Rose- 
 
M'KINI^KY ENI.ISTS AS A PRIVATE. 23 
 
 crans led four regiments by a circuitous course through 
 the woods with the intention of flanking Pegram. The 
 rain poured in torrents and the Confederates, quick to de- 
 tect the approach of the Union troops, opened a heavy 
 fire upon them. But the patriots pressed resolutely on 
 and sent the enemy scurrying down the other side. Rose- 
 crans then turned eastward and advanced to within three 
 miles of Beverly, to which point General Garnett had re- 
 treated upon finding his position turned. Frightened by 
 Rosecrans' approach, Garnett hurried northward, hoping 
 to reach St. George, on the Cheat River. 
 
 Meanwhile Colonel Pegram had surrendered with six 
 hundred of his men, the remainder having joined General 
 Garnett, w^ho found himself hard pressed. To check the 
 hot pursuit of the Unionists, the Confederates cut down 
 trees and overturned huge boulders in their path, but 
 their pursuers, who had already found the swollen 
 streams and dense undergrowth a great obstacle, pushed 
 on with tireless energy. Now and then they caught sight 
 of the rear guard and fired upon them. 
 
 The Confederates were overtaken at Carrick's Ford, on 
 the Cheat River. In an impetuous attack General Gar- 
 nett was killed and his force utterly routed. McClellan 
 being now transferred to the command of the Army of 
 the Potomac, the regiment to which McKinley was at- 
 tached was ordered to Clarksburg, West Virginia. The 
 section was pestered by guerillas, who committed many 
 outrages, and against whom the Twenty-third bent most 
 of its efforts. The work was of the severest nature. It 
 seemed to be raining three-fourths of the time, but the 
 activity of the guerillas allowed little rest to the Union 
 troops, who made hurried and exhausting marches at 
 night amid drenching rains, climbed rugged mountains, 
 scrambling down declivities and ever on the alert for the 
 
'i4 M'KINIvEY ENIylSTS AS A PRIVATE. 
 
 vigilant enemy, whose manner of fighting was like that 
 of the wild Indian. 
 
 Through all these trying tests of endurance and bravery 
 none bore himself more admirably than young McKinley. 
 His strength increased, his slender frame filled, his mus- 
 cles hardened, he was prompt in obeying his officers, 
 ready at all times to go upon the most dangerous work 
 and intent only of rendering every service possible to his 
 country. 
 
 McKinley spent the first winter of the war in camp. 
 The period was a trying one, not only to the country at 
 large, but to the soldiers themselves. Although at the 
 head of one of the most magnificent armies ever drawn 
 together, McClellan dallied, continually drilling his men, 
 and refusing to move against the enemy, where the 
 recruits were also drilling and strengthening themselves 
 to repel his advance, whenever it should be made. 
 
 On the 15th of April, 1862, McKinley won his first 
 promotion — that of commissary-sergeant, and it was se- 
 cured through his attention to "Httle things" so often 
 considered unworthy the notice of those in higher station. 
 Regarding this promotion, ex-President Hayes, who, it 
 will be remembered, was the young man's superior officer, 
 said: 
 
 "Young as McKinley was, we soon found that in busi- 
 ness, in executive ability, he was a man of rare capacity, of 
 imusual and surpassing capacity, especially for a boy of 
 his age. When battles were fought, or a service was to be 
 performed in warlike things, he always took his place. 
 The night was never too dark, the weather was never too 
 cold, there was no sleet or storm, or hail or snow, that 
 was in the way of his prompt and efficient performance of 
 every duty. When I became commander of the regiment 
 h^ sopn came to be upon my stafif, and he remained upon 
 
M'KINIvEY ENLISTS AS A PRIVATE. 25 
 
 my staff for one or two years, so that I did literally and in 
 fact know him like a book and love him like a brother." 
 
 General Russell Hastings was a Heutenant in the 
 Twenty-third Ohio when McKinley was a private. Long 
 after the close of the war General Hastings said: 
 
 "Major McKinley was always keen, quick and alert, 
 and so was naturally fitted for staff service, a fact his 
 superiors soon realized and took advantage of, so that 
 during the greater part of the war he served on the staff 
 of the general officers, one of the most dangerous po- 
 sitions in the army, one which required the utmost readi- 
 ness of resource and bravery of the highest order." 
 
 McKinley had hardly received his promotion when his 
 regiment, under the command of Colonel Hayes, broke 
 camp and led the advance against the enemy. A brisk 
 engagement took place at Clarke's Hollow on the ist of 
 May, after which the regiment advanced toward Prince- 
 ton, West Virginia, which was evacuated by the Confed- 
 erates upon the approach of the Unionists. Colonel 
 Hayes was attacked the following week by an overwhelm- 
 ing force, and fell slowly back to East River, contesting 
 every foot of the way. Princeton was abandoned, and on 
 the 15th of July the regiment reached Camp Piatt, on the 
 Great Kanawha. In order to do this the troops marched 
 one hundred miles in three days through oppressively hot 
 v/eather. A junction was made with McClellan's forces, 
 ihe Twenty-third going in cars from Perkersville to 
 Washington, and the enemy was driven out of Frederick, 
 Maryland. 
 
 Suppose that when this slim commissary-sergeant, too 
 young for a beard to show on his face, stood gazing at 
 Washington, some one had said to him: 
 
 **You are now looking upon the capital of your country 
 for the first time; before double your present years have 
 
26 M'KINLKY ENLISTS AS A PRIVATE. 
 
 been added to your life you sliall sit in that White House 
 yonder as the President of the United States." 
 
 Suppose that one of the Union soldiers had said this to 
 the boy, what would he have done? He would have 
 called the guard and had him locked up as a lunatic, and 
 yet the prophecy would have been a true one. 
 
 We refer to 1776 as the dark days of our country, but 
 they were no darker than those of 1862, when the defiant 
 Confederate forces were within sight of our national cap- 
 ital, when they were winning victories everywhere, when 
 Great Britain, France and Spain had acknowledged them 
 as belligerents, when their privateers threatened to drive 
 our commerce from the ocean and our armies were beaten 
 back again and again in their advance against Richmond. 
 
 There was but little time in which to vievv^ the wonders 
 of Washington, Vv^hen orders were issued for the advance 
 upon Frederick. General Lee, flushed with victory, had 
 started on his invasion of the North. He entered West- 
 ern Maryland and established his communications with 
 Richmond through the Shenandoah Valley. On the loth 
 of September Lee advanced toward the upper Potomac, 
 entering the mountainous section of Maryland. McClel- 
 lan cautiously followed, watching his movements. 
 
 At South Mountain the enemy, although not quite so 
 numerous as the Union force, held an almost impregnable 
 position, but the Unionists manoeuvred with great skill, 
 and by resistless daring in their attack drove the enemy 
 from his position, the loss to the assailants being 312 
 killed and m.ore than a thousand wounded, while that of 
 the enemy was still greater. In this spirited engagement 
 Colonel Hayes was wounded and the Twenty-third dis- 
 played the greatest possible gallantry. The men made 
 three charges with the bayonet, each of which was sue- 
 
M'KINLEY ENLISTS AS A PRIVATE. 27 
 
 cessful, and lost half their effective force. Their colors 
 were riddled, but never lowered. 
 
 Severe as was the battle, every one knew that the real 
 struggle was yet to come. Only a portion of the forces 
 had been engaged and the armies themselves were soon 
 to meet in the death grapple. The repulse at South 
 Mountain compelled Lee to retreat over the Antietam 
 Creek to the little town of Sharpsburg. Skirmishing fol- 
 lowed for several days, and on the i6th the Army of 
 Northern Virginia, under General Lee, and the Army of 
 the Potomac, under General McClellan, opened the real 
 battle, which was the bloodiest fought during the entire 
 war. 
 
 The Confederates, who were less numerous than the 
 Unionists, w^ere stationed along- the Antietam Creek, their 
 flanks resting on the Potomac River, and they had placed 
 strong guards at three of the four stone bridges which 
 cross the creek. Hooker was sent over the fourth and 
 unguarded bridge to attack the Confederate flank, while 
 the batteries on both sides kept up a continuous fire. 
 Before anything was accomplished darkness fell and the 
 fighting ceased. 
 
 Early the next morning Hooker assaulted Stonewall 
 Jackson and forced him to retire, but he vv^as speedily 
 reinforced and in turn drove Hooker back. The fighting 
 continued and was of the most desperate character, since 
 each side was repeatedly reinforced. The force defending 
 the bridge in front of Burnside was so weakened by the 
 necessity of helping Jackson that it could have been easily 
 captured. Repeated orders were sent to Burnside to cap- 
 ture it and attack Lee's centre, but he refused to move, 
 though commanded again and again to do so. Finally 
 he advanced, but so weakly that at first he v/as repelled. 
 Persisting, however, "he finally succeeded and dislodged 
 
28 M'KINLEY ENLISTS AS A PRIVAT3. 
 
 the Confederates posted on the heights overlooking 
 Sharpsburg. Just then Hill arrived v^^ith fresh troops, 
 who, uniting with Lee, drove out Burnside and retook the 
 heights. Fighting ceased at night, with no advantage to 
 either side. Leaving out the losses in the campaign lead- 
 ing up to Antietam, the Unionists had 2,108 killed, 9,549 
 wounded and 753 missing, making up an appalling total 
 of 12,410. 
 
 The Confederate losses, from September 12 to the 20th 
 were: Killed, 1,886; wounded, 4,068; captured and miss- 
 ing, 651, making a total of 6,605. 
 
 The expectation was that McClellan would follow up 
 his attack upon Lee the next day, but, as usual, he halted 
 and did nothing. The impatience with him was so in- 
 tense, even among his own ofihcers, that an approach was 
 made to General Hooker to assume the command and 
 assail the enemy before he could withdraw into Virginia; 
 but Hooker was wounded, and though none was angrier 
 than he over the slowness of his commander he was 
 unable to try that which in any other army would have 
 caused him to be executed for insubordination. The fact 
 that he was disabled prevented the direct request being 
 made to him, and thus it must always remain a question 
 whether he would have dared to supplant McClellan as 
 was certainly the wish o^f many of the officers. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 A. BRAVE AND THOUGHTFUL ACT — REPELLING THE MORGAN 
 RAIDERS PROMOTION THE VICTORY AT CLOYD MOUN- 
 TAIN m'kINLEY's BRAVERY SERVICES IN THE SHEN- 
 ANDOAH VALLEY A UNION DEFEAT BY GENERAL 
 
 EARLY THE IMPERILED REGIMENT THE ONLY HOPE. 
 
 One of the greatest generals that ever lived declared 
 that the severest test of a soldier's bravery was to be sent 
 into battle hungry. If he conducted himself gallantly 
 throughout the struggle, he was a hero. 
 
 Such was the trying ordeal to which the Twenty-third 
 Ohio, in common with many other boys in blue, was sub- 
 jected. From what has already been said, it will be under- 
 stood that the battle of Antietam was one of the fiercest 
 engagements of the whole war, well winning the title of 
 being the "bloodiest" contest that occurred anywhere be- 
 tween the first battle of Bull Run and the surrender at 
 Appomattox. There was hardly a moment's cessation 
 from sunrise until sunset, and the Twenty-third was in 
 the midst of the hardest of all the fighting. Suffering 
 from hunger and thirst, not a man could be spared tO' go 
 to the rear for refreshments. They had to fight on, gain- 
 ing and giving ground, struggling doggedly and bravely, 
 but weakened bodily as well as in spirits by the craving 
 for food and the almost intolerable thirst. 
 
 Sergeant McKinley never did a more welcome and 
 blessed thing than when, in charge of the commissary de- 
 partment of the brigade, whose supplies were two miles 
 to the rear of the famishing troops, he gathered up the 
 stragglers, placed them in charge of food and hot coffee 
 
30 A BRAVE AND THOUGHTFUL ACT„ 
 
 and hurried them back tO' the exhausted soldiers, still 
 fighting with the heroism of desperation. It was at the 
 close of that awful day that the Twenty-third broke into 
 cheers at the sight of McKinley and his men rushing two 
 wagons of supplies to the front. The mules were lashed 
 into a run and bullets were flying everywhere. The ser- 
 geant was in such danger that he was ordered back several 
 times, but he pushed on. One team was disabled, but the 
 work was completed with the other, and never was any- 
 thing more welcome than the hot drink and warm food 
 to the panting men who hastily svv^allowed the refresh- 
 ments with their smoking muskets in one hand, and their 
 faces begrimed with powder. Instantly they took heart, 
 and it is not too much to say that with the new strength 
 and courage thus imparted the Twenty-third was enabled 
 to withstand and beat back the furious onslaught made 
 upon their position at the close of the day. 
 
 There was more in this apparently simple act than ap- 
 pears at first sight. It was essentially the right thing done 
 at the right time. The thoughtfulness and bravery dis- 
 played by McKinley no sooner became known to Colonel 
 Hayes, who had gone home to Ohio to recover from his 
 wounds, than he called upon Governor Tod, and related 
 the incident. The war governor immediately ordered that 
 the youth should be promoted to a lieutenancy. This was 
 done, his commission as second lieutenant of Company D 
 being dated September 23, 1862, six days after the deed 
 that won the promotion. 
 
 In October following, the Twenty-third Ohio, with the 
 remainder of the Kanawha division, was sent back to West 
 Virginia, where in November they went into winter quar- 
 ters. Inaction followed until July, when Ohio was 
 startled by one of the most daring raids of the war. John 
 H, Morgan, the famous guerilla leader, early in July with 
 
A BRAVE AND THOUGHTFUL ACT. 31 
 
 two thousand five hundred men seized on Columbia, to 
 the norlhwest of Jamestown, Kentucky, and advanced ^o 
 Greenbrier Bridge, which was so bravely defended by 
 Colonel Moore that the raiders were compelled to retreat. 
 
 Morgan next attacked Lebanon, and in the savage fight- 
 ing that followed his brother in command of one of the 
 regiments was killed. The place was fired, and the Union 
 troops surrendered. Knowing that the Union cavalry 
 were hard after him, Morgan retreated through northern 
 Kentucky, plundering right and left. Reckless and desper- 
 ate, his raiders recrossed the Ohio into Indiana and spread 
 consternation among the people. The local militia were 
 swept aside and Ohio was terrified. Cincinnati was 
 threatened, but seeing his danger Morgan headed for 
 West Virginia, his nearest shelter. 
 
 It was the i6th of July that the Twenty-third Ohio 
 learned of the presence of the raiders in Ohio, and Colonel 
 Hctyes, at the head of two regiments, with a section of 
 artillery quickly moved against them. Two days later, 
 the enemy was defeated in a skirmish and the next day 
 utterly routed, most O'f the men captured, including Mor- 
 gan and his leading officers, who were lodged in the Ohio 
 penitentiary. It may be added that with the aid of friends 
 Morgan made his escape some weeks later, succeeded in 
 reaching his lines, and was soon at the head of another 
 raiding expedition. But it was his last. He was betrayed, 
 and in the scrimmage that followed was killed while try- 
 ing to escape. 
 
 Having finished the good piece of work, the Twenty- 
 third had little or nothing to do until the latter part of 
 April, 1864, when it advanced to a point a short distance 
 above Brownstown, on the Kanawha, to aid General 
 Crook, who had already become famous as an Indian 
 fighter, in a raid on the Virginia & Tennessee Railway. 
 
JS A BRAVK AND THOUGHTFUI. ACT. 
 
 The march was one of the severest conceivable. Chill- 
 ing rains and biting sleet and snow blinded and benumbed 
 the soldiers as they struggled through the dense woods 
 and matted undergrowth, climbing mountains, often 
 crawling on hands and knees, where the steepness of the 
 slopes prevented their standing, continually fired upon by 
 the skulking guerillas, who were as much at home as so 
 many Apaches in the wild solitudes, and who neglected 
 no chance of killing the Unionists exposed to their treach- 
 ery, in peril every hour of the day and night, the troops 
 pushed on, until the 9th oi May, when the battle of Cloyd 
 Mountain was fought and won. 
 
 Previous to this while in camp (February 7, 1863), ^^~ 
 Kinley was promoted to first lieutenant of Company E, 
 and such was his standing when he helped to fight the 
 battle of Cloyd Mountain. The First Brigade was com- 
 manded by Colonel Hayes, with the Twenty-third Ohio 
 placed on the right, while most of the remaining troops 
 were from Ohio. 
 
 It was a necessity for Richmond, the capital of the Con- 
 federacy, to keep open its communications with the South- 
 west, where it had vital interests to protect, and the object 
 of General Crook's expedition was to destroy the Virginia 
 & Tennessee Railway bridge over New River, which 
 would sever for a time this connection. 
 
 General Crook had learned cunning in fighting the In- 
 dians on the border, and he now worked a clever trick 
 upon the enemy. Advancing up to the Kanawha, he 
 gathered all his bands together, placed them at the head of 
 the regiment with instructions to strain every nerve and 
 muscle to fill the country with music, while advancing im- 
 pressively in the direction of Leesburg, which was also in 
 the direction of Richmond. Meanwhile, with his main 
 
• A BRAVE AND THOUGHTFUL ACT. 33 
 
 force, General Crook marched toward the bridge over 
 I^ew River. 
 
 The Confederate garrison at Fort Breckenridge were 
 so scared by the approach of the seemingly immense army, 
 preceded with its tremendous array of bands, that they 
 did not wait to fire a gun, but fled pell mell. By and by, 
 to their chagrin, they discovered the trick that had been 
 played on them and hurried back. A strong force under 
 General Jenkins reached a position to the rear of Crook's 
 men, who found the enemy intrenched on Cloyd Moun- 
 tain, which was steep and thickly wooded, and skirted by 
 a stream of water. The approach was across a level field, 
 four or five miles in extent. 
 
 It was about noon that Crook's troops were descried by 
 the enemy, Vv'ho opened with cannon. The Confederate 
 position was very strong, and the first attack of the Union- 
 ists was repulsed. Seeing that success could be gained 
 only by the hardest kind of fighting. General Crook or- 
 dered Colonel Hayes with two brigades to advance across 
 the open meadow and charge up the hill upon the bat- 
 teries, promising at the same time to accompany the men. 
 
 The national forces started across the meadow on the 
 double quick in the face of a severe fire of m.usketry and 
 artillery. When at the base of the mountain, the Con- 
 federate fortifications could not be seen, and for the first 
 time the Ohio boys discovered the stream that skirted the 
 elevation. Without hesitation they dashed into the water, 
 waded across and started up the slope, which was so steep 
 that the bulging ground above protected them from the 
 enemy's fire. 
 
 There was a few minutes' halt and then the Unionists 
 clambered upward witli the greatest gallantry. But the 
 enemy was waiting, and as soon as they could be seen, as 
 they climbed into view, a fearful fire was poured into 
 
34 A BRAVE AND THOUGHTFUL ACT. 
 
 them. The brave boys were staggered for a moment, but 
 when the officers shouted ''Charge!" the response was in- 
 stant and enthusiastic. The fort was found to be an earth- 
 work, strengthened by fence rails skewered through it. 
 The defence was one of the most difficult to take, but 
 nothing could stay the charge of the Ohio men. The 
 Twenty-third was the first to bound over the fortifications 
 and were foremost in the fierce struggle for possession of 
 the guns. Henry B. Russell (to whom we are much in- 
 debted for many facts given in these pages) says that 
 Private Kosht, a boy of eighteen, leaped out of the line 
 with a shout and hung his cap on the muzzle of one of 
 the cannon. 
 
 The enemy was driven back and the Unionists hurried 
 to Dublin Depot, on the Virginia & Tennessee Railway, 
 where the bridges were burned and the tracks torn up. 
 Next, the New River bridge was destroyed, and then, 
 fighting almost contiiiuo-u&ly, the- troops marched to 
 Staunton, where the Ohio brigade joined the command of 
 General Hunter. Three days later (June ii) Lexington, 
 after a brisk fight, was captured. 
 
 No soldier or officer in the Union force displayed truer 
 bravery than Lieutenant McKinley. He was foremost in 
 attack and inspired his men by his own intrepidity, while 
 his superior officers viewed his conduct with undisguised 
 admiration. 
 
 An advance was made against Lynchburg, but the 
 enemy was heavily reinforced and a movement against 
 Hunter's centre compelled him to retreat to the town of 
 Liberty. The enemy pressed our troops hard and much 
 sufifering followed. There was fighting continuously for 
 nine days, during which the Unionists marched one hun- 
 dred and eighty miles, with little food and rest, crossing 
 three Allegheny ranges four times and the Blue Ridge 
 
A BRAVB AND THOUGHTFUL ACT. 35 
 
 twice. More than once the troops marched all day and 
 all night without sleep, except such "cat naps" as cavalry- 
 men learn to catch in the saddle and foot soldiers while 
 on the march. When the time came for rest and eating, it 
 need not be said that the rugged fellows made up for the 
 deprivation of the preceding week. 
 
 Jubal Early about this time entered Pennsylvania with 
 his "rebel horde" and spread consternation through the 
 regions which for the first time gained a taste of what real 
 war means. 
 
 The militia could accomplish nothing against these sea- 
 soned veterans who wore the gray, and Crook's command 
 was ordered East to help turn back the invaders. 
 
 The Ohio men soon found themselves in the thickest of 
 the fight again. Unaccompanied by cavalry and with 
 only two sections of howitzer battery, they were sent 
 against an immense force under Early a few miles beyond 
 Harper's Ferry. The Unionists were speedily surrounded 
 by two divisions of Confederate cavalry, but cut their way 
 through and joined Crook at Winchester, where they 
 gained a brief and much needed rest. 
 
 The belief of General Grant was that Early had been 
 sent by Lee to join the main Confederate army at Rich- 
 mond. Feeling the need of every man obtainable. Grant 
 ordered two corps to unite with his army threatening the 
 Confederate capital. Hunter was thus left with his single 
 command in the Shenandoah Valley to confront the 
 enemy. The Union infantry numbered about six thou- 
 sand, with a brigade composed of the remnants of in- 
 fantry and dismounted cavalry. There were alsO' some 
 two thousand cavalry under Generals Averill and Duffie, 
 but the whole was much inferior to the Confederates. 
 
 While General Early was at Strasburg, he learned of 
 the withdrawal of the two Union corps that had threat- 
 
56 A BRAVE AND THOUGHTFUL ACT. 
 
 ened him, and that Crook's force at Winchester was less 
 than one-half of his own. He determined to hurry back 
 and crush Crook, who had no notice or suspicion of his 
 coming. 
 
 On Sunday, July 24, the enemy drove in the Union 
 outposts to the south of Winchester. Crook still sup- 
 posed that Early was far off on the road to Richmond, but 
 the reports that came in faster and faster left no doubt 
 that the Confederates were advancing in formidable num- 
 bers against him. Not a minute was to be lost, and Crook 
 %ent forward his troops and formed a line of battle at the 
 hamlet of Kernstown, four miles south of Winchester. 
 
 Still under the belief that he had to meet only a recon- 
 noissance the Union commander dispatched Hayes with 
 his brigade, and ordered him to join his right with Col- 
 onel Mulligan's brigades and then to charge the enemy. 
 In obedience to these instructions, the advance was made 
 against the two lines of skirmishers, but it was very soon 
 discovered that strong bodies of the foe were posted on 
 the hills to the right and left which inclosed the valley. 
 The Unionists had thus marched into a trap, but they 
 resolutely pushed forward. 
 
 Crook now realized for the first time that Early, instead 
 of having gone to Richmond as had been supposed, was 
 before or rather around him with an army vastly superior 
 to his own. Crook opened with his artillery from the high 
 ground at the rear of the Union troops, firing over tlie 
 heads of the infantry, while the enemy rained shot and 
 shell among the advancing Ohio troops. Six thousand 
 men were thus virtually surrounded by three times their 
 number, and in the distance the Confederate cavalry were 
 driving back the Union horsemen in confusion. 
 
 The situation was hopeless and Early pressed his ad- 
 vantage remorselessly. The brigade near the centre of 
 
A BRAVE AND THOUGHTFUL ACT. 37 
 
 the Uniorii line crumbled and gave way, and all that re- 
 mained for the Federals was to extricate themselves be- 
 fore it was too late. The peril could not have been more 
 critical. The staff officers were galloping hither and 
 tliither with numberless orders, the whole Union force 
 was in rapid retreat, with imminent danger of a general 
 stampede, in which everything would be lost, and only 
 the most heroic courage and perfect skill could save them 
 from irretrievable disaster. 
 
 In the mJdst of this terrifying confusion the discovery 
 was made that Colonel Brown's regiment, through some 
 blunder or lack of orders, still retained its position, where 
 it was posted at the beginning of the battle. It had suf- 
 fered severely and was fighting with the fury of despera- 
 tion, but if it remained, nothing could save it from cap- 
 ture or annihilation. The men would not retreat without 
 orders, and the eneni}^ was closing in upon the doomed 
 men from every quarter. 
 
 General Hayes saw that but one possibility of escape re- 
 mained; that was to send orders to Colonel Brown to 
 withdraw without an instant's delay, for it was evident by 
 this time that the colonel and his men held no thought of 
 retreat. 
 
 But it was a long distance to that decimated regiment 
 that had become the centre of an attack that would have 
 destroyed a force five times as great. Whoever under- 
 took to carry the fateful word to the brave men must do 
 so at a risk greater than that of the defenders themselves. 
 It would seem that there was barely one chance in a thou- 
 sand of success. 
 
 Who should take the message? In an anguish of 
 anxiety General Hayes looked around for the man and 
 saw him in the boy McKinley, His heart shrank at the 
 
38 A BRAVK AND THOUGHTFUL ACT. 
 
 necessity of sacrificing that young life, for it seemed 
 nothing less than that, but it was no time for hesitation. 
 
 In a twinkling he made known his wishes to the youth. 
 
 "Colonel Brown has no thought of retreat; not a mo- 
 ment must be lost in ordering him to withdraw ; will you 
 carry the order, lieutenant, to him?" 
 
 McKinley nodded his head, made a quick military 
 salute, headed his horse toward the imperiled regiment, 
 and was off like a whirlwind! 
 
 Filled with admiration and love for the young hero, 
 Hayes said to himself in the bitterness of his anguish: 
 
 ''He can never do it! He is sure to be killed I" 
 
39 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 A DARING EXPLOIT — A PICTURESQUE BATTLE — THE BATTLE 
 OF BERRYVILLE EVENTS IN THE SHENANDOAH VAL- 
 LEY THE BATTLE OF OPEQUAN DEFEAT OF EARLY 
 
 THE QUICK WIT OF m'kINLEY ON SHERIDAN's STAFF 
 
 — Sheridan's ride. 
 
 Filled as are the records of the War for the Union with 
 deeds on both sides which quicken the pulse and thrill 
 the heart, there is none more heroic than that of the youth 
 McKinley, when at the word from his commander he 
 spurred his horse across the plain on a dead run and 
 dashed through the sleet of death to the lone regiment 
 far away that was being shot to pieces. 
 
 The eyes of Hayes and hundreds remained fixed upon 
 the form of the boyish lieutenant as he sped across the 
 open fields, heading like an arrow from the bow for the 
 little band of men almost hidden from sight in flame and 
 smoke. Over the obstructing fences bounded the gallant 
 steed, as if he knew the desperate work required of him 
 and the momentous issues at stake. Of the enthralled 
 spectators not one expected to see the rider again alive. 
 
 Shot and shell were flying all round him, but on he 
 went as if he bore a charmed life. Suddenly an infernal 
 missile curved over and plunged to the earth at his side. 
 In the same instant it exploded into a thousand frag- 
 ments, and horse and rider disappeared in smoke, dust 
 and debris. 
 
 "He is killed! Both are killed! They have been blown 
 to atoms!" 
 
40 A DARING EXPLOIT. 
 
 But no ; from out the horrible melee emerged the tough 
 pony, still galloping toward the regiment, and the strip- 
 ling of a lieutenant was seated firmly in the saddle, spur- 
 ring the animal to the utmost verge of effort. Then the 
 spectators breathed again. 
 
 For a brief distance the horse and rider were partly 
 screened, but a moment later they debouched into the 
 open again, where their peril became more fearful than 
 before, for they were now closer than ever to the swarm- 
 ing enemy, who, reading the purpose of the young officer, 
 converged scores of shots upon him. But, refusing to 
 bend his head to the av/ful blast, he thundered onward 
 with the same headlong speed as at first. 
 
 In the hope of saving that precious life. Crook's bat- 
 teries from the top of an adjoining ridge opened furiously 
 and for a few brief moments held the enemy in check, 
 during which the messenger reached the regiment and de- 
 livered the orders of General Kayes. In the flush of the 
 moment Lieutenant McKinley could not forbear adding a 
 well-merited reproof: 
 
 **I supposed you knew enough to withdraw without 
 waiting for orders." 
 
 'T was thinking about it," repHed Colonel Brown, ''and 
 guess we'll make a move, but I must let those fellows have 
 another volley or two.'' 
 
 "Be quick about it, then!" 
 
 Up rose the regiment, delivered its volley, and, still fir- 
 ing, began slowly retreating, with Lieutenant McKinley 
 leading. They finally escaped to the Winchester pike, 
 where the young officer, after bringing the regiment to 
 its place in the column, rode up to General Hayes with his 
 report. 
 
 That commander Avas visibly affected, and after thank- 
 ing and complimenting the lieutenant added; 
 
A DARING EXPtOlT. 41 
 
 "I never expected to see you alive again.'* 
 
 The Union troops had been defeated, and their retreat 
 lasted until midnight. Frequently they halted to beat 
 back the enemy, who pressed them hard, and then re- 
 sumed their flight before the greatly superior forces. 
 After a long and harassing march they finally shook O'fif 
 their pursuers and the retreat came to an end. 
 
 No government is quicker than our own to recognize 
 and reward merit. One of the bravest and best companies 
 in the Twenty-third Ohio was Company G, of which Lieu- 
 tenant McKinley was made captain July 25, 1864. 
 
 His comrades rejoiced in his good fortune, for truly 
 never was honor more worthily won. 
 
 No region was more harassed during the civil war than 
 the Shenandoah Valley. The opposing troopers rode 
 through it back and forth, and the town of Winchester 
 had been taken and retaken four times in a single day. 
 Mosby's guerillas made themselves a terror in the valley, 
 it was tramped by opposing thousands, and cannon 
 boomed, shells screamed and musketry rattled night and 
 day, and seemingly for weeks without cessation, until the 
 time came, when in the words of General Sheridan, a crow 
 would not dare to fly across the Shenandoah Valley with- 
 out taking his rations with him. 
 
 One of the most picturesque engagements fought in 
 the Shenandoah Valley took place at Berryville on the 
 3d of September, 1864. Although the fighting was of the 
 severest nature, the result, as in many other instances, 
 was indecisive. General Longstreet was one of the fore- 
 most leaders of the Confederacy, and his veterans ranked 
 among the very best in the service, but when they ran 
 against the Western boys in blue they found more than 
 once that they had met their masters. It is said that 
 at the terrific battle of Chickamauga, where General 
 
42 A DARING EXPLOIT. 
 
 Thomas stood like a mountj^in wall and saved the Union 
 army from destruction, Longstreet brought up his sol- 
 diers who had helped to win many a victory in Virginia 
 and launched them against the immovable force of 
 Ihomas. 
 
 "Lie down, Tennesseeans," shouted the confident gray- 
 backs, "and see the Virginians go in!" 
 
 "Go in," repHed the Tennesseeans, as they made way 
 for the yelling veterans, "and you'll find you are not fight- 
 ing Eastern bounty jumpers." 
 
 A few minutes later Longstreet's men came scrambling 
 back pell-mell, leaving scores wounded and dead. Then 
 their comrades sprang to their feet and shouted : 
 
 "Rise up, Tennesseeans, and see the Virginians come 
 out!" 
 
 It was the same men that charged with ear-splitting 
 yells the Ohio troops, who received them with so wither- 
 ing and destructive a fire that they reeled and scattered. 
 Captain McKinley was in the midst, cheering his com- 
 rades, when his horse was shot dead, but leaping from the 
 saddle he fought with his usual bravery on foot until the 
 foe disappeared from his front. 
 
 Later in the day the Unionists tried to hold a stretch 
 of turnpike by which a force of cavalry that had been sent 
 to cut off the supplies to the rear of Early's division were 
 to rejoin the Union command. A Confederate charge 
 was repulsed and the Unionists charged in turn, but at 
 the reserve line of the enemy rallied, and being reinforced 
 repelled the Federals, who were forced to take shelter in 
 the woods. 
 
 By this time night had closed in; all wished to stop 
 fighting, and the respective commanders desired to with- 
 draw their troops, but each side waited for the other to 
 cease, though both had been ordered to do so. The shots 
 
A DARING BXPIvOlT. 43 
 
 grew less frequent, until only here and there was seen 
 the flash of a musket, while the bullet as a rule sped wide 
 of its mark. But it occasionally happened that three or 
 four men would accidentally fire at the same moment. 
 This gave the impression that the battle had commenced 
 again, and in a moment the fire would rage along the 
 front of both lines. 
 
 This desultory and fitful work continued until the 
 twinkling lanterns showed that the surgeons and burying 
 parties were looking up the dead and wounded between 
 the lines. Then by common consent all firing ceased and 
 the forces withdrew. In recalling this singular engage- 
 ment, Mr. McKinley said: 
 
 'Tt will not soon be forgotten. It was a brilliant scene; 
 the heavens were fairly illuminated by the flashes of our 
 ov/n and the enemy's guns. Later, when both armies 
 determined to retire, it became my duty to direct a regi- 
 ment at some distance from others to move. A stranger 
 in the darkness, I knew nothing of that country. When 
 I started on my mission some one on the otlier side was 
 doing just vvhat I was, as I could tell from v/hat I heard. 
 I had not gone far when I was halted by a sentinel with 
 'Who comes thar?' The distinct Southern brogue was 
 Vv^arning, and I hastened the other way. Very soon I was 
 stopped with 'Who comes there?' and I recognized 
 friends. I gave the countersign and soon had the regi- 
 ment movin,^." 
 
 General Grant was so annoyed by the raids of the 
 Confederates in this section that he determined to end 
 them, because they interfered with his main and closing 
 campaign against Richmond. The government united 
 the departments of Western Virginia, Washington and 
 the Susquehanna and placed it under the command of 
 General Sheridan, who was given a force of forty thoiv- 
 
44 A DARING EXPLOIT. 
 
 sand men. He was anxious to move, but Grant held him 
 on the defensive for a time, finally telling him to go ahead, 
 provided he so desolated the valley that it could no longer 
 be a temptation for raids from either side. 
 
 Early's force was now inferior to Sheridan's, and the 
 two leaders watched each other for a time from opposite 
 sides of the Opequan, a small stream flowing into the 
 Potomac, west of the Shenandoah. Finally the Confed- 
 erate leader sent a division toward Martinsburg and 
 threatened the Union right. Without delay Sheridan 
 crossed and attacked Early's right. The Confederate 
 division just sent off was hastily recalled and a savage 
 battle imme'.ately opened. 
 
 Everythiifg pointed to a Confederate victory, when 
 Sheridan I< "i one of his headlong charges, which scattered 
 the enemj like chaff. Through Winchester they rushed 
 and scrambled, with the Union cavalry slashing at their 
 heels. General Rodes was killed and 2,500 prisoners were 
 gathered up, including five pieces of artillery and nine 
 stands of colors. In making his report, General Sheri- 
 dan used the forceful declaration that he had sent Early 
 "whirling through Winchester." When tired of chasing 
 the enemy, the Unionists drew off, and Early, gathering 
 the remnants of his command, took position on Fisher's 
 Hill. Although strongly intrenched, he was soon at- 
 tacked by Sheridan again and driven further up the val- 
 ley. Then reinforcements arrived for him and he felt 
 secure in the Blue Ridge Mountains. 
 
 Captain McKinley distinguished himself at Opequan. 
 It was Hayes' brigade which led the charge that turned 
 an impending defeat into a splendid victory. Before this 
 was insured, and the issue looked doubtful, McKinley, 
 who was acting as aide-de-camp on Sheridan's staff, car- 
 ried a verbal order to Colonel Duval to shift his troops 
 
A DARING EXPI^OIT. 43 
 
 with all possible speed to a position on the right of the 
 Sixth Corps. Knowing nothing of the country, he asked 
 McKinley: 
 
 ''What route shall I take to move my command?" 
 
 Captain McKinley knew no more of the topography of 
 the country than the colonel, but he cast his eye over all 
 that was visible. It was of the most unfavorable charac- 
 ter, and having no definite orders from his superior he 
 suggested that the colonel should follow the route by the 
 creek near them. 
 
 'That won't do," was the reply of Duval; "I shall stay 
 right where I am until I receive definite orders." 
 
 The emergency was a grave one, and McKinley, with 
 his intuitive perception of the right thing to do, said : 
 
 "I order you, colonel, by command of General Crook, 
 to move your command up this ravine to a position on 
 the right of the army." 
 
 This was all Colonel Duval could ask. Like a true 
 soldier, he moved promptly, his division quickly reached 
 its position, and gave invaluable help in driving the enemy 
 from his intrenchments. 
 
 Now, this incident is more important than would be 
 supposed. It was no guesswork on the part of Captain 
 McKinley that caused him to select the route, for meagre 
 as was his knowledge of the surrounding country he 
 knew it was the only course to be followed. This v/as 
 proven by what befell another officer, who had been or- 
 dered to take his command to the same point, and being 
 left free to choose his route became entangled in the 
 dense woods and did not arrive until long after Duval. 
 
 Had McKinley erred and sent the regiment by any 
 other route the consequences to himself would have been 
 serious, but, us his commander smilingly remarked, the 
 action of the captaLi was right because it succeeded. 
 
46 A DARING BXPI^OIT. 
 
 Having freed the valley for a time from the enemy, 
 Sheridan proceeded to carry out Grant's wishes, and so 
 devastated the section that it was made untenable for the 
 Confederates. Meanwhile Early was watching the Union 
 forces, and followed them at a safe distance, until once 
 more he was at Fisher's Hill. The Unionists intrenched 
 themselves on the north bank of Cedar Creek, the ground 
 from the north shore of the Shenandoah to the valley 
 pike being held by Crook's division, in which served Cap- 
 tain McKinley and his comrades from Ohio. 
 
 The War for the Union had now reached a point where 
 every one saw that the end must soon come. Grant had 
 his grip on Richmond and could not be shaken ofif. Sher- 
 man was plungmg through the core of the Confederacy 
 from Atlanta to the sea, and Sheridan's whirlwind fight- 
 ing had made him one of the three foremost leaders of 
 the Union hosts with whom Grant was glad to consult, 
 and whose suggestions were attentively listened to by the 
 government. It was while the military situation in the 
 Shenandoah Valley was as described that Sheridan was 
 summoned to Washington to consult as tO' the future of 
 the campaign in that section. He obeyed orders, and the 
 consultation being finished, he set out on his return and 
 slept at Winchester, a dozen miles from his command. 
 
 While there a courier arrived from the front with word 
 that all was quiet, and that one of the Union corps had 
 been ordered to make a reconnoissance at daylight the 
 next morning (October 19). Sheridan lay down and slept 
 undisturbed. 
 
 Who has not had his pulses quickened by T. Buchanan 
 Read's vigorous war poem, "Sheridan's Ride," which 
 tells of the Union leader's furious gallop from Winchester 
 to Cedar Creek when the distant boom of cannon warned 
 him the "battle was on once more?" While there is a 
 
A DARING EXPLOIT. 47 
 
 Strong* basis of truth for the poem, yet, Hke "Barbara 
 Fretche,'' it has been somewhat ideahzecl by the poet. 
 
 When Sheridan awoke from sleep on the morning of 
 October 9, 1864, he heard sounds of irregular firing in 
 the distance, but thought little of it. In truth, the people 
 of Winchester would have deemed it strange if there 
 wasn't firing to a greater or less degree all the time. He 
 ate his breakfast, mounted his splendid black steed and 
 started out of Winchester at an easy gallop; but had not 
 gone far when he came upon sights that caused apprehen- 
 sion. Stragglers and baggage wagons appeared, and in 
 answer to his inquiries he was told that the Union troops 
 had met with serious disaster. By and by the road was so 
 choked with baggage wagons and wounded men that 
 progress was difficult, and Sheridan turned into the fields 
 and struck his horse into a swifter pace. Then when the 
 highway became more open, and he returned to it, only to 
 be stirred to indignation by sights of uninjured men, who, 
 having fled beyond danger, were grouped along both 
 sides of the road, boiling cofifee and cooking their break- 
 fwt. 
 
 The black steed was now thundering down the high- 
 way, and the rider was aflame with the spirit of battle. 
 Eight miles south of Winchester he passed through New- 
 town, where he met the first body of organized troops he 
 had seen since leaving Winchester. Captain McKinley had 
 been working with might and main to rally them and had 
 just succeeded. 
 
 "Where's Crook ?" demanded the fiery leader, and Cap- 
 tain McKinley wheeled his horse, and accompanied by 
 Sheridan set out tO' find him. The fire of conflict glowed 
 in the eyes of the commander as he sped down the line 
 with the disorganized troops, magnetized and thrilled by 
 
4S A DARING EXPLOIT. 
 
 the sight, trailing in behind, eager to go back and retake 
 what had been lost. 
 
 "With foam and with dust the black charger was gray ; 
 By the flash of his eye and his nostrils' play 
 He seemed to the whole great army to say, 
 *I have brought you Sheridan all the way 
 From Winchester town to save the day/ " 
 
 "Never mind, boys," called Sheridan, "we'll whip them 
 yet ! We shall sleep in our quarters to-night !" 
 
 The men threw their hats in air, cheered and dashed 
 after their leader, who made his way to the front of the 
 line, accompanied by Captain McKinley, where Generals 
 Wright and Crook were met, the events of the m.orning 
 quickly told and orders issued which resulted in one of the 
 most dashing and brilliant successes of the war. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 DEFEAT OF THE UNION TROOPS AT FISHER's HILL — THE 
 ''whirlwind in spurs'' A ROUT TURNED INTO DE- 
 CISIVE VICTORY END OF THE WAR SUMMARY OF 
 
 m'kINLEY's military SERVICES MUSTERED OUT A 
 
 STUDENT AT LAW — ADMISSION TO THE BAR — WAITING 
 FOR CLIENTS. 
 
 The Confederates at Fisher's Hill swept intO' the Union 
 camp like a cyclone. It was believed that if any attack 
 were made it would be upon the Union right, which ac- 
 cordingly was strengthened at the expense of the left. The 
 alert Early discovered this, and, in the darkness of night, 
 stealthily secured a position on the rear of the left, where 
 the Ohio troops were sleeping in fancied security. The 
 first streakings of light were dimly showing in the eastern 
 horizon, when a savage fire was opened on the left and 
 rear. The men leaped up from their blankets, but were 
 swept back by the yelling enemy, who captured nearly all 
 of the pickets and sent the rest scurrying toward Middle- 
 town. Eighteen of the Union guns were seized and 
 turned on the fleeing Federals, who fled in a wild stam- 
 pede. 
 
 Everything was going the way of the Confederates, and 
 they had only to press their advantage to complete the 
 overthrow of the panic-smitten camp, but, like all who 
 yield to temptation, their blunder proved fatal. The 
 abundant food and refreshment v<:Quld not be resisted. 
 Leaving the fugitives to keep up their flight, the famish- 
 ing enemy stopped short, ate, drank and made merr/. 
 
50 ADMISSION TO THS BAR. 
 
 General Early himself was a roystering, reckless man, 
 whose troops showed poor discipline, and he could do 
 little with his men when their inclinations ran contrary 
 to his orders. 
 
 General Wright did all in his power to stay the flight of 
 his troops, and by extraordinary exertions secured a 
 strong position several miles to the north of the Union 
 cam.p, where some of the fugitives were rallied aroimd 
 him. An attack vv^as speedily made upon him, but the 
 Confederates who were brought from their feasting and 
 drinking were so few and broken that they were repulsed 
 with severe loss. 
 
 It was shortly after this that General Sheridan arrived 
 on the field, dusty, perspiring, but eager and determined 
 to lead the soldiers back to Fisher's Hill and settle ac- 
 counts in his terrific fashion with General Early and his 
 men. 
 
 The magnetism of the "whirlwind in spurs** was resist- 
 less, and they went at their work with a hurrah. Early 
 had seen the peril gathering, and lost no time in establish- 
 ing his men behind stone walls and every shelter obtaina- 
 ble. They fought desperately, but nothing could stay the 
 impetuous dash of the Union troops, who drove every- 
 thing before them and turned a rout into one of the most 
 brilliant successes of the war. 
 
 The flying Confederates thought of nothing but escape 
 from the shouting foes at their heels. Wagons and pris- 
 oners were abandoned, guns thrown aside, and all joined 
 in a wild stampede that was continued until scores of the 
 fugitives dropped from exhaustion, and their tired pursu- 
 ers drew off and gave up the chase. Sheridan withdrew 
 to Kernstown, where the lines were fortified and every- 
 thing rendered safe against any possible attack from the 
 enemy. 
 
ADMISSION TO THE BAR. SI 
 
 So utter was the overthrow of the Confederates that 
 they were unable to again do anything in the Shenandoah 
 Valley during the remainder of the war. General Lee was 
 so affected by the disgraceful failure of Early that though 
 he was one of the Confederate Heutenant-generals he was 
 relieved of command. 
 
 One of the proudest remembrances of McKinley is the 
 gallant part he took in this picturesque and decisive vic- 
 tory. It was on the recommendation of General Sheridan 
 that he was promoted as brevet-m.ajor of the United States 
 volunteers ''for gallant and meritorious services at the 
 battles of Opequan, Cedar Creek and Fisher's Hill." Since 
 this was the last promotion he had an opportunity of win- 
 ning, the title of ''Major McKinley" is the military one 
 by which he will always be known. Who can doubt that 
 if the war had continued a year or more longer the golden 
 Btars of a brigadier or major-general would have shone 
 upon his shoulders? 
 
 A few weeks after the battle of Fisher's Hill the Con- 
 federate cavalry made a dash against the Baltimore & 
 Ohio Railway at New Creek, West Virginia, and General 
 Crook was sent thither with one of his divisions. His ad- 
 miration for the brilliant young Ohio officer caused him 
 to take him along ; but matters went awry with Crook, and 
 the enemy included him among a number of prisoners 
 taken. General Hancock was placed in command of the 
 department, and retained McKinley on his staff. He re- 
 mained with Hancock, faithfully meeting and discharg- 
 ing every duty until assigned as assistant adjutant-general 
 on the staff of General Carroll, commander of the veteran 
 reserve corps at Washington. 
 
 The last days of the Southern Confederacy were at 
 hand. Like a wounded lion, General Lee had turned at 
 bay behind the trenches at Petersburg, and his decimated 
 
5a ADMISSION TO THB BAR. 
 
 but brave army was making a gallant fight that could not 
 save but only prolong the death of the Lost Cause. On 
 the first of April, 1865, Grant opened a cannonade along 
 his entire front, and the following day broke the Confed- 
 erate line in several places; then the whole Confederate 
 front was assailed, and Lee and his army fled southward. 
 He telegraphed what was impending to Jefferson Davis 
 while he was sitting in his pew at church, and the Confed- 
 erate president saw that Richmond, which had withstood 
 all assaults for four years, was doomed. Davis and the 
 leaders of the Confederacy hastily gathered a few effects 
 together and sped swiftly away on a railway train. Then, 
 until the arrival of the Union troops, the once proud city 
 was given over to its own spoilers, v/ho plundered, burned 
 and made Richmond for a time like hades itself. 
 
 Lee continued retreating with his starving soldiers, but 
 at Appomattox Court House he v/as compelled to see that 
 the last ray of hope had vanished. There, on the ninth of 
 April, 1865, he surrendered what was left of the Army of 
 Northern Virginia, the long, bloody war came to an end 
 and the Union was restored. 
 
 Amid the general rejoicing, the speechmaking, the 
 burning of bonfires and the thunders of salute, every heart 
 suddenly «tood still, hushed by the crack of the assassin's 
 pistol that sent a ball through the brain of President Lin- 
 coln. 
 
 Happiness was turned to horror and mourning, and the- 
 whole world was shocked by the appalling crime. 
 
 Little did William McKinley suppose, as he joined in 
 the universal mourning that, in the years to come, he, too, 
 was destined to pass through a crucial period in the coun- 
 try's history as its President, and finally die in like man- 
 ner at the hands of an assassin when vv^ar had given place 
 to peace and prosperity. 
 
ADMISSION TO THE BAR. S3 
 
 The embers of the civil war still smoked and smoul- 
 dered. General Johnston surrendered to General Sher- 
 man April 26, and Dick Taylor, commanding the remain- 
 der of the Confederate forces east of the Mississippi, made 
 submission in May, as did all the naval forces of the Con- 
 federacy, then blockaded in the Tombigbee River. There 
 was fitful fighting here and there, and some of the hu- 
 miliated leaders fled from the country, but the war was 
 over and soon blessed peace reigned everywhere. 
 
 It is interesting to note that in November, 1864, Major 
 McKinley cast his first vote. Lincoln and Johnson had 
 been nominated for the highest two offices. The feeling 
 was so strong that the brave patriots who were doing the 
 fighting in the field should be allowed to express their 
 wishes by ballot that a law was passed giving them such 
 right, and their vote formed an important factor in de- 
 ciding that memorable election. 
 
 It will be recalled that the Union army to which Mc- 
 Kinley was attached was moving northward at the time. 
 j\n ambulance did duty as an election booth, and the votes 
 were collected and counted by the judges of election while 
 the soldiers were on the march. Besides McKinley, Gen- 
 erals Crook, Sheridan and Hayes cast their ballots, and 
 in the case of Crook and Sheridan it is said that it was 
 the first time either voted. 
 
 The mustering out of the Union soldiers began and 
 continued for several months. The total number fur- 
 nished during the war was 2,778,304, and the cost of pre- 
 serving the Union was 67,058 killed in battle, 43.012 who 
 died of wounds, and 199,720 who perished from disease, 
 with 40,154 who died from other causes, making an awful 
 total of 349,944 deaths in one of the greatest wars of mod- 
 ern times. 
 
 Then the armed hosts dissolved like snow in the sun, 
 
54 ADMISSION TO THE BAR. 
 
 The bronzed veterans laid aside sword and musket and 
 became peaceful, law-abiding citizens of the republic, and 
 the sun as it rolled through the heavens looked down and 
 smiled on the greatest people upon which it ever shone. 
 
 In closing the account of William McKinley's services 
 as a soldier of his country, it is proper to place on record 
 a summary of his patriotic work which made him a sea- 
 soned veteran at the age of twenty-two years and stamped 
 him as one of the bravest patriots who wore the blue in 
 that mighty struggle for the life of the nation. 
 
 With his regiment, or while on staff duty, he fought in 
 West Virginia, in the Army of the Potomac under Mc- 
 Clellan and in the Shenandoah Valley under Sheridan, 
 He was in all the early fights in West Virginia, at South 
 Mountain and Antietam, his first battle being Camifex 
 Ferry, September lo, 1861. Fearless and without re- 
 proach he fought at Townsend's Ferry, November 6; at 
 Laurel Hill, November 12; Camp Creek, May i, 1862; 
 New River, May 6 ; Pack's Ferry, New River, August 6 ; 
 in support of Pope's army, August 15; battle of South 
 Mountain, September 14; Antietam, September 16 and 
 17; Cloyd's Mountain, May 9, 1864; Buffalo Gap, June 
 6; Lexington, June 10; Otter Creek, June 16; Lynchburg, 
 June 17; Liberty, June 19; Buford Gap, June 20; Salem, 
 June 21; Sweet Sulphur Springs, June 25; in the cam- 
 paign against Early, July 14 to November 28; skirmish 
 at Cabletown, July 19; fight at Snicker's Ferry, July 21 ; 
 Winchester and Kernstown, July 23 and 24 ; Martinsburg, 
 July 25 ; Berryville, September 3 ; battle of Winchester, 
 September 19 ; Fisher's Hill, September 22 ; skirmish at 
 New Market, October 7 ; Cedar Creek, October 19, mak- 
 ing in all more than thirty battles and skirmishes, and at 
 the very front from beginning to end. When mustered 
 out, July 26, 1865, after more than four years of continu- 
 
ADMISSION TO THE BAR. 55 
 
 ous service, he had not missed a day's duty or a fight. As 
 a private soldier, he learned how to follow and obey, and 
 as an officer he learned how to lead where only the brav- 
 est dare follow. The weak, thin stripling of eighteen had 
 become a bronzed veteran, active, strong, with robust 
 health, a mind matured and the foundations of a brilliant, 
 useful and illustrious career laid, broad, firm and lasting. 
 Physically and mentally, his training had approached as 
 near perfection as it is possible to attain in this world, and 
 he was now become an American in the truest sense of 
 the word. 
 
 Tlie end of the great war saw a million men who had 
 been supported by the government thrown upon their own 
 resources. They had been consumers, and now they must 
 be producers. In other words, they must earn their own 
 living. 
 
 And they did it, like the true heroes they were. Back 
 they went into the workshop, the counting house, upon 
 the farm, at the book-keeper's desk, in the counting-room, 
 on the railways and steamboat lines, to the different trades 
 and professions, until ere long it was hard to understand 
 where the vast array of soldiers had gone and what had 
 become of them. 
 
 Hundreds of men made fortunes during the war. Not 
 only the contractors, but the officers took advantage of 
 their situations and carried home enormous sums of 
 money, to which they had no rightful claim. But the ma- 
 jority were honest. Had Major McKinley chosen, he 
 could have returned to his friends and people in Poland a 
 rich man ; but his integrity and Christian principles never 
 allowed him to be tempted to take a penny that did not 
 unquestionably belong to him. The veteran greeted his 
 proud father and mother and brothers and sisters with 
 
56 ADMISSION TO THE BAR.. 
 
 only the meagre wages that had been paid tO' him by the 
 government for services rendered. 
 
 Like the vast multitude, he had to decide by what 
 means he should earn his clothing and bread and butter. 
 
 More than one prominent military man v/ho had 
 watched his career urged him to stay in the army. His 
 merits and ability were certain to win promotion and hon- 
 ors, and his future would be secure. He felt himself too 
 old to enter college, even had he possessed the means to 
 complete his course, v/hich he did not. His inclination 
 was strong to remain in the military service, but after 
 mature deliberation he put the temptation, behind him 
 and decided to take up the study of the law, for which he 
 had a natural aptitude and a strong liking. He loved 
 study, was fond of debate, possessed what may be termed 
 a legal mind, and circumstances seemed to favor his 
 wishes. 
 
 Judge Charles E. Glidden, whom he held in the highest 
 esteem for his great attainments and m.any excellencies of 
 character, had his office in Youngstown, with David M. 
 Wilson as his partner, and he gladly welcomed the bright 
 young veteran as one of his students. 
 
 Major McKinley did not hesitate tO' renew the vast 
 draughts upon his constitution, necessitated by hours of 
 hard study continued far into the night ; for he possessed 
 an iron frame, perfect health and ran no such risks as 
 when a weak stripling at Allegheny College a few years 
 before. Twice a week he walked to Youngstown to re- 
 cite to Judge Glidden or Mr. Wilson, and made rapid and 
 thorough progress. Full of American pluck, he realized 
 the necessity of hard, persevering application to win suc- 
 cess. There is no royal road to learning, and he knew it. 
 
 Nature had gifted him with a pleasing address, and his 
 ability as a speaker was fully recognized. He acquitted 
 
ADMISSION TO THE BAR. 57 
 
 himself well and was proud of the honor that was his of 
 delivering the address at the dedication of the soldiers' 
 monument in his old home. And his neighbors were 
 equally proud of the young patriot, who had been bap- 
 tized in the flame of battle and gone brilliantly through 
 the war from its opening to its triumphant conclusion. 
 
 At the end of a year a serious problem confronted Mc- 
 Kinley. He was poor and would not allow his parents to 
 deny themselves comforts and necessities for his sake. He 
 could complete his course of study, but in the nature of 
 things, would not be able to earn a living for several years 
 to come. He asked himself whether it was not his duty 
 to enter upon a business career, for the sake of the sup- 
 port thus obtainable, while still pursuing his legal studies 
 as best he could. It would cost him a pang, thus to shelve 
 his ambition for an indefinite period, and, sorely per- 
 plexed, he did that which every boy or young man is 
 fortunate in possessing the privilege of doing. He went 
 to his elder sister Annie for counsel, just as he had done 
 before, knowing that her advice would be unselfish and 
 for the best. He had found it so in the past and was sure 
 \ to find it unchanged to the end. 
 
 ^ Annie was teaching school at Canton. Faithful and 
 talented, she was devoted to her work and was eminently 
 successful. She had saved a little money, and when she 
 heard the words of her brother and saw his perplexity, 
 she promptly said : 
 
 "You must not think of giving up your studies." 
 
 The brother suggested his lack of funds and his un- 
 willingness to be a burden upon the other members of the 
 family. 
 
 "It will be no sacrifice," she said; "or if it be consid- 
 ered such, we can share it among ourselves and the bur- 
 
58 ADMISSION TO THE BAR. 
 
 den will hardly be felt. Yes, William, you must keep up 
 your studies without intermission." 
 
 And then the skillful mathematician demonstrated to the 
 happy brother how readily the whole difficulty could be 
 overcome. Willing to be convinced of the possibility of 
 obtaining that which was so near to his heart, the happy 
 youth consented. He went to Albany and entered the 
 Ohio Law School, one of the finest institutions of its kind 
 in the West. 
 
 It need not be said that with every incentive to spur him 
 on, he gave all his remarkable energies of mind and body 
 to the work, with the inevitable result that two years after 
 his return from war he was admitted to the bar and fairly 
 launched upon the career that was to bring him fame and 
 honors of which he did not dream. 
 
 Taking counsel once more from his wise and self-sacri- 
 ficing sister, he changed his home to Canton, Ohio, en- 
 gaged a modest office in the rear of an antiquated build- 
 ing on the site of the present Stark County courthouse, 
 hung out his shingle, delved into his law books and hope- 
 fully awaited the coming of the most indispensable need 
 of every lawyer — clients. 
 
59 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 LAWYER m'kINLEY S FIRST CASE — A BOW-LEGGED COM- 
 PLAINANT'S DISCOMFITURE m'KINLEY ELECTED PROS- 
 ecuting attorney the case of mark hanna 
 
 Mckinley's marriage — a congressman at thirty- 
 four. 
 
 Lawyer McKinley sat in his little office and waited for 
 ttie clients who seemed to take a long- time to find out 
 the value of his services. He continued his legal studies, 
 improving the minutes and hours, for he knew that the 
 foundations of his profession can never be laid too broad- 
 ly, carefully and surely. Meanwhile, he would not have 
 been displeased if some of the people in need of legal as- 
 sistance had chosen to test his ability. 
 
 Such a brilliant record as young McKinley had made 
 in the war proved of help in several respects. The promi- 
 nent people in Canton spoke admiringly of his military 
 career and sought his acquaintance. His unaffected, 
 modest bearing, and his even, genial disposition added to 
 his popularity and the number of his friends continually 
 increased. 
 
 Russell, the biographer of McKinley, says that Judge 
 Belden, one of the leading advocates of the county, occu- 
 pied a fine office on the front of the same building with 
 McKinley. He admired the personality of the young at- 
 torney, and determined to throw what business he could 
 in his way, though McKinley took pains never to hint 
 any wish of the kind. 
 
 One day the judge dropped into the humble rear office 
 
6o LAWYER M'KINLEY'S FIRST CASE. 
 
 with the remark that he was not feeHng well. McKinley 
 looked up and expressed his sympathy, though he saw no 
 alarming evidences of death in the appearance of his vis- 
 itor. 
 
 "I believe I shall go home and rest; here are the papers 
 in a case that comes up to-morrow; I can't attend to it; 
 you must do it for me." 
 
 McKinley looked over the papers and made inquiries. 
 He saw that it was what is termed a replevin case of ap- 
 peal, of such doubtful issue that the judge admitted he had 
 little hope of winning. The young man, with something 
 like dismay, said: 
 
 "Really, I can't take the case, judge; it is wholly new 
 to me; the time is too short to prepare myself, and 
 besides, I have never yet tried a case." 
 
 "Well, there must be a first case with every lawyer, 
 provided he ever has any cases, and you may as well be- 
 gin with this. I shall leave it in your hands," said the 
 judge, bidding him good day and passing out. 
 
 McKinley was almost overwhelmed. Had the judge 
 permitted, he would have declined the business so kindly 
 offered, but he felt it would be a test of his mettle, and, as 
 was the rule of his life, he determind to do the best he 
 could. Locking himself in his office, he studied through 
 the entire night. By morning all the details had crystal- 
 lized in his mind. He snatched a brief nap, went to court 
 and presented the case with such forcible clearness that 
 he won the decision. 
 
 When Judge Beldon next met him, he brought a blush 
 to the face of McKinley by the warmth of his compli- 
 ments. At the same time, he put twenty-five dollars in 
 his hand. 
 
 "Why, judge, I can't accept so much as that for one 
 day's work," 
 
LAWYER M'KINLEV'S FIRST CASE. 6x 
 
 "I don't see any cause for worry," was the good-nr - 
 cured reply of the judge, "inasmuch as my retainer v/as 
 a hundred dollars." 
 
 Judge Belden was so well pleased with his young friend 
 that shortly after he made him a partner. The partner- 
 ship brought great success, and was not broken until the 
 death of Judge Belden in 1870. 
 
 All successful lawyers delight in recalling their early 
 struggles, when their pleadings over some petty cixse be- 
 fore a justice of the peac^ were made with as nmoh fervor 
 and eloquence as if the fate of the Union v,;as at stake. 
 Sometimes the result was defeat, but wheu an old lawyer 
 is left free to select his reminiscences, thtf victories which 
 he relates are sure to be largely in the majority. The 
 quaint incidents often tinged with hirrr'.or are alvv^ays inter- 
 esting;". 
 
 Shortly after McKinley became a partner of Judge 
 Belden he was asked to defend a surgeon, against whom 
 suit had been brought by a man w^iose broken leg he had 
 set. 
 
 The suit was for malpractice, tht complainant insisting 
 that through the fault of the surgeon the injured leg had 
 grown awry, and, so far as that particular branch of his 
 anatomy was concerned, he was shamefully bowlegged. 
 
 One of the most brilliant members of the Ohio bar was 
 the counsel of the complainant, who demanded heavy 
 damages. He brought his client into court, and in the 
 presence of the jury asked him to bare the leg that had 
 been maltreated. He obeyed and held up the twisted limb 
 for inspection, his looks plainly asking: 
 
 "Did you ever see anything worse than that?" 
 
 There was no mistake about it. No owner of such a 
 leg could ever take any pride in it, for it was bowed 
 frightfully. 
 
62 LAWYER M'KINIvBY'S FIRST CASE. 
 
 "There, gentlemen of the jury," roared the lawyer; "is 
 the evidence which even my learned friend on the other 
 side cannot question ; there is the convincing proof of the 
 negligence or incompetency of the surgeon who has de- 
 stroyed forever the symmetry of my client's perfect limb, 
 besides injuring him for life. I am sure that you intelli- 
 gent gentlemen will give my client the only remedy pos- 
 sible, and which can never fully compensate him for his 
 sufferings and loss, but may serve to teach the medical 
 men that a poor patient is entitled to the same skill and 
 considerate treatment that are given to the millionaire 
 and the man who is ready to pay a liberal fee for services/^ 
 
 When the lawyer finished his soul-stirring appeal he 
 sat down, and with an air of triumph, looked across to 
 McKinley, as if wondering whether he would dare open 
 his mouth in the way of reply; but McKinley had been 
 using his eyes. He noticed that the client's other trou- 
 sers' leg was folded and arranged in a peculiar manner. 
 When, therefore, the complainant was turned over to him 
 for cross-examination, McKinley said in a voice of brisk 
 command: "Bare the other leg!" 
 
 "I object!" interposed his lawyer; "the other leg is not 
 in the case; we claim damages for the one that has been 
 virtually destroyed, as the jury and your honor have ob- 
 served for yourselves." 
 
 "The request of the counsel is reasonable and proper; 
 the witness will bare the leg as counsel has directed." 
 There was no help for it, and much to the disgust of 
 
 the opposing counsel, his client slowly and shamefacedly 
 drew up the other trousers' leg. 
 
 Instantly jurors and spectators broke into laughter, for, 
 lo! the second leg was more twisted and "out of plumb" 
 than the first. The complainant had skillfully concealed 
 
lyAWYER M'KINLKY'S FIRST CASK. 63 
 
 the fact from every one except the alert McKi- ley. The 
 latter gravely rose to his feet, and when the merriment 
 had subsided, said: 
 
 "Nature seems to have done less for this man than my 
 client; I move that the suit be dismissed with the recom- 
 mendation that the complainant have his other leg broken 
 and set by my client, the surgeon." 
 
 Stark County seemed to be of the rock-ribbed Democ- 
 racy persuasion. When a Republican took the nomina- 
 tion for office, it was regarded as an empty honor, the 
 principal question being as to how large a majority his 
 i opponent would roll up against him. When, therefore, in 
 
 • 1869, McKinley was nominated for prosecuting attorney, 
 he himself had little expectation of winning, though he 
 hoped that the additional prominence might prove ulti- 
 mately of advantage in his profession. His opponent had 
 already held the office, but McKinley took the stump, 
 threw all his energies into the campaign, and, to the as- 
 tonishment of every one, was elected. He served two 
 years, was renominated, and came within a few votes of 
 being re-elected. 
 
 Mark A. Hanna, of Cleveland, was owner of extensive 
 I mining interests in Stark County, and naturally was in- 
 i volved now and then in trouble with his employees over 
 ^ the question of wages. A number quit work, passions be- 
 came inflamed, and there was considerable destruction of 
 property. Twenty-three of the ringleaders were arrested 
 and brought to trial. Their friends secured McKinley to 
 defend them. He pleaded their cause with such force and 
 ;| eloquence that, with a single exception, all were ac- 
 
 • quitted. 
 
 The ability of the young lawyer attracted the attention 
 of l^.Tr. y~^r^v,^'\ vho zovp'^-'^f his acnti?!nt2iice. 
 
64 I^AWYER M'KINLEY'S FIRST CASH. 
 
 
 "McKinley," said he, ''there was only one possibly hi- 
 nocent man in that whole group." 
 
 ''Which was he?" asked the lawyer. 
 
 "The one you failed to have acquitted." 
 
 A strong friendship was formed between McKinley 
 and Hanna, and every one knows of the immeasurable 
 help the capitalist rendered the Republican candidate ii: 
 the national campaign of 1896. 
 
 McKinley won success at the bar because he deserved 
 it and pursued the only path by which real success can be 
 attained in this life. He was thoroughly grounded in his 
 profession, and, when he took a case, he devoted the ut- 
 most ability he possessed to the interests of his client. He 
 studied all the points and looked upon nothing as too in- 
 significant for serious attention. The poor man received 
 as conscientious service as the millionaire client, and the 
 impoverished widow and orphan found in him a friend 
 who cheerfully did all he could to secure their rights. 
 
 His reputation as a public speaker increased. He al- 
 ways showed an intelligent interest in politics. When 
 Congressman R. B. Hayes became a candidate for Gov- 
 ernor, McKinley took the stump for him. It was at the 
 time of what is remembered as the "greenback craze." 
 The greenbackers insisted that the entire bonded debt 
 of the Government should be paid in greenbacks instead 
 of coin, while their opponents, represented by Hayes, fa- 
 vored what was known as sound money or coin. McKin- 
 lev contributed much to the success of Hayes in his 
 Gubernatorial campaign. 
 
 McKinley would have been an exception to the rule 
 with all bright, sensible and good young men, had he 
 failed to fall in love long before the incidents which we 
 have been relating. James A. Saxton was a banker, capi- 
 •talist and one of the most prominent men in the flourish- 
 
lyAWYBR M'KINLHY'S FIRST CASH. 65 
 
 ing town of Canton. His daughter Ida was born in June, 
 1847, ^^<^ received every care and educational advantage. 
 She inherited great strength of character, marked busi- 
 ness abihty, and a bright, sunshiny disposition. She was 
 graduated from Media Seminary at the age of sixteen, and 
 her father, in order to give her an excellent business 
 training, took her as his assistant in his bank, where she 
 aided him for three years. 
 
 It is said that the parent was actuated by several mo- 
 tives in pursuing this somewhat unusual course, for 
 young ladies who are heiresses are the last ones in all the 
 world to seek or wish to support themselves. He desired 
 her to be independent, and he was so deeply attached to 
 her, and so sensible at the same time of her accomplish- 
 ments and attractions, that he thought with sorrow of the 
 likelihood of losing her through marriage. Recognizing 
 at the same time the almost ab:->olute certainty of such an 
 event, he determined to keep her by him through the 
 most susceptible years of her young womanhood, so as to 
 lessen the danger of her making an ill-advised match. 
 She matured into a sweet, beautiful woman, of many ac- 
 complishments, and all the virtues that belong to her sex. 
 
 At the end of her three years in the bank she took a six 
 months' vacation, going abroad with her sister and a 
 number of friends under the care of one of her former 
 teachers. When she returned and was a social favorite in 
 Canton, William McKinley, just elected prosecuting at- 
 torney of the county, quickly became one of her most de- 
 voted admirers. He had many rivals, and, like all true 
 love*s, was in doubt at times whether he really had any 
 ground for hope. She was the teacher of a large Bible 
 class in the First Presbyterian Church, while McKinley 
 was superintendent of the Sunday school of the First 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. Naturally they found it 
 
66 lyAWYER M'KINLKY'S FIRST CASE. 
 
 convenient to make their short journeys together, in 
 going to and returning from their Sunday duties. They 
 were congenial in their natures, there was always much 
 to say about the sacred work in which they were engaged, 
 and the tender attachment between them all in good time 
 ripened into love. Other suitors saw how matters were 
 going and stepped aside in favor of the rising young law- 
 yer, who when he proposed marriage was accepted. Upon 
 asking the consent of the father, he was ansv/ered by a 
 prompt affirmative, with the hearty remark that Mc- 
 Kinley was the only young man the parent knew to whom 
 he would intrust his daughter. They were married Jan- 
 uary 25, 1 871. 
 
 One loves to linger on the beautiful and touching pic- 
 ture of the married Hfe of this couple, who are as much 
 lovers to-day as when they stood before the altar in Can- 
 ton and were made man and wife. Sorrows came to 
 them. Within the space of a few months, the mother of 
 Mrs. McKinley and her own two little children — all that 
 were ever born to her — were removed by death. Of deli- 
 cate health from childhood, these afflictions made her a 
 permanent invalid. 
 
 But as domestic grief shadowed the household, it 
 brought the husband and wife closer together. She be- 
 lieved she had the best and noblest man ever born for 
 her life partner, while there was never a doubt in his 
 mind that he was the most favored of men in being 
 blessed with such a wife. They were never willingly sep- 
 arated for more than the briefest possible period, and 
 when obliged to part for a time, the telegraph always kept 
 each informed of the other's welfare. There was no wait- 
 ing for the slow-going mails, where such love held reign. 
 
 It was because of his tender and reverential affection 
 for his invalid wife that McKinley shrank from accepting 
 
I^AWYER M'KINLKY'S FIRST CASE. 67 
 
 the additional public offices that by and by were offered 
 to him. Could he have followed his own feeling-s, he 
 would have turned his back upon them all, lest the exact- 
 ing duties might deprive his wife of a part of the attention 
 it was his highest pleasure to lavish upon her. 
 
 It was Mrs. McKinley herself who caused him to 
 change his mind. Each believed the other the wisest of 
 his or her kind, and when she argued that it was his 
 duty to give his talents and integrity to the people, he 
 was convinced while she helped with such practical ad- 
 vice and assistance that he was encouraged in following 
 a path that was by no means strewed at all times with 
 roses. Thus she has always been his good angel, and the 
 tender, reverential devotion between the two has been a 
 lesson in conjugal felicity than v^^hich no sweeter was ever 
 known. 
 
 McKinley's success at the bar, his impressiveness as a 
 public speaker, and his captivating personality, made him 
 a power not only in the county but throughout his native 
 State. Before long his name was mentioned in connec- 
 tion with Congress, and when he consented to become a 
 candidate, he received the nomination on the first ballot, 
 over all his rivals, of whom there were a number. So 
 great was the esteem in which he was held that these 
 rivals, although naturally disappointed at first, turned to 
 and became the most ardent workers for his success. At 
 the age of thirty-four he was elected to Congress, it being 
 the centennial year of our independence. 
 
 There is little opportunity, as a rule, for a new Con- 
 gressman to display his ability, no matter how marked it 
 may be. The Speaker assigns him to an inferior place on 
 some unimportant committee, and, if he is wise, he de- 
 votes most of his time to informing himself, listening, and, 
 as the common expression goes, "learning the ropes." 
 
68 LAWYER M'KINLBY'S FIRST CASE. 
 
 Mr. McKinley had made a profound study of economic 
 questions, and by speaking only when he deemed it his 
 duty, and when fully prepared, soon came to be known 
 as a sensible member, who spoke because he had some- 
 thing to say. His judgment was so clear, and he was so 
 astonishingly well informed that he was often consulted 
 by other members, and never did he fail tO' give interest- 
 ing information. 
 
 Among those who were attracted by the brilliancy of 
 the new member from Ohio was James G. Blaine, the 
 Maine statesman. Their views on public questions were 
 similar, and Blaine invited him to visit his State and help 
 in the October elections. In his "Twenty Years in Con- 
 gress" Mr. Blaine gives the following tribute to the sub- 
 ject of this biography: 
 
 ''William McKinley, Jr., entered from the Canton dis- 
 trict. He enlisted in an Ohio regiment when but seven- 
 teen years old, and soon won the rank of major by meri- 
 torious services. The interests of his constituency and 
 his own bent of mind led him to the study of industrial 
 questions, and he was soon recognized in the House as 
 one of the most thorough statisticians and one of the 
 blest defenders of the doctrine of protection." 
 
■'■'r'f 
 
 CHAPTER VIL 
 
 '^gerrymandering'" — m'kinley's re-election to con- 
 gress THE TARIFF FREE TRADE AND PROTECTION — ■ 
 
 m'kINLEY's DEFEAT HIS LOYALTY TO HIS FRIENDS 
 
 HIS REFUSAL OF A DAZZLING HONOR HIS SENSE OF 
 
 HONOR, 
 
 The excellent record made by Major McKinley during 
 his first term in Congress won the commendation of his 
 constituents and his renomination followed quite as a 
 matter of course. At the same time also it drew the at- 
 tention of the Democrats, who decided that their interests 
 demanded the defeat of so able an opponent. He was 
 altogether too aggressive an enemy to be allowed to lead 
 in the ranks of the opposition. 
 
 The second Vice-President of the United States to die 
 in office (George Clinton, serving with Madison, being 
 the first) was Elbridge Gerry, who also served with Mad- 
 ison. He had been a delegate to the Continental Con- 
 gress, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and 
 one of the framers of the Constitution, though he refused 
 to sign it. He was a member of Congress for several 
 terms, and once saved himself from capture by the British 
 by hiding in a cornfield. While Governor of Massachu- 
 setts, in 1810 and 181 1, he set on foot the plan of redis- 
 tricting the State for the benefit of his own political party. 
 Because of this, the scheme was given the name of "gerry- 
 mandering," and the dominant political parties have fol- 
 lowed the unfair system ever since. Consequently, if it 
 
70 '^GERRYMANDERING.'* 
 
 is to be censured, the censure belongs equally to Repub- 
 licans as well as Democrats. 
 
 When Major McKinley was renominated, the State 
 Legislature was Democratic, and to bring about his de- 
 feat, it resorted to gerrymandering. His new district in- 
 cluded Stark, Wayne, Ashland and Portage counties, 
 which were considered safe for nearly 2,000 majority, as 
 they had proven in the previous elections. 
 
 Major McKinley was not the man to be dismayed by 
 the formidable, and, as many regarded it, hopeless task 
 before him. He threw all his energies into the canvass, 
 his friends rallied to his support, he spoke continuously, 
 discussing the public questions from his point of view, "he 
 gained recruits by the hundred, and when the votes came 
 to be counted after the close of the polls, behold! he was 
 re-elected by a majority of 1,300. It w^as one of the 
 most decisive triumphs in a career marked by many suc- 
 cesses and victories. 
 
 As a Congressman, he grew rapidly in the estimation 
 of his associates of both political parties, who could not 
 fail to recognize his great ability, his vast resources of 
 information, his comprehensive grasp of economical ques- 
 tions, his impressive sincerity, his skill as a debater, and 
 his unflinching integrity. 
 
 Major McKinley was a candidate for a third term, in 
 the national election of 1880, which placed James A. Gar- 
 field in the Presidential chair. No single mxan contributed 
 more to Garfield's success than McKinley, upon whom 
 the calls for help in making speeches for the candidate 
 were so numerous that his endurance was taxed to its 
 utmost verge. With the superb physique due to his sol- 
 dier's life, his temperance and careful habits, he bore the 
 strain without a single breakdown, and in the Forty- 
 seventh Congress took the place on the Ways and Means 
 
"GERRYMANDERING." 71 
 
 Committee left by Garfield, and was accepted by all as 
 one of the leaders of the House^ which had a Republican 
 majority. 
 
 The tariff question has been a subject of discussion 
 and legislation in Congress almost from the foundations 
 of the government, and no man can foresee when laws 
 shall find a place on the statute books of so beneficent a 
 nature as to be accepted by all and lay the question to 
 rest. President McKinley's name will be forever remem- 
 bered in connection with the cause of protection. He was 
 its leading champion for years, and was firm in his belief 
 that there should be a tariff on such imported articles as 
 are similar to those manufactured in our own country. 
 He contended that by placing a duty on such goods when 
 brought from abroad, the im.porters could not afford to 
 sell them at the low prices that would make the manu- 
 facture of the same class of goods by Americans un- 
 profitable. The wages paid to laborers abroad were, he 
 argued, so lovv^ that unless duties were imposed, the for- 
 eign manufacturers could sell their products here for prices 
 that would compel oitr own manufacturers to close their 
 mills. 
 
 The friends of free trade, who would have abolished 
 such duties, denied this, and claimed that the imposition 
 of duties compelled the purchaser to pay higher prices for 
 his goods, and, since the laborers were also consumers, 
 they were obliged to pay this advance, thereby gaining no 
 benefit through the operation of the tariff. 
 
 This is not the place to discuss the question of tariff 
 and free trade, for the ablest of men differ in their views. 
 There is much to be said on both sides of the question, 
 and the subject is one that demands careful study and 
 thought. It was the tariff that caused the nullification 
 movement in South Carolina in 1832, when that fiery 
 
71 "GERRYMANDERING." 
 
 State threatened to withdraw from the Unioiio At that 
 time the South had very few or no manufactures, and the 
 result of the imposition of duties was that she was com- 
 pelled to pay higher prices for the goods she needed than 
 if free trade prevailed. She contended that the tariff 
 benefited the North and injured the South, which was 
 true. Henry Clay, the champion of the "American Sys- 
 tem,^' helped to soothe the resentment of the South by se- 
 curing the passage of laws that provided for a gradual 
 lessening of the duties, though absolute free trade has 
 never existed in this country. 
 
 The year 1882 brought a Democratic landslide. Na- 
 tional attention was drawn to Grover Cleveland by his 
 stupendous success in being elected Governor of New 
 York with a majority of 192,999, while his party were tri- 
 umphant almost everywhere. Major McKinley's old dis- 
 trict had been restored to him, and his success was se- 
 cured by the trifling majority of eight votes. His Demo- 
 cratic opponents contested the election. The question oc- 
 cupied the attention of Congress throughout most of the 
 session, during which McKinley retained his seat and ren- 
 dered his party and country good service. In the end, 
 however, the Democratic House unseated him in favor of 
 his opponent. 
 
 One of the most admirable traits in the character of the 
 illustrious Grant was his loyalty to his friends. When he 
 once gave his faith to a man nothing less than proof of 
 unworthiness as clear as the sunlight could cause him to 
 withdraw that faith, and when he did so he suffered more 
 than the man that had betrayed his confidence. 
 
 This trait has always been a marked feature in the 
 character of Major McKinley, his sense of honor and 
 chivalry being so ingrained and imbedded in his nature 
 
that it may be said no circumstances ever tempted him to 
 betray a friend or forget his pHghted word. 
 
 How many men, when the dazzHng ofifer of a nomina- 
 tion for the Presidency of the United States, with an al- 
 most equal certainty of election, was made would not for- 
 get their promises of support to a rival and rush forward 
 to seize the prize? Our political history proves that this 
 has been done more than once. Twice the opportunity 
 was offered to Major McKinley, and twice he spurned 
 the glittering honor, as promptly and decisively as did 
 Washing'ton when his soldiers offered to make him king. 
 
 Mr. McKinley attended the national Repubhcan con- 
 vention as a supporter of James G. Blaine. John Sher- 
 man was a candidate, and Ohio being his native State, 
 he had many friends, but the sentiment of the State as a 
 whole favored the Maine statesman. Sherman esteem.ed 
 and respected McKinley none the less for his sentiments. 
 In the convention for the election of delegates, Major 
 McKinley presided. The strife between the Blaine and 
 Sherman men threatened a deadlock, and to end the 
 struggle McKinley was nominated as the second dele- 
 gate-at-large. 
 
 He thanked his friends for the honor, but said he had 
 assured other candidates that he would not enter the con- 
 test against them, and under no circumstances could he do 
 so. The convention refused to accept his refusal. One of 
 the members leaped upon the platform, put the motion 
 and it was carried by a big majority. McKinley ruled that 
 the motion had not prevailed. Amid a scene of wild con- 
 fusion, General Grosvenor put the motion a second time 
 and declared it carried, the majority drowning the oppo- 
 sition, if there was any. All this time, McKinley was 
 thumping with his gavel, and when something approach- 
 ing quiet was obtained, he insisted that the motion had 
 
74 "GERRYMANDERING.'* 
 
 not been carried, and that the balloting should proceed 
 upon the names already before the house, with his own 
 excluded. 
 
 "Appeal ! appeal !" was shouted from all parts of the 
 hall ; "we appeal from the decision of the chair !" 
 
 McKinley was the only self-possessed man amid that 
 shouting throng. His face was flushed, but in a clear 
 voice he put the motion on the appeal, as he was required 
 to do by parliamentary law. A thumping majority de- 
 clared against his decision, and then followed a singular 
 scene. 
 
 McKinley refused to acknowledge the validity of Gen- 
 eral Grosvenor's motion, who, just as stubborn as the 
 chairman, now rose to his feet on a point of order and 
 insisted that as McKinley had just been elected a delegate- 
 at-large by acclamation, it only remained for the conven- 
 tion to elect his twO' colleagues. McKinley overruled the 
 point of order and declared that the business before the 
 convention was the selection of three delegates-at-large. 
 Again the decision was disputed, and, seeing the drift of 
 matters, McKinley made an earnest appeal to the conven- 
 tion to sustain his contention. Despite every effort, and 
 the use of all the parliamentary tactics at his command, he 
 was elected a delegate-at-large, the honor being literally 
 forced upon him. His passionate resistance, as has been 
 stated, was due to his promise to several of the candidates 
 not to accept the honor so long as their names were before 
 the convention. A politician thus scrupulous must often 
 have a lonely feeling. 
 
 At the National Republican Convention that met in Chi- 
 cago in 1884, and placed James G. Blaine in nomination, 
 Major McKinley was made chairman of the Committee 
 on Resolutions. In a distinct voice, he read the platform 
 and was heartily applauded. The battle between Sherman 
 
*'GBRRYMANDERING.'» 75 
 
 and Blaine was of a determined character. All the signs 
 pointed to Sherman's success, when McKinley by his tact 
 and masterful generalship rallied the Blaine forces and 
 brought about the nomination of the ''White Plumed 
 Knight," as his friends in their devotion called him. 
 
 Besides assisting with all his ability in the canvass of 
 Blaine, Major McKinley had his own interests to look 
 after. He had been renominated and his opponents re- 
 sorted to gerrymandering again, but without avail, for 
 once more he was returned to Congress by a good ma- 
 jority. 
 
 McKinley's Congressional career extended over nearly 
 fourteen years, and it served tO' elevate him to the very 
 front rank of statesmen. In the Fiftieth Congress oc- 
 curred his memorable and brilliant battle against the Mills 
 bill, which was in the interests of free trade. The ma- 
 jority of the Ways and Means Committee reported the 
 bill. Mr. McKinley wrote the minority report. The 
 earnestness of the struggle is shown by the fact that the 
 debate continued for twenty-three days and eight even- 
 ings, during which one hundred and fifty-one long 
 speeches were made. Then followed a debate by para- 
 graphs for twenty-eight days, ending with the passage 
 of the bill, July 21, 1888, by a vote of 162 to 149. 
 
 It was not long after this famous debate that Major 
 McKinley attended the national convention in Chicago^ as 
 the delegate from Ohio in the interests of John Sherman 
 as a candidate for the Presidency. Despite the declina- 
 tion of Blaine, who' was in Europe, he had a number of 
 ardent friends in the convention who placed him in nomi- 
 nation. On the first ballot nineteen candidates were voted 
 for, the leaders being John Sherman, Walter O. Gresham, 
 Russell A. Alger and Benjamin Harrison. Wlien the name 
 of Connecticut was reached, McKinley was placed in 
 
76 •'GERRYMANDERING.' 
 
 nomination, amid a flutter of applause. A few scatter- 
 ing votes were added on the second ballot. An adjourn- 
 ment followed, and upon reassembling, the vote for Mc- 
 Kinley increased. The leaders maintained their positions, 
 aid the friends of Blaine were aggressive and enthusias- 
 tic. Thoughtful Republicans saw the prospect of a dead- 
 lock, and began advising the dropping of the leaders and 
 a concentration upon a "dark horse," like McKinley. The 
 Republican Congressmen in Washington sent him a tele- 
 gram urging him to agree to this course. McKinley did 
 not deem it good taste to decline a nomination that seemed 
 remote ; but on the final rollcall it became evident that a 
 stampede was gathering in his favor. When he could no 
 longer shut his eyes to the fact, he sprang upon his chair 
 at the head of the Ohio delegation and demanded recogni- 
 tion. An instant hush fell upon the turbulent assemblage, 
 and all eyes were turned toward the stocky form with his 
 pale face and flashing eyes. 
 
 "Mr. President and Gentlemen," he said in his ringing 
 tones, "I am here as one of the chosen representatives of 
 my State. I am here by resolution of the Republican State 
 Convention, passed without a single dissenting voice, com- 
 manding me to cast my vote for John Sherman for Presi- 
 dent, and to use every worthy endeavor for his nomina- 
 tion. I accepted the trust because my heart and judgment 
 were in accord with the letter and spirit and purpose of 
 that resolution. It has pleased certain delegates to cast 
 their votes for me for President. I am not insensible to 
 the honor they would do me, but in the presence of the 
 duty resting upon me, I cannot with honor remain silent. 
 I cannot consistently with the wish of the State whose cre- 
 dentials I bear and which has trusted me; I cannot with 
 honorable fidelity to John Sherman, who has trusted me 
 in his cause and with his confidence ; I cannot, consistently, 
 
**GKRRYMANDKRING.»' 7^ 
 
 with my own views of personal integrity, consent, or seem 
 to consent, to permit my name to be used as a candidate 
 before this convention. I would not respect myself if I 
 could find it in my heart to do so, or permit to be done that 
 which could even be ground for any one to suspect that 
 I wavered in my devotion to the chief of my State's choice, 
 and the chief of mine. I do not request, I demand, that 
 no delegate who would not cast reflection upon me shall 
 cast a ballot for me.'* 
 
 These were brave and loyal words, and increased the 
 admiration felt for the Ohio statesman, but the most dra- 
 matic scene came, afterward. Despite his positive and 
 resolute declension, the feeling that he was the right man 
 to be nominated spread and intensified among the delega- 
 tions after the adjournment of the convention, and the 
 signs grew more unmistakable that in spite of his pro- 
 tests he would be nominated. Indignant and distressed, 
 he went to the Connecticut delegation and insisted that 
 they should respect his wishes and give up their intention. 
 He could secure only a half promise and hastened to the 
 New Jersey delegation, of which Garret A. Hobart was 
 chairman. Hobart, who is cne of the brightest and keen- 
 est-witted of the younger American statesmen, was an old 
 friend, and when he heard McKinley's complaint, he 
 smilingly answered that he didn't see that the major had 
 anything to say in the matter. The New Jersey delegation 
 was accountable only to the Republicans of their State 
 and the members would take the step that was undoubt- 
 edly the wisest one to take. McKinley declined to accept 
 this answer and demanded to know the intention of the 
 New Jersey delegation. 
 
 b. "Since you are so earnest about it," replied Hobart, 'T 
 will say that we have decided to cast our vote for William 
 .McKinley, Jr., of Ohio." 
 
78 * ' GERRYMANDERING. ' » 
 
 The major shook his head and asked to see the dele- 
 gates themselves. When he appeared before them he 
 pled with all the earnestness of his nature that they 
 would respect his feelings and do as he desired. Raising 
 his right arm, he solemnly said : 
 
 **I should rather lose that arm than accept the nomina- 
 tion, the circumstances being as they are." 
 
 The delegates were deeply moved and assured him his 
 wishes should be respected. He thanked them deeply and 
 then made a plea for their support of John Sherman, 
 doing the same with the other delegates, until he suc- 
 ceeded in turning the tide, with the result that Benjamin 
 Harrison became the nominee and was elected twenty- 
 third President of the United States. 
 
 A prominent politician took the hand of Major Mc- 
 Kinley and said : 
 
 "The politics of our country contain no record of a 
 more honorable act than your refusal of the nomination 
 in 1888." 
 
 "Do you consider it an honorable act," asked McKinley, 
 "to refuse to do a dishonorable thing?" 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE m'kINLEY bill HIS ARDUOUS LABOR HIS DEFEAT 
 
 FOR CONGRESS HIS ELECTION AS GOVERNOR OF OHIO 
 
 m'kINLEY's loyalty again DISPLAYED HIS 
 
 COURSE AS GOVERNOR A CRUSHING FINANCIAL BLOV/ 
 
 HIS MANLY COURSE HIS SECOND TERM AS GOV- 
 ERNOR HIS GREAT POPULARITY m'kINLEY AS A PO- 
 LITICAL CAMPAIGNER. 
 
 It was in the Fifty-first Congress that Major McKinley, 
 as chairman for the Committee on Ways and Means, in- 
 troduced and secured the passage of the tariff bill that is 
 known by his name. It became a law October i, 1890. 
 His modesty led him always to speak of the measure as 
 *'The Tariff of 1890," by which title he preferred it should 
 be known, but one of the American peculiarities is that 
 of calling things by their right names, as was proven in 
 this instance. 
 
 Both branches of Congress were Republican, but there 
 was a majority of only two in the Senate and three in 
 the House. This margin was so slight that Speaker Reed 
 brought into force his rule that in counting a quorum, all 
 present should be counted, whether they voted or refused 
 to vote. The contention, although new, was sustained by 
 the Supreme Court, and Major McKinley was one of its 
 strongest advocates. 
 
 Few people understand the mountainous work done by 
 McKinley in the framing of this measure. Flenry B. Rus- 
 sell, his biographer, says : 
 
 *'The room of the Committee on Vv^ays and Means at 
 
^o THE M'KINIyEy Bll^t. 
 
 the Capitol, and his little office at the Ebbitt House were 
 the liveliest workshops in. Washington during the Fifty- 
 first Congress. The industry of framing the bill ran day 
 and night, into the small hours. The committee met in 
 its room at the Capitol to hear all who wished to be heard 
 on the bill, manufacturers, laborers, importers, free tra- 
 ders and protectionists. The McKinley bill was no' "closed 
 door" affair. Not a single interest, asking tO' be heard, 
 was refused. At the very beginning, McKinley announced 
 that he would listen to the testimony of any of the great 
 interests of the country until the bill was finally passed. 
 So frank and open was he in his work that the business 
 of the country continued in a feeling of absolute security. 
 There was no distrust, and rumors could not be used in 
 Wall street to shake the foundations of finance or frighten 
 commercial and business men. Wheels turned and looms 
 hummed with no interruption." 
 
 Meanwhile, the Democrats secured possession of the 
 Ohio Legislature and determined to make their next ger- 
 rymander so all-embracing that McKinley's re-election 
 would be absolutely impossible. All the rock-ribbed Dem- 
 ocratic counties that could be hocked around Stark County 
 were made fast, a popular and able candidate was nomi- 
 nated and even David B. Hill, of New York, went to Ohio 
 to help down the foremost champion of protection. The 
 whole country became interested in the contest, and await- 
 ed the issue with close attention. Of course, McKinley 
 was defeated, but instead of the usual Democratic major- 
 ity of m.ore than 3,000, only 302 was recorded against him. 
 When the vast successes of the Democratic party else- 
 where are borne in mind, it will be conceded that McKin- 
 ley in the fairest sense of the word had won a victory. 
 
 The worth and towering ability of the man were too 
 great for his party to allow him to remain in the back- 
 
THE M'KINIvBY BILL. 8l 
 
 ground. Hardly was his failure known when his friends 
 m Ohio began discussing his nomination, for the Govern- 
 orship. Hie proposal instantly "caught on.'* At the Co- 
 lumbus convention, presided over by John Sherman., his 
 was the only name presented, and his nomination took 
 place in a whirlwind of enthusiasm. The platform was a 
 protection one and in favor of ''sound money." 
 
 James E. Campbell was his opponent. He had been 
 elected Governor two years before, by a plurality of more 
 than 10,000 upon a platform declaring against protection 
 and favoring the free coinage of silver. The claim was 
 made and often heard that Major McKinley had been per- 
 manently retired from politics and could not come within 
 a thousand miles of success, but when the votes were 
 counted it was found that his plurality over Campbell 
 was more than 20,000 votes. The truth began to appear 
 that McKinley was a hard man to kill. 
 
 On the nth of January, 1892, he was inaugurated Gov- 
 ernor of Ohio. His administration was dignified, patri- 
 otic and able, winning the respect of its political oppo- 
 nents, among whom he was always able to count many 
 devoted personal friends. 
 
 It was not long after Governor McKinley's inaugura- 
 tion that another Presidential election occurred. He ex- 
 pressed himself strongly in favor of Harrison's renomina- 
 tion, and his own election, as delegate-at-large from Ohio 
 was with the understanding that the vote of the delega- 
 tion should be cast for Harrison. McKinley was chosen 
 permanent chairman of the convention which met at Min- 
 neapolis. 
 
 A strong minority was opposed to the renomlnation of 
 Harrison, and the most influential of the Republican lead- 
 ers advocated the nomination of McKinley. Once more 
 he was threatened with the embarrassing situation in 
 
82 THE M'KINLEY BILL. 
 
 which he was placed four years before, since he had 
 pledged his support to Harrison, and it is not too much 
 to say that the certainty of his own overwhelming elec- 
 tion at the polls would not have tempted him to violate his 
 pledge. 
 
 When the balloting began, scattering votes appeared 
 for McKinley ; acting as chairman, he remained silent, for 
 the vote v/as too insignificant to be feared, but he kept 
 close watch upon it. When the name of Ohio, hovvrever, 
 was called, ex-Governor Foraker announced that forty- 
 four were cast for McKinley. The latter instantly stopped 
 the call and challenged the vote. 
 
 ''The gentlem.an at present is not a member of the dele- 
 gation," replied Foraker. 
 
 *T am a delegate from Ohio," said McKinley, while 
 the uproar and confusion almost drowned his voice. 
 
 But Foraker was not to be turned down in this sum- 
 mary fashion. 
 
 "The gentleman's alternate has taken his place in the 
 delegation," said the ex-Governor, "and we make the 
 point of order that the gentleman is not recognized as a 
 member of the delegation." 
 
 "The chairman overrules the point of order," was Mc- 
 Kinley's sturdy reply ; "and asks the secretary to call the 
 roll of Ohio and I demand that my vote be counted." 
 
 Accordingly, the roll was called, with the result that 
 Harrison received two votes and McKinley forty-two. 
 Then the gentleman who had cast a vote for Harrison 
 arose and asked that it be recorded for McKinley. The 
 latter's alternate announced that at the urgent request of 
 McKinley he cast his vote for Harrison. Ohio's poll finally 
 stood one for Harrison and forty-five for McKinley. 
 
 When the call of Texas was reached, McKinley called 
 a member to the chair, and, taking the floor, moved that 
 
THB m'kinle;y bill. 83 
 
 the nomination of Harrison be made unanimou". Though 
 the motion was seconded, it was objected to because the 
 rollcall was not completed. Thereupon McKinley with- 
 drew it, but immediately renewed the motion upon the 
 completion of the call. He had received 182 votes de- 
 spite his protest, but upon his urgent insistence, the nomi- 
 nation of Harrison was made unanimous. 
 
 Then from more than one quarter of the hall sounded 
 the words of prophecy : 
 
 ''Your turn, Major, will come in 1896." 
 
 The Republicans made a vigorous canvass, but, as every 
 one knows, Harrison was defeated by Cleveland. 
 
 Governor McKinley's first administration was compar- 
 atively uneventful. Among the measures he recom- 
 mended was legislation for the safety and comfort of rail- 
 way employees and the traveling public. Better than all, 
 he secured the passage of a law providing for a State 
 Board of Arbitration. When in Congress he had been a 
 staunch advocate of arbitration, not only between indi- 
 viduals but nations. The law enacted in Ohio favored ar- 
 bitration, but did not compel it, and it was made free of 
 expense to the parties concerned. 
 
 The times became more stormy during his second term 
 as Governor. Congress set about repealing the McKin- 
 ley Act, and one of tliose periods of financial depression 
 such as smote the United States in 1837 and 1857, and 
 which no man can foresee nor human wisdom provide 
 against, settled over the country. Numerous labor strikes 
 occurred in Ohio, and the Board of Arbitration had found 
 its hands full. Though not required to do so, the Gov- 
 ernor made the board non-partisan, and it did its work 
 conscientiously. Fifteen of the twenty-eight strikes, in 
 which many thousand employees were involved, v/ere set- 
 tled by the board. 
 
84 THK M'KINI.KY BILI.. 
 
 Governor McKinley's course while in office was credita- 
 ble to him as a man, a Christian and a lover of his kind. 
 He sent food to starving miners, assuming all responsibil- 
 ity for payment and asking no one to contribute, though 
 it was done; he urged arbitration, and by securing it in 
 many instances brought troubles tO' an end after they had 
 continued for months ; he was as insistent with capitalists 
 as with their employees that each should concede some- 
 thing and the disputants meet half way, but while merci- 
 ful and kind, he was also stern and just. When the State 
 was threatened with disorder, he called out the whole Na- 
 tional Guard ; he assumed military command as required 
 by the Constitution, and for weeks slept rarely more than 
 two or three hours out of each twenty-four; he checked 
 lawlessness, and by his prompt effectiveness averted the 
 lynching horrors which have disgraced some other States. 
 Thus, though his second term was trying and tempes- 
 tuous, it won the respect of good citizens everywhere and 
 increased the estimation in which McKinley w^as held 
 throughout the country itself. 
 
 In February, 1893, the Governor received a lesson that, 
 it safe to say, he will remember to the last hour of his 
 life. One of his lifelong friends, to whom he was bound 
 by gratitude for help given when help was needed, was 
 Mr. Walker, a banker and business man. News came to 
 McKinley that he had failed, and the starthng feature of 
 the sad business was that McKinley was an indorser on 
 his notes to a large amount. 
 
 In making these indorsements, it should be stated that 
 Governor McKinley was led to believe that many of the 
 notes were to take up old ones, and he did not dream that 
 he had assumed a quarter of the obligations, which, upon 
 investigation, were found to foot up $118,000, more than 
 five times the amount of his personal fortune. 
 
THE M'KINLEY BILL. 85 
 
 The charge of deficient business abiHty was made by 
 poHtical opponents, but those who knew all the facts felt 
 only sympathy for the man that had been betrayed by a 
 false friend. His actuating motive was that of a good 
 man, who, when he found he had been treated in a sim- 
 ilar manner, said: 
 
 ''How wrong it would be in me to deprive myself of the 
 pleasure of helping a v/orthy friend, simply because a sin- 
 gle unworthy one has betrayed my trust." 
 
 Governor McKinley had succeeded by economy and 
 careful investment in acquiring property to the extent of 
 some $20,000, which he immediately placed at the dis- 
 posal of his creditors. Then the noble wife came forward. 
 She had inherited $75,000 from her father, which she in- 
 sisted should be added to her husband's, and that the 
 debts should not be scaled down to the extent of a penny. 
 
 The manly course of McKinley and the devotion of 
 his wife touched a responsive chord among many who 
 had never seen either of the couple. Letters continually 
 came to the Governor, some from remote parts of the 
 Union, inclosing moderate amounts of money, with the 
 request that he would apply it in the payment of this op- 
 pressive claim. McKinley, in every instance, returned the 
 donations, with thanks for the kindness and sympathy 
 thus shown. 
 
 When this course of his became known, money began 
 to arrive in letters that contained no signatures and gave 
 no clues to the writer. The Governor did not know what 
 to do with these gifts from his unknown friends. Finally, 
 he was persuaded to place his affairs in the hands of 
 several trustees, who were not only good friends, but 
 able business men. 
 
 These trustees had charge of the business only a brief 
 while when they came to the Governor with the announce- 
 
86 THE MCKINLEY BILL. 
 
 ment that every note on which he appeared as indorser 
 had been paid in full, and not a dollar of the private for- 
 tune of himself and wife had been disturbed. Neither the 
 Governor nor his wife were satisfied. It looked to them as 
 if som.e friends had been providing the funds for which 
 Uhey refused to receive compensation. The couple began 
 )'to make inquiries and the reply they received was: 
 
 'This is nobody's business but ours; attend to your 
 ov/n affairs." 
 
 Of course they didn't use those exact words, but that 
 was the substance of their answers, and it included all 
 the information that was ever obtainable. Only the trus- 
 tees themselves knew the truth, and they'll never tell. 
 
 McKinley's second term as Governor was from January 
 I, 1894, until January i, 1896. He was renominated by 
 acclamation, with the following endorsement in the plat- 
 form : 
 
 "The people of Ohio have a just pride in the adminis- 
 tration of the affairs of this State by Governor William 
 McKinley, Jr. He brought to the discharge of his duties 
 ^s Governor great learning, ability and statesmanship, 
 and an honest and patriotic purpose, and he has always 
 shown himself capable, faithful and wise. We heartily 
 indorse his administration and assure him of our great 
 esteem and confidence." 
 
 His second election was by a plurality of 80,995, the 
 largest up to that time ever known in the State of Ohio. 
 It was so enormous and such an overwhelming tribute ta 
 bis ability and worth, that it attracted national attention, 
 and it required no wise political prophet to foresee that 
 destiny had selected him as the standard bearer of the 
 Republican party in the next Presidential campaign. 
 
 Governor McKinley's visit to the Columbian Exposi- 
 tion on "Ohio Day," September 14, 1893, resulted in what 
 
THE M'KINLEY BII,L. 87 
 
 was really an ovation to him, and with that American 
 aptitude for calling things by their right names, to which 
 we have already alluded, the Chicago papers referred to 
 it as ''McKinley Day." 
 
 McKinley's work as a campaigner in 1894 was in its 
 Wa.y the most remarkable exhibition ever seen in this 
 country. The monetary panic had subsided, but business 
 depression prevailed everywhere. The wheels of industry 
 stopped and thousands of unemployed had to depend 
 upon the charity of the more fortunate for the means of 
 living. 
 
 McKinley went to Pennsylvania to assist in the election 
 of his old friend, Galusha A. Grow, to Congress, and at 
 Pittsburg addressed the largest political meeting ever 
 held in that city, where the enthusiasm was unbounded. 
 Amid the tumultuous cries that stopped his speaking for 
 many minutes, was heard the significant one, ''McKinley, 
 our next President!" and none so enthused the immense 
 multitude as that. 
 
 In the autum.n he made a tour of nineteen States, in 
 none of v/hich he delivered less than twenty speeches. 
 During his two days in Kansas it is estimated that he 
 addressed 150,000 people. The total number of his ad- 
 dresses was 371, and on one day he broke the record by 
 delivering seventeen speeches! 
 
 Samuel G. McClure, who was with the Governor on a 
 part of this campaign, says: 
 
 "The combined tours far exceeded a distance half way 
 round the world. It was one of the marvels of the man 
 that he was able to undergo all the fatigue which this im- 
 mense feat implies, and yet close the campaign in as 
 good health as when he began, and without having lost a 
 pound of weight. Very often he was the last of the party 
 to retire, and almost invariably was the first to rise. He 
 
88 THE M'KINLKY BILL. 
 
 seemed tireless. Every State committee in the Missis- 
 sippi valley, and beyond it, apparently took it for granted 
 that the gallant champion of patriotism, protection and 
 prosperity could not be overworked. When he consented 
 to make one speech for them, they forthwith arranged 
 half a dozen short stops en route, and kept him talking 
 almost constantly from daybreak until late at night. He 
 agreed to make forty-six set speeches in all during the 
 campaign; when he had concluded, he had not only 
 made them, but he had spoken at no less than three hun- 
 dred and twenty-five other points as well." 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE FORMER METHOD OF NOMINATING PRESIDENTIAL CAN- 
 DIDATES ORIGIN OF THE ''CAUCUS'' ORGANIZATION 
 
 OF THE GOVERNMENT WASHINGTON'S ADMINISTRA- 
 TION FORMATION OF POLITICAL PARTIES CHANGED 
 
 METHODS OF NOMINATING CANDIDATES NOTABLE 
 
 ELECTIONS THE CRISIS IN 1876 POLITICAL WRECKS 
 
 GROWING SENTIMENT IN FAVOR OF m'KINLEY's 
 
 NOMINATION — NAMED IN 1895 BY THE OHIO CONVEN- 
 TION. 
 
 Before recalling' the events that brought about the 
 nomination and election of William McKinley to the 
 Presidency of the United States, the reader will be inter- 
 ested in learning the history of similar movements and 
 proceedings, as they afifected some of his illustrious pre- 
 decessors. Every student of American history should be 
 familiar with these facts, which cannot be too generally 
 understood. 
 
 The present method of nominating a Presidential can- 
 didate is comparatively modern, the system followed in 
 the early days of the republic being wholly different. It 
 was away back in the opening years of the eig^hteenth cen- 
 tury that a number of caulkers connected with the ship- 
 ping business in the north end of Boston came together 
 for a consultation upon matters that concerned their in- 
 terests. The meeting thus held was the birth of the ''cau- 
 cus," so often heard of in these days. 
 
 The Constitution of the United States was framed and 
 adopted by the convention sitting in Philadelphia in 1787. 
 To give it binding effect, its ratification by nine States 
 
90 ORGANIZATION OF TH^ GOVERNMENT. 
 
 was necessary. This took place the following year, and, 
 in September, 1788, a day was named by Congress for 
 the choice of electors for President, the date selected 
 being the first Wednesday of January, 1789. The date for 
 the opening of proceedings under the new Constitution 
 was postponed to the first Wednesday in March. That 
 happened to be the 4th, which thereby became regular 
 Inauguration day, except when it falls on Sunday, when 
 the 5th is selected. 
 
 The city of New York at that time was the national 
 capital. The members of Congress were so tardy in com- 
 ing together that no quorum appeared in the House of 
 Representatives until April ist, and five days later the 
 Senate was organized. The various State legislatures 
 chose the electors who were to name the President and 
 Vice-President, each elector being entitled to cast two 
 votes. 
 
 The rule prevailed that the candidate who received the 
 highest number of votes should become Presiaent and the 
 one receiving the next highest Vice-President. The fault 
 of this arrangement was that (as afterward happened) 
 the two might belong to different political parties. In- 
 case of death of the President, the policy of the adminis- 
 tration would be changed. 
 
 There was no difficulty in naming the first President. 
 George Washington was the only one thought of, and, as 
 is well known, he received every electoral vote, with John 
 Adams of Massachusetts next, his strength in reality 
 being less than one-half of V/ashington's (34 to 69), votes 
 being given to ten other candidates. 
 
 In the election of 1792, Washington was again unani- 
 mously chosen. The vote for Adams was increased, since 
 but three contestants appeared against him. Had Wash- 
 ington consented, he would have been chosen unanimous- 
 
ORGANIZATION OF THE GOVERNMENT. 91 
 
 ly a third time, but increasing years and infirmities led 
 him to refuse the nomination and John Adams was elect- 
 ed t'he second President in 1797. 
 
 In this election occurred the conting-ency referred to, 
 for \Vhile Adams was a Federalist, Jefferson, the Vice- 
 President, was a Republican, the nam^e by which the 
 present Democratic party vv^as first known. 
 
 As early as 1800 there v/as one of the stormiest elections 
 conceivable. The vote between Jefferson and Aaron Burr 
 was tied, and the contest became bitter and prolonged. 
 The calamity of Burr's election was prevented by carrying 
 one of Jefferson's supporters, who' was very ill, bundled 
 and wrapped up, through the blizzard that was raging in 
 Washington, and attended by his wife in one of the com- 
 mittee rooms of the House, he feebly cast his vote. 
 Finally, on the thirty-sixth ballot a break took place, and 
 Jefferson was chosen. 
 
 The result of this prolonged contest was an amendment 
 to the Constitution by which each elector voted for a 
 President and a Vice-President. It was during Wash- 
 ington's administrations that t'he two leading political 
 parties of the country were formed. Washington, Adams, 
 Hamilton and others believed in a strong central gov- 
 ernment, conferring upon the respective States only such 
 functions as were absolutely necessary. They were Fed- 
 eralists. On the other hand, the Republicans, of whom 
 Jefferson was the foremost leader, insisted that all the 
 power possible should be given to the States, and that 
 Congress should have no more than that which was clear- 
 ly provided by the Constitution. The Federalist party 
 was powerful during the early days of the republic, but 
 its strength gradually dwindled and its opposition to the 
 war of 1812 finally wiped it out of existence, to be suc- 
 ceeded by the Whig organization. As is well known, 
 
92 ORGANIZATION OF THB GOVERNMENT. 
 
 there have been many oth^r political parties that sprang 
 into existence for a brief time, but the Republicans, the 
 successors of the Whigs, and the Democrats, the succes- 
 sors or rather the first Republicans, form the two leading 
 political organizations of the country. 
 
 The old method of nominating Presidential candidates 
 was cumbrous and often unfair. Now and then a promi- 
 nent man would announce himself as a candidate, but the 
 custom was for the party leaders to hold caucuses and se- 
 lect their man. This was modified sO' as to^ admit dele- 
 gates specially sent from the districts not represented in 
 the Legislature. 
 
 The improved method was used in New Jersey in 1812 ; 
 in Pennsylvania in 1817 and in New York in 1825. The 
 disappearance of a vagabond named William Morgan, in 
 1826, who professed to expose the secrets of Free Ma- 
 sonry, led to a charge that the members of that order 
 had set him adrift just above Niagara Falls. A spirit of 
 opposition to Free Masonry spread, and its supporters car- 
 ried elections in several of the States. In September, 1831, 
 they held a national convention in Baltimore and nomi- 
 nated William Wirt, former Attorney-General of the 
 United States, as their candidate for the Presidency. The 
 ticket received seven electoral votes and the convention 
 was the first Presidential one held in this country. 
 
 The system was now fairly established. At the close of 
 the same year, the National Republican Convention met in 
 Baltimore and nominated Henry Clay and in the following 
 May the Democrats nominated Martin Van Buren. Fie 
 was renominated at the same place and in the same man- 
 ner in 1835, but the Whigs waited until 1840 before adopt- 
 ing the system that has been followed ever since. 
 
 The Presidential campaigns are occasions of excitement, 
 which, while they have caused misgiving on the part of 
 
organizat:[on op run government. $3 
 
 some, are probably a healthful outlet for the high spirits 
 of the American people. It is a striking and impressive 
 spectacle that is seen after each contest, when the disap- 
 pointed party good naturedly acknowledges defeat, with 
 the resolve to "pick its flint and try it again." Where rev- 
 olutions would follow in many countries, all is order, for 
 v/e are a law-abiding people and the Constitution is our 
 political Bible. 
 
 The most tranquil election took place in 1820, when 
 Monroe was elected a second time. The Federalist party 
 having died, he was really the only candidate before the 
 country, and when the electoral college met, the astonish- 
 ing fact appeared that he had received every vote. Then 
 took place a remarkable incident not generally known. Ex- 
 Governor Blumer, of New Hampshire, one of the electors, 
 rose to his feet. 
 
 "Gentlemen," said he with deep earnestness, "this has 
 never before occurred except in the case of one man — 
 Washington. It is my firm belief, and I am satisfied yours 
 also, that no President should share this honor with the 
 Father of his Country. Therefore, although a warm friend 
 of President Monroe and one of his electors, I cast my 
 vote for John Adams." 
 
 The exquisite taste of this action was applauded by his 
 associates and Monroe himself was pleased, for who would 
 presume to try to climb up beside George Washington? 
 
 "Old Hickory," one of the most popular of all our Presi- 
 dents, was formally nominated by the Tennessee Legisla- 
 ture, July 22, 1822. On the 22d of February, 1824, the 
 few Federalists that could be brought together in Harris- 
 burg did the same, and on the 4th of March following a 
 Republican convention also nominated him. This would 
 look as if Jackson had about all the nominations neces- 
 sary, but William H. Crawford, of Georgia, was the regu- 
 
94 ORGANIZATION OF THB GOVERNMEJNT. 
 
 lar nominee of the Congressional caucus. There were 
 other candidates and although Jackson received the 
 largest number of electoral votes, a coalition of his oppo- 
 nets brought about the choice of John Quincy Adams b^ 
 the House of Representatives. 
 
 The unjust treatment of Jackson made him the idol of 
 the country and insured his election for two terms by 
 enormous majorities and his administrations established 
 him in the affection and respect of his countrymen. 
 
 Those whO' are old enough to remember the campaign 
 of 1840, vv^ill never forget its stirring days. General Will- 
 iam Henry Harrison, grandfather of ex-President Benja- 
 min Harrison, after being placed in nomination by the 
 Whig convention at Harrisburg (having been defeated 
 by Van Buren in 1836) was sneered at by the Baltimore 
 Republican, which said that if some one would pension 
 him with a few hundred dollars and give him a barrel of 
 hard cider he would sit down in his log-cabin and be con- 
 tent for the rest of his life. 
 
 That slur furnished the battle cry of the campaign. 
 Hard cider became the universal beverage of the Whigs 
 and log-cabins popped up like mushrooms in all the cities, 
 towns, villages, hamlets and at every cross road in the 
 country. Men, women and children who could sing, and 
 thousands who couldn't sing, joined in bellowing the cam- 
 paign songs, and a wave of enthusiasm that swept over 
 the country landed Harrison in the White House by an 
 electoral vote of 234 to 60 for Van Buren. 
 
 The national conventions that followed were without 
 special interest until i860. Then it was that the awful 
 shadow of the approaching civil war darkened the land, 
 and countless prayers went up to heaven that the bitter 
 cup might not be pressed to our lips. The wisest men 
 took counsel to«-ether, but it was "writ in the book of 
 
ORGANIZATION OF THB GOVBRNMEJNT. 95 
 
 fate" that the land should be purged by fire and blood, 
 and events swept onward with a might that could not be 
 stayed. The Democratic party broke into fragments, so 
 hopelessly frittering away its strength that Abraham Lin- 
 coln of Illinois, the second Presidential candidate of the 
 Republicans (John C Fremont having been the first) was 
 elected. 
 
 ^ Then came the terrific civil war, the Union was restored 
 and the brethren North and South were more firmly united 
 than before. The only Presidential election since' the war 
 to which we can make reference v/as that of 1876, which 
 brought the most critical period in our history, though 
 many may not realize the fact. The contest was between 
 Samuel J. Tilden, the Democratic candidate, of New 
 York, and Rutherford B. Hayes, the Republican candi- 
 date of Ohio. Without going into particulars, truth im- 
 pels us to say that Tilden was fairly elected, but the Elec- 
 toral Commission, formed to meet the alarming danger, 
 counted in Hayes, the Commission consisting of eight Re- 
 publicans and seven Democrats, who divided as named. 
 The country was intensely stirred, and but for the cool- 
 ness of leading men and that innate love of order which 
 is so eminently characteristic of our people, there would 
 have been civil v/ar, not between the North and South, 
 but between neighbors in both sections. Happily the 
 fearful crisis passed without strife or bloodshed, and no 
 similar peril is ever likely again to threaten our country. 
 
 Looking back over the long list of Presidential cam- 
 paigns, we see many pathetic wrecks cast upon the shores. 
 Henry Clay, one of the greatest of Americans, was nomi- 
 nated three times and defeated in each instance. There 
 was justice in his bitter complaint that the nomination 
 went to him when there was no earthly prospect of suc- 
 cess, while when the skies were favorable some one else 
 
96 ORGANIZATION OF THE GOVERNMENT. 
 
 received the honor. Webster longed for the nomination 
 and died disappointed. He contemptuously refused the 
 offer of the Vice-Presidency under Harrison and Taylor, 
 and yet had he accepted either he would have become 
 President, since both chiefs died in office. Seward grace- 
 fully accepted defeat at the hands of Lincoln, whom he 
 revered and became the mainstay of his administration. 
 Blaine did not murmur until 1892, when close to the verge 
 of death, his proud nature rebelled. John Sherman be- 
 lieving he had been betrayed by professed friends, did not 
 hesitate to say so, when he saw that the hope of success 
 had passed him by forever. 
 
 It was said of the Chicago convention of i860, that long 
 before the delegates came together the nomination of Lin- 
 coln was as certain as the rising of the sun. When one was 
 asked to explain he could only reply that it was ''in the 
 air." Events pointed to such consummation, and the 
 machinations of politicians were in vain. 
 
 The political situation was somewhat similar in 1896. 
 As the time approached for the naming of the Republican 
 standard bearer there was great activity. A half dozen 
 States put forward "favorite sons," and their praises were 
 sounded by the press and friends. Their claims were set 
 forth in elaborate biographies and all were worthy men ; 
 but, however popular among their neighbors, the country 
 at large did not call for them in loud tones. Astute poli- 
 ticians pulled the wires with masterly skill and high hopes 
 were raised in the breast of more than one candidate. 
 
 And yet, despite every possible effort to check the ris- 
 ing sentiment in favor of William McKinley, it grew and 
 increased, until it may be said his name was in every 
 one's mouth. The most resolute efforts tO' weaken his 
 popularity not only failed but seemed to add tO' his 
 strength. It was the people who called for him, and when 
 
ORGANIZATION OF THE GOVKRNMBNT. 97 
 
 they call they become the real leaders and the nominal 
 leaders the followers. 
 
 McKinley's loyalty to his friends had caused him twice 
 to refuse the honor of a Presidential nomination. He had 
 done his full duty, far more, indeed, than the majority of 
 men would have done in his situation. The ambition to 
 become the chief magistrate of the mightiest nation on the 
 globe *is a most worthy one, and he resolved to abide by 
 the decision of his admirers and supporters. To use a 
 common expression, he "placed himself in the hands of 
 his friends," and there could be no question of what they 
 intended to do with him. 
 
 He could not fail to observe the rising tide in his favor. 
 True to his modesty, he withdrev/ from an active part in 
 politics, wishing to avoid all appearance of any attempt 
 to influence the political sentiments of his countrymen. 
 He meant that events should take their natural course 
 and he was well content to abide the issue. 
 
 The first real note was sounded in his native State at 
 the convention of 1895, when the platform named him as 
 Ohio's choice. Senator Foraker, amid unbounded en- 
 thusiasm, addressed the convention: 
 
 ^'William McKinley is our own. He lives here in Ohio 
 and has always lived among us. He is our friend, our 
 neighbor, our fellow citizen, our fellow Republican. Shoul- 
 der to shoulder with him we have been fighting the bat- 
 tles of Republicanism in this State for a generation. 
 We know him^ and he knows us. We know his 
 life, his character, his public services, and his fitness 
 for the place for which he has been named. He 
 has been our soldier comrade, our representative in Con- 
 gress, our Governor. By all these tokens, we, here, to- 
 day, present him to the Republicans of the other sections 
 of the Union as our choice, and ask them to make him 
 
gS ORGANIZATION OF THE GOVERNMFNT. 
 
 theirs. In ever}^ community, in every m.unicipality, in 
 every mill and mine and furnace and forge and workshop, 
 everywhere throughout this broad land where capital is 
 invested, or labor is employed, William McKinley is the 
 ideal American statesman, the typical Amicrican leader, 
 and the veritable x^merican idol. No man ever, in public 
 life in this country, enjoyed such universal popularity as 
 his. No man in this country, in public life, ever com- 
 manded, as he now commands, the affections of the great 
 mass of the voters of this country. Blameless in private 
 life, useful and illustrious in public life, his name, in our 
 judgment, will inspire more confidence, excite more en- 
 thusiasm., and give greater guarantee of success than any 
 other name that can be inscribed on the Republican 
 banner." 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE PRELIMINARY CAMPAIGN — THE ST. LOUIS CONVENTION 
 
 ENTHUSIASTIC NOMINATION OF m'kINLEY THE 
 
 PLATFORM HOW THE NEWS WAS RECEIVED AT 
 
 M'kINLEY's home THE CANDIDACY OF W, J. BRYAN 
 
 RESULT OF THE CAMPAIGN INAUGURATION OF 
 
 m'kINLEY — EXTRA SESSION OF CONGRESS. 
 
 Organization is as necessary for success in political 
 campaigns as in an army before the enemy. Mark A. 
 Hanna is a successful business man, and it was to him 
 that William McKinley entrusted the management of his 
 political candidacy. Hanna associated a number of able 
 men with him, and they worked with vigor, skill and suc- 
 cess. Convinced that if the people were left to themselves, 
 they would express their preference for McKinley before 
 all other candidates that had been named, the managers 
 devoted their efforts to securing an honest expression of 
 their views and wishes. 
 
 McKinley managers were selected in every State and 
 allowed to push the campaign as they deemed best. The 
 result was that before the assembling of the national con- 
 vention the majority of the delegates were instructed to 
 support McKinley. Nevertheless there were ardent ad- 
 vocates of Thomas B. Reed of Maine, Wilham B. Allison 
 of Iowa, who was a delegate to the Chicago convention in 
 i860, a Congressman and Senator; Levi P. Morton, Gov- 
 ernor of New York; Matthew S. Quay, General Russell 
 A. Alger, and others of less prominence. 
 
 The Auditorium or Convention Hall of St. Louis is 
 capable of accomm'odating an immense audience, and it is 
 
lod THE PRELIMINARY CAMPAIGN. 
 
 estimated that nearly 50,000 visitors had flocked to the 
 city. The convention was called to order June 16 by 
 Thomas Henry Carter, chairman of the Republican Na- 
 tional Committee, and Charles W. Fairbanks of Indiana 
 v^as made temporary chairman, succeeded by Senator J. 
 M. Thurston of Nebraska as permanent chairman. All 
 of these men made the usual speeches and helped to rouse 
 the multitude tO' a high pitch of ardor. 
 
 Thursday was the all important day. Fully 15,000 peo- 
 ple swarmed into the Auditorium, and fortunately the op- 
 pressive weather for which the Mound City is noted did 
 not yet smite, though it was at hand. When the con- 
 vention was called upon to make nominations, R. M. 
 Baldwin named Senator W. B. Allison of Iowa; Senator 
 Lodge, Speaker Thomas B. Reed, while Chauncey M. 
 Depew presented the name of Governor Morton. It fell 
 to the lot of ex-Governor Foraker tO' nominate McKin- 
 ley. He advanced to the platform and in one of his im- 
 passioned outbursts, during which he naturally attacked 
 the opposite political party, he named the Ohio states- 
 man. 
 
 The "whirlwind of enthusiasm" that followed compelled 
 Foraker to stand mute for more than twenty minutes. 
 Then he concluded with an eloquent peroration. Senator 
 Thurston, having called Mr. Hepburn to the chair, sec- 
 onded the nomination of McKinley in a speech fully as 
 eloquent as his predecessor. In the course of his remarks 
 he said: 
 
 "When this country called to arms, he took into his 
 boyish hands a musket and followed the flag, bravely 
 baring his breast to the hell of battle that it might float 
 serenely in the Union sky. For a quarter of a century he 
 has stood in the fierce light of public place, and his robes 
 of office are spotless as the driven snow. He has cher- 
 
tHE PRELIMINARY CAMPAIGN. v^I 
 
 ished no higher ambition than the honor of his country 
 and the welfare of the plain people. Steadfastly, cour- 
 ageously, victoriously, and with a tongue of fire, he has 
 pleaded their cause. His labor, ability and perseverance 
 have enriched the statutes of the United States with legis- 
 lation in their behalf. All his contributions to the master- 
 pieces of American oratory are the outpourings of a pure 
 heart and a patriotic purpose. His God-given powers are 
 consecrated to the advancement and renown of his own 
 country, and to the uplifting and ennobling of his own 
 countrymen. He has the courage of his convictions, and 
 cannot be tempted to woo success or avert defeat by any 
 sacrifice of principle or concession to public clamor." 
 
 Amid a profound hush the balloting began. The vote 
 for McKinley grew rapidly, and the interesting fact was 
 that the moment Ohio' announced her ballot, it was ap- 
 parent to all his nomination was secured. Pandemonium 
 broke loose again, and it was a long time before the chair- 
 man was able to announce the vote. When he did so it 
 was: Allison, 35J; Reed, 84J; Quay, 61^; Morton, 58; 
 McKinley, 6614. 
 
 Senator Lodge, who had nominated Reed, now made a 
 forceful speech in support of his motion to make the nom- 
 ination of McKinley unanimous. The motion was second- 
 ed by Hastings of Pennsylvania, who had nominated 
 Quay; Thomas C. Piatt of New York, Henderson of 
 Iowa, and J. Madison Vance of Louisiana. 
 
 At this point there were loud calls for Chauncey M. 
 Depew, who mounted his chair in the back of the room 
 and responded: 
 
 'T am in the happy position now of making a speech 
 for the man who is going to be elected. (Laughter and 
 applause.) It is a great thing for an amateur, when his 
 first nomination has failed, to come in and second th^ 
 
I02 THE PRBIwIMINARY CAMPAIGN. 
 
 man who has succeeded. New York is here without bit- 
 ter feehng and no disappointment. We recognized that 
 the waves have submerged us, but we have bobbed up 
 serenely. (Loud laughter.) It was a cannon from New 
 York that sounded first the news of McKinley's nomina- 
 tion. They said of Governor Morton's father that he was 
 a New England clergyman who brought up a family of 
 ten children on $300 a year, and was, notwithstanding, 
 gifted in prayer. (Laughter.) It does not make any differ- 
 ence how poor he may be, how out of work, how ragged, 
 how next door to a tramp anybody may be in the United 
 States to-night, he will be 'gifted in prayer' at the result 
 of this convention. (Cheers and laughter.) There is a prin- 
 ciple dear to the American heart. It is the prin- 
 ciple which moves American spindles, starts its industries, 
 and makes the wage earners sought for instead of seeking 
 employment. That principle is embodied in McKinley. 
 His personality explains the nomination to-day. And his 
 personality will carry intO' the Presidential chair the 
 aspirations of the voters of America, of the families of 
 America, of the homes of America, protection tO' Amer- 
 ican industry, and Am^erica for Americans." (Cheers.) 
 
 In this memorable campaign the tariff question was 
 put in the background. The Republican platform called 
 for the maintenance of gold as the single standard of 
 monetary value, as opposed tO' the free and unlimited 
 coinage of silver. The adoption of this plank caused a 
 split between the gold and silver men, the latter under the 
 lead of Senator Teller of Colorado withdrawing from the 
 conventioUo The total number who bolted was twenty- 
 one, including four Senators and two Representatives, 
 who partly represented Montana, Utah, South Dakota, 
 Nevada, with the whole delegation of Idaho and of Colo- 
 
THK PRELIMINARY CAMPAIGN. 103 
 
 rado. Garret A. Hobart of New Jersey was nominated 
 for Vice-President. 
 
 During these stirring days and hours, McKinley re- 
 mained with his family at his home in Canton. The tele- 
 graph companies had arranged to carry the news at the 
 earliest possible moment to the town, and McKinley's 
 house was connected by long distance telephone with the 
 Auditorium in which the convention was held, and there 
 was an expert at each end of the wire. McKinley sat in 
 his rocking chair in his office, gently swaying back and 
 forth, the calmest man in the whole group as he awaited 
 the momentous news. His neighbors and a number of 
 newspaper correspondents were with him, or sauntered 
 through the lower rooms and out upon the veranda, while 
 they, too, awaited the tidings that was momentarily ex- 
 pected. Mother McKinley, with her four-score and six 
 years, sat in the room across the hall, while Mrs. Mc- 
 Kinley pleasantly welcomed every one. 
 
 After lunch, McKinley took his place beside the opera- 
 tor at the telephone. The young man announced the dif- 
 ferent nominations as the rest of the visitors gathered 
 around and intently listened. 
 
 "Foraker is about to speak," he said, with his ear to 
 the instrument. 
 
 A few minutes later he added: 
 
 *'He has just mentioned your name and the convention 
 has gone wild." 
 
 The anxious minutes passed, and, looking in the faces 
 of the group, the operator smilingly added: 
 
 "They are keeping it up." 
 
 *T have seen cheering contests in other conventions," 
 remarked McKinley, who vv^as recalling some of his ex- 
 periences, when the operator beckoned him forward and 
 placed the instrument to his ear. 
 
104 ^HE PRELIMINARY CAMPAIGN. 
 
 Even the veteran was impressed by the roar that rolled 
 across three States from the tumultuous convention hall 
 to the humble home in Ohio, guided by one of the most 
 wonderful inventions of man. 
 
 Finally after a long time the operator added; 
 
 "Foraker is trying it again. He says -' 
 
 And he repeated the glowing words as they were ut- 
 tered hundreds of miles away. 
 
 When the voting began, McKinley jotted down the 
 figure on a tablet. Suddenly came the announcement: 
 
 *'Ohio forty-six for McKinley!" 
 
 That decided it. The major stopped figuring, and ris- 
 ing to his feet, walked across the hall and kissed his wife 
 and venerable mother. He had hardly done so when the 
 windows rattled from the boom of a cannon fired but a 
 short distance away. Canton had heard the news and 
 had begun its celebration. 
 
 It seemed as if in a few minutes the streets were swarm- 
 ing with people, all wending their way to the home of 
 Major McKinley. The congratulations showered upon 
 him were almost without number, while his acknowledg- 
 ments were fervent, honest and hi the best of taste. It 
 seemed as if Canton had become the Mecca for weeks fol- 
 lowing of half the people in the country. The candidate 
 remained at home throughout the campaign, making re- 
 sponses to the delegations and numerous associations that 
 called, but leaving the conduct of the campaign wholly 
 in the hands of his political managers. 
 
 The National Convention of the Democratic party was 
 held in Chicago on the 7th of July. All are familiar with 
 its troubles over the money question. The Democratic 
 leaders in the East favored the single gold standard, but 
 they were outvoted by the Democrats of the West and 
 South, who advocated the free coinage of silver. Those 
 
tHE PRELIMINARY CAMPAIGN. 105 
 
 sections had suffered greatly from the financial de- 
 pression, and believed that their deliverance must come 
 through the means named. It was the same question that 
 caused the bolt in the Republican party by the Western 
 delegates, though the disaffection was much less than 
 among the Democrats, where it overmastered all other 
 sentiment. 
 
 There were good and able men in the ranks of the ''Sil- 
 verites," and their arguments won many converts. A 
 determined struggle took place in the convention, result- 
 ing finally in the nomination of William Jennings Bryan 
 of Nebraska on the fifth ballot. 
 
 Two weeks later the Populist or People's party met in 
 St. Louis and indorsed the nomination of Bryan. Several 
 other tickets were placed in the field, but it is not neces- 
 sary to refer to them, since the real struggle lay between 
 McKinley and Bryan. 
 
 Bryan made a gallant fight. He was bom in Illinois, 
 in i860, and because of his ability in his youth was often 
 referred to as **the Boy Orator of the Platte." He began 
 the practice of law in his native State, but removed to 
 Lincoln, Nebraska. His oratorical gifts made him a pop- 
 ular political speaker before he attained his majority. In 
 1890 he was elected to Congress, where he took rank 
 among the best debaters and added to his fame as a 
 powerful and convincing speaker. 
 
 Being fairly launched as the main opponent of McKin- 
 ley in the Presidential race, Bryan entered into the fight 
 with amazing energy. He traveled from State to State, 
 addressing thousands in the large cittes, from the plat- 
 form of his railway car, at fairs, in towns and villages, in 
 mills and workshops, among the mountains, in the back- 
 woods, and at all hours of the day and night. He seemed 
 tireless, capable of going without sleep, food and drink 
 
lo6 THB PRELIMINARY CAMPAIGN. 
 
 for an astonishing length of time. In short, his cam- 
 paign was much like that of McKinley several years be- 
 fore to which reference has been made. 
 ' Despite the popularity of McKinley, many of his sup- 
 porters felt misgivings of his final success. This was not 
 due so much to the ability displayed by Bryan as to the 
 fact that the principles he proclaimed had been already 
 accepted by hundreds of thousands of American citizens. 
 No one could deny the widespread suffering that had ex- 
 isted for years, and still existed, in the South and West. 
 Most of the sufferers believed, as has been stated, that the 
 only remedy for them lay in the free coinage of silver, and 
 since Bryan represented that policy he was their cham- 
 pion. 
 
 Had the Presidential election taken place in August or 
 possibly September it is generally conceded that Bryan 
 would have been elected. He had a stupendous following 
 and it looked as if no decisive break could be made in its 
 ranks. In many sections men who had always voted with 
 the Republican party supported his platform, though it 
 must be remembered that the ''gold wing" of the Demo- 
 cratic party placed an independent ticket in the field. 
 
 But the McKinley managers set on foot what is some- 
 times termed a campaign of education. They published 
 and distributed tons of literature and sent hundreds of the 
 best speakers through the country to win voters to the 
 support of their principles and to convince the workmen 
 that their only hope of improvement lay through the suc- 
 cess of the Republican ticket. This gigantic, systematized 
 work, guided and superintended by veterans at the busi- 
 ness, soon showed results. 
 
 When the votes were counted it was found that the 
 total popular vote was 13,923,378, of which McKinley re- 
 ceived 603,514 more than Bryan, with an excess for Mc- 
 
THE PRHlyIMIN4RY CAMPAIGN, 107 
 
 Kinley over all of 286,728, while his electoral vote was 
 271 to 176 for Er3-an. 
 
 An objection has often been expressed to the selection 
 of March 4 as inauguration day, because of the liability 
 to disagreeable weather, the stormy days greatly outnum- 
 bering the pleasant ones. It has been claimed that the 
 exposure to which General W. H. Harrison w^as thus sub- 
 jected hastened his death, and the last inauguration of 
 Grover Cleveland was on one of the most tempestuous 
 days of the year. Beyond question the severe weather 
 was the cause of more than one death among the visitors, 
 and there was anxiety for the health of the President him- 
 self, though happily the fear proved unfounded. 
 
 March 4, 1897, however, was an exception to the rule. 
 The air was clear and sunshiny, with a blue sky and a 
 crispness that made the day an ideal one for the inaugura- 
 tion of the new President, who' was the picture of superb 
 health. 
 
 The scene was as brilliant as any of the preceding inau- 
 gurations. Tens of thousands of cheering visitors crowd- 
 ed the national capital and all the ceremonies w^ere strik- 
 ing and impressive. More regular army men appeared in 
 tlie parade than ever before, every branch of the service 
 being represented. In the Senate the notable representa- 
 tives of foreign countries appeared in their dazzling rai- 
 ment and added to the splendor of the occasion. There 
 was no slip anywhere, everything passing to its trium- 
 phant conclusion with a wealth of beauty that has never 
 been surpassed. 
 
 The President's inaugural was terse, direct and compar- 
 atively brief. He proclaimed as his guiding principles a 
 rigid economy in government expenditures, a debt-paying 
 instead of a debt-contracting management of finances, a 
 revenue sufificient to meet all public needs and chiefly 
 
lo8 THE PRELIMINARY CAMPAIGN. 
 
 from a protective tariff on imports, the revival of Secre- 
 tary Blaine's reciprocity policy, the building up of Amer- 
 ican commerce, the protection of American citizens, the 
 fostering of friendly feelings between the North and 
 South, the proper checks to immigration, civil service re- 
 form, a firm and dignified foreign policy, and he urged 
 arbitration as the true method of settling all international 
 differences. 
 
 Having selected an able Cabinet the President called 
 an extra session of Congress for March 15. The object 
 of this session was to provide a tariff measure that would 
 meet the running expenses of the government and pay 
 the deficiency that had been accruing annually for several 
 years previous. Such a bill was framed and enacted after 
 long and earnest debate, and was followed by a slow but 
 seemingly sure improvement in all the business interests 
 throughout the country. 
 
 \ \ ^ V " ^ ^ \ \ 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 IN THE WHITE HOUSE — AMERICAN PHILOSOPHY — DEATH 
 OF THE president's AGED MOTHER THE EVE OF MO- 
 MENTOUS EVENTS THE EARLY HISTORY OF SPAIN — • 
 
 EXPULSION OF THE MOORS FERDINAND AND ISABELLA 
 
 THE DUKE OF ALVA LA NAVIDAD PIZARRO 
 
 CORTES GREED AND FEROCITY OF THE SPANIARDS — • 
 
 BALBOA PONCE DE LEON GOMEZ ^DE SOTO MENEN- 
 
 DEZ FOUNDING OF ST. AUGUSTINE. 
 
 The stripling who began his career as a boy soldier 
 in the service of his country, Who had been promoted for 
 gallant and meritorious conduct, who was afterward hon- 
 ored by being repeatedly elected to Congress and the 
 Gubernatorial chair of his native State, had now reached 
 the highest office in the gift of his countrymen. He had 
 advanced from the Tent to the White House. 
 
 One of the most admirable features of our system of 
 government is the philosophy and good nature with 
 which the result of a national election is received by the 
 defeated party. There is no questioning, no anger, no ill 
 will. It is the People who rule in this favored land, and 
 their verdict is accepted as final. Should any disappoint- 
 ed leader attempt to organize a revolution, as is the cus- 
 tom after each election in many South American coun- 
 tries and elsewhere, he would not have a single supporter, 
 and would be squelched before he could yawp a second 
 time. The United States is the home of order and of 
 law. 
 
 Although William Jennings Bryan and thousands of 
 his friends had been hopeful of victory, that leader was 
 
no IN THK WHITE HOUSK, 
 
 among the first of the throng to call upon President Mc- 
 Kinley with his congratulations, during which there was 
 a pleasant exchange of jest and reminiscences of the late 
 struggle. To the credit of both of these gentlemen be it 
 recorded that not once during the heated progress of the 
 canvass did one of them utter a word personally against 
 the other. Such political battles that are viewed with 
 misgiving by many of the timid, really clear the atmos- 
 phere and make Americans understand one another bet- 
 ter. 
 
 No President ever entered upon the duties of his re- 
 sponsible office with more general wishes for his success. 
 
 "Give him a fair chance,'' said his political opponents; 
 "let him be judged by what he accomplishes, for he is 
 entitled to that test." 
 
 During the extra session of Congress, to which refer- 
 ence has been made, President McKinley, whose life, like 
 that of his wife, had been shadowed by affliction, was 
 called upon to bear another blow. His father had died 
 several years before, but his revered mother was spared 
 to him until she was well advanced toward four-score and 
 ten. The affection between the venerable parent, weak in 
 body, but strong in mind, and the stalwart son in the 
 prime of his mental and physical vigor, was deep and 
 tender. To her, he was still the "good boy" who had 
 never caused her a pang, and upon whom she now leaned 
 with a mutual affection, love and confidence that became 
 more devoted as she passed down the decline of life. 
 
 The sorrowful message that she was at death's door, 
 in the distant Canton home, sent the President thither 
 by special train from his exacting duties in Washington, 
 and it was an unspeakable consolation to him that as 
 she hovered for a brief while on the verge of the Dark 
 River, she was able to recognize his presence by a gentle 
 
IN THS WHITE HOUSE. Ill 
 
 return of the warm pressure of his hand, which held hers 
 until the spirit fled. The nation honors the strong man 
 for his love to his mother and to his wife. 
 
 The administration that opened so promisingly, and to 
 which all looked for a return of prosoeritv and tranquil- 
 ity, was destined to be the most stirring and exciting since 
 the War for the Union. Momentous events were at hand, 
 history was making, and soon the eyes of the civilized 
 world were turned toward the western hemisphere, where 
 one of the most important dramas of the century was en- 
 acted. 
 
 In order that the reader may understand the recent 
 exciting incidents in which our country took a leading 
 part for humanity some of the events of the past must be 
 recalled. 
 
 Spain is the leper among nations. Her career for 
 '^enturies has been one of oppression, treachery, blood 
 and crime. No barbarians have been guilty of such per- 
 fidy and outrage, for which there was no shadow of pallia- 
 tion. Her deeds ought to have driven her centuries ago 
 outside the pale of civilization, instead of allowing her to 
 sit at the table with other peoples, who, whatever their 
 faults, have won glory and were never guilty of a tithe of 
 the abominations that have stained her past. 
 
 The history of Spain, like that of many other countries, 
 is involved in the mists of antiquity. The people are a 
 mixed race that have sprung from a greater variety of 
 stocks than any other European nation. The country was 
 the Spania, Hispania and Iberia of the Greeks, and was 
 known to the Romans by the same names. It is believed 
 to have been first inhabited by a distinct race called Iber- 
 ians, upon whom a host of Celts descended from the 
 Pyrenees. They blended and formed the mixed nation of 
 the Celtiberians, who occupied chiefly the middle of the 
 
124 IN THK WHITE HOUSB. 
 
 peninsula, in the western districts of Lusitania and on the 
 northern coasts, while the pure Iberian tribes were in the 
 Pyrenees and along the eastern coast, with unmixed Cel- 
 tic tribes in the northwest. In Andalusia was a numerous 
 admixture of the Phoenician element, and on the southern 
 and eastern coasts were Phoenician, Carthaginian, Rho- 
 dian and other colonies. The "Tarshish" mentioned in 
 Scripture was on the southern coast, and was called Tar- 
 tessus by the Greeks. Thither sailed the Phoenician mer- 
 chantman in quest of the mineral riches of the district. 
 
 The early history of the peninsula was one series of 
 wars, of too complicated a character to be dwelt upon in 
 this place. The peninsula was conquered by the Romans, 
 about two centuries before the birth of the Saviour, and 
 erected into a Roman province. Ruling with an iron 
 hand, the Romans brought peace and prosperity to the 
 sorely devasted country. So' vast and numerous were 
 the improvements that for three centuries Spain was the 
 richest province of the Roman Empire. Then came dif- 
 ferent conquests, desolating wars, first by the barbarous 
 Alans, Vandals and Sueva, who sv^armed through the 
 Pyrenees and overran the peninsula (409 A. D.), then by 
 the Visigoths, who conquered the Suevia and expelled 
 the Goths and Vandals, and finally by the Arabs or 
 Moors, who from the beginning of the eighth century 
 governed the country by emirs appointed by the caliph 
 of Damascus. 
 
 It took Spain seven hundred years to drive out the 
 Moors, who were never thoroughly expelled from the 
 country, for to-day there are 60,000, easily distinguishable 
 by their tongue and other peculiarities. 
 
 The reader of history will recall that when Columbus 
 was engaged upon his great voyages of discovery which 
 resulted in the finding of a New World, the Spaniards 
 
IN THE WHITE HOUSE. 1x3 
 
 were still hammering away at the Moors. Regarding 
 Columbus and the backing he received by Spain there has 
 been a great deal of falsehood written. 
 
 In the first place, it must be remembered that Colum- 
 bus, Americus Vespuccius, Verrazani and other discover- 
 ers and explorers were Italians, without a drop of Spanish 
 blood in their veins. Ferdinand of Spain is credited with 
 furnishing Columbus with the indispensable funds for his 
 enterprise. Columbus spent seven years in begging for 
 help from King Ferdinand and was refused. Then Queen 
 Isabella offered to pledge her jewels, but she never did so, 
 and did not contribute a single peseta, while the present 
 Queen Isabella of Spain from her exile subscribed 3,000 
 pesetas to help perpetuate the torture of the starving 
 Cubans. 
 
 King Ferdinand was a penurious, selfish ruler, who al- 
 lowed his treasurer to pay a portion of the expense of the 
 wonderful voyage, the remainder being furnished by the 
 personal friends of Columbus. The credit that rightly be- 
 longs to Ferdinand is that which attaches to a speculator 
 who pays a niggardly price to a great inventor for some- 
 thing which he is sure will bring him a fortune. He dis- 
 played his true Spanish character when later he lied to 
 Columbus, did his utmost to cheat him of his just dues 
 and allowed him to die, feeble, impoverished and broken 
 hearted. 
 
 We would not attempt to sully the fair name of Isa- 
 bella, whose chief fame rests upon an impulsive offer to 
 put her jewels in pawn for the sake of getting something 
 ten hundred thousand times as valuable, but who wouldn't 
 have done the same if the chance were offered? 
 
 All the same, however, Spain was one of the most pov/- 
 erful nations on the globe at the time of the discovery of 
 America, and she might have retained that proud position 
 
114 I^ THE WHITE HOUSE. 
 
 but for her greed, her rapacity, her treachery, her lack of 
 honor and lier unpatriotic spirit. Those detestable quali- 
 ties, inborn and inbred, were the seeds that brought her 
 decay and decline to a fourth-rate place among the pow- 
 ers of the world. 
 
 The belief that the New World was teeming with gold 
 sent swarms of adventurers across the ocean, to the neg- 
 lect of their own vast mineral wealth. During the reign 
 of the successor of Ferdinand (Charles L) Mexico and 
 Peru were added to the possessions of Spain, but she 
 steadily declined in prosperity and power, which has con- 
 tinued to the present time, with one temporary revival 
 under Charles IIL (1759-88). 
 
 And what a record she made for herself in the New 
 World! It was simply one long career of perfidy, feroc- 
 ity, treachery, murder and every hideous crime of which 
 human ingenuity is capable. 
 
 Let us take a rapid glance at the doings that concern 
 our own country, omitting reference to the Duke of Alva 
 or Alba, except to say that in the sixteenth century he pre- 
 sided over the "bloody council" in the Netherlands and 
 boasted that he executed 18,000 men, and that there were 
 other favorite sons who were equal exemplars of iniquity. 
 On the first voyage of Columbus he left forty-three Span- 
 iards to found the settlement of La Navidad (January 16, 
 1493), ^^ one of the West India islands. 
 
 In that soft climate, with the trusting friendship of the 
 gentle natives, with the rich soil and every favoring con- 
 dition, the Spaniards, if they had possessed common 
 sense, would have become prosperous, rich and happy; 
 but the sails of the Nina had hardly dipped below the 
 horizon when the miscreants began acting out their true 
 nature. The Indians were treated with such hideous bru- 
 tality that the^ came to believe their only hope was in 
 
IN THE WHITE HOUSE, iiS 
 
 exterminating the monsters that had come among them. 
 So they Hterally swarmed upon and overwhelmed them, 
 and never ceased their work until every Spaniard was 
 wiped out of existence. 
 
 Pizarro was of shameful birth, was a swineherd and 
 did not know enough to write his name, but he conquered 
 Peru, and to quote the words of an eminently fair his- 
 torian : 
 
 "He was eminently selfish, perfidious and relent- 
 less. His conquest of Peru is a drama in every act of 
 which there is bloodshed; but the drama is consistent at 
 least to the end. Pizarro lived a life of violence and died 
 
 a violent and bloody death." 
 
 Cortes conquered Mexico, displaying dash, bravery 
 and enterprise, but marring his success by the usual 
 treachery and cruelty that is inherent in his people. 
 
 Few persons comprehend the horrible crimes that with- 
 out exception marked every attempt of the Spanish to 
 explore and settle our own country. The all-controlling 
 motive was greed. They v^ere a mob of murderers, hunt- 
 ing for gold, and their chief amusement was in torturing 
 and putting to death the natives who wished to be their 
 friends. The chief whose tribe had furnished them with 
 food and who accepted an invitation to join a Spanish of- 
 ficer at dinner was made prisoner and killed, with the re- 
 finement of torture shown by the Apaches to their white 
 captives. The heavy armor and firearms of the invaders 
 made them almost invulnerable against the spears and ar- 
 rows of the Indians. If a Spaniard felt the need of a little 
 bodily exercise, he obtained it by going out and slaying a 
 few Indians, not caring whether they were men, women 
 or innocent children. If one was unwilling to give up 
 some tiny golden trinket, the white man obtained It by 
 blowing out his brains. If the simple-hearted native 
 
Ii6 IN THE WHITE HOUSE. 
 
 brought him food, the Spaniard gorged himself upon it 
 and then thanked the smiling giver by running his sword 
 through him or perforating him with a bullet. 
 
 Lest this statement may seem overdrawn, we give a 
 single incident upon which there is no dispute among his- 
 torians, and it may be accepted as a type of scores of 
 others that marked the exploration of the New World 
 by the Spanish. 
 
 Vasco Nunez de Balboa was a reckless profligate who, 
 to escape his creditors, hid himself in a hogshead, after 
 sneaking on board a vessel, and wasn't discovered by the 
 indignant captain until too far out to sea to return and 
 put him ashore. Still he would have made another Rob- 
 inson Crusoe of 'him by leaving him on the first barren 
 island sighted had not Balboa piteously begged off. The 
 vessel was wrecked, and Balboa, who had been on the 
 coast before, led the crew through the wilderness to an 
 Indian village, where they were saved from starvation. 
 Because of this exploit Balboa was made leader of the ad- 
 venturers, who amused themselves by raiding the adjoin- 
 ing towns and killing the natives. 
 
 It was on one of these raids that an Indian told Bal- 
 boa of a great sea that lay six days* journey to the west- 
 ward, where gold was as abundant as the pebbles on the 
 shore. The prospect of securing gold fired the Span- 
 iards, who set out to hunt it under the guidance of sev- 
 eral natives. There was considerable pleasant fighting 
 on the road, in which the adventurers suffered no harm, 
 because of their armor and superior weapons. It was 
 in September, 151 3, that the party reached a mountain 
 from the top of which the native guides said the great sea 
 could be seen. Balboa made his companions wait while 
 he climbed the elevation for a sight of the wonderful 
 body of water. They intently watched and saw him, 
 
IN THE WHITE HOUSE. 117 
 
 after gazing a few minutes, drop on his knees and thank 
 God for the sight with which he had been favored. Well 
 might he do so, for he was the first white man tO' look 
 upon the Pacific Ocean. 
 
 More thanks to heaven were offered, formal posses- 
 sion was taken of the mightiest body of water on the 
 globe in the name of Ferninand of Castile, and then what 
 was the next step? Balboa ordered his men to fall upon 
 all the natives they met and massacre them, sparing only 
 those who purchased their lives by giving gold. And 
 the fearful orders were carried out. Five years later Bal- 
 boa was executed by command of the Spanish governor 
 of Darien. It was this discovery that led to the conquests 
 of Peru and Mexico, and the settlement of the western 
 coast of our country, where to-day may be found numer- 
 ous proofs of the visit of the Spaniards more than three 
 and a half centuries ago. 
 
 Who has not heard of the voyage of Ponce de Leon 
 to Florida and his idiotic search for the Fountain of 
 Youth? He landed near the site of the present city of 
 Fernandina and was the first governor within the present 
 limits of the United States. Like all his predecessors 
 and followers, he was frightfully cruel to the Indians, one 
 of whom squared matters by driving an arrow into his 
 breast that killed him. This was in 1521. 
 
 In 1525 Stephen Gomez, another Spanish adventurer, 
 sailed along the Atlantic coast, but did nothing more 
 than kidnap a number of Indians and take them home 
 as slaves. Three years later Pamphilo Narvaez landed 
 with a large expedition near Tampa Bay and started for 
 the interior. The first thing he did was to commit a 
 number of cruelties by which he made bitter enemies of 
 the Indians, who destroyed the visitors, until only four 
 were left. They managed after several years to work 
 
ii8 IN the; white housk. 
 
 their way to the Pacific coast, where they found friends 
 who cared for them. 
 
 De Soto took a thousand men with him to Florida 
 and followed in the footsteps of Narvaez. He displayed 
 the same cruelty to the natives and reaped as he had 
 sown„ He discovered the Mississippi in 1541, and was 
 buried in its waters some months later, while less than 
 half of his company, gaunt, ragged and starving, finally 
 emerged from the wilderness. The experience of Don 
 Tristan de Luna, with an army of 1,500, who entered 
 Florida in 1559, was so similar that the particulars need 
 not be given. 
 
 The French planted a colony in Florida on the St. 
 Johns in 1562. They treated the Indians well and were 
 treated well by them. But a strong force of Spaniards, 
 under Pedro Menendez, stealthily ascended the river in 
 the night, attacked the French and killed and hanged 
 one hundred and fifty, refusing tc give any quarter to 
 the prisoners, though it was repeatedly offered to induce 
 them to surrender. Most of those who fled were ship- 
 wrecked on Anastasia Island, whither Menendez pursued 
 them, received their surrender and hanged all except one 
 or two whom he thought would be useful to him. 
 
 And yet this unspeakable miscreant must be given the 
 credit of having founded St. Augustine (1565), the first 
 permanent European settlement within the present limits 
 of the United States. 
 
CHAPTER XIL 
 
 CUBA ITS EARLY HISTORY CRUELTIES OF THE SPANIARDS 
 
 FAILURES OF THE PLANS TO WREST CUBA FROM 
 
 SPAIN THE REBELLION OF 1 868-78 THE REBELLION 
 
 BEGUN IN 1895 THE LEx\DERS SPAIN's VAIN EF- 
 FORTS TO CONQUER THE PATRIOTS SYMPATHY OF THE 
 
 UNITED STATES ^'BUTCHER WEYLEr'^ HIS INHUMAN 
 
 COURSE AND ITS RESULTS OUR DUTY. 
 
 We have glanced hastily over the infamous part taken 
 by Spain in the settlement of the United States. At this 
 time it will be of value to give a succinct account of her 
 perfidious course concerning Cuba, the ''Queen of the 
 Antilles." 
 
 Cuba is 750 miles long, with an average width of 50 
 miles. In size it is larger than Ireland, less than England, 
 and lacks but a few mi^es of the area of the State O'f Penn- 
 sylvania. It is mountainous at the southeast coast, where 
 the Sierra Maestra attains an elevation in some places 
 of a mile and a half, and extends from Cape de Cruz to 
 Cape de Mayzi. The central portions contain rugged, 
 hilly districts between Santa Clara and Puerto Principe, 
 and also northwest of Trinidad, the remainder of the coun- 
 try consisting of undulating and mostly well-watered 
 plains. Sugar is the principal product, but the finest to- 
 bacco in the world is grown. 
 
 Cuba was discovered by Columbus on his first voyage 
 in 1492. He supposed it formed a part of the mainland of 
 India, since, as is well known, the great navigator never 
 suspected he had discovered a new continent. The condi- 
 tions in the island were favorable to Spanish colonization, 
 
I20 CUBA'S EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 and, by 1520, it became the base of all operations against 
 Mexico. Tlie Spaniards became enormously wealthy 
 through the unpaid toil of the Indians, who were reduced 
 to slavery. 
 
 The cruelties of the conquerors were so fearful that the 
 Indians died by hundreds and thousands. The heart of 
 Las Casas, the Roman Catholic apostle to the Indians, 
 was so touched by their sufferings that he appealed tO' the 
 home government to protect them from extermination. 
 Las Casas was given authority, but despite his utmost ef- 
 forts their numbers rapidly diminished. As the only means 
 of saving them the humane missionary proposed to bring 
 the sturdy, toughened negroes from St. Domingo to take 
 the places of the Indians in the mines and cane fields. The 
 colonists acted upon the suggestion and it was thus that 
 negro slavery was introduced into Cuba. 
 
 Nothing short of death can extinguish the ferocious 
 nature of a Spaniard, and the extermination of the native 
 Cubans went on, while the atrocities perpetrated upon the 
 tougher blacks so reduced their numbers that the slaves 
 had to be recruited by importations from abroad. The 
 Indians were finally killed of¥, and between that and the 
 vigorous prosecution of the African slave trade the plant- 
 ers did not prosper. Prior to 1762 60,000 slaves had been 
 brought into Cuba and they were landed at the rate of a 
 thousand annually for the following twenty-five years, 
 when there was a great increase. Careful statistical writ- 
 ers say that 335,000 slaves were brought into the country 
 between 181 7 and 1842, and during the following ten 
 years it was 45,000. These figures, which are authentic, 
 show the dreadful mortality that prevailed among those 
 unfortunate people. 
 
 During the first quarter of the present century every 
 
CUBA'S EARLY HISTORY. tJI 
 
 continental portion of Spanish America secured its inde- 
 pendence. How was it that Cuba failed to do so? 
 
 Thousands of the Spaniards who remained loyal to the 
 mother country were driven from the mainland and took 
 refuge in Cuba and Porto Rico. Their sentiments and 
 their capital and energy held the two islands immovable 
 in loyalty. 
 
 Havana was captured in 1762 by a British armament, 
 but was restored within the following year, and previous 
 to that it was twice almost destroyed by the French. The 
 rule of the island has always been characteristically Span- 
 ish. The head was a captain-general, who received his 
 appointment from the home government and was in no 
 way responsible to the people over whom he ruled. 
 
 When slavery prevailed in our country there was a 
 strong desire throughout the South for the annexation 
 of Cuba. Many plans were formed for wresting it from 
 Spain. A number of filibustering expeditions went thither, 
 but all came to naught. Proix>sitions were made to Spain 
 to sell, but she refused. In 1848 President Polk, through 
 the American Minister at Madrid, and without any con- 
 stitutional authority, offered $100,000,000 for the island, 
 but the offer was rejected. 
 
 Spain, however, was notified more than once that the 
 United States would not permit Cuba to be transferred to 
 any nation except herself. In 1849, after the famous fili- r 
 bustering expedition under Lopez had failed. President [ 
 Fillmore refused to unite with England and France in 
 guaranteeing the posession of the island to Spain. 
 
 It was on October 9, 1854, that a piece of American di- 
 plomacy, anything but creditable to our country, was un- 
 dertaken. James Buchanan, American Minister to Eng- 
 land; John Y. Mason, Minister to France, and Pierre 
 Soule, Minister to Spain, met at Ostend, Belgium, an(J 
 
122 CUBA'S EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 drew up the ''Ostend Circular or Manifesto." This set 
 forth that a sale of Cuba to the United States would be 
 advantageous to both governments; but that if Spain re- 
 fused to sell it was the duty of this country to "wrest it 
 from her" rather than see it Africanized like San Do- 
 mingo. Fortunately, the slavery question so occupied our 
 own attention that this semi-official threat came to 
 naught, for, as has been stated, the proceeding was noth- 
 ing of which this country could feel proud. 
 
 Spain was involved in civil war and a revolution in 1868 
 resulting in the dethronement and exile of the coarse and 
 corrupt Queen Isabella, and in the same year Cuba began 
 her first real struggle for independence. The Madrid Min- 
 istry in 1870 decreed that every slave at the age of 60 
 should become free and all their ofifspring t)orn after that 
 date should be free. This decree was never enforced, for 
 the "loyal party" in Cuba would not permit it. The fight 
 for freedom went on for ten years and was often charac- 
 terized by great cruelty. In the spring of 1878 Martinez 
 Campos, through his military energy and the granting of 
 compromises, succeeded in quelling the rebellion. He of- 
 fered pardon to all rebels who laid down their arms and 
 restoration of confiscated property. 
 
 Previous to this in 1870 our government tendered its 
 good offices in behalf of peace and proposed the sale of 
 the island to the Cubans. The offer, like all previous 
 ones of parting with Cuba, was rejected by Spain. It re- 
 quired 100,000 soldiers and $700,000,000 to bring that 
 first rebellion to a close. 
 
 As might have been anticipated Spain paid little or no 
 regard to her pledges to Cuba, whose position became so 
 intolerable that the people resolved to make one final ef- 
 fort to cast off the tyranny that ground them to the very 
 dust. 
 
CUBA'S EARIvY HISTORY. 123 
 
 The first step was taken February 24, 1895, when a 
 number of representative Cubans who had come together 
 joined in declaring themselves independent. At that time 
 they had no organization, but it did not take them long 
 to secure one. Thousands of patriots were thrilled by the 
 call to risk their lives and all in the battle for liberty. They 
 flocked to the standard of revolt, were drilled and disci- 
 plined by skilled officers, who speedily formed plans for 
 prosecuting the campaign against the loyal troops, from 
 whom they knew no mercy was to be expected. Their 
 aim was to preserve free communication among them- 
 selves throughout the island, gradually working their way 
 as near as possible to the city of Havana, where Spain had 
 her firmest foothold. 
 
 The first forward step was taken on the 31st of March 
 in the province of Santiago de Cuba, when General Anto- 
 nio Maceo, his brother Jose, Crombet and Cebreco, all 
 veterans tried by battle and fire, with twenty or more de- 
 voted followers, landed at Duaba, near Baracoa, and unit- 
 ed with a larger number of patriots who were eagerly 
 awaiting them. They raised the standard of revolt and 
 the flames of insurrection spread like a prairie fire. 
 
 Less than two weeks later General Maximo Gomez and 
 Jose Marti, v/ith several friends, came ashore at the south- 
 eastern extremity of Cuba and, meeting Maceo, held a 
 long consultation and agreed upon a plan of campaign, 
 which was as follows: 
 
 General Maceo was to remain in the province of Santi- .. 
 ago, while Gomez went to Camaguey as general-in-chief 
 of the army. Fighting speedily opened and continued 
 with scarcely an intermission until the momentous 
 events of 1898. In a desperate conflict at Boca de los 
 Rios, on the 19th of May, Marti wag killed. The rebellion 
 
114 CUBA'S EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 had assumed such formidable proportions that by Octo- 
 ber there were 30,000 revolutionists in the field. 
 
 The western division occupied the province of Puerto 
 Principe and was commanded by General Gomez, Gen- 
 eral Maceo having charge of the eastern division. The 
 Spanish army, almost three times as numerous as that of 
 the patriots, was under the command of Marshal Martinez 
 de Campos, the best officer of Spain and the leader who 
 brought the previous rebellion to a close. Unlike the 
 majority of his countrymen he possessed traits of honor 
 and believed in prosecuting war on civilized principles. 
 He organized a plan of campaign that was the best possi- 
 ble, but he was unable to make any substantial headway 
 against the insurgents, who retained the advantage in the 
 fighting that followed. 
 
 To show the extent of the Cuban organization it may 
 be said that when a meeting was held for the formation of 
 a permanent government there were representatives from 
 five of the six provinces into which the island is divided. 
 This was in October, 1895, when Salvador Cisneros was 
 made president; Carlos Ruloff, secretary of war; M'axima 
 Gomez, general-in-chief, and Antonio Maceo, lieutenant- 
 general. ^ 
 
 In the vain effort to subdue the rebellion Spain sent 
 nearly a quarter of a million soldiers to Cuba, to which 
 were opposed less than 50,000 patriots, poorly armed but 
 inspired by fervent patriotism. In the beginning of 1896 
 the Cuban army was divided into five corps, the first four 
 of which operated in the provinces of Santiago, Puerto 
 Principe, Los Villa and Matanzas, and the last, sometimes 
 referred to as the Invading Army, acted in Havana and 
 Pinar del Rio. The situation may be simimed up by say- 
 ing that the Spaniards held the seaports while the patriots 
 controlled the rest of the island. 
 
CUBA'S EARLY HISTORY. 1^5 
 
 The war of necessity was cruel, for the insurgents were 
 treated as if pirates and outlaws. Spain would have de- 
 lighted to annihilate every man, woman and child that 
 opposed her torturing rule, but dared not dO' so through 
 fear of retaliation and the interference of the United 
 States. The patriots burned their own plantations to pre- 
 vent their enemies from gathering the products, and 
 shrank from no, sacrifice that could help their cause. 
 
 The American people cannot help feeling a profound 
 sympathy for any people struggling for freedom, for it 
 was through such struggles, such suflferings and such 
 deaths that we won our liberty. Although our govern- 
 ment spent an immense amount of money and employed 
 a large force to compel a strict observance of neutrality, 
 it was impossible to prevent some citizens from landing 
 arms, munitions and volunteers on the Cuban coast, 
 where the patriots sorely needed and were waiting for 
 them. Public meetings were held in many cities and the 
 speeches from leading citizens throbbed with pity for the 
 handful of patriots fignting the worst government on the 
 face of the earth. 
 
 Jose Marti founded a revolutionary party in the United 
 States, composed of numerous clubs, whose presidents 
 formed a council. Tlie Cuban cigar makers and em- 
 ployees, numbering 18,000, contributed one-tenth of their 
 wages and the product of one day's labor each week to 
 the cause. In this manner $100,000 was gathered 
 monthly. 
 
 The Cubans had no lack of advocates on the floor of 
 Congress. Many Insisted that belligerent rights should 
 be granted them. The beneficent result of this would have 
 been their elevation at once to the rank of a nation ; they 
 could borrow money through the issue of bonds; grant 
 letters of marque; have a flag that would be recognized; 
 
126 CUBA'S EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 secure exchange of prisoners of war and humane treat- 
 ment of their friends captured in battle, and, in brief, ac- 
 quire a position that must bring independence. 
 
 Now, while this would have been a boon that would 
 have made us all rejoice, it cannot be denied that there 
 was reason in the claim that by international law the Cu- 
 bans were not entitled to such recognition. It was neces- 
 sary for them at first to establish a stable government, as 
 capable of administering all the departments and details 
 as w^as the Southern Confederacy at the outset of the civil 
 war. Until this was done the United States, profound as 
 was its sympathy for them, must wait. 
 
 Martinez de Campos, captain-general of Cuba, urged 
 conciliatory measures upon his government, which re- 
 sponded by removing him from command and appointing 
 General Valeriano Weyler in his place. Weyler had 
 proven himself a merciless wretch during the rebellion 
 of 1868- 1878 and was, therefore, a man after Spain's own 
 heart, one whom she delighted to honor, and to whose 
 tigerish nature she was glad to intrust the lives of help- 
 less old men, women and children. 
 
 Weyler's course in Cuba speedily won him the appropri- 
 ate title of "Butcher." He was always afraid of exposing 
 himself to the bullets or machetes of the enemy, though 
 he sent many announcements home that the island had 
 been pacified. He wrenched an enormous private fortune 
 . 'Tom his famishing soldiers, cheated his government and 
 robbed the patriots. If any of his officers won a trifling 
 victory he appropriated the honor to himself; he was 
 continually making proclamations of what he had done 
 and was about to do, and all were equally baseless of 
 truth ; he did not care how many of his own soldiers died 
 of disease and wounds so lon^ as he could gorge himself 
 with spoils. 
 
CUBA'S EARLY HISTORY. 127 
 
 His most inhuman proceeding was his ''reconcentrado" 
 order. The reconcentrados of Cuba are the non-combat- 
 ants. He commanded that all of them should come in 
 from the country, where they were able to make a living 
 for themselves, and herd in the cities, where the people 
 were unable to provide them with food. The scenes that 
 followed were like those in Armenia which horrified the 
 world. Men, women and children wasted away and died. 
 Babes were found mewling upon the famished breasts of 
 their dead mothers ; strong men became crazed from the 
 want of food, shrank to tottering skeletons and lay down 
 and breathed their last. 
 
 When the United States could bear it no longer she de- 
 manded the removal of Weyler, and Spain, who began 
 faintly to read the handwriting on the wall, complied, sup- 
 planting him with General Ramon Blanco, who has 
 proven himself a more merciful man. To save the per- 
 ishing thousands, our Government sent immense quanti- 
 ties of food to the reconcentrados. Committees went 
 thither to superintend the distribution, and Clara Barton, 
 the head of that blessed organization for ameliorating the 
 miseries resulting from war, the Red Cross Society, spent 
 weeks and months on the afflicted island, doing all she 
 could to save those in whom the spark of life had not yet 
 been extinguished. 
 
 Despite everything that could be done the awful fact 
 was established that more than two hundred thousand 
 people were starved to death in Cuba during her last war 
 for freedom, and all through the inhumanity of Spain. 
 
 Americans began to ask one another: 
 
 "How long shall this be permitted? Shall we stand 
 acquitted on the great judgment Day if, with our power 
 to end this appalling crime, we still refuse to lift a hand 
 to do so? These Cubans are at our doors, their moanings 
 
12^ CUBA'S EARLY HISTORV. 
 
 may almost be heard across the narrow stretch of water 
 that flows between their island and our mainland; they 
 look to us for relief, but we close our ears; we stand mute, 
 motionless, unheeding, while they perish before our very 
 eyes ; has not the time come for us to show to the world 
 that the highest impulse that can nerve the arm of any 
 government to smite is humanity?" 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 DEATH OF GENERAL MACEO — THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT 
 
 CONSUL-GENERAL LEE THE FIERCE FIGHTING IN 
 
 CUBA THE BLOWING UP OF THE MAINE REPORT OF 
 
 THE BOARD OF INQUIRY TRYING POSITION OF PRESI- 
 DENT m'kINLEY HIS FAITHFULNESS TO DUTY 
 
 PATRIOTIC COURSE OF CONGRESS. 
 
 A Startling blow to Cuban independence was struck on 
 December 7, 1896, when General Antonio Maceo, second 
 in command of the insurgent army, was killed. Dr. Zer- 
 tucha, the confidential physician of Maceo, rode with him 
 into ambush, v/hen a volley was fired which killed Maceo 
 and the young son of Gomez, who was a volunteer in the 
 war. It was a fearful charge to make against Dr. Zer- 
 tiicha, but there is the best of reason to beheve he deliber- 
 ately betrayed Maceo and was the direct cause of his death. 
 The physician was permitted to surrender, and he received 
 the kindest of treatment from his captors. Being a full- 
 blooded Spaniard his conduct was in keeping with the 
 character of that people. 
 
 The Revolutionary Government of Cuba having been 
 organized at Camaguey, September 19, 1895, this ad- 
 ministration was elected, and installed at Yaza, October 
 20, 1897. 
 
 President, Bartolome Masso ; Vice-President, Domingo 
 Mendez Capote ; Secretary of War, Jose B. Aleman ; Sec- 
 retary of Foreign Affairs, Andres Morendo de la Torre; 
 Secretary of the Treasury, Ernesto Font Sterling; Secre- 
 tary of the Interior, Manuel Ramos Silva ; Assistant Sec- 
 retary Gf War, Rafad d€ Cardenas; Assistant Secretary 
 
I30 M'KINLEY'S TRYING POSITION. 
 
 of Foreign Affairs, Nicolas Alverdi; Assistant Secretary 
 of the Treasury, Saturnio Larling. 
 
 The General-in-Chief of the army in the field was Max- 
 imo Gomez; the Lieutenant-General was Calixto Garcia. 
 The headquarters of the Cuban Junta in New York were 
 at No. 56 New street, Manhattan Borough. 
 
 Jose Antonio Maceo was a mulatto, born in Santiago 
 de Cuba in 1848. That he belonged to a fighting family 
 is proven by the fact that his father and every one of his 
 nine brothers were killed, one after the other, in the war 
 for the independence of Cuba. This wonderful record 
 equals that made by the "Fighting McCooks" in our own 
 civil war. 
 
 General Maceo was of dauntless courage and great mili- 
 tary ability. He took a leading part in the first struggle, 
 and by his brilliant defeat of Weyler at Guimaro, in 1873, 
 won the major-generalship. When living in Havana, 
 Maceo dressed with exquisite taste, and was regarded as 
 a sort of dandy, but in the field he shared the privations 
 and hardships of the privates, and v/as greatly beloved by 
 them. He never touched wine or played a game of cards, 
 and was an admirable type of the patriots who have fought 
 so long and well for their freedom. 
 
 No better appointment was ever made than when Presi- 
 dent Cleveland sent General Fitzhugh Lee, the famous 
 Confederate cavalry leader, ' as Consul-General for the 
 United States at Havana. He entered upon his official 
 duties, June 3, 1896, and from the first displayed excellent 
 tact and judgment, as well as perfect fearlessness in the 
 discharge of his duties, which were of the most difficult 
 nature. There was a widespread and intense Hostility to 
 Americans in Cuba, many of whom would have suffered 
 imprisonment and death but for the courageous faithful- 
 ness of General Lee, 
 
M'KINLEY'S TRYING POSITION. 131I 
 
 When President McKinley was inaugurated General 
 Lee sent his resignation to him; but the President knew 
 the value of such an officer too well to allow him to 
 withdraw from his post at so critical a time. He re- 
 quested him to remain, and his patriotism led him un- 
 hesitatingly to do so. His course in Havana won him 
 the admiring gratitude of our Government and the whole 
 American people. 
 
 Fighting in Cuba went on with bitter fierceness on 
 both sides. The immense disadvantage of the insurgents 
 lay in their lack of arms and ammunition. Many were 
 armed with old, worn-out muskets, and hundreds had no 
 weapons at all except the machete, with which they did 
 deadly execution at close quarters, but they fought all 
 the more bravely on that account. Being thoroughly 
 acclimated, they suffered less from sickness during the 
 unhealthful rainy season than the Spaniards, thousands 
 of whom succumbed to fevers or disease. 
 
 The insurgents met the ferocious warfare of their 
 enemies with warfare that was at times equally ferocious. 
 Dynamite, ambuscade and fire were used because self- 
 defense required their use. The most grotesque blunder 
 that an enemy of Spain can make is to show her any 
 generosity or chivalry in the conduct of a war against 
 her. It is impossible to give a detailed account of the 
 battles and skirmishes, nor would it be instructive to do 
 so, for they were similar in their nature. Many a time 
 the guns of the insurgents were heard in the streets of 
 Plavana and caused consternation in the metropolis of 
 the country. Prisoners were taken almost within sight 
 of the city. The Spanish commanders established 
 *'trochas," or dividing lines, which the patriots passed 
 and repassed at will ; the messages to the mother country 
 announcing the pacification of the island were followed 
 
132 M'k:ini.ey's trying position. 
 
 by more savage fighting and the defeats of the royalis: 
 forces; reinforcements were repeatedly sent across the 
 ocean, to be decimated by disease and the machetes of 
 the revolutionists; Spanish officers grew rich while their 
 soldiers starved; misery was everywhere, the saddest 
 feature of it all being that the reconcentrados and help- 
 less ones were the chief sufferers. 
 
 It is impossible to say how long this woeful condition 
 would have lasted, for Spain was determined never to 
 surrender her sovereignty over the island, and the patri- 
 ots were equally resolute not to stop fighting until either 
 all of them were killed or their independence was 
 achieved. The fighting was mainly of a guerilla charac- 
 ter, the royal forces holding the seaports while the in- 
 surgents were masters of the interior. 
 
 But all this was changed by the awful crime of Feb- 
 ruary 15, 1898. The battleship Maine, while riding 
 peacefully at anchor in the harbor of. Havana, was blown 
 up at night, and two hundred and sixty-six of her officers 
 and crew hurled into eternity. The news when first re- 
 ceived seemed too incredible for belief. The country was 
 dazed, but when the whole appalling truth became 
 known the nation was horrified and the civilized world 
 shocked. Then an intensity of righteous wrath stirred 
 the people to an almost irrestrainable degree, and they 
 demanded that the crowning infamy should receive the 
 sternest retribution. 
 
 And never v/as the self-poise and restraint of the 
 American nation more impressively shown than in the 
 days and weeks succeeding this horror. In his telegram 
 announcing the calamity. Captain Sigsbee of the Maine 
 asked for a suspension cf judgment on the part of all un^ 
 til the truth should be known. His request was one with 
 which compliance was hard, but it was just. President 
 
M'KINLBY'S TRYING POSITION. 133 
 
 McKinley's whole nature was stirred by the woeful 
 tragedy that sent so many brave sailors to the bottom 
 of the sea without a moment's warning; but that strong, 
 all-controlling sense of justice restrained him from taking 
 any rash step. No matter how great the provocation, he 
 was determined to be just. 
 
 "If Spain is guilty of this crime, she shall be held to 
 strict account, but first of all, let us make certain the 
 guilt lies at her door," was the sentiment that guided 
 him. 
 
 The most competent naval board of inquiry that could 
 be secured was appointed and began an investigation into 
 the loss of the battleship. 
 
 Their work was thorough and impartial. The friends 
 of Spain insisted that the Maine was blown up from 
 within, and that her officers and men were responsible 
 for it. -v^ 
 
 While the Americans believed otherwise, there was 
 enough uncertainty in the matter to lead them to sus- 
 pend judgment as requested. The Board of Inquiry 
 made its report on the 21st of March, and its conclusion 
 was in the following words: 
 
 ''The court finds that the loss of the Maine on the oc- 
 casion named was not in any respect due to fault or 
 negligence on the part oi any of the officers or members 
 of the crew of said vessel. 
 
 *Tn the opinion of the court the Maine was destroyed 
 by the explosion of a submarine mine, which caused the 
 partial explosion of two or more of her forward maga- 
 zines. 
 
 'The court has been unable to obtain evidence fixing 
 the responsibility for the destruction of the Maine upon 
 any person or persons." 
 
 This finding established the truth of what had been 
 
134 M'KINLEY'S TRYING POSITION 
 
 suspected from the first, but ur. fortunately the guilty par- 
 ties could not be named. It seems sirange that nothing 
 more than a vague suspicion of the identity of the men 
 who fired the mine could be obtained. It is not probable 
 that the crime was directly instigated by the Spanish 
 government, nor that General Blanco was involved 
 (Consul-General Lee was positive on this point); but the 
 criminals were the servants of Spain, and that country 
 owed us the only reparation it was possible to make. 
 
 Anticipating the verdict of this impartial board, the 
 Spanish authorities went through the farce of a pretended 
 investig:ation. Several of their divers made a partial ex- 
 amination of the hull, and then coolly announced that the 
 explosion had come from within, whereupon the home 
 government, in the words of the country candidate for 
 political honors, "hurled back our accusation with 
 scorn/* 
 
 President McKinley now found himself in the most 
 trying situation conceivable. Behind him was the tem- 
 pestuous wrath of the American nation clamoring for the 
 punishment of the treacherous Spaniards, while, almost 
 without exception, the call was equally loud for armed 
 intervention in Cuba. While these two subjects were 
 really distinct, resistless public sentiment would not per- 
 mit them to remain so. The most effective punishment 
 of Spain would be to wrest the "Queen of the Antilles" 
 from her, and establish the struggling Cubans as their 
 own masters. 
 
 But William McKinley could never lose sight of the 
 momentous fact that he was President of the United 
 States. Upon his shoulders rested a greater responsibil- 
 ity than upon any other man in the Western Hemisphere. 
 He knew by personal experience what war is, and he 
 dreaded it, as every right-thinking man dreads it; for it 
 
M'KINLEY'S TRYING POSITION. 135 
 
 means unnumbered deaths, desolated hearthstones, or- 
 phans, broken hearts and horrors beyond estimate. It 
 is the last resort of a nation, and should never be em- 
 ployed until diplomacy, arbitration, argument and per- 
 suasion have been carried to the utmost limit. It is 
 those who have never looked upon real war who are the 
 first to advocate it, while those who have tasted its bitter 
 cup are the last to favor it. It was the grim old hero, 
 General Sherman, who described it in three forceful 
 words: "War is hell." 
 
 And yet there are times when it is necessary, and if 
 there ever was a justification for an appeal to arms it 
 was to save the dying Cubans, to throttle the hideous 
 government and fling it so far from the New World that 
 it would never dare set foot upon its soil again. 
 
 It is at such times that the nation needs at its head one 
 who is cool, calm, thoughtful, well-informed, deliberate, 
 possessing not only a thorough knowledge of his coun- 
 trymen, but above all, of the requirements of his exalted 
 position, and a knowledge of the right course to pursue. 
 President McKinley fully measured up to these trans- 
 cendent requirements. He was an American, a soldier, 
 a statesman, a patriot, but he held the helm of the Gov- 
 ernment, and it was his to steer it to shipwreck or into 
 the deep, smooth waters of safety. 
 
 Congress will always have its im^pulsive, hot-headed 
 members, who mean well, but who, fortunately for their 
 country, generally remain in the minority. Could they 
 have their way they would precipitate the United States 
 into war upon trifling provocation, and bankrupt and 
 ruin the nation. It is easy to allow ouf-'s self to be swept 
 along with the current, but it takes a strong swimmer 
 to face the other way and breast the stream with sturdy 
 stroke. 
 
1S6 ; M'KINLEY'S TRYING POSITION. 
 
 "Oh, for a day of Andrew Jackson in the White 
 House!" exclaimed one of these headlong patriots, in 
 the course of a heated discussion. 
 
 Andrew Jackson was impulsive, courageous and re- 
 gardless of consequences, when leading an armed force 
 against the enemies of his country. He loved his friends 
 and hated his enemies; he shrank from no step that he 
 beHeved right, and yet when he sat in the President's 
 chair none was more deliberate, cautious and considerate 
 for the welfare of his country, when it was threatened 
 by foreign complications. He consulted with the ablest 
 advisers, and took each step with such care that he was 
 certain of not being compelled to retreat. 
 
 President McKinley followed the same wise course. 
 He had one of the ablest of Cabinets, including the bril- 
 liant Attorney-General Griggs, who had lately joined his 
 council of constitutional advisers, and he advised with 
 leading Democrats as well as members of his own polit- 
 ical party. When the question of patriotism confronts 
 us, we are all Republicans, Democrats, Populists, and 
 whatever name is known in politics. 
 
 One of the wisest rules is never to take an important 
 step without first ''sleeping over it." The man who en- 
 ters into a dispute with perfect control of his temper has 
 already won half the battle. The United States is a great 
 and powerful nation, and it can afford to be deliberate, 
 for then it is sure of being right. 
 
 The Americans are pre-eminently a patient and long- 
 suffering people. When the correspondent of the Lon- 
 don Times made a tour of this country, just prior to the 
 civil war, he wrote that we were a great nation, but lacked 
 patriotism. He studied us on the eve of one of the 
 mightiest struggles in history, apparently absorbed in 
 business, and heedless of the clouds that were gathering 
 
M'KINIvEY'S TRYING POSITION. 137 
 
 in the sky, but never was an observer more mistaken. 
 All that he saw changed in the twinkling of an eye when 
 the peal of the cannon firing upon Fort Sumter resound- 
 ed through the land. In the North and South men flew 
 to arms. The peaceful thousands were transformed on 
 the instant into patriots clamoring for places in the ranks. 
 It is the good-natured man, the one slowest to anger, 
 v/ho is the most dangerous when roused by some irresist- 
 ible provocation. If the Americans are patient and long- 
 suffering, their indignation is the more to be feared. As 
 has been said, when they are stirred into action it is high 
 time for their enemies to stand from under. 
 
 The Senate, the most dignified branch of Congress, 
 caught the war fever and shared it with the House, In 
 the latter part of March resolutions were introduced into 
 both branches recognizing the belligerency of the Cu- 
 bans or their independence. The ''peace at any price" 
 policy as it was termed was denounced, and the inde- 
 pendence of Cuba was demanded as the only reparation 
 Spain could make for the Maine crime. In the Senate 
 alone four resolutions of similar import were introduced 
 on the same day. Amid the excitement, intensifying 
 every hour, and the expressed impatience with the Pres- 
 ident's slowness, the situation was summed up by a lead- 
 ing paper in^he following forceful words: 
 
 'The country has for its President a statesman whose 
 personal bravery and warmth of human emotions no one 
 would think of questioning, but whose calm determina- 
 tion to exhaust every possibility of peace with honor de- 
 serves from his country the highest respect. 
 
 "The country has a national Legislature patiently and 
 loyally heeding the advice of the executive, although burn- 
 ing hot with the sentiment that becomes a country like 
 
138 M'KINLEY'S TRYING POSITION. 
 
 ours when in sight of a neighboring people struggling 
 for liberty. 
 
 "The country has an army and navy alive with the na- 
 tional spirit, and ready for the performance of any duty 
 that may be prescribed for them. 
 
 "And it has a people, spreading over forty-five States, 
 whom the fearful trial of the Maine disaster has shaken 
 neither in dignity nor in understanding, and who in their 
 sorrow over the loss of the Maine and in their longing 
 to see the United States play its part in succoring a mal- 
 treated American State, are more truly united and more 
 intensely fired with a common patriotism than at any 
 time since the making of the Constitution. Never since 
 the beginning of their independence have Americans had 
 occasion to be more proud and more hopeful of their 
 country." 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 TPIE president's MESSAGE ON THE CUBAN QUESTION — 
 PROMPT ACTION OF CONGRESS THE JOINT RESOLU- 
 TION SIGNED BY THE PRESIDENT ULTIMATUM TO 
 
 SPAIN — CHARACTERISTIC SPANISH TRICKERY. 
 
 At noon, April ii, President McKinley sent to Con- 
 gress his message on the Cuban question. It was a 
 lengthy and able document, in which in vigorous lan- 
 guage he set forth the terrible effects of Spanish misrule 
 in the island; recited the particulars of the Maine dis- 
 aster, with the announcement that Spain wanted to arbi- 
 trate the matter or submit it to an impartial investigation, 
 and finally the President asked for authority to intervene 
 to stop the war in Cuba at his own discretion, and with 
 that he turned the whole question over to Congress, 
 holding himself ready promptly to obey its instructions. 
 
 The grounds for intervention were thus summed up: 
 
 First — In the cause of humanity, and to put an end to 
 the bart)arities, starvation and horrible miseries now ex- 
 isting there, and which the parties to the conflict are 
 either unable or unwilling to stop or mitigate. It is no 
 answer to say this is all in another country, belonging to 
 another nation, and is therefore none of our business. 
 It is specially our duty, for it is right at our door. 
 
 Second — We owe it to our citizens in Cuba to afford 
 them that protection and indemnity for life and property 
 which no government there can or will afford, and to 
 that end to terminate th^ conditions that deprive them 
 of legal protection. 
 
140 I>ROMPT ACTION 01^ CONGRESS. 
 
 Third — Right to intervene may be justified by the very 
 serious injury to the eommerce, trade and business of 
 our people, and by the wanton destruction of property 
 and devastation of the island. 
 
 Fourth (and which is of the most importance) — The 
 present condition of affairs in Cuba is a constant menace 
 to our peace, and entails upon this Government an enor- 
 mous expense. With such a conflict waged for years in 
 an island so near us, and with which our people have 
 such trade and business relations — when the lives and 
 liberty of our citizens are in constant danger, and their 
 property and themselves ruined — ^when our trading ves- 
 sels are liable to seizure and are seized at our very door 
 by warships of a foreign nation, the expeditions of fili- 
 bustering that we are powerless to prevent altogether, 
 and the irritating questions and entanglements thus aris- 
 ing — all these and others that I need not mention, with 
 the resulting strained relations, are a constant menace to 
 our peace, and compel us to keep on a semi-war with a 
 nation with which we are at peace. 
 
 Previous to this Congress had unanimously placed 
 $50,000,000 at the disposal of the President to be used 
 in preparing the country for war that nearly every one 
 believed probable if not inevitable. The standing army 
 of the United States comprises only about 25,000 officers 
 and enlisted men, and the long term of peace had left 
 the country in an unprepared condition for hostilities. 
 There was lack of ammunition, of armaments and of 
 men. The most vigorous preparations were set on foot; 
 recruiting offices were opened; new cruisers and ships 
 were bought, the preparation of others hurried, and the 
 naval and v;ar offices hummed with activity. 
 
 The moM feipressive feature of all this was the fervent 
 vspirit ©f patndlism that permeated the whok CQUirttry. 
 
PROMPT ACTION OF CONGRJESS. 141 
 
 Students at colleges asked by the hundreds the privilege 
 of volunteering; thousands of veterans of the civil war 
 demanded a place in the ranks; even men who had fought 
 in the Texan war of independence sixty-two years be- 
 fore begged for a chance to aim and fire their guns for 
 their country. One of these, a veteran of ninety, gave a 
 war dance before his delighted friends, who carried him 
 on their shoulders and cheered him to the echo. 
 
 There was less hurrah and demonstration in the South, 
 but the war spirit was fully as intense as in the North. It 
 being understood that General Fitzhugh Lee was to have 
 an important command, the old Confederates applied by 
 the thousands for a chance of serving under him. Had 
 the Government issued a call for a million volunteers, 
 more than that number would have rushed forward in 
 response. It was a thrilling and sublime picture of 
 American patriotism that wiped out forever the last ves- 
 tige of feeling between the sections that had fought in 
 the War for the Union. 
 
 In his message to Congress the President asked au- 
 thority to take measures "to secure a full and final termi- 
 nation of hostilities between the government of Spain 
 and the people of Cuba; to secure in the island the estab- 
 lishment of a stable government capable of maintaining 
 order and observing its international obligations, insur- 
 ing peace and tranquility, and the security of its citizens 
 as well as our own, and finally requested authority to use 
 the military and naval forces of the United States as may 
 be necessary for these purposes.'' 
 
 Two days later the House of Representatives re- 
 sponded by giving the President all and more than he 
 asked, and that, too, by the overwhelming majority of 
 322 to 19. Instead of granting him authority and power, 
 the House resolution laid a command upon the Kxecu- 
 
I4i PROMAt ACTION OF CONGRESS. 
 
 tive, who was "authorized and directed" to intervene and 
 stop the war in Cuba. DecHning to leave the time for 
 such action indefinite, the House provided that the inter- 
 vention should be "at once." Instead of authorizing in- 
 tervention for the purpose of establishing a "stable gov- 
 ernment, capable of maintaining order and observing its 
 international obligations," it directed him to establish "by 
 the free action of Cuba a stable and independent govern- 
 ment of their own." Moreover, he was authorized and 
 empowered to use all our military and naval forces to 
 carry out these purposes. 
 
 The usually ponderous Senate having swung into line 
 quickly took the lead in patriotic legislation. On April 
 1 6, by a vote of 67 to 21, it passed a joint resolution 
 which, leaving out of consideration its recognition of the 
 existing republican government of Cuba, dropped the 
 word "intervention" altogether and declared that the peo- 
 ple of Cuba are and of right ought to be free and inde- 
 pendent. It demanded the immediate relinquishment by 
 Spain of its authority and government in the island, and 
 the immediate withdrawal of its land and naval forces 
 from Cuba and Cuban waters. Instead of "authorized 
 and empowered," it "directed and empowered" the Presi- 
 dent to use our military and naval forces to expel Spain. 
 
 On April 18 the House accepted the terms of the Sen- 
 ate resolution in place of its own, with the single excep- 
 tion of the clause relating to the immediate recognition 
 of the Masso provisional government. 
 
 This programme ended all possibility of further delay 
 through further diplomatic negotiations, and instead of 
 throwing upon the President the fearful responsibility 
 of action that meant war, Cuban independence was recog- 
 nized and Spain was notified to leave Cuba under penalty 
 of bein? driven out. 
 
PROMPT ACTION OF CONGRESS. 143 
 
 The President signed the joint Cuban resolutions be- 
 tween eleven and twelve o'clock, April 20. The under- 
 standing was that the ultimatum to Spain, demanding 
 that the Spanish troops be withdrawn from Cuba would 
 be handed to the Spanish Ministry by Minister Wood- 
 ford, our representative at Madrid, on the following 
 morning. The following is the text of this important 
 document : 
 
 "April 20, 1898. 
 "To Woodford, Minister, Madrid : 
 
 "You have been furnished with the text of a joint 
 resolution voted by the Congress of the United States on 
 the 19th inst. — approved to-day — in relation to the pacifi- 
 cation of the Island of Cuba. 
 
 "In obedience to that act, the President directs you 
 to immediately communicate to the Government of Spain 
 said resolution, with the formal demand of the Govern- 
 ment of the United States that the Government of Spain 
 at once relinquish its authority and goverment in the 
 Island of Cuba and withdraw its land and naval forces 
 from Cuba and Cuban waters. 
 
 "In taking this step, the United States hereby disclaims 
 any disposition or intention to exercise sovereignty, juris- 
 diction or control over said island except for the pacifica- 
 tion thereof, and asserts its determination when that is ac- 
 complished to leave the government and control of the 
 island to its people, under such free and independent 
 government as they may establish. 
 
 "If, by the hour of noon on Saturday next, the 23d day 
 of April, instant, there be not communicated to this Gov- 
 ernment by that of Spain a full and satisfactory response 
 to this demand and resolution, whereby the ends of peace 
 in Cuba shall be assured, the President will proceed, with- 
 
144 PROMPT ACtlON OF CONGRESS. 
 
 out further notice, to use the power and authority en- 
 joined and conferred upon him by the said joint resolu- 
 tion to such extent as may be necessary to carry the same 
 into effecto Sherman/' 
 
 Even in so grave a matter as this, Spain displayed her 
 usual trickery and lack of honor. So soon as the Presi- 
 dent had signed the resolution, he notified Senor Polo y 
 Bernabe, the Spanish Minister, who at once requested 
 his passports, which were handed to him at his residence 
 by an official of the State Department. He left Washing- 
 ton at seven o'clock the same evening, in a special car for 
 Canada, well guarded by officers to prevent all possible 
 annoyance. 
 
 Just before starting the Spanish Minister was asked a 
 number of questions, his replies to which may be summed 
 up thus : 
 
 *'Spain has been humiliated to the last degree and will 
 suffer no longer. She has exhausted every possible and 
 honorable means to avert war and will not submit to any 
 condition that attacks her sovereignty over her own coun- 
 try. The war will last till Spain shows her superiority 
 over the United States. As to a revolution or civil war in 
 my country, the Spaniards have enough patriotism to 
 unite and defend their common country from the unjust 
 attacks of the Yankees. They will raise no disturbance, 
 because they know full well that the people of the United 
 States base their hopes of success on a disruption of the 
 kingdom, and the Spaniards will not give the Yankees 
 the pleasure of seeing their predictions come true. As 
 for Don Carlos (knov/n as the pretender to the throne of 
 "'oain), he will take no advantage of this occasion to 
 
 ^e the throne. The chief cause of the present condition 
 \irs is first, the insurgents, and, second, the adven- 
 
PROMPT ACTION OF CONGRESSo 145 
 
 turous spirit of the Yankees in taldng the part of the reb- 
 els in Cuba against the mother country, and hoping there- 
 by to enlarge their own country. But they will find they 
 are mistaken. War might have been averted by the 
 United States not mixing in affairs where she has no 
 business, especially when it was a matter that concerned a 
 friendly nation and one of its provinces. The outcome 
 will be the final triumph and victory of the Spanish arms 
 over the United States. Should the European powers in- 
 tervene, I am confident they will uphold the Queen regent 
 in defending the kingdom of Spain against the vile attacks 
 of the United States." 
 
 "Butcher Weyler," as was to be expected, had his 
 views to set forth. When he found three thousand miles 
 of ocean between him and the United States, he became 
 very brave and expressed the wish for an opportunity to 
 chastise our President for his sentiments. He declared 
 further that when our troops reached Cuba, the yellow 
 fever would destroy half of them and the Spanish soldiers 
 would "take care" of the rest. 
 
 The characteristic trick to which Spain resorted in this 
 business was respecting the deliverance of our ultimatum 
 by Minister Woodford to that country. It was cabled to 
 Madrid in the English language, reaching there on 
 Wednesday night, a copy was sent to the Spanish authori- 
 ties, read by the members of the ministry and not deliv- 
 ered to Minister Woodford until the following morn- 
 ing. Before he had time to present it to the Minister of 
 Foreign Affairs, the government notified him that rela- 
 tion? between the two governments had ceased. Con- 
 sequently he was unable to submit his note, since he was 
 merely an American citizen without any official standmg 
 a^ the Spanish court. No other nation in Christendom 
 would have descended to so contemptible a trick. 
 
146 PROMPT /iCTION OF CONGRESS. 
 
 While the Spanish Minister, after authorizing an in* 
 suiting interview with a representative of the press, was 
 escorted out of our country and protected from every an- 
 noyance, it was not so with the American Minister. 
 
 Since his passports were sent to him, before he could 
 carry out the instructions of his Government, nothing 
 was left for General Woodford to do except to take his 
 departure. He notified President McKinley of the treat- 
 ment he had received, sent a courteous note to Pio Gul- 
 lon, Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, placed the in- 
 terests of the United States in charge of the British Em- 
 bassy, ordered all the other American consuls to leave the 
 country immediately, and then set them the good ex- 
 ample, having previously sent the members of his family 
 away. 
 
 When the train on which General Woodford was a pas- 
 senger reached Vallodolid, a mob surrounded it with 
 furious cries of "Death to the Yankees !" smashed the 
 windows and made desperate efforts to kill the ex-minis- 
 ter, he being rescued with great difficulty by the civil 
 guard. 
 
 Upon reaching Tolosa, and while General Woodford 
 wa^ peacefully sleeping in his berth, his colored valet 
 awoke him in great excitement with the news that a detec- 
 tive and a sergeant of the civil guard had boarded the 
 train with the determination to remove his private secre- 
 tary, on the charge that he was a Spanish subject. Gen- 
 eral Woodford confronted the policeman with an indig- 
 nant protest, declaring that the secretary was a British 
 citizen. The officers denied this, whereupon General 
 V/oodford refused to argue the matter further, and, plac- 
 ing himself in the doorway of his secretary's apartments, 
 showed his American pluck by declaring that he would 
 resist the capture of the secretary to the last. A fellow 
 
PROMPT ACTION OF CCTsGRKSS. 147 
 
 passenger, at Woodford's request, warned the officers in 
 Spanish that the minister had placed the secretary under 
 the protection of the British flag and he would hold his 
 station in front of his assistant's apartments until the 
 Spanish frontier was crossed. No nation that flings its 
 emblem to the breeze extends more effective protection 
 to her citizens than Great Britain. It has been said that 
 if an Englishman's ears are unwarrantably cufifed in a for- 
 eign country, the act is promptly followed by the arrival 
 of a British squadron, with notice to the offender that his 
 choice lies between making an apology and paying an in- 
 demnity, or being blown off the face of the earth. This 
 paternal care of its subjects is one of the most admirable 
 features of British rule. The Spanish officers, even in 
 their fierce hatred of the secretary, who was of Spanish 
 birth, knew better than to rouse the wrath of the English 
 lion. They withdrew and Minister Woodforii suilereti no 
 further molestation from his enemies. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Spain's defiant action — the calmness op the presi- 
 dent PROMPT action by OUR GOVERNMENT THE 
 
 ANOMALOUS SITUATION DECLARATION OF WAR BY 
 
 CONGRESS. 
 
 In the ultimatum forwarded by our Government to 
 Spain that country was given until the following Saturday 
 at noon to return her answer, but, as has been shown, 
 the trick of the Spanish ministry shut off all possibility of 
 Minister Woodford delivering the ultimatum, while the 
 sending to him of his passports was equivalent of itself to 
 a declaration of war. It was established, therefore, that 
 the discourteous act was Spain's defiant answer, and it 
 was only throwing away important tim.e to v/ait another 
 hour. 
 
 President McKinley called a Cabinet meeting, at which 
 tlie matter was discussed in all its bearings. They were 
 able men who thus gathered to consider one of the most 
 momentous questions that had ever come before them for 
 consideration. The action of Spain was exasperating, 
 and thousands of patriotic Americans throughout the 
 country clamored for war. The slogan "Remember the 
 Maine !" was angrily shouted from multitudes of throats, 
 and was a fair expression of the sentiment of the people. 
 
 Nothing, hov/ever, could be more admirable than the 
 calm poise of the President and his councillors. No mat- 
 ter how deep their feelings personally, they never forgot 
 the interests of their native land, nor the fact that war 
 should be the last resort of a nation, to be accepted when 
 
SPAIN'S DEFIANT ACTION. 149 
 
 all other resources have failed. The glory of battle thrills 
 the nerves and stirs the blood, but there is always the in- 
 evitable background of death, wounds, sufferings and 
 desolate hearthstones. 
 
 Of the President himself, a leading journal had these 
 truthful words : 
 
 ''The wise man has said that 'He that is slow to anger 
 is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit 
 than he that taketh a city.' Under the masterful leader- 
 ship of the President this nation has been slow to anger, 
 and has well ruled his spirit. Having achieved those 
 higher ends, it will not miss the lower. It will show itself 
 mighty, and it will take the city of its foe." 
 
 At the Cabinet meeting to which reference has been 
 made, it was agreed that Spain had given her reply to the 
 ultimatum, and that there should be no more delay in 
 carrying out the directions of Congress contained in the 
 joint resolution approved by the President on the pre- 
 vious day (April 20). As quickly as possible, orders were 
 sent to Captain Sampson, commander of the Atlantic 
 squadron, to proceed at once to the blockade of the Cuban 
 ports. The sailors who had been waiting "on edge" 'for 
 weeks for the word, received it with cheers, and the gal- 
 lant Sampson, soon to be promoted to the highest rank, 
 was as delighted as his men to carry out his instructions. 
 He headed for Cuba, capturing a Spanish merchantman 
 on the way, and proceeded without delay to complete the 
 investment of the most important portion of the island. 
 
 At the afternoon session of the Cabinet it was decided 
 to blockade the Cuban ports, without any attack on the 
 defenses of Havana; to blockade Manila and other places 
 in the Philippine Islands by the Asiatic squadron under 
 Commodore Dewey; to retain the frying squadron under 
 Commander Schley at Hampton Roads until further or- 
 
I50 SPAIN'S DEFIANT ACTION. 
 
 ders; to establish a base of supplies in Cuba by Captain 
 Sampson's squadron, and to organize a military expedi- 
 tion to occupy this base within one week and to protect 
 it from attack by Spanish troops. 
 
 War having- been fairly launched, the President, agree- 
 ably to the provisions of the military bill passed by Con- 
 gress, issued a call for 125,000 vo/unteers, the response 
 to which was so enthusiastic that he could have had five 
 time the number for the simple asking. 
 
 The President saw that the situation was an anomalous 
 one. He and his associates knew that war was already 
 in progress, but there had been no formal declaration of 
 war. Congress by resolution had given the President 
 authority to use the land and naval forces of the United 
 States to drive Spain from the soil and waters of Cuba. 
 It would seem that this was all the authority that could 
 be needed, even to the extent of sending a fleet across 
 the ocean to attack Spain itself, but the resolutions only 
 directed him to compel Spain to relinquish control over 
 Cuba. Whatever may have been the intention of Con- 
 gress, that body had given no specific instructions to do 
 anything else. 
 
 Always deliberate and determined to be right, the 
 President decided to ask Congress for the broadest au- 
 thority to use the land and naval forces of the United 
 States against Spain, to secure which it was necessary 
 that there should be a formal declaration of war against 
 that country by Congress. On Monday, April 25, he 
 sent the following communication to Congress: 
 
 "To the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
 United States of America: 
 "I transmit to the Congress for its consideration and 
 appropriate action copies of the correspondence recently 
 
SPAIN'S DEFIANT ACTION. 151 
 
 had with the representative of Spain in the United States, 
 with the United States Minister at Madrid, and through 
 the latter with the Government of Spain, showing the ac- 
 tion taken under the joint resolution approved April 20, 
 1898, 'for the recognition of the independence of the peo- 
 ple of Cuba, demanding that the Government of Spain 
 relinquish its authority and government in the island of 
 Cuba and to withdraw its land and naval forces from 
 Cuba and Cuban waters, and directing the President to 
 use the land and naval forces of the United States to carry 
 these resolutions into effect.' 
 
 "Upon communicating to the Spanish Minister in 
 Washington the demand which it became the duty of 
 the Executive to address to the Government of Spain in 
 obedience to said resolution, the Minister asked for his 
 passports and withdrew. The United States Minister at 
 Madrid was in turn notified by the Spanish Minister for 
 Foreign Affairs that the withdrawal of the Spanish repre- 
 sentative from the United States had terminated diplo- 
 matic relations between the two countries, and all offi- 
 cial communications between their respective representa- 
 tives ceased therewith. I commend to your especial at- 
 tention the note addressed to the United States Minister 
 at Madrid by the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs 
 on the 2 1st inst., whereby the formal notification was 
 conveyed. It will be perceived therefrom that the Gov- 
 ernment of Spain, having cognizance of the joint resolu- 
 tion of the United States Congress, and in view of the 
 things which the President was thereby required and au- 
 thorized to do, responds by treating the reasonable de- 
 mands of this Government as measures of hostility, fol- 
 lowing with that instant and complete severance of rela- 
 tions by its actions which, by the usage of nations, accom- 
 panies an existent state of war between sovereign powers. 
 
152 SPAIN'S DEFIANT ACTION. 
 
 "The position of Spain being thus made known and 
 the demands of the United States being denied with a 
 complete rupture of intercourse by the act of Spain, I 
 have been constrained, in exercise of the power and au- 
 thority conferred upon me by the joint resolution afore- 
 said, to proclaim, under date of April 22, 1898, a block- 
 ade of certain ports of the north coast of Cuba, lying be- 
 tween Cardenas and Bahia Honda, and of the port of 
 Cienfuegos on the south coast of Cuba, and further, in 
 exercise of my constitutional powers, and using the au- 
 thority conferred upon me by the act of Congress, ap- 
 proved April 22, 1898, to issue my proclamation dated 
 April 23, 1898, calling forth volunteers in order to carry 
 into effect the said resolution of April 20, 1898. Copies 
 of these proclamations are hereunto appended. 
 
 'Tn view of the measures so taken, and with a view to 
 the adoption of such other measures as may be necessary 
 to enable me to carry out the expressed will of the Con- 
 gress of the United States in the premises, I now recom- 
 mend to your honorable body the adoption of a joint 
 resolution declaring that a state of war exists between the 
 United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain, and 
 I urge speedy action thereon, to the end that the defini- 
 tion of the international status of the United States as 
 a belligerent power may be made known, and the asser- 
 tion of all its rights and the maintenance of all its duties 
 in the conduct of a pubHc war may be assured. 
 
 "William M'Kinley. 
 
 "Executive Mansion, Washington, April 25, 1898." 
 
 This message was accompanied by copies of the Presi- 
 dent's proclamation calling for troops and announcing 
 the blockade of the Cuban ports, together with a state- 
 ruent of the circumstances attending the rupture of diplo- 
 
SPAIN'S DEFIANT ACTION. 153 
 
 matic relations with Spain by the handing of his pass- 
 ports to Minister Woodford at Madrid and to Minister 
 Polo at Washington. 
 
 The message and documents were referred to the Com- 
 mittee on Foreign Relations, which held a session at once 
 and speedily reported the following hill: 
 
 "A bill declaring that war exists beteen the United 
 States of America and the Kingdom of Spain: 
 
 ''Be it resolved by the Senate and House of Repre- 
 sentatives of the United States of America, in Congress 
 assembled, 
 
 "First. That war be, and the same is hereby, declared 
 to exist, and that war has existed since the 21st day of 
 April, A. D. 1898, including said day, between the 
 United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain. 
 
 "Second. That the President of the United States be, 
 and he here'by is, directed and empowered to use the en- 
 tire land and naval forces of the United States, and to 
 call into the actual service of the United States the militia 
 of the several States, to such extent as may be necessary 
 to carry this act into efTfect." 
 
 It is worth recording that the time occupied in receiv- 
 ing the report, reading the bill and declaring it passed 
 was only one minute and forty-seven seconds. The vote 
 was unanimous and was received with great applause. 
 The bill was promptly sent to the Senate, from which a 
 message was soon received announcing its passage with- 
 out amendment. It took but a few minutes for Speaker 
 Reed to sign it, when it was enrolled and sent to the Sen- 
 ate, here the Vice-President attached his signature and 
 returned the bill to the House for presentation to the 
 President, who, it hardly need be said, was as prompt as 
 his predecessors in signing the important measure. 
 
 It perhaps was natural that the ardent friends in Con- 
 
154 SPAIN'S DEFIANT ACTION. 
 
 gress of Cuba should differ in some of their views over 
 the best steps to be taken for her rehef. Senator Turpie 
 of Indiana unsuccessfully urged the committee to recog- 
 nize the Cuban insurgents as belligerents. He offered 
 an amendment to the same effect, when the bill was re- 
 ceived in the Senate, supporting it with a speech in which 
 he took the ground that the Cubans were Spanish sub- 
 jects, and that the United States by declaring war against 
 Spain and her dependencies declared war against the 
 Cubans, for the reason that so long as their political 
 status was not recognized, the United States was bound 
 to recognize Cuba as a dependency of Spain, and make 
 war upon it, regardless of the well-known divisions ex- 
 isting in that island as between loyal Spaniards and 
 Cuban insurgents. Unless the United States recognized 
 either the independence of the republic of Cuba or 
 granted to the people of Cuba, then in arms against the 
 Spanish Government, the rights of belligerents it could 
 not, he insisted^ under international law, make any 
 distinction between the Spaniards who were loyal to their 
 own and those Vv^ho were in insurrection against their 
 own. Because of this, the Senator thought there should 
 be coupled with the declaration of war a recognition of 
 the belligerency of the insurgents, thereby placing them 
 upon such political footing that they could become al- 
 lies of the United States. 
 
 Senator White of California could not see why there 
 should be any declaration of war at all, since Spain by 
 severing her diplomatic relations with the United States 
 had practically declared war against this country. Mr, 
 Allen of Nebraska offered an amendment fixing the date 
 of the beginning of the war on February 15, the day of 
 the blowing up of the Maine in Havana harbor, but Mr. 
 Allen was convinced of his mistake when he was re- 
 
SPAIN'S DEFIANT ACTION. 155 
 
 minded that the two countries had been engaged in di- 
 plomatic negotiations since that date, a fact which made 
 it absolutely impossible that there should have been war 
 at that time. As has been already stated, none of the 
 offered amendments was adopted, the bill being passed 
 hy a viva voce vote as received from the House. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 VARIOUS TERMS USED IN MILITARY AND NAVAL OPERA- 
 TIONS RELATIVE RANK AND PAY IN THE ARMY AND 
 
 NAVY. 
 
 In giving a biography of President McKinley it is not 
 our purpose to include a history of the war between the 
 United States and Spain, but since the two are so inti- 
 mately associated our work would be incomplete without 
 an intelligent survey of one of the most important epochs 
 in our history that is identified with his administration. 
 
 The war was responsible for a number of terms which 
 many people understand but imperfectly; and it may be 
 as well to give here some explanation of the m.ore impor- 
 tant of these. In the olden times, before the use of steam, 
 a ''ship of the line" was a man-of-war strong enough to 
 take its place in the line of battle. The successor in mod- 
 ern times is the ''battleship," which carries the largest 
 guns and is heavily armored. Exclusive of armament the 
 cost of each battleship is about $3,000,000. With the ex- 
 ception of the Kearsarge, each battleship is named after a 
 State of the Union. 
 
 Second in fighting value is the "cruiser," whose speed 
 is superior to that of the battleship. Each is named after 
 somie American city. An armored cruiser has side and 
 deck armor, but it is not so strongly protected in that re- 
 spect as a battleship. A protected cruiser has deck armcr 
 only, and an unprotected cruiser has no armor at all, 
 though it may carry heavy guns. Among these are the 
 transatlantic and Gulf "liners," chartered for naval ser- 
 vice by our government. 
 
 A gunboat is iwnall, of light draught, intended for gun 
 
 A. 
 
MILITARY AND NAVAIy TBRMS. iSf 
 
 power, rather than speed. The name is applied to any 
 small boat fitted up with one or more guns. The "co'm- 
 posite gunboats" are a special class that were added to the 
 navy. 
 
 The Monitor of the civil war received its name from 
 Ericsson, its inventor, and boats of that character form the 
 class known as monitors. They are of light draught, lie 
 very low in the water and all are heavily armored. They 
 carry on their deck one or two revolving turrets, con- 
 taining one or more enormous guns. They are highly 
 effective in harbor and coast operations, but at sea are 
 clumsy and slow. The old Monitor foundered in a storm 
 off Cape Hatteras, before the close of the war. 
 
 The name *'ram" is descriptive of its character, its use 
 being to butt the enemy's vessels. It is strong and fast, 
 and in charging against a ship is capable, if a fair chance 
 is offered, of crushing in its side. At present there is only 
 one ram among the navies of the world; that is our Ka- 
 tahdin. 
 
 When the expression ^'converted vessel" is used it 
 means one that has been altered and armed from a tug, 
 merchantman, revenue cutter or something similar. 
 
 Much confusion results from the rating of a ship, which 
 is not, as formerly, determined by the number of guns 
 carried, but by the size of the vessel. It is of the first rate 
 when its displacement is 5,000 tons or more; it is of the 
 second rate when the displacement is between 3,000 and 
 5,000 tons; of the third rate when between 3,000 and 1,000 
 tons, while the fourth rate includes all below 1,000 tons. 
 It will be remembered, therefore, that the rating of a ship 
 does not include its absolute fighting value, but the rela- 
 tive importance of different vessels of the same type. It 
 might easily happen that a cruiser of the second class 
 would master in close battle one of the first class. 
 
158 MILITARY AND NAVAL TERMS. 
 
 Many references are made to torpedo boats and de- 
 stroyers. Our government not long ago purchased the 
 right to use the Whitehead torpedo, the terrible weapon 
 which has made the navies of other nations so powerful. 
 This torpedo is a cylindrical steel instrument, several feet 
 long, eighteen inches in diameter, the forward end pointed 
 and the rear provided with fin-like rudders, to give it 
 accuracy in flight. It weighs 835 pounds and has a for- 
 ward compartment charged with 250 pounds of gun cot- 
 ton, one of the most destructive explosives known. 
 
 The torpedo tube is in reality a gun, with the torpedo 
 as a projectile, it being discharged by means of com- 
 pressed air or a small charge of powder. It passes through 
 the water instead of the air, and is driven by a propeller, 
 set going by the act of discharge and worked by means 
 of compressed air. It will dart through the water at 
 high speed and with remarkable accuracy for a half mile, 
 though its efifective range is considered about a third of 
 a mile. The depth of its flight is regulated by horizontal 
 rudders. Sometimes the weapon is discharged below the 
 water line, but generally above it. The instant it strikes a 
 solid substance, like the side of a ship, the gun cotton ex- 
 plodes with awful force, spreading destruction and death 
 in all directions. What a shock it rriust give a person on 
 board a vessel to catch a glimpse of this horrible missile 
 as it darts through the water, straight for the ship upon 
 whose deck he is standing! The regular crew of a tor- 
 pedo boat consists of sixteen men and four officers, but 
 a few more are required on the larger boats. The service 
 is of the most dangerous character conceivable, the meth- 
 od of attack being as follows : 
 
 The speed of the torpedo boat is the highest obtainable, 
 approaching that of many railway trains, or thirty-eight 
 miles ?-n hour. The crew starts toward the vessel selected 
 
MIIvITARY AND NAVAL TERMS. 159 
 
 for attack at the greatest speed until within torpedo range, 
 when the boat swings around and fires the tubes from 
 amidship or the stern, or from both in quick succession, 
 and then bends every energy toward getting out of range. 
 If the approach of the torpedo boat has been discovered 
 by an enemy they concentrate their fire upon the de- 
 stroyer from a distance of three or four miles and keep it 
 up incessantly from their rapid-fire guns and all weapons 
 that can be brought to bear. It seems scarcely possible 
 for any torpedo boat to attack an enemy's vessel by day- 
 light without being destroyed long before it comes with- 
 in its own range. Dark nights, when the movements can 
 be hidden, are the only time when there is a chance of 
 success, and even then the officers and crew of the little 
 boat literally take their lives in their hands. At the time 
 of this writing no decisive test of the effectiveness of tor- 
 pedo boats in actual warfare has been made. 
 
 It will be remembered that the vessels of all navies are 
 provided with powerful searchlights, which turn sections 
 of the darkest night into day. When ordinary watchful- 
 ness is used the approach of the frightful engine of de- 
 struction is almost certain to be detected. One well-plant- 
 ed shot will send it to the bottom, besides v/hich the boat 
 is exposed to destruction from the torpedo-boat destroy- 
 ers of the enemy. 
 
 These craft are simply enlarged torpedo boats, possess- 
 ing enormous speed and carrying several large guns. 
 Their mission is to overtake and sink the torpedo boats. 
 It would seem that the appalling peril that attends the 
 management of a torpedo boat would make it hard to se- 
 cure officers and crews, and yet the service, no doubt be- 
 cause of its fearful danger, is very attractive to the young- 
 er officers of the navy. 
 
 Our equipment of craft of this class has been very de^ 
 
l6o MILITARY AND NAVAIv TERMS. 
 
 fective as compared with the navies of other nations ; but 
 the Americans are the most inventive people in tlie world, 
 and m.ay be depended upon to revolutionize naval warfare 
 should the need ever arise. One astonishing invention, 
 follov/ing close upon the cessation of hostilities, was the 
 submarine torpedo boat, the most noted of which is the 
 plunger, built in Baltimore from designs by the inventor, 
 Mr. John P. Holland. It is eighty-five feet long, with 
 a breadth ol eleven and one-half feet and a displacement 
 of i68 tons. It has made a number of successful trips 
 entirely hidden under water, and no one can now doubt 
 that the submarine boat v/ill have an important part to 
 play in coming naval conflicts. 
 
 And now, a word or two in explanation of the technical 
 terms used in describing naval battles and movements. 
 Thus, the "armament" of a vessel is often referred to. It 
 m.eans all the cannon on a ship, the weight and number of 
 which decide the strength of a ship's armament. ''Great 
 guns" includes those of six-inch caliber or over. In all 
 such the projectiles and the explosives are made up sepa- 
 rately. The ordnance of less caliber ha^ its projectile and 
 explosive put up as one whole, and they are known as 
 ''rapid-fire guns." The gun which fires shot and shell by 
 automatic mechanism, not using small arms ammunition, 
 is a "machine-gim." 
 
 The name ''armor" is sufficiently descriptive as applied 
 to a war vessel. The steel wall, sometimes a foot and a 
 half thick, built up from below and inclosing the lower 
 half or more of the revolving turret, holding the heaviest 
 guns of the ship, is known as the "barbette." It is de- 
 signed not only to shield the turret, but to protect the 
 turning gear of the turret. 
 
 When the battery of a ship is referred to, it means a 
 
MILITARY AND NAVAL TERMS. i6i 
 
 number of guns grouped together and so considered, and 
 it also signifies the place where they are mounted. 
 
 A term often heard is the "conning tower" of a battle- 
 ship. This is placed just forward and at the base of the 
 steel military mast, with the pilot house directly over it. 
 During battle, however, the latter is deserted for a safer 
 one, the steerage room aft and well below. The conning 
 tower, heavily armored, is intended specially for the com- 
 mander, who from' that post directs everything by means 
 of telephones and speaking tubes connecting all parts of 
 the ship. The place is hot and stuffy and looked upon 
 with so much disfavor b}^ our leading commanders that 
 they will not make use of it during an engagement, pre- 
 ferring freedom of movement even though it is accom- 
 panied by dangerous exposure. 
 
 When the ''displacement" of a vessel is referred to it 
 means the weight of the water in tons displaced by the 
 craft. 
 
 The rate of speed at sea is always reckoned at so many 
 "knots." A knot is a nautical mile, which is about one- 
 sixth more than a statute mile of 5,680 feet. Thus if a 
 steamer attains a speed of eighteen knots an hour it is 
 equivalent to about twenty-one ordinary miles. 
 
 The ships are provided with a certain number of troops, 
 intended for military service at dockyards or on ship- 
 board. They are simply soldiers on the water, ai*d are 
 known as "marines." 
 
 It may be interesting to know the corresponding ranks 
 in the army and navy. 
 
 Arm.y. Navy. 
 
 Second Lieutenant Ensign. 
 
 First Lieutenant. Lieutenant (Junior). 
 
 Captain Lieutenant. 
 
 Major Lieutenant-Commander. 
 
l62 MIIvITARY AND NAVAI, TERMS. 
 
 Army. Navy. 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Commander. 
 
 Colonel Captain. 
 
 Brigadier-General Commodore. 
 
 Major-General Rear-Admiral. 
 
 Lieutenant-General Vice- Admiral. 
 
 General Admiral. 
 
 The grades of lieutenant-general and general in the army 
 And of vice-admiral and admiral in the navy have been 
 abolished, but Congress can revive them at its pleasure. 
 
 The pay of army officers in active service is as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 First After After After After 
 
 5 Years' 5 Years' 10 Years' 15 Years' 20Yrs' 
 
 Service. Service. Service. Service. S'vice. 
 
 Major-General $7,500 
 
 Brigadier-General 5,500 
 
 Colonel 3,500 $3,850 $4,200 $4,500 $4,500 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonel 3,000 3,300 3,600 3,900 4,000 
 
 Major 2,500 2,750 3,000 3,250 3,500 
 
 Captain, mounted 2,000 2,200 2,400 2,600 2,800 
 
 Captain, not mounted 1,800 1,980 2,160 2,340 2,520 
 
 1st Lieutenant, mounted 1,600 1,760 1,920 2,080 2,240 
 
 1st Lieutenp.nt, not mounted.. 1,500 1,650 1,800 1,950 2,100 
 
 2d Lieutenant, mounted 1,500 1,650 1,800 1,950 2,100 
 
 2d Lieutenant, not mounted.. 1,400 1,540 1,680 1,820 1,960 
 
 The pay of naval officers is : 
 
 On leave 
 On shore or waiting 
 At sea. duty. orders. 
 
 Rear-Admlrals , $6,000 $5,000 $4,000 
 
 Commodores 5,000 4,000 3,000 
 
 Captains 4,500 3,500 2,800 
 
 Commanders .... 3,500 3,000 2 300 
 
 Leiutenant-Commanders 2,800 2,400 2000 
 
 Lieutenants 2,400 2,000 l',600 
 
 Lieutenants (Junior Grade) 1,800 1,500 1200 
 
 Ensigns 1,200 1,000 'SOO 
 
 Chaplains 2,500 2,000 1,600 
 
 The pay of the lieutenant-commanders, lieutenants and 
 ensigns increases $200 per annum four years from date of 
 commission, while that of the chaplains increases $300 
 per annum five years from date of commission. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 GUNNERY OF THE AMERICAN AND THE SPANISH SAILORS — 
 
 THE FIRST FIGHT OF THE WAR THE WONDERFUL 
 
 CAPACITIES OF THE AMERICAN NATION THE WORK 
 
 DONE IN THIRTY DAYS — DISAPPOINTMENT REGARDING 
 THE INSURGENTS. 
 
 The result of the war with Spain v/as assured from the 
 beginning. That country is vastly our inferior in every 
 respect. Ahhough she has maintained an army ten times 
 as large as ours in the field, our population greatly ex- 
 ceeds hers, and an American soldier is far superior to a 
 Spanish one. Spain is bankrupt, while the United States 
 possesses limitless resources ; Spain is honeycombed with 
 corruption from the throne to the lowest servant of the 
 government ; she is without a friend among the nations, 
 while England, with her mighty and invincible fleet and 
 boundless wealth, has been our friend from the first. 
 Those nations who did not choose to express their friend- 
 ship for us openly dared not of¥er Spain any help, for 
 when the proposition was whispered England thundered, 
 "Hands off!" 
 
 Since the war was begun on our part for the liberation 
 of Cuba, it was appropriate that the first fight of the war 
 should take place in the waters of the "Queen of the An- 
 tilles." The skill of the American gunners approaches 
 the marvelous. It was their amazing expertness that 
 humbled England in the war of 1812. This superiority is 
 due, not only to the exceptional ingenuity and aptitude of 
 our people, but to their rigid and continuous training. It 
 costs a good many thousand dollars for a battleship to 
 
i64 CAPACITIES OF THE AMERICAN NATION. 
 
 drill her crews efficiently in gunnery, but the money is 
 well expended, as has often been proven in battle. As 
 has been well said, an American always hits what he aims 
 at, while Spain, though provided with a large number of 
 excellent battleships, with trained and brave officers, dis- 
 plays such a lack of skill as at times tO' resemble a bur- 
 lesque. It was "Fighting Bob Evans" who, after watch- 
 ing their attempts at shooting, exclaimed in disgust : 
 
 "All they can hit is the water, and they'd miss that if 
 there was any way of doing it !" 
 
 A demonstration of what the Americans can effect with 
 their guns was given on Wednesday, April 2y, when Ad- 
 miral Sampson's flagship, the New York, the monitor 
 Puritan and the cruiser Cincinnati, gave some unpleasant 
 attention to Matanzas, the large Cuban city fifty miles to 
 the east of Havana. A couple of months previous its 
 only defenses consisted of two old-fashioned forts near 
 the entrance to the harbor, containing old guns that could 
 bear no comparison with modern ordnance. 
 
 It did not require any extraordinary intelligence for the 
 Spanish authorities to perceive the probability of war be- 
 fore it broke out, and they could not fail to note how in- 
 viting a target the place must prove to our fleets. Des- 
 perate efforts, therefore, were put forth to place the city 
 in the strongest possible condition of defense. Hundreds 
 of men worked like beavers for weeks, until it began to 
 look as if the place in a short time would become as for- 
 midable as Havana itself. Not only were massive earth- 
 works built, but the harbor was carefully mined. The in- 
 structions to the blockading fleet was not to fire upon any 
 of the Spanish defenses unless first assailed. The well- 
 founded rumors of a powerful Spanish fleet coming across 
 the Atlantic made it necessary to keep all our battle- 
 ships in good order to give them a fitting reception 
 
CAPACITIES OF THE AMERICAN NATION. 165 
 
 On the other hand, it was self-evident that this "neu- 
 traHty" was highly beneficial to the enemy, since it gave 
 them time in which to complete their elaborate prepara- 
 tions for defense. Our own authorities, therefore, left 
 much to the discretion of the naval commanders, and Ad^ 
 miral Sampson decided to learn the strength of the Ma- 
 tanzas defenses. 
 
 At first, the flagship started out to do her work alone. 
 The Puritan and Cincinnati were in front of Matanzas, 
 doing blockade duty, when the New York signaled what 
 her intentions were, and, in response to orders, the other 
 two fell in behind, ofBcers and crew eagerly seizing the 
 chance for doing a part of the business that had brought 
 them to that part of the world. 
 
 Rubalcava is the most projecting point of Matanzas, 
 and it was there the Spaniards had been building fortifica- 
 tions. It lies west of the harbor and about three miles 
 out from the entrance. Next to this is Point Maya, some 
 four miles from Point Piibalcava, on the east side of the 
 harbor and directly at the entrance, four miles from Ma- 
 tanzas, v/hich is at the head of the bay. 
 
 With the purpose of drawing the fire of the forts, the 
 New York steamed up within range of the first of the for- 
 tifications. A fev/ minutes later a big puff of sm.oke 
 showed on Point Rubalcava, followed by the thundrous 
 boom of a heavy gun and the screech of a shell, which 
 plunged into the water a long way from the cruiser. Al- 
 most at the same moment, another puff issued from the 
 east, near Point Maya, followed by the sullen roar, the 
 scream of the shell, and its splash into the water, so far 
 from the three v/arships that it was impossible to tell at 
 which it was aim.ed. 
 
 However, the two shots were what the three craft were 
 waiting for, and they now proceeded to business. The 
 
i66 CAPACITIES OF THE AMERICAN NATION. 
 
 huge 8-inch gun on the starboard side forward on the 
 New York sent a shell toward Rubalcava. The huge 
 missile curved over in the air and dropped squarely within 
 the fortification, where, as it exploded, it sent the debris 
 flying in all directions. The Puritan steamed up behind 
 the New York and somewhat to the east, and the Cin- 
 cinnati, which had remained some way out, headed di- 
 rectly toward the mouth of the harbor. Then the New 
 York showed wonderful marksmanship, by planting three 
 shells in succession within a few feet of the spot where the 
 first had fallen. 
 
 Meanwhile the Puritan and Cincinnati gave their at- 
 tention to Point Maya, each exhibiting the skill shown by 
 the flagship. Not one of the shots fired missed, as was 
 proven by the clouds of dust and pieces of masonry that 
 were sent flying into the air. The three warships kept 
 edging nearer, the Cincinnati and Puritan bestowing all 
 their attention on Point Maya, while the New York at- 
 tended to Point Rubalcava. When the first shot was 
 fired, the ships were about 6,000 yards away, the distance 
 gradually decreasing until one-half. 
 
 The New York used her guns, both starboard and port, 
 and both forward and aft, the rapidity of her firing in- 
 creasing to three shots a minute, with every one doing 
 execution. The Puritan fired somewhat more slowly, the 
 interval being about a minute between each shot. She 
 had a greater distance to overcome, but not once did she 
 miss. 
 
 The Cincinnati fired broadsides, all fearfully effective. 
 The bombardment lasted about fifteen minutes when the 
 admiral signaled to cease firing and back away. Then 
 came the most striking exhibition of gimnery yet seen. 
 The Puritan saw the puff made by the last shot fired from 
 Rubalcava and aimed one of her 12-inch guns at the point, 
 
CAPACITIES OF THE AMERICAN NATION. 167 
 
 with the result that she made a bull's eye. As the enor- 
 mous missile described its immense parabola, the 1,000- 
 pound shell struck the exact spot, smashed, the cannon 
 which was the target, and, plunging into the earthworks, 
 exploded with terrific effect. As one of the spectators re- 
 marked, it looked as if all the visible portion of Cuba was 
 blown skyward. , 
 
 There may have been excellent fortifications there, but 
 they existed no longer. The brief bombardment of the 
 three v/arships had destroyed them. It was impossible 
 to tell how many return shots were fired, but not one of 
 them did any damage to the Americans. A couple, prob- 
 ably by accident, dropped in the vicinity of the New York, 
 but none came near the Puritan or Cincinnati. After all, 
 it is hardly warrantable to describe the affair as the first 
 fight of the war. 
 
 President McKinley, as we have shown, had followed a 
 wise course from the first. He was unwilling to plunge 
 his country into hostilities until honor and patriotism left 
 no other course open to him. Then he bent all his ener- 
 gies to making the war short, sharp and decisive. It was 
 a tremendous task to change the nation from a people of 
 peace to one of war, to raise the army six-fold, and vir- 
 tually create a new navy. There was impatience ex- 
 pressed in some quarters over the slowness of operations, 
 but those who understood the vast work to be performed 
 had only words of praise for his success in the herculean 
 task. 
 
 That such praise is deserved is proven by the fact that 
 just thirty days after the war opened, Admiral Sampson's 
 fleet had destroyed the defenses of San Juan del Puerto 
 Rico, which, excepting Havana, was the most strongly 
 fortified city in the West Indies, beside which it bom- 
 barded Cardenas, Matanzas, Mariel, Cienfugos and other 
 
168 CAPACITIES OF THE AMERICAN NATION. 
 
 fortifications, and took thirty-nine prizes at sea, whose ag- 
 gregate value was more than five milHon dollars. More 
 glorious than all, Admiral Dewey won his victory at 
 Manila, in some respects the most remarkable naval bat- 
 tle in the history of the American navy. 
 
 A striking fact is the demonstration that the United 
 States is a warlike as well as a peaceful nation. Although 
 a third of a century of quiet had brought us to a state of 
 almost total unpreparedness, yet in the brief period 
 named, the navy was double in strength and tonnage, 
 without any perceptible efifect upon the commercial or in- 
 dustrial condition of the country. Pressing matters with 
 wise energy, the President caused the purchase, arming 
 and equipping of forty-seven vessels, and added several 
 thousand to the personnel of the navy, while the purchase 
 and manufacture of arms, ammunition and projectiles as- 
 sumed proportions almost beyond comprehension. 
 
 What nation engaged like ours in the pursuits of peace 
 could in the space of thirty days, place 113,000 soldiers in 
 the fixcld, all having passed a severe surgical examination, 
 and with each company armed and equipped, gathered at 
 widely separated camps, and organized into brigades, di- 
 visions and corps, well supplied v/ith rations and ready 
 for the invasion of Cuba ? 
 
 When the first passionate cry "Remember the Maine !'* 
 rang through the country, the ammunition for our coast 
 defenses and men-of-war was barely enough to furnish 
 three rounds apiece. Had it been England with whom 
 we quarreled, she could have begun at Portland, Maine, 
 and desolated the Atlantic and Gulf coast to the Rio 
 Grande, but within the thirty days the armament of our 
 ships and forts was doubled, every harbor on the Atlantic 
 was mined and protected by torpedoes, and abundant am- 
 munition was provided to meet every deficiency. 
 
CAPACirms OF THE AMERICAN NATION. 169 
 
 That a few mistakes were made was inevitable. One 
 disappointment was regarding the strength of the Cuban 
 insurgents. Of their bravery and patriotism there can be 
 no doubt, for they have given too many proofs of it. The 
 assertion was often made that if the United States would 
 furnish these men with arms and ammunition, they would 
 unaided expel their oppressors ; but investigation brought 
 to light the fact that the insurgents had no armies in the 
 field, such as had been asserted by the friends of Cuba in 
 Congress. General Gomez was at the head of only a few 
 bands of guerillas, who lacked organization, discipline, 
 arms, ammunition and equipments, while General Garcia 
 was no better off. 
 
 The principal weapon of the insurgents is the machete, 
 a long, sword-like knife originally intended for cuttmg 
 cane and bushes, and in only one of the seven provinces 
 was there a semblance of an organized government. 
 President McKinley and his counsellors were compelled 
 to admit that little was to be hoped from the insurgents as 
 allies. Moreover, though the Cubans in this country con- 
 tributed freely of their means to aid their brothers in the 
 field, they showed no love for volunteering. Indeed, 
 their indifference was disappointing, to use the mildest 
 expression. 
 
 But our country needs the help of no nation or people 
 to prosecute a war, no matter for what purpose. We had 
 set out with the resolve to drive the most cruel and treach- 
 erous of tyrants from the soil of Cuba, and, after all, it was 
 of no importance whether the insurgents fired a single 
 shot as our allies. The work was certain to be done with 
 a completeness that would never require a repetition. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE president's MILITARY NOMINATIONS — SKETCHES OF 
 
 THE LEADERS THE PHILIPPINES ADMIRAL DEWEY'S 
 
 GREAT VICTORY AT MANILA — HIS PROMOTION. 
 
 The statement regarding the conduct of President Mc- 
 Kinley, made during the negotiations with Spain, re- 
 mained true of him to the end. When war became in- 
 evitable, he acted with a vigor that was resistless. On the 
 4th of May he sent the following nominations to the Sen- 
 ate, all of which were confirmed without opposition : 
 
 To be Major-Generals — Brigadier-Generals Joseph C. 
 Breckinridge, Elwell S. Otis, John J. Coppinger, William 
 R. Shafter, William M. Graham, James F. Wade and 
 Henry C. Merriam, and civilians James H. Wilson of 
 Delaware, Fitzhugh Lee of Virginia, William J. Sewell 
 of New Jersey, and Joseph H. Wheeler of Alabama. 
 
 To be Brigadier-Generals — Cols. Thomas M. Anderson, 
 Fourteenth Infantry; Charles E. Compton, Fourth Cav- 
 alry; Abraham K. Arnold, First Cavalry ; John S. Poland, 
 Seventeenth Infantry; John C. Bates, Second Infantry; 
 Andrew S. Burt, Twenty-fifth Infantry; Simon Snyder, 
 Nineteenth Infantry; Hamilton S. Hawkins, Twentieth 
 Infantry ; Royal T. Frank, First Artil.ery ; Jacob F. Kent, 
 Twenty-fourth Infantry; Samuel S. Sumner, Sixth Cav- 
 alry; Francis L. Guenther, Fourth Artillery; Alexander 
 C. H. Pennington, Second Artillery Guy V. Henry, Tenth 
 Cavalry ; John I. Rodgers, First Artillery ; Louis H. Car- 
 penter, Fifth Cavalry ; Samuel B. M. Young, Third Cav- 
 
THE PRESIDENT'S NOMINATIONS. 171 
 
 airy ; John M. Bacon, Eighth Cavalry ; Edward B. Willis- 
 ton, Sixth Artillery. Lieutenant-Colonels — Henry W. 
 Lawton, Inspector-General ; George M. Randall, Eighth 
 Infantry; Theodore Schwan, Assistant Adjutant-General; 
 William Ludlow, Corps of Engineers; Adna R. Chaifee, 
 Third Cavalry; George W. Davis, Fourteenth Infantry; 
 Alfred E. Bates, Deputy Paymaster-General. 
 
 In addition, there were a large number of nominations 
 for the Substinence Department, Pay Department, En- 
 signs in the navy. Assistant Engineers in the Navy, and 
 Assistant Paymasters in the navy. 
 
 The nominations, like all made by President McKinley, 
 were excellent. General Fitzhugh Lee was graduated 
 from West Point in 1856, at the head of his class. He 
 was one of the most brilliant officers of the Confederacy, 
 in which he rose to the rank of major-general. He was 
 afterward Congressman, Governor of Virginia and Con- 
 sul-General at Havana, where his patriotism, gallantry 
 and tact won the admiration of the whole country. 
 
 Joseph Wheeler was graduated from West Point in 
 1859. -^s a dashing Confederate cavalry leader, he ranked 
 next to Stuart. When appointed to a command in the 
 Spanish-American war, he was serving his seventh term 
 as Congressman from the Eighth Alabama district. 
 
 James H. Wilson, of Delaware, was graduated from 
 West Point July i, i860, and quickly proved himself one 
 of the best cavalrymen produced by the Civil War. He 
 was brevetted six times for gallant and meritorious ser- 
 vice, and became a Major-General of Volunteers toward 
 the close of hostilities. In a campaign of less than a 
 month in Georgia, he captured five fortified cities, twenty- 
 three stands of colors, 288 guns and 6,820 prisoners. It 
 was a part of his force which captured Jefferson Davis, 
 May 10, 1865. 
 
X72 THE PRESIDENT'S NOMINATIONS. 
 
 William J. Sewell is an Irishman by birth, and did gal- 
 lant service in the Civil War, rising to the rank of Major- 
 General of Volunteers. He was serving his third term 
 as United States Senator, which he declined to resign in 
 deference to the wishes of the President and his friends. 
 
 Joseph G. Breckinridge was appointed to the army frorn 
 Kentucky in April, 1862, and rose to the rank of Captain 
 of the Second Artillery in 1874. Transferred to the In- 
 spector-General's Department as Major in 1889, he be- 
 came Brigadier-General and Inspector-General in the 
 same year. 
 
 Elwell S. Otis, of New York, was appointed to the 
 army from the New York Volunteers, and became a 
 Brigadier-General in 1893. 
 
 John Coppinger is an Irishman and son-in-law of the 
 late James G. Blaine, He became a Brigadier-General 
 in 1885. 
 
 William R. Shafter, William M. Graham, James F. 
 Wade and Henry C. Merriam are all on the active list of 
 the army, but none is a graduate of West Point. All 
 reached the rank of Brigadier-General in 1898. 
 
 Since we have given an account of the opening fight of 
 the war, in Cuban waters, it is proper to refer to what was 
 done on the other side of the globe. 
 
 The richest islands in the world are the Philippine*, be- 
 longing to Spain. They lie southeast of Asia, and are 
 the most northern group of the East Indian archipelago, 
 extending almost north and south through fifteen degrees 
 of latitude. The islands are of all sizes and forms, Luzon 
 on the north being as large as the State of Ohio, and 
 having a population of four millions. It is worth remem- 
 bering that these islands were named in honor of Philip 
 II., the tyrant over Holland and the husband of England's 
 bloody Queen Mary. 
 
1?HE PRESIDENT'S NOMINATIONS. 1^3 
 
 The population of these islands, half of which are un- 
 inhabited, is estimated from 7,000,000 to twice that num- 
 ber. They are mainly Malay tribes, with a few of the 
 aboriginal negritos, or dwarf negroes. There are many 
 of mongrel blood, and, during late years, numerous Chi- 
 nese have settled in the country. Not including the army, 
 the pure Spaniards number barely 10,000. 
 
 Spain displayed her genius for misgovernment as strik- 
 ingly in the Philippines as in Cuba, with the inevitable 
 result of repeated insurrections. The leader in 1897-98 
 was Aguinaldo, a well-educated man of Spanish descent, 
 who drew to his support most of the native tribes which 
 were sullen and revengeful over the intolerable Spanish 
 abuses. 
 
 Spain found the work of subjugation so difficult that, in 
 November, 1897, she bought off the insurgent chiefs with 
 $400,000 and profuse promises for reform. As in the case 
 of Cuba, these pledges were violated, and the enraged 
 leaders were ripe for another revolt when the attention of 
 the United States was turned thither. 
 
 All the navies of the world could manoeuvre In the 
 beautiful bay of Manila on the west coast of Luzon. For 
 hundreds of years the city has been the Spanish capital. 
 Its population is a quarter of a million, and its commer- 
 cial importance is great, being for Spain the centre of 
 trade for the entire Pacific. In brief, Manila is the Philip- 
 pines. 
 
 The shipping of nearly all nations is represented in 
 Manila Bay, whose entrance is twelve miles wide, though 
 ships practically use only two channels, one of which is 
 five miles and the other two miles across. Twenty-six 
 miles northeast of the entrance lies the city of Manila. 
 
 The fortifications were poor, and in April, 1898, the 
 Spaniards sunk a number of mines in the harbor and an- 
 
174 THE PRESIDKNT'S NOMINATIONS. 
 
 nounced that they were stringing torpedoes across the 
 two channels. 
 
 In December, 1897, Commodore George Dewey was re- 
 Heved as President of the Board of Inspection and Sur- 
 vey and assigned to the command of the Asiatic squadron. 
 He had served gallantly under the grand old hero Farra- 
 gut in the Civil War, and was known to have no superior 
 in the navy. 
 
 The Asiatic squadron rendezvoused at Hong Kong, and 
 in April was joined by the Baltimore. Hong Kong be- 
 longing to Great Britain, the American fleet, in accordance 
 with the English proclamation of neutrality, was obliged 
 to leave the port on the 27th of April, moving some thirty 
 miles northward to Mirs Bay. There they were in Chi- 
 nese jurisdiction, and completed their preparations for the 
 attack upon Manila. 
 
 The American fleet under Dewey consisted of six fight- 
 ing vessels and three tenders, as follows: Olympia (flag- 
 ship), first-class protected cruiser, Captain Charles V. 
 Gridley ; Baltimore, protected cruiser, Captain N. M. 
 Dyer; Raleigh, protected cruiser. Captain J. B. Coghlan ; 
 Boston, protected cruiser. Captain F. Wildes; Concord, 
 gunboat. Commander A. S. Walker; Petrel, gunboat, 
 Commander E. P. Wood. The fleet carried ten 8-inch 
 guns, twenty-three 6-inch, twenty 5-inch and fifty-six 
 guns of smaller calibre. 
 
 The Spanish fleet under Admiral Montijo was com- 
 posed as follows, the first named being the flagship : Reina 
 Marie Christina, steel cruiser; Castilla, steel cruiser; Ve- 
 lasco, steel cruiser; Don Antonio De Ulloa, small cruiser; 
 Don Juan De Austria, small cruiser ; Isla De Cuba, small 
 cruiser ; Isla De Luzon, small cruiser ; General Lezo, gun- 
 vessel; El Cano, gun-vessel; Marques Del Duero, dis- 
 patch boat. 
 
THE PRESIDENT'S NOMINATIONS. 175 
 
 The Spanish fleet was inferior to the American in num- 
 ber and caliber of guns, but it would seem that this ad- 
 vantage was more than counterbalanced by the shore 
 batteries, the torpedoes at the harbor entrance and the 
 mines inside the harbor. 
 
 Dewey left Mirs Bay on the afternoon of April 2^, and 
 at daylight on the 30th was off Cape Bolinao, about one 
 hundred miles from Manila. An hour or so after mid- 
 night, Sunday morning, May i, the Americans began 
 forcing their way through the narrow north channel, 
 where the Spaniards were confident that any fleet could 
 be sunk by the batteres lining both shores. These were 
 quickly ablaze with the fire of the frightened garrisons, 
 but the fleet pushed steadily on, equally heedless of mines 
 and torpedoes, the flagship in the lead, until all were 
 safely within the harbor. 
 
 The battle of Manila began at six o'clock next morn- 
 ing. This is not the place to give a description of it, the 
 particulars of which are doubtless familiar to the reader. 
 Let it suffice to say that naval annals contain no record 
 of such a victory. The Spanish fleet was annihilated with 
 enormous loss of life, while not an American was killed! 
 The wounded were eight in number, none being seriously 
 hurt. Could any one doubt the overwhelming superiority 
 of American marksmanship and skill after such an im- 
 pressive demonstration as this? 
 
 The country was thrilled by the news, and Dewey and 
 his ofificers and men were the heroes of the hour. Per- 
 haps it was fortunate for them that they were compelled 
 to remain on the other side ot the world until the patri- 
 otic ardor of their countrymen had time to cool. 
 
 No people are so quick to recognize the reward of 
 merit as our own. Hardly had the news of the great 
 
17^ THE PRESIDKNt'S NOMINATIONS. 
 
 victory arrived when President McKinley (May 9) sent 
 the following message to Congress: 
 
 "To the Congress of the United States : 
 
 "On the 24th of April I directed the Secretary of the 
 Navy to telegraph orders to Commodore George Dewey, 
 of the United States Navy, commanding the Asiatic 
 squadron, then lying in the port of Hong Kong, to pro- 
 ceed forthwith to the Philippine Islands, there to com- 
 mence operations and engage the assembled Spanish 
 fleet. Promptly obeying that order, the United States 
 squadron, consisting of the flagship Olympia, Baltimore, 
 Raleigh, Boston, Concord and Petrel, with the revenue 
 cutter McCuUoch as an auxiliary dispatch boat, entered 
 the harbor of Manila at daybreak on the ist of May and 
 immediately engaged the entire Spanish fleet of eleven 
 ships, which were under the protection of the fire of the 
 land force. After a stubborn fight, in which the enemy 
 suflfered great loss, their vessels were destroyed or com- 
 pletely disabled and the water battery at Cavite silenced. 
 Of our brave officers and men not one was lost, and only 
 eight injured, and those slightly. All of our ships es- 
 caped any serious danger. 
 
 "By the 4th of May Commodore Dewey had taken pos- 
 session of the naval station at Cavite, destroying the for- 
 tifications there and at the entrance of the bay, paroling 
 their garrisons. The waters of the bay are under his 
 complete control. He has established hospitals within 
 the American lines, where 250 of the Spanish sick and 
 wounded are assisted and protected. The magnitude of 
 this victory can hardly be measured by the ordinary 
 standards of naval warfare. Outweighing any material 
 advantage is the moral effect of the initial success. At 
 this unsurpassed achievement the great heart of our na- 
 
THE PRESIDENT'S NOMINATIONS. 177 
 
 tion throbs, not with boasting or with greed of conquest, 
 but with deep gratitude that this triumph has come in 
 a just cause, and that by the grace of God an effective 
 step has thus been taken toward the attainment of the 
 wished-for peace. 
 
 "To those whose skill, courage and devotion have 
 won the fight, to the gallant commander and the brave 
 officers and men who aided him, our country owes an 
 incalculable debt. Feeling as our people feel, and speak- 
 ing in their name, I sent a message to Commodore 
 Dewey, thanking him and his officers and men for their 
 splendid achievement and overwhelming victory, and in- 
 forming him that I had appointed him an Acting Rear 
 Admiral. 
 
 "I now recommend that, following our national prece- 
 dents and expressing the fervent gratitude of every pa- 
 triotic heart, the thanks of Congress be given Acting 
 Rear Admiral George Dewey of the United States Navy 
 for highly distinguished conduct in conflict with the en- 
 emy, and to the officers and men under his command for 
 their gallantry in the destruction of the enemy's fleet and 
 the capture of the enemy's fortifications in the bay of 
 Manila. 
 
 "WILLIAM M'KINLEY. 
 
 "Executive Mansion, May 9, 1898." 
 
 A joint resolution was unanimously passed tendering 
 the thanks of Congress to Dewey, his officers and men 
 of the squadron under his command, and the proper 
 steps were taken by which the Commodore was speedily 
 raised to the rank of Rear Admiral. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 the exploit of lieutenant hobson — a fitting recog- 
 nition of him and other heroes by president 
 m'kinley. 
 
 The records of the American navy contain no more 
 daring deed than that of Wilham B. Gushing, who during 
 the civil war blew up the Confederate ram Albemarle. 
 There has been nothing to equal the coolness and hero- 
 ism of the young officer, but the nearest approach to it 
 was the feat of Lieutenant Richmond Pearson Hobson, 
 Assistant Naval Constructor, and seven men, in the early 
 morning of June 3. The comrades of Lieutenant Hob- 
 son were Osborn Deignan, a coxswain of the Merrimac; 
 George F. Phillips, a machinist of the Merrimac; John 
 Kelly, a water tender of the Merrimac ; George CharettQ 
 a gunner's mate of the flagship New York; Daniel Mon- 
 tague, a seaman of the cruiser Brooklyn; J. C. Murphy, 
 a coxswain of the Iowa, and Randolph Clausen, a cox- 
 swain of the New York. 
 
 The Spanish fleet, which gave our authorities great 
 concern, both before and after it sailed from Spain, finally 
 ran into Santiago harbor, on the southern side of Cuba, 
 where it was located by our own fleet. Since there was 
 danger of its slipping out and escaping in the darkness 
 or during a storm, a daring scheme was formed for 
 bottling it up in the harbor, by sinking the Merrimac, a 
 collier 338 feet in length, across the narrow entrance to 
 the Bay of Santiago. 
 
 To do this the feat had to be accomplished under the 
 
THE EXPLOIT OF LIEUTENANT HOBSON. 179 
 
 guns of the Spanish batteries that Hne the shores, and 
 over the mines under the waters, which threatened in- 
 stant death to all who took part in the desperate enter- 
 prise. Admiral Sampson had hardly arrived off Santiago 
 and assumed command when Lieutenant Hobson asked 
 for an interview with him. Hobson is a native of Ala- 
 bama. He was born in 1870, and was graduated from the 
 Naval Academy in 1889, subsequently studying naval con- 
 struction abroad. 
 
 Young Hobson laid before the Admiral his plan for 
 imprisoning the enemy's fleet in Santiago harbor, and, 
 like a real hero, he claimed the privilege of leading in the 
 attempt. He proposed to take with him a volunteer crew 
 of just the number sufficient to navigate the Merrimac, to 
 strip the old ship of everything of value, and then, 
 screened by the darkness, to run her to the narrowest 
 part of the channel and sink her by explosions deep in 
 her hold. When she was sinking, the crew were to jump 
 overboard and swim for the torpedo-boat Porter and 
 the steam launch from the Neiv York, which were to 
 lie close inshore for that purpose, while the fleet outside 
 was to cover the work of the little launch and the Porter. 
 
 Admiral Sampson listened to the eloquent young officer, 
 and was so impressed by his ingenuity and hope that he 
 consented to let him try his plan. When volunteers were 
 called for, after the dangerous nature of the enterprise 
 was fully explained, it seemed as if the whole fleet were 
 eager to claim the privilege. Randolph Clausen, a cox- 
 swain of the Nezv York, was so determined to be one of 
 the party that he refused to leave the Merrimac, where 
 he was working, when all save the volunteers were or- 
 dered to join the flagship. On the Brooklyn alone 150 of 
 the crew volunteered, and 140 on the Texas clamored to 
 go with the party. When the crew first chosen were 
 
i8o THE EXPLOIT OF LIEUTENANT HOBSON. 
 
 obliged to wait a day because of the lateness in stripping 
 the Merrimac, it was thought that the continuous strain 
 had taken the edge off their effectiveness, and the party 
 already named was selected. 
 
 Everything being in readiness, the start was made at 
 3 o'clock Friday morning. A full moon bathed the tran- 
 quil waters of the Caribbean Sea and the lights of the 
 city twinkled in the distance. The single searchlight of 
 the M'orro lighthouse burned brilliantly. The Merrimac 
 headed straight for the entrance, and had not advanced 
 far when the flash of a single gun from Morro Castle was 
 seen, but the report did not reach the fleet that was 
 breathlessly watching the scene. Some of the warships 
 opened upon the shore battery to divert their attention, 
 but quickly detecting the approach of the Merrimac, the 
 enemy directed a heavy fire upon her and she was struck 
 several times. From some unknown cause no attempt 
 was made by the Spaniards to explode the mines. 
 
 By the time the right point was reached, it seemed as 
 if all the batteries had concentrated their fire upon the 
 colHer; but the marksmanship was as poor as on former 
 occasions. The few shots that struck the ship did no 
 special damage, while nearly all splashed in the water 
 around her. 
 
 At the narrowest part of the channel anchor was 
 dropped. The ship dragged considerably, because of her 
 headway, but when checked swung broadside on to the 
 channel. The life raft of the Merrimac had been pre- 
 pared before starting and the torpedoes lay ready along 
 the deck. The ship was provided with seven tranverse 
 bulkheads and the torpedoes were so placed that they 
 could be quickly anchored over the side, ten feet below 
 the water line, and in such position that upon exploding 
 every bulkhead would be shattered. This would make 
 
THK EXPLOIT OF LIEUTENANT HOBSON. i8i 
 
 the destruction so complete as to render it impossible 
 ever to raise lier. 
 
 Ho'bson and every man was prompt and cool, paying 
 no attention to the shot and shell falling around them. 
 Scarcely had the anchor gone down when the torpedoes 
 were lowered over the side of the ship and every sea cock 
 opened. The portholes, the Kingston valve and the in- 
 jector valve were also opened. The inward flow of water 
 was so great that the ship began going down before the 
 second anchor was dropped. Then Hobson and his crew 
 launched the life raft and dropped aboard of it, taking 
 with them the wires that were to expode the torpedoes. 
 All this time the lire from the batteries on shore v/as ter- 
 rific, but the raft floated calmly with the current to a dis- 
 tance of 150 yards, when the contact was made and the 
 explosion followed. There was a tremendous concus- 
 sion, a huge mass of water was hurled into the air, and 
 by the time it settled only the spars and top of the smoke- 
 stacks of the Merrimac were visible sticking out of the 
 water above the hull that rested on the bottom. 
 
 There v/as no possible escape for the party, for the 
 batteries along shore would have riddled every man be- 
 fore he went a quarter of the distance. With the cool- 
 ness shown from the first, they rowed to the Cristobal 
 Colon, the flagship of the Spanish squadron, and sur- 
 rendered themselves prisoners of war. 
 
 They had struck the enemy a severe blow, but Ad- 
 miral Cervera was filled with admiration of their bravery. 
 He treated them kindly, and some hours later sent a boat 
 with a flag of truce to Admiral Sampson offering to ex- 
 change the prisoners for some of the Spaniards held at 
 Atlanta, Admiral Sampson could not do this without con- 
 sulting with Washington, after which the Spanish au- 
 
i82 THE EXPLOIT OF LIEUTENANT HOBSON. 
 
 thorities interposed obstacles, and the exchange was post- 
 poned for a long time. 
 
 The news of Hobson's exploit caused great enthusiasm 
 throughout the country, for it recalled the most glorious 
 days of the navy, in which Paul Jones, Decatur, Gushing, 
 Farragut and others won immortal fame. It must be re- 
 membered that, taking into account the long, fiery gaunt- 
 let that had to be run to reach the spot for sinking the 
 Merrimac, there seemed hardly one chance in a hundred 
 of its getting to its destination ; and yet if it stopped short, 
 the whole mission would be a failure. Even as it was, it 
 became known some time later that the channel was not 
 effectually blocked, though that fact does not lessen the 
 credit due to Hobson and his men. 
 
 As in the case of Dewey, the feeling was universal that 
 the bravery of Hobson should receive fitting recognition 
 from the government. No one was more anxious to re- 
 ward the heroes than President McKinley, and he showed 
 his accurate sense of the fitness of things by hesitating 
 in the hope that Hobson would soon be exchanged, when 
 his wishes could be consulted. It was easy to make a pro- 
 motion that would be unsatisfactory to the officer, who, 
 many believed, wished to enter the regular naval service. 
 
 The days passed without bringing the exchange of the 
 American prisoners. Objections were continually inter- 
 posed by the Spanish authorities until there seemed good 
 ground for the belief that Cervera was afraid to set them 
 free lest they carried with them valuable knowledge of the 
 defenses of Santiago. Unwilling to defer the simple act 
 of justice longer, the President sent the following mes- 
 sage to Congress, June 2y : 
 
 To the Congress of the United States : 
 
 On the morning of the 3d of June, 1898, Assistant Naval 
 Constructor Richmond P. Hobson, United States Navy, 
 
THE EXPLOIT OF LIEUTENANT HOBSON. 183 
 
 with a volunteer crew of seven, in charge of the partially- 
 dismantled collier Merrimac, entered the fortified harbor 
 of Santiago, Cuba, for the purpose of sinking the collier 
 in the narrowest portion of the channel, and thus inter- 
 posing a serious obstacle to^ the egress of the Spanish fleet, 
 which had recently entered that harbor. This enterprise, 
 demanding coolness, judgment, and bravery amounting to 
 heroism, was carried to successful execution in the face 
 of a persistent fire from the hostile fleet, as well as from 
 the fortifications on shore. Rear Admiral Sampson, Com- 
 mander-in-Chief of our naval force in Cuban waters, in 
 an official report dated *'Off Santiago de Cuba, June 3, 
 1898," and addressed to the Secretary of the Navy, refer- 
 ring to Hobson's gallant exploit, says : 
 
 "As stated in a recent telegram, before coming here I 
 decided to make the harbor entrance secure against the 
 possibility of egress of the Spanish ships by obstructing 
 the narrow part of the entrance by sinking a collier at that 
 point. Upon calling upon Mr. Hobson for his profes- 
 sional opinion as to a sure method of sinking the ship, 
 he manifested a most lively interest in the problem. After 
 several days' consideration he presented a solution which 
 he considered would insure the immediate sinking of the 
 ship when she had reached the desired point in the chan- 
 nel. The plan contemplated a crew of only seven men 
 and Mr. Hobson, who begged that it might be intrusted 
 to him. 
 
 ''As soon as I reached Santiago and had the collier to 
 work upon, the details were commenced and diligently 
 prosecuted, hoping to complete them in one day, as the 
 moon and tide served best the first night after our arrival. 
 Notwithstanding every effort, the hour of 4 o'clock in the 
 morning arrived and the preparations were scarcely com- 
 pleted. After a careful inspection of the final prepara- 
 
184 THE EXPIvOlT OF LIEUTENANT HOBSON. 
 
 tions, I was forced to relinquish the plan for that morn- 
 ing, as dawn was breaking. Mr. Hobson begged to try 
 it at all hazards. 
 
 ''This morning proved more propitious, as a prompt 
 start could be made. Nothing could have been more gal- 
 lantly executed. Careful inspection of the harbor from 
 this ship showed that the Merrimac had been sunk in the 
 channel. I cannot myself too earnestly express my ap- 
 preciation of the conduct of Mr. Hobson and his gallant 
 crew. I venture to say that a more brave and daring 
 thing has not been done since Gushing blew up the Albe- 
 marle." 
 
 The members of the crew who were with Mr. Hobson- 
 on this memorable occasion have already been rewarded 
 for their services by advancement, which, under the pro- 
 visions of law and regulation, the Secretary of the Navy 
 was authorized to make, and the nomination to the Senate 
 of Naval Cadet Powell, who, in a steam launch, followed 
 the Merrimac on her perilous trip for the purpose of 
 rescuing her force after the sinking of that vessel, to be 
 advanced in rank to the grade of ensign, has been pre- 
 pared and will be submitted. 
 
 Cushing, with whose gallant act in blowing up the ram 
 Albemarle during the Civil War Admiral Sampson com- 
 pares Mr. Hobson's sinking of the Merrimac, received the 
 thanks of Congress, upon the recommendation of the 
 President, by name, and was in consequence, under the 
 provision of section 1,508 of the Revised Statutes, ad- 
 vanced one grade, such advancement embracing fifty-six 
 numbers. The section cited applies, however, to line offi- 
 cers only, and Mr. Hobson, being a member of the staff 
 of the navy, could not under its provisions be so advanced. 
 
 In considering the question of suitably rewarding As- 
 sistant Naval Constructor Hobson for his gallant conduct 
 
THE EXPLOIT OF LIEUTENANT HOBSON. 185 
 
 on the occasion referred to, I have deemed it proper to 
 address this message to you, with the recommendation 
 that he receive the thanks of Congress, and, further, that 
 he be transferred to the Hne of the navy and promoted 
 to such position therein as the President, by and with the 
 advice and co^nsent of the Senate, may determine. 
 
 Mr. Hobson's transfer from the Construction Corps to 
 the Hne is fully warranted, he having received the neces- 
 sary technical training as a graduate of the Naval Acad- 
 emy, where he stood No. i in his class, and such action 
 is recommended, partly in deference to what is under- 
 stood to be his own desire — although, he being now a 
 prisoner in the hands of the enemy, no direct communica- 
 tion on the subject has been received from him — and part- 
 ly for the reason that the abilities displayed by him at 
 Santiago are of such a character as to indicate especial 
 fitness for the duties of the line. 
 
 William McKinley. 
 
 The President showed his thoughtfulness by also rec- 
 ommending that the thanks of Congress should be ex- 
 tended to First Lieutenant Frank H. Newcomb of the 
 revenue service, and that a gold medal of honor should 
 be presented to him, and a silver medal to each of his 
 crew for conspicuous bravery during the fight in the Bay 
 of Cardenas on May 11, when the torpedo boat Winslow 
 was disabled, her commander wounded and one of her 
 officers and part of her crew killed. Naval Cadet Joseph 
 W. Powell was advanced two numbers and made an En- 
 sign in the navy for extraordinary heroism while in charge 
 of the steam launch which accompanied the collier Merri- 
 mac for the purpose of rescuing her gallant leader and 
 crew after the sinking of the old craft in Santiago channel. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THE SURRENDER OF SANTIAGO PEACE PROTOCOI. — OUR 
 
 FLAG IN THE PHIUPPINES — THE YELLOW PERIL. 
 
 But the war was by no means over, though operations 
 were now transferred from sea to shore. The first land 
 battle of the war began on July i, with General Law- 
 ton's division and General Bates' brigade (both of Gen- 
 eral Shafter's- corps) on one side, and the Spanish forces, 
 near Santiago de Cuba, on the other. The American 
 troops advanced and took El Caney, with an estimated 
 loss of nearly a thousand killed and wounded on the 
 American side, and double that number on the Spanish 
 side. 
 
 Shafter's forces pushed on and invested Santiago, and 
 then demanded the surrender of the city before noon on 
 July 5, under pain of bombarding the city. To this de- 
 mand the Spanish commandant sent a peremptory refusal. 
 Admiral Cervera, with his fleet of seven ships that had 
 been bottled up in Santiago Harbor since May 19, made 
 a bold attempt to escape from the harbor, passing around 
 the sunken Merrimac, but it was a hopeless effort. The 
 torpedo-boats Furor and Pluton were atttacked by the 
 improvised American torpedo-boat Gloucester (formerly 
 the yacht Corsair), and were destroyed by the shots from 
 the rapid-firing guns. The cruisers Infanta Maria Te- 
 resa, Almirante Oquendo and Vizcaya were engaged as 
 soon as they emerged from the harbor by the armored 
 
THE SURRENDER OF SANTIAGO. 187 
 
 cruiser Brooklyn, under Commodore Schley, the Oregon, 
 the lozva and the Texas, and after a few shots were ex- 
 changed the three Spanish cruisers were forced to run 
 for the shore, where they were burned and blown up, 
 within four miles of the entrance of the harbor. The 
 cruiser Cristobal Colon kept on and hoped by her superior 
 speed to escape, but the battleship Oregon and the cruiser 
 Brooklyn chased and captured her about fifty miles from 
 Santiago. Before the Americans boarded her the Span- 
 iards opened all of the sea valves and threw the bonnets 
 overboard, and this caused the ship to fill and sink. The 
 Brooklyn and Iowa were struck half-a-|^lozen times,, but 
 no injury was done to any of the other American ships, 
 and only one American was killed and three others 
 wounded. The Spanish loss was six ships, three hun- 
 dred killed^ one hundred and fifty wounded and one 
 thousand eight hundred taken prisoners. Admiral Cer- 
 vera was slightly wounded, and with other Spanish offi- 
 cers was courteously received by Commander Richard 
 Wainwright, of the Gloucester, who assigned a cabin for 
 their accommodation. The prisoners were later sent to 
 the United States to be kept under confinement. The 
 cruiser New York, Admiral Sam'pson's flagship, v/as too 
 far away at the time to take part in the sea fight. 
 
 On July 6, President McKinley issued a proclamation 
 calling upon the American people to give thanks to God 
 in the churches on the following Sunday for the victories 
 achieved by the Navy (and the Army, and recommending 
 prayers be said for the return of peace. 
 
 Peace, indeed, seemed near at hand, and two days 
 later official communications passed between Spain and 
 the United States. Hobson and his seven associates were 
 exchanged and Spain was anxious to discuss terms of 
 peace. President McKinley, who had struggled valiantly 
 
i88 THE SURRENDER OF SANTIAGO. 
 
 to avert the war, was now as determined that, since it had 
 been forced upon the country, Spain should pay the full 
 penalty, and to the advances of the enemy he replied that 
 "only unconditional surrender would be accepted," 
 
 On July 17 the formal surrender of Santiago was made 
 and the Stars and Stripes hoisted over the governor's 
 palace in place of the Spanish flag. President McKinley 
 issued, the following day, a proclamation unique in the 
 annals of our country, a proclamation outlining the plan 
 of government for that portion of the Province of San- 
 tiago in possession of the American troops. 
 
 Ten days later General Miles landed a force of sol- 
 diers at Guanica, Porto Rico, and after a skirmish with 
 the Spaniards, the American flag was hoisted on Porto 
 Rican soil. 
 
 After a lengthy discussion a protocol, providing for 
 general armistice between Spain and the United States, 
 was signed, and President McKinley issued the follow- 
 ing proclamation: 
 
 "Whereia's, By a protocol concluded and signed August 
 12, 1898, by William R. Day, Secretary of State of the 
 United States, and His Excellency Jules Gambon, Am- 
 bassador Extnaordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Re- 
 pubLc of France at Washington, respectively represent- 
 ing for this (purpose the government of the United States 
 and the government of Spain, the governments of the 
 United States and Spain have formally agreed upon the 
 terms on which negotiations for the establishment of 
 peace beitween the two countries shall be undertaiken ; 
 and, 
 
 "Whereas, It is in said protocol agreed that upon its 
 conclusion and signature hostilities between the two 
 countries shall be suspended, and that notice to that ef- 
 
THE SURRENDER OF SANTIAGO. 1^9 
 
 feot shall be given as 'soon as possible by each govern- 
 ment to the commanders of its military and naval forces ; 
 
 ''Now, Therefore, I, William McKinley, President of 
 the United States, do, in accordance with the stipulations 
 of the protocol, declare and proclaim on ithe part of the 
 United States a suspension of hostilities, and do hereby 
 commiand that orders be immediately given through the 
 proper channels to the commanders of the military and 
 naval forces of the United States to abstain from all acts 
 inconsistent with this proclamation." 
 
 The protocol was as follows : 
 
 1. That Spain will relinquish all claim of sovereignty 
 over and title to Cuba. 
 
 2. That Porto Rico and other Spanish islands in the 
 West Indies, and an island in the Ladrones, to be se- 
 lected by the United States, shall be ceded to the latter. 
 
 3. That the United States will .occupy and hold the city, 
 bay and harbor of Manila, 'pending the conclusion of a 
 treaty of peace which shall determine the control, disposi- 
 tion and government of the Philippines. 
 
 4. That Cuba, Porto Rico and other Spanish islands 
 in the West Indies shall be immediately evacuated, and 
 that commissioners, to be appointed within ten days, 
 shall, within thirty days from the 'signing of the protocol, 
 meet at Havana and San Juan, respectively, to arrange 
 and execute the details of the evacuation. 
 
 5. That the United States and Spain will each appoint 
 not more than five commlsisloners to negotiate and con- 
 cliudie a treaty of peace. The commissioners are to meet 
 at Paris not later than the first of October. 
 
 6. On the 'signing of the protocol hostilities will be sus- 
 pended, and notice to that effect will be given as soon as 
 possible by each government to the commandens of its 
 military and naval forces. 
 
190 THE SURRENDER OF SANTIAGO. 
 
 The Spanish Senate adopted the protocol on September 
 lo, and the Queen Regent signed it on the following day. 
 
 The war was now at an end, although Aguinaldo, the 
 leader of the Filipino insurgents, showed a tendency to 
 become antagonistic. 
 
 President McKinley's proclamation of December 21, 
 1898, in which he declared that the treaty of peace gave 
 to the United States the future control, dispositioin and 
 government of the Philippines, and which assured to the 
 Filipinos that the full measure of individual rights and 
 liberties would be theirs, was published throughout the 
 Philippines on January 5, 1899. Two days afterward 
 Aguinaldo issued ;a manifesto d'eclaring that he had never 
 agreed to recognize the sovereignty of the Americans, and 
 insisting that he returned to the Philippines on an Amer- 
 ican warship solely to conquer the Spaniards and win in- 
 dependence. He solemnly protested against the intru- 
 sion of the American government, and called upon all his 
 followers to work togetheir with force to obtain absolute 
 independence. 
 
 On February 6 President McKinley directed that an 
 ultimatum be sent to the insurgents, commanding them to 
 evacuaite Iloilo before the evening of February 11, under 
 penalty of bombardment and assault. The day came, the 
 bombardment took place, the insurgents fired the native 
 part of the city and withd>rew, and the American flag was 
 raised over the second port of the Philippine islands. 
 
 Fighting of a desultorv' character continued for m2iny 
 months, Aguinaldo being driven into the interior and con- 
 tinuing to exercise control over his somewhat doubtful 
 followers. It was left for General Funston to capture the 
 insurgent chief, long after hostilities had for all practical 
 purposes ceased; and that the capture was accomplished 
 
THE SURRENDER OP SANTIAGO. 191 
 
 by means of a stratagem does not detract from, but rather 
 adds to the glory of the incident. 
 
 These were surely stirring times alike for the ruler and 
 the man in the street; but through the days of stress 
 President McKinley 'Stood the embodiment of strength, 
 lending his voice wherever a word would hasten the ces- 
 sation of hostilities, and quick to spy the heroism of the 
 soldiers and sailors who were saorificimg their lives for 
 their country's sake. 
 
 Was it to be wondered at that this man of power was 
 again the people's choice for President in 1900? 
 
 But not alone in Spanish matters was President Mc- 
 Kinley to be tried. The Boxer movement, which had 
 broken out in October, 1899, gave evidence of terminat- 
 ing in a gigantic struggle between China and the Euro- 
 pean powers. The restraining band of President Mc- 
 Kinley averted that terrible possibility. Saner judg- 
 ments prevailed when the ministers of the various nations 
 discussed the problem. Something, however, had to be 
 done, and done quickly, since the reign of terror had al- 
 ready begun for the foreign missionaries and native 
 Christians, hundreds of the latter being tortured to death. 
 The President saw that the moment had come for armed 
 intervention, and felt that a sharp encounter without de- 
 lay would effectually quell the uprising and restore peace 
 in the Far East. 
 
 On June 27, 19CK), the Ninth United Staites Infantry 
 started from IManila, and, landing at Taku July 8, pro- 
 ceeded to join sixteen thousand foreign troops at Tien- 
 Tsin, who were opposed by a Chinese force exceeding 
 fifty thousand. On July 13 Tien-Tsin was assaulted, and 
 the following morning the Chinese were driven out. 
 
 General Adna R. Chaffee, who had been ordered to 
 command the American forces in China, left San Fran- 
 
192 THE SURRENDER OF SANTIAGd. 
 
 Cisco July 3, with eight troops of the Sixth Cavalry, ar- 
 riving at Taku July 28, where he was joined by Reilly's 
 Battery of the Fifth Artillery and two baJttalions of the 
 Fourteenth Infantry from Manila. With this force he 
 immediately proceeded to Tien-Tsin, when with Reilly's 
 Battery and the Nimth and Fourteenth Regiments he 
 promptly moved with the allied army to the relief of 
 Peking, assisting in the capture of Pei-Tsang, August 
 5 ; Yang-Tisun, August 6, and Ho-Si-Wu, August 9. 
 
 Early in the morning of August 14 the Americans, 
 Russians and Japanese began an assault on the east wall 
 of Peking. The American flag was the first raised on 
 top of the wall, the Russians being the first to enter the 
 Tartar City. The British, attacking at the south, found 
 little resistance, and profiting by the concentration of the 
 Chinese against the Japanese and Americans, were the 
 first troops to reach 'the legations, the Americans arriving 
 two^liiouns late'r, at live o'clock in the evening, after losing 
 six killed, including Captain Reilly, and thirty wounded. 
 
 The legations were put under a virtual state of block- 
 ade on June 13, when the local authorities ceased any 
 show of preserving order in the city. On that day the 
 chancellor of the Japanese legation was murdered by the 
 mob, and five days later, the legations having been given 
 twenty-four hours to leave the capital, Baron von Ket- 
 teler, the Germ.an minister, was assassinated by armed 
 Chinese officials, while on his way to the Foreign Office 
 to insist upon imperial protection. On June 20 the bom- 
 bardment of the legations by Chinese troops began and 
 lasted until July 16, artillery and rifle fire being incessant 
 during that period. The temporary cessation on that day 
 was due to the arrival in Peking of a cipher message 
 from Secretary Hay, which was delivered to Minister 
 Conger under a flag of itruce. Desultory firing was re- 
 
THE SURRENDER OE SANTIAGO. 193 
 
 ©um-ed several days later, after the legations had been 
 revictualed by imperial command, but no serioms attempt 
 was made to carry the foreign positions. 
 
 By sentence of court-martial, Ting- Yung, acting Vice- 
 roy of Chi-Li, and several generals and other officials, 
 
 Vv^ere shot. 
 
 President McKinley was anxious for a speedy cessa- 
 tion of hostilities, and peace proposals were soon drafted. 
 It was not, however, till late in October, 1900, that a 
 defmite agreement was arrived at. The German Imperial 
 Chancellor's formal announcement in the Reichstag was 
 that the powers had decided upon the following as the 
 basis of their demands upon China: 
 
 1. China shall erect a monument to Baron von Ketteler 
 on the site where he was murdered and send an Imperial 
 Prince to Germany to convey an apology. She shall in- 
 flict the death penalty upon eleven princes and officials, 
 already named, and suspend provincial examinations for 
 five years where the outrages occurred. 
 
 2. In future all officials falling to prevent anti-foreign 
 outrao-es within their jurisdiction shall be dismissed and 
 punished. 
 
 3. Indemnity shall be paid to states, corporations and 
 individuals. The Tsung-li-Yamen shall be abolished and 
 its functions vested in a foreign minister. Rational in- 
 tercourse shall be permitted with the emperor, las in civil- 
 ized countries. 
 
 4. The forts at Taku and the other forts on the coast 
 of Chi-Li shall be razed, and the imiportation of arms and 
 war material prohibited. 
 
 5. Permanent legation guards shall be m.aintalned, and 
 also guards of communication between Peking and the 
 sea. 
 
194 THE SURRENDER OF SANTIAGO. 
 
 6. Imperial proclamaJtioms sihall be posted for two years 
 throughout the empire suppressing Boxers. 
 
 7. Indemnity is to include compensation for Chinese 
 who isuffered through being employed by foreigners, but 
 not comipenisation for native Christians. 
 
 8. China shall erect expiatory monuments in every for- 
 eign or imternational burial ground where the graves have 
 been profaned. 
 
 9. The Chinese 'government shall undertake to enter 
 upon -negotiations for such changes in existing treaties 
 regarding trade and mavigation as the foreign govern- 
 ments deem advisable, and with reference to other mat- 
 ters having in view the facilitation of commercial rela- 
 tions. 
 
 China >grumbled a good deal at the terms, but finally, 
 after islight modification, they were accepted, and the 
 huge, unwieldy Middle Kingdom relapsed into placidity. 
 
 President McKinley, in his annual message to Con- 
 gress, December 3, 1900, made the following statement 
 of the principles which animated the government of the 
 United States in dealing with the (situation in China : 
 
 "The policy of the government of the United States is 
 to seek a solution which may bring about permanent 
 safety and peace to China, preserve Chinese territorial and 
 administrative entity, protect all rights guaranteed to 
 friendly powers by treaty and international law, and safe- 
 1 guard for the world the principle of equal and impartial 
 trade with all parts of the Chinese empire. 
 
 "Faithful to those profes'sions which, as it proved, re- 
 flected the views and purposes of the other co-operating 
 governments, all our efforts have been directed toward 
 ending the anomalous situation in China by negotiations 
 for a settlement at -the earliest possible moment. As soon 
 
THE SURRENDER OF SANTIAGO. 195 
 
 as the sacred duty of relieving our legation and its de- 
 fendants was accomplished, we withdrew from active hos- 
 tilities, leaving our legation under an adequate guard in 
 Peking as a channel of negotiations and settlement — a 
 course adopted by others of the interested powers/* 
 
CHAPTER XXL 
 
 PRESIDKNT m'kINI^Ey's SE:C0ND TElRM — INAUGURAI, A]> 
 DRE;sS — A MEMORABI.E TOUR — MRS. M'kINIvEy'S 11,1.- 
 
 NESS. 
 
 It was fitting that in the platform of the Republican 
 party, adopted at Philadelphia, June 20, 1900, the follow- 
 ing tribute should be paid to President McKinley : 
 
 "We indorse the administration of William McKinley. 
 Its acts have been established in wisdom and in patriot- 
 ism, and at home and abroad it has distinctly elevated 
 and extended the influence of the American nation. 
 Walking untried paths and facing unforeseen responsi- 
 bilities, President McKinley has been in every situation 
 the true American patriot and the upright 'statesman, clear 
 in vision, strong in judgment, firm in action, "always in- 
 spiring and deserving the confidence of his countrymen." 
 
 Referring to President McKinley's attitude in the 
 Spanish war, the Republican platform contained the fol- 
 lowing appreciation : 
 
 "In accepting by the treaty of Paris the just respon'sibility 
 of our victories in the Spanish war, the President and the 
 Senate won the undoubted approval of the American peo- 
 ple. No other course was poissible than to destroy 
 Soain's sovereio"ntv throup^hout the Western Indies and 
 in the Philippine Islands. That course created our re- 
 sponsibility before the world, and with the unorganized 
 population whom our intervention had freed from Spain 
 to provide for, the maintenance of law and order, and for 
 
PRESIDENT M'KINlwEY'S SECOND TERM. S97 
 
 the establishment of good government, and for the per- 
 formance of international obligations/' 
 
 In the election of 1900 William Jennings Bryan repre- 
 sented the Democrats, with Adlai E. Stevenson as Vice- 
 President. The Republicans nominated William Mc- 
 Kinley for a second term, with Theodore Roosevelt as 
 Vice-President. Mr. Bryan secured 6,374,397 votes, Mr. 
 McKinley's popuLar vote outnumbering his Democratic 
 opponent's by 832,280, and William McKinley was again 
 declared President. 
 
 For his Cabinet officers the President chose: Secre- 
 tary of State, John Hay ; Secretary of the Treasury, Ly- 
 man J. Gage ; Secretary of War, Elihu Root ; Attorney- 
 General, John W. Griggs, succeeded by Philander C. 
 Knox ; Postmaster-General, Charles E. Smith ; Secre- 
 tary of the Navy, John D. Long; Secretary of the Inte- 
 rior, Ethan A. Hitchcock; Secretary of Agriculture, 
 James Wilson. 
 
 In his inaugural address on March 4, 1901, President 
 McKinley said : 
 
 'Tntrusted by the people for a second time with the of- 
 fice of President, I enter upon its administration appre- 
 ciating the great responsibilities which attach to this re- 
 newed honor and commission, promising unreserved de- 
 votion on my part to their faithful discharge, and rev- 
 erently invoking for my guidance the direction and favor 
 of Almighty God. 
 
 'T should shrink from the duties this day assumed if I 
 did not feel that in their performance I should have the 
 co-operation of the wise and patriotic men of all parties. 
 It encouriages me for the great task which I now under- 
 take to believe that those who voluntarily committed to 
 me the trust imposed upon the Chief Executive of the 
 Republic will give to me generous support in my duties 
 
198 PRESIDENT M'KINLEY'S SECOND TERM. 
 
 'to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the 
 United States,' and to 'care that the laws be faithfully 
 executed.' 
 
 *'The national purpose is indicated through a national 
 election. It is the constitutional method of ascertaining 
 the public will. When once it is registered, it is a law 
 to us all, and faithful observance should follow its de- 
 crees. Strong hearts and helpful hands are needed, and, 
 fortunately, we have them in every part of our beloved 
 country. We are reunited. Sectionalism has disapn 
 peared. Division on public questions can no longer be 
 traced by the war maps of 1861. These old differences 
 less and less disturb the judgment. Existing problems 
 demand the thought and quicken the conscience of the 
 country, and the responsibility for their presence, as well 
 as for their righteous settlement, rests upon us all — no 
 more upo-n me than upon you." 
 
 This was ever President McKinley's way, to endeavor 
 to ascertain the opinio'n of the people, and then to act 
 ti'pon it. It was part of his creed that without popular 
 approval our istatesmen can do nothing ; with it they can 
 do almost anything. 
 
 Respecting Cuban interests President McKinley said: 
 
 "The principles which led to our intervention require 
 that the fundamental law upon which the new govern- 
 ment rests should be adopted to secure a government 
 capable of performing the duties and discharging the 
 functions of a separate nation, of observing its. interna- 
 tional obligations, of protecting life and property, insur- 
 ing order, safety and liberty, and conforming to the 
 established and historical policy of the United States in 
 its relation to Cuba. 
 
 "The peace which we are pledged to leave to the Cuban 
 people must carry with it the guarantees of permanence. 
 
PRESIDKNT M'KINLEY'S SKCOND TERM. 199 
 
 We became sponsors for the pacification of the island, 
 and we remain accountable to the Cubans, no less than to 
 our own country and people, for the reconstruction of 
 Cuba as a free commonwealth, on abiding foundations of 
 right, justice, liberty and las'sured order. Our enfran- 
 chisement of the people will not be completed until free 
 Cuba shall be a reality, not a name ; a perfect entity, not 
 a hasty experiment bearing within itself the elements of 
 failure." 
 
 On the twenty-ninth of April President McKinley 
 began what was to be his last great tour through the 
 country, a tour that was to take him over ten thousand 
 miles of our country and give him a chance to grip the 
 friendly hands of admiring citizens from Maine to Cali- 
 fornia. Of the details of that memorable tour it is not 
 necessary here to speak. He was greeted everywhere 
 with enthusiasm, and at every station en route crowds of 
 people had collected to catch a glimpse of their idol, to 
 see his kindly smile and to listen to his grave utterances 
 on questions of the hour. The President's tour was, how- 
 ever, unexpectedly interrupted. Mrs. McKinley, who 
 had been one of the party, took sick and was quietly 
 taken to San Francisco two days ahead of time, in the 
 hope that she might regain her strength. She did, in- 
 deed, rally, and President McKinley was able to keep 
 •some of his engagements. It v/as seen, however, that her 
 health had suffered considerably, and the most distin- 
 guished physicians were called in. The people, not only 
 of America, but of all nations, hastened to express their 
 sym.pathy with the President, and he laughingly told Mrs. 
 McKinley when, some weeks later, she had fully re- 
 covered, that he had ''no idea he had had so manj good 
 friends on earth till she took sick." Gradually the Presi- 
 dent's wife recovered, and the party returned to Wash- 
 
200 PRESIDENT M'KINI^EY'S SECOND TERM. 
 
 ington. The journey east had not been accomplished 
 without fears, and many of the newspapers candidly told 
 their readers that the first lady in the land had not long 
 to live. Arrived at the capital, almost the first bulletin 
 issued by the physicians in charge, after examination, was 
 the following: 
 
 '*'Mrs. McKinley is recovering from the fatigue of the 
 trip. The illness from which she was suffering in San 
 Francisco still continues, though in less intense form. 
 She is still feeble and 'cannot be considered out of dan- 
 ger. Her progress will, no doubt, be slow, but improve- 
 ment is looked for. 
 
 "P. M. RiXEY, M. D. 
 "George M. Sternberg, M. D- 
 **W. W. Johnston, M. D." 
 
 The doctors were right. In a few days Mrs. McKinley 
 had so far improved that she was able to go outdoors. 
 The bulletins continued to be couched in still brighter 
 terms, and at last the great heart of the President was 
 gladdened by the news that his wife was now "quite her- 
 self again and a healthier woman than when she left on 
 the ten-thousand-mile trip." 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 THE ASSASSINATION OF THE PRESIDENT — ANARCHY AND 
 ITS TEACHER EMMA GOLDMAN's ARREST. 
 
 Cuba and the Philippines slowly settled down into their 
 proper positions ; the Chinese question was settled, or at 
 least hidden under an international agreement ; the coun- 
 try was prosperous ; the people well contented with them- 
 selves and their President, w^hen, from out the azure sky 
 fell a bolt that shocked the whole world. How shall one 
 tell the story of that awful wrong? 
 
 President McKinley had spent the August of 190 1 at 
 his old home in Canton, Ohio, and on September 4 he 
 visited Buffalo at the invitation of the directors of the 
 Pan-American Exposition, then in progress. The follow- 
 ing day he gave his last message to the people. 
 
 He appealed for fraternal relations everywhere, but 
 maintained that ''friendly rivalry was the spur to indus- 
 trial improvement, the inspiration to useful invention and 
 to high endeavor in all departments of human activity." 
 Then he proceeded to indicate how near the nations of the 
 earth stood to one another by the effacing of distances 
 through modern inventions, instancing the time taken in 
 making General Jackson, in New Orleans, acquainted 
 with the fact that the war with England had ceased, and 
 the present conditions where General Miles, in Porto 
 Rico, was able, by means of the military telegraph, to 
 stop his army on the fighting line with the message that 
 
202 THE ASSASSINATION OF THE PRESIDENT. 
 
 the United States and Spain had signed a protocol sus- 
 pending hostiUties. F'or a moment President McKinley 
 dwelt upon the unexampled prosperity of the country, 
 and then urged the people in this time of marvelous busi- 
 ness energy to look to the future and so strengthen the . 
 weak places in our industrial and commercial systems that 
 we might be ready for any storm or strain. 
 
 He little guessed the storm and strain that would fol- 
 low in one short day. But no premonition clouded the 
 President's brow. His hopes were high as he uttered the 
 final words of his speech; words that while heard only 
 within the precincts of the Exposition, were caught up 
 and echoed in every civilized country under the sun. 
 
 "Let us ever remember," he said, ''that our interest is 
 in concord, not conflict, and that our real eminence rests 
 in the victories of peace, not those of war. We hope that 
 all who are represented here may be moved to higher and 
 nobler effort for their own and the world's good, and that 
 out of this city may come, not only greater commerce and 
 trade for us all, but, m.ore essential than these, relations 
 of mutual respect, confidence and friendship which will 
 deepen and endure. Our earnest prayer is that God will 
 graciously vouchsafe prosperity, happiness and peace to 
 all our neighbors and like blessings to all the peoples and 
 powers of earth." 
 
 When the cheering was over, and the President and his 
 wife had driven to the hom.e of Mr. Milburn, President 
 of the Exposition, Mr. McKinley said to his friends: 
 *'Now, I want one day's rest. To-morrow I want to take 
 Mrs. McKinley to the Falls for a breathing spell." 
 
 "Yes, but the reception!" demurred Secretary Cor- 
 telyou. 
 
 "Ah ! I must not be late for that," said President Mc- 
 Kinley, and his eyes glistened as he pictured the thou- 
 
TPIB ASSASSINATION OF THB PRESIDENT. 203 
 
 sands who wanted to shake hands with the Chief Execu- 
 tive. "Never fear," he added, "a. glimpse of the cataract 
 will do us good, and I can keep my engagement as well." 
 
 So to Niagara President and Mrs. McKinley went. 
 The date was September 6. The day Friday — an ominous 
 day, the day on which President Lincoln was shot, Friday, 
 April 14, 1865 ; the day on which President Garfield vv^as 
 shot, Friday, July 2, 1881, and the day on which it was 
 destined that President McKinley should be the victim of 
 yet another assassin's bullet. 
 
 So in the highest spirits the President and Mrs. Mc- 
 Kinley went to Niagara, spent the morning there, and 
 traveled back to Buffalo by special train, reaching the 
 Exposition about half-past three o'clock. 
 
 Mr. Milburn was the first to welcome back the 
 travelers, and after sending Mrs. McKinley to his home, 
 he accompanied the President to the Temple of Music, 
 where it had been arranged a public reception was to be 
 held. 
 
 'Tt was worth coming to Buffalo for this," exclaimed 
 President McKinley, as a great shout went up from thirty 
 thousand throats when his carriage was driven in front of 
 the building. Then the shout merged into the national 
 air, led by the great organ in the Temple. Heads were 
 bared as the President made his way through the throng 
 and so into the building. At one end of the auditorium a 
 platform had been raised for the Presidential party. 
 Thither Mr. McKinley was conducted and the reception 
 commenced. The people were permitted to enter one 
 door, pass by the President, and emerge at the opposite 
 side of the building. Mr. Milburn, the Exposition Presi- 
 dent, took up his position on the left of Mr. McKinley, 
 Secretary Cortelyou being on the right. Several secret 
 service men were in th^ vicinity. The procession was 
 
204 THE ASSASSINATION OF THE PRESIDENT. 
 
 conducted in as orderly a manner as possible; but it was 
 almost impossible to keep the crowds in line. Once, dur- 
 ing a kind of blockade around the platform, one old man 
 was pushed aside and v/as being hurried to the outer 
 door, when the President caught sight of him, and, reach- 
 ing out over the heads of the others, he called out: 
 "Your hand, sir ; your hand," and the next moment the old 
 man's hand was in that of the President. So one after 
 another the throng passed. Presently a colored man, by 
 name Parker, elbowed his way forward. He was a tall, 
 powerful fellow, and his grip made the President wince. 
 Turning from him was seen in contrast a young man of 
 twenty-eight, with prominent nose, arched eyebrows, pro- 
 truding ears and an oval face deathly white. His right 
 hand was bound in a handkerchief, and President Mc- 
 Kinley, eying pityingly the apparently-wounded hand, 
 leaned down as if to shake the man's left hand. Then, 
 above the patter of feet in the hall, a pistol shot rang out, 
 then another. A great gasp went up from the people; 
 the pale young man was in the arms of the powerful 
 negro, and a smoking weapon protruded through the 
 handkerchief bound round his right hand. The first bul- 
 let passed through President McKinley's stomach and 
 lodged in the back ; the second struck a button on his 
 waistcoat and glanced therefrom, m.aking an abrasion on 
 the sternum. Parker, the colored man, was the first to 
 fling himself upon the assailant. Detective Foster got 
 there almost as soon, and fearing that a third bullet might 
 be fired, he VvTenched the pistol from the man and struck 
 him a blow full in the face. There was a dead quiet for a 
 moment as the people saw the President stagger, then 
 fall weakly into the arms of his secretary. Next moment 
 confusion reigned. A wild rush was made for the young 
 man Vv^ho had fired the shots. The entrance door waS in-' 
 
f HE ASSASSINATION OF tHE PRESIDENT. 205 
 
 stantly closed, and the guards began to drive the people 
 out by the exit. But this was difficult, for the crowd was 
 now infuriated beyond measure, and threatened to tear 
 the assailant limb from limb. A private of the artillery 
 corps was within an inch of driving his bayonet sword 
 home, had not Detective Ireland interfered. 
 
 President McKinley looked round dazedly after the 
 shots were fired, then, as a few drops of blood spurted 
 out on his waistcoat, a spasm of agony passed across his 
 face. "Am I shot ?" he whispered ; and a detective who 
 supported him, replied: "I'm afraid you are, Mr. Presi- 
 dent." He was placed carefully in a chair, and his collar 
 removed. Secretary Cortelyou, seeing the President's 
 lips move tremulously, bent down and heard his chief 
 say: "Cortelyou, be careful. Tell Mrs. McKinley 
 gently." Valiant soul ! His first thought was for his be- 
 loved wife who not long before had been near the portals 
 of death. 
 
 The police and detectives, by a clever ruse and quick 
 work, removed the assassin. President McKinley, as he 
 ■saw him carried away, muttered feebly: "God forgive 
 him; what have I done to him?" In a fev/ minutes the 
 automobile ambulance arrived, and the President was re- 
 moved to the Exposition hospital. The assassin fired his 
 bullet at 4.12 in the afternoon of that eventful sixth of 
 September; at 4.35 the nation's President lay upon the 
 operating table. 
 
 In that first terrible hour, when he believed that he was 
 about to die, the President turned his thoughts heaven- 
 ward and bore himself like a sturdy Christian. 
 
 When he was lifted on the operating table, one of the 
 physicians said: 
 
 **Mr. President, we intend to cut into you at once. We 
 
2o6 THE ASSASSINATION 01^ THE PRESIDENT. 
 
 allowed one President to die, but we don't intend to lose 
 
 you.'* 
 
 "I am in your hands," murmured the President. 
 
 The doctors began to administer ether. 
 
 The President opened his eyes and saw that he was 
 about to enter a sleep from which he might never awake. 
 He turned his eyes sorrowfully upon the little group. 
 Then he closed his lips. His face w^as suddenly lit by a 
 tender smile. His soul came into his countenance. The 
 wan lips moved. 
 
 'Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done." 
 
 The voice was soft and clear. The tears rolled down 
 Dr. Mynter's face. The President raised his chest and 
 sighed. His lips moved once more. 
 
 "Thy will be done." 
 
 The President's eyelids fluttered faintly, and then they 
 were stilled. He had passed into unconsciousness. 
 
 When his clothing was removed, one of the bullets fell 
 to the floor. It was found that the second bullet had 
 passed through both walls of the stomiach. A search for 
 the missile failed to locate it, and it was concluded that it 
 had been lost in the thick lumbar muscles. The opening 
 was closed, and at 6.50 the anaesthetic was discontinued, 
 the operation lasting an hour and ten minutes. President 
 McKinley was then removed to the residence of Mr. Mil- 
 burn, and placed in charge of the following staflf of physi- 
 cians: P. M. Rixey, M. D. Mann, R. E. Park, Herman 
 Mynter and Eugene Wasdin. Later on Dr. Charles Mc- 
 Burney, of New York, was added to the number. 
 
 Meanwhile, the assassin had given his name as Nieman, 
 and as Nieman he had been branded a villain from sea to 
 sea by the countless newspapers that recorded the foul 
 deed. But the man*s name was not Nieman. It was 
 Czolgosz — Leon Czolgosz. He was a Pole, aged twenty- 
 
THE ASSASSINATION OF THE PRESIDENT. 207 
 
 eight ; his home had been at Cleveland, Ohio, where his 
 parents were found to be honest, hard-working people. 
 They were horrified when told of their son's atrocious 
 crime, and said they could not understand how, much less 
 explain why^ he had done the deed. 
 
 The confession of Czolgosz was : "I am an Anarchist. 
 I did my duty." More than this he would not say, 
 neither to his captors nor to the two men appointed to 
 represent him at his trial. On the way from the Temple 
 of Music he once was heard to mutter: 'Tf it hadn't 
 been for that lecture of Emma Goldman's that set me on 
 fire, I wouldn't be here now. It set me thinking so my 
 head nearly split with pain. No matter, I've done some- 
 thing heroic for the cause." It is supposed that Emma 
 Goldman's doctrine that all rulers should be exterminated 
 had taken hold of Leon Czolgosz and swept him forward 
 to the fearful crime. 
 
 The police at once set out on the trail of the woman 
 Goldman, and a few days later she was arrested in Chi- 
 cago. A week after she was released on bail, and a pre- 
 liminary trial showed that there was no evidence on which 
 to convict. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 BULLETINS FROM THE DEATHBED OF THE PRESIDENT — 
 NEARING THE END. 
 
 The Story of the President's health, as told in bulletins 
 by the attending physicians, is as follows : 
 
 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6. 
 
 10.40 P. M. — The President is rallying satisfactorily 
 and is resting comfortably. 10.15 P- ^-j temperature, 
 100.4 degrees; pulse, 124; respiration, 24. 
 
 P. M. RlXEY, 
 
 M. D. Mann, 
 R. E. Park, 
 Herman Mynter, 
 Eugene Wasdin. 
 Signed by George B. Cortelyou, Secretary to the 
 President. 
 
 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7. 
 
 I A. M. — The President is free from pain and resting 
 well. Temperature, 100.2; pulse, 120; respiration, 24. 
 
 6 A. M. — The President has passed a good night ; terb - 
 perature, 102; pulse, no; respiration, 24. 
 
 P. M, RlXEY, 
 
 Roswe:ll Park. 
 George B. Cortelyou, Secretary to the President. 
 
BULLETINS FROM THE DEATHBED. 209 
 
 9 A. M. — The President passed a fairly comfortable 
 liight and no serious symptoms have developed. Pulse, 
 146; temperature, 102; respiration, 24. 
 
 P. M. RlXEY, 
 
 M. D. Mann, 
 RoswELL Park, 
 Herman Mynter, 
 Eugene Wasdin. 
 George B. Cortelyou, Secretary to the President. 
 
 12 N'oon. — There is no decided change in the Presi- 
 dent's condition since last bulletin. Pulse, 136; tempera- 
 ture, 102; respiration, 28. 
 
 P. M. Rixey, M. D. 
 
 George B. Cortelyou, Secretary to the President. 
 
 3.30 P. M. — The President continues to rest quietly ; 
 no change for the worse. Pulse, 140 ; temperature, 102 ; 
 respiration, 24. 
 
 P. M. Rixey, 
 M. D. Mann, 
 RoswELL Park, 
 Herman Mynter, 
 Eugene Wasdin. 
 George B. Cortelyou, Secretary -to the President. 
 
 6.30 P. M. — There is no change for the worse since 
 last bulletin. Pulse, 130; temperature, 102.5; respiration, 
 29. 
 
 P. M. Rixey, M. D. 
 
 George B. Cortelyou, Secretary /to the President. 
 
 9.30 P. M. — ^Conditions continue much the same. The 
 President responds well to medication. Pulse, 132; tern- 
 
iio BUIvLETINS FROM THE DEATHBED. 
 
 perature, 102.5 ; respiration, 25. All temperatures re-^ 
 ported are taken in the rectum. The physicians in at- 
 tendance wish to say that they are too busily engaged to 
 reply to individual telegrams. 
 
 P. M. RlXEY, 
 
 M. D. Mann, 
 RoswELL Park, 
 Herman Mynter, 
 Eugene Wasdin. 
 George B. Cortei^you, Secretary to the President. 
 
 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8. 
 
 3.20 A. M. — The President has passed a fairly good 
 night. Pulse, 122; temperature, 102.4 degrees; respira- 
 tion, 24. 
 
 Herman Mynter, 
 P. M. Rixey, 
 George B. Cortelyou, Secretary to the President. 
 
 9 A. M. — The President passed a good night, and his 
 condition this morning is quite encouraging. His mind 
 is clear, and he is resting well. Wound dressed at 8.30, 
 and found in very satisfactory condition. There is no in- 
 dication of peritonitis. Pulse, 132; temperature, 102.8; 
 respiration, 24. 
 
 P. M. Rixey, 
 M, D. Mann, 
 RoswELL Park, 
 Herman Mynter, 
 Eugene Wasdin. 
 George B. Cortei^you, Secretary to the President. 
 
 12 Noon. — The improvement in the President's con- 
 
BULLETINS FROM THE DEATHBED. 211 
 
 dition has continued since last bulletin. Pulse, 128; tem- 
 perature, loi degrees; respiration, 27. 
 
 P. M. RlXEY. 
 
 Dr. McBumey is here, and will meet the President's 
 physicians in consultation at 3 o'clock. 
 
 George B. Cortei^you, Secretary to the President. 
 
 4 P. M. — The President, since the last bulletin, has 
 slept quietly, four hours altogether since 9 o'clock. His 
 condition is satisfactory to all the physicians present. 
 Pulse, 128; temperature, loi ; respiration, 28. 
 
 P. M. Rixey, 
 M. D. Mann, 
 RoswELL Park, 
 Herman Mynter, 
 Eugene Wasdin, 
 Charles McBurney. 
 George B. Cortelyou, Secretary to the President. 
 
 (This bulletin was issued just forty-eight hours after 
 the President was shot, and was regarded as of the most 
 favorable character.) 
 
 9 P. M. — The President is resting comfortably, and 
 there is no special change since the last bulletin. Pulse, 
 130; temperature, 101.6; respiration, 30. 
 
 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9. 
 
 6 A. M. — The President passed a somewhat restless 
 night, sleeping fairly well. General condition unchanged. 
 Pulse, 120; temperature, loi ; respiration, 28. 
 
 P. M. Rixey, 
 M. D. Mann. 
 George: B. Cortelyou, Secretary to the President. 
 
512 BULLETINS FROM THK DEATHBED. 
 
 9.20 A. M. — The President's condition is becoming 
 more and more satisfactory. Untoward incidents are less 
 likely to occur. Pulse, 122 ; temperature, 100.8 degrees ; 
 respiration, 28. 
 
 P. M. RlXEYj, 
 
 M. D. Mann, 
 RoswELL Park, 
 Herman Mynter, 
 Charles McBurney. 
 George B. CorteIvYOU, Secretary to the President. 
 
 3 P. M. — The President's condition steadily improves, 
 and he is comfortable without pain or unfavorable symp- 
 toms. Bowel and kidney functions normally performed. 
 Pulse, 113; temperature, loi ; respiration, 26. 
 
 P. M. RixEY, 
 M. D. Mann, 
 RoswELL Park, 
 Herman Mynter, 
 Eugene Wasdin, 
 Charles McBurney. 
 George B. Cortelyou, Secretary to the President. 
 
 9.30 P. M. — The President's condition continues fa- 
 vorable. Pulse, 112; temperature, loi ; respiration, 2y. 
 
 P. M. Rixey, 
 M. D. Mann, 
 Roswell Park, 
 Herman Mynter, 
 Eugene Wasdin, 
 Charles McBurney. 
 
 George B. Cortelyou, Secretary to the President. 
 
BULLETINS FROM THE DEATHBED. 213 
 
 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10. 
 
 7 A. M.— The President has passed the most comfort- 
 able night since the attempt on his life. Pulse, 118 ; tem- 
 perature, 100.4 ; respiration, 28. 
 
 P. M. RlXEY, 
 
 RoswELL Park. 
 George B. Cortelyou, Secretary to the President. 
 
 9 A. M.— The President's condition this morning is 
 eminently satisfactory to his physicians. If no complica- 
 tions arise, a rapid convalescence may be expected. Pulse, 
 104; temperature, 99.8; respiration, 26. This tempera- 
 ture is taken by mouth and should be read about one de- 
 gree higher by rectum. 
 
 P. M. RlXEY, 
 
 M. D. Mann, 
 RoswELL Park, 
 Herman Mynter, 
 Eugene Wasdin, 
 Charles McBurnEY. 
 George B. Cortelyou, Secretary to the President. 
 
 3.20 P. M. — There is no change since this morning's 
 favorable bulletin. Pulse, no; temperature, 100; res- 
 piration, 28. 
 
 P. M. Rixey, 
 
 M. D. Mann, 
 Roswell Park, 
 Herman Mynter, 
 Eugene Wasdin, 
 Charles McBurney. 
 George B. Cortelyou, Secretary to the President 
 10.30 P. M. — The condition of the President is un- 
 
914 BULLETINS E.ROM THE DEATHBED. 
 
 changed in all important particulars. His temperature is 
 100.6, pulse 114, respiration 28. 
 
 W^.en the operation was done on Friday last it was 
 noted that the bullet had carried with it a short distance 
 beneath the skin a fragment of the President's coat. This 
 foreign material was, of course, removed; but a slight ir- 
 ritation of the tissues was produced, the evidence of which 
 has appeared only to-night. 
 
 It has been necessary, on account of thrs slight dis- 
 turbance, to remove a few stitches and partially open the 
 skin wound. This incident cannot give rise to other com- 
 plications, but it is communicated to the public, as the 
 surgeons in attendance wish to make their bulletins en- 
 tirely frank. In consequence of this separation of the 
 edges of the surface wound, the healing of the same will 
 be somewhat delayed. The President is now well enough 
 to begin to take nourishment by the mouth in the form of 
 pure beef juioe. 
 
 P. M. RlXEY, 
 
 M. D. Mann, 
 RoswELL Park, 
 Herman Mynter, 
 Charles McBurn^y. 
 George B. Cortelyou, Secretary to the President. 
 
 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11. 
 
 6 A. M. — The President has passed a very comfortable 
 night. Pulse, 120; temperature, 100.2; respiration, 26. 
 
 P. M. RlXEY, 
 
 Eugene Wasdin. 
 George B. Cortelyou, Secretary to the President. 
 
 9 A. M. — The President rested comfortably during the 
 
BULLETINS FROM THE DEATHBED. 215 
 
 night. Decided benefit has followed the dressing of the 
 wound made last night. His stomach tolerates the beef 
 juice well, and it is taken with great satisfaction. His 
 condition this morning is excellent. Pulse, 116; tempera- 
 ture, 100.2. 
 
 P. M. RlXEY, 
 
 M. D. Mann, 
 RoswELL Park, 
 Herman Mynter, 
 Eugene Wasdin, 
 Charles McBurney. 
 George B. Cortelyou, Secretary to the President. 
 
 3.30 P. M. — The President continues to gain, and the 
 wound is becoming more healthy. The nourishment 
 taken into the stomach is being gradually increased. 
 Pulse, 120; temperature, 100.2. 
 
 P. M. RlXEY, 
 
 M. D. Mann, 
 RoswELL Park, 
 Herman Mynter^ 
 Eugene Wasdin,, 
 Charles McBurnisy. 
 George B. Cortelyou, Secretary to the President. 
 
 ID P. M. — The President's condition continues favor- 
 able. Blood count corroborates clinical evidence of ab- 
 sence of any blood poisoning. He is able to take more 
 nourishment and relish it. Pulse, 120; temperature, 
 
 100.4. 
 
 P. M. Rixey, 
 M. D. Mann, 
 Roswell Park, 
 Herman Mynter^ 
 Eugene Wasdin, 
 Charles McBurne;y. 
 George B. Cortei^you, Secretary to the President, 
 
2l6 BULLETINS FROM THE DEATHBED. 
 
 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12. 
 
 9.30 A. M. — The President has spent a quiet and rest- 
 ful night and has taken much nourishment. He feels bet- 
 ter this morning than at any time. He has taken a little 
 solid food this morning and relished it. Pulse, 120; tem- 
 perature, 100.2 degrees. 
 
 P. M. RlXEY, 
 
 RoswELL Park, 
 Herman Mynter, 
 Eugene Wasdin, 
 M. D. Mann, 
 Charles McBurndy. 
 George B. Cortelyou, Secretary to the President. 
 
 3 P. M. — The President's condition is very much the 
 same as this morning. His only complaint is of fatigue. 
 He continues to take a sufficient amount of food. Pulse, 
 126; temperature, 100.2 degrees. 
 
 P. M. RlXEY, 
 
 M. D. Mann, 
 RoswELL Park^ 
 Herman Mynte^r, 
 Eugene Wasdin. 
 George B. Cortelyou, Secretary to the President. 
 
 8.30 P. M. — The President's condition this evening is 
 not quite so good. His food has not agreed with him and 
 has been stopped. Excretion has not yet been properly 
 established. The kidneys are acting well. His pulse is 
 not satisfactory, but has improved in the last two hours. 
 The wound is doing well. He is resting quietly. Tem- 
 perature, 100.2 ; pulse, 128. 
 
 P. M. RlXEY, 
 
 M. D. Mann, 
 RoswELL Park, 
 Herman Mynter. 
 George B. Cortelyou, Secretary to the President. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 THE president's LAST WORDS — HOW THE END CAME — THE 
 SCENE IN THE DEATH CHAMBER. 
 
 In the early hours of Friday morning the scenes about 
 Milburn House were dramatic. Lights burned dimly in 
 all the windows. A flag hung out over the doorway, 
 nailed at full mast, and destined so to remain even when 
 the spirit of William McKinley forsook his mortal body. 
 Across the street the soldiers passed up and down. 
 Newspaper men darted to and fro in the tents and election 
 booths that had been erected for their use. Correspond- 
 ents and telegraph operators were making the wires throb 
 with the dread tidings, while behind the ropes stretched 
 across the approaches a multitude of people waited in 
 agonizing silence. 
 
 At 9.30 Friday morning a bulletin contained the wel- 
 come news that the President's condition had somewhat 
 improved. There was a better response to stimulation. 
 At 12.30 the patient was sleeping quietly, his condition 
 unchanged. A bulletin published at 2.30 in the afternoon 
 stated: "The President has more than held his own 
 since morning, and his condition justifies the expectation 
 of further improvement. He is better than yesterday at 
 this time." An hour and a half later a further bulletin an- 
 nounced "only a very slight improvement." At 5 o'clock 
 the physicians could not disguise the fact that the Presi- 
 dent's end was approaching. He was suffering extreme 
 
21 8 THB PRESIDENT'S LAST WORDS. 
 
 prostration. Oxygen was given, but there was little re- 
 sponse to the stimulation. At 7 o'clock he whispered a 
 request that Mrs. McKinley might be brought in. The 
 dying husband's face lighted up as he saw his life-com- 
 panion bending over him. The others who were in the 
 room retired, for they could not bear to witness that 
 heart-breaking scene. From the chamber there came the 
 sound of convulsive sobbing, and the strong men who 
 waited in the corridor sobbed in sympathy. When Mrs. 
 McKinley was led away and the doctors returned, their 
 patient lay back on the pillows, his eyes fixed on the 
 ceiling and a look of peace on his face. His lips were 
 moving slightly, and Dr. Mann, coming close to the bed- 
 side, heard the President murmur the words : 
 
 " * * * all my song shall be, 
 Nearer, my God, to Thee." 
 
 For half an hour the President remained quiet, breath- 
 ing softly. The skill of the physicians had reached its 
 limit. All that could be done had been done, and there 
 was nothing left but to await the coming of the dread 
 messenger. Dr. Mann, who was watching his patient nar- 
 rowly, saw the eyes look round vacantly and the lips 
 tremble. He bent his head and caught the last conscious 
 utterance of William McKinley, and at once reduced it 
 to writing. It was a dying message : 
 
 "Good-by. All, good-by. It is God's way. His will be 
 done." 
 
 Soon afterward he lapsed into unconsciousness, and 
 did not rally again. His heart-beats came more and more 
 faintly. His extremities chilled. It was only a question 
 of a little time. As the ihours passed the President's life 
 slowly slipped away. 
 
 About 2 o'clock on Saturday morning Dr. Rixey noted 
 
TH^ PRESIDENT'S LAST WORDS. 219 
 
 the unmistakable signs of dissolution, and the immediate 
 members of the family were summoned to the bedside. 
 Airs. McKinley was asleep, and it was deemed desirable 
 not to awaken her for the last moments of anguish. 
 
 Silently and sadly the members of the family entered 
 the room. They stood about the foot and sides of the 
 bed where the great man's life was ebbing away. 
 
 Five miinutes passed, then six, seven, eight 
 
 Now Dr. Rixey bent forward, and then one of his 
 hands was raised as if in warning. The fluttering heart 
 was just going to rest. A moment more and Dr. Rixey 
 straightened up, and, with choking voice, said: 'The 
 President is dead." 
 
 The announcement of the news to those waiting below 
 was postponed until the members of the famiily had with- 
 drawn. Through Secretary Cortelyou the waiting news- 
 paper m.en recieved the notification. There was the keen- 
 est excitement on the broad avenue, but there was no 
 semblance of disorder. 
 
 Those present at the time of the President's death were : 
 Secretary George B. Cortelyou, Mrs. and Miss Barber 
 and Miss Duncan, William M. Duncan, a nephew ; 
 Charles G. Dawes, the Controller of the Currency ; F. M. 
 Osborne, a cousin ; Colonel Webb C. Hayes, John Barber, 
 a nephew ; Colonel W. C. Brown, the business partner of 
 Abner McKinley ; Dr. P. M. Rixey, the family physician, 
 and six nurses and attendants. In an adjoining room sat 
 the physicians, including Drs. McBurney, Wasdin, Park, 
 Stockton and Mynter. 
 
 With the momentary excitement Incident upon the an- 
 nouncement at an end, the entire scene became one of un- 
 mistakable and deep mourning. As If nature lent Its aid 
 to the grieving crowds, a dense fog settled like a pall over 
 the city. The Milburn house became a tomb of silence. 
 
220 THB PRESIDENT'S LAST WORDS. 
 
 Lights — not extinguished — ^were dimmed ; visitors were 
 denied admittance, and the mourning family and their 
 more intimate friends were speedily left alone with their 
 distinguished dead. 
 
 The military guard was augmented immediately upon 
 the announcement. The waiting crowds melted away 
 rapidly, giving expression with tearful words to the 
 great sorrow they felt. Within a brief space of time the 
 newspaper men, the police, the sentries of the guard, and 
 those whose duties kept them abroad were the only per- 
 sons in evidence within the immediate vicinity. 
 
CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 BORNE TO THE CAPITAL — LYING IN STATE IN WASHING- 
 TON — ''lead, kindly light/' 
 
 Vice-President Roosevelt was then at a hunting-camp 
 in the Adirondacks. He had been at the bedside of the 
 Presid»ent earHer in the week, but the hopes of recovery 
 were so high he did not deem it necessary to remain. 
 Friday morning at six o'clock he started from the Ta- 
 hawas Club — thirty-five miles north of the railroad and 
 telegraphic facilities, and ten miles beyond a private tele- 
 graph line — on a hunting trip through the forests. On 
 receipt of the dispatches stating that President McKin- 
 ley's condition was critical, a dozen mounted mountain- 
 eers were immediately started in search of him. It was 
 not, however, till five o'clock Friday evening that he was 
 located. 
 
 He was stunned by the news, but lost no time in gal- 
 loping to the nearest station, where a special train con- 
 veyed him to Buffalo. He reached the city, to find it in 
 mourning, and its flags at half-mast. In the house of his 
 friend, Ansley Wilcox, Theodore Roosevelt took the oath 
 of President on Saturday, September 15, 1901, after 
 which he said : 
 
 *Tn this hour of deep and national bereavement I wish 
 to state that it shall be my aim to continue absolutely un- 
 broken the policy of President McKinley for the peace, 
 prosperity and honor of our beloved country." 
 
222 BORNE TO THE CAPITAI,. 
 
 Almost the first act of the new President was to issue 
 the following proclamation : 
 
 "A terrible bereavement has befallen our people. The 
 President of the United States has been struck down by 
 a crime committed not only against the Chief Magistrate, 
 but against every law-abiding and liberty-loving subject. 
 The President crowned a life of the largest love for his 
 fellows and earnest endeavor for their welfare by a death 
 met with Christian fortitude. Both the way he lived and 
 the way he met his death will remain forever a precious 
 heritage for the people. It is meet as a nation that we 
 express abiding love and reverence for his life, and deep 
 sorrow for his untimely death. Therefore, I, Theodore 
 Roosevelt, appoint Thursday, the 19th inst., the day upon 
 which the body of the dead President will be laid in its 
 last earthly resting-place, as a day of mourning and 
 prayer throughout the United States. I earnestly recom- 
 mend the people to assemble in their respective places of 
 worship and bow down in submission to the will of the 
 Almighty, and pay out of their full hearts their homage 
 of love and reverence to a great and good President. 
 Death has smitten the nation with bitter grief. In wit- 
 ness thereof, Roosevelt.-" 
 
 A similar proclamation was issued by the Governors of 
 every State. 
 
 An autopsy was held on the remains of Mr. McKinley, 
 and the following report was issued Saturday evening : 
 
 The bullet which struck wer the breastbone did not 
 pass through the skin, and did little harm. The other 
 bullet passed through both walls of the ston/ach, near its 
 lower border. Both holes were found to be perfectly 
 
BORNE TO THE CAPITAL. 223 
 
 closed by the stitches, but the tissues around each hole had 
 become gangrenous. After passing through the stomach, 
 the bullet passed through the back walls of the abdomen, 
 hitting and tearing the upper end of the kidney. This 
 portion of the bullet track was also gangrenous, the gan- 
 grene involving the pancreas. The bullet has not yet been 
 found. 
 
 There was no sign of peritonitis or disease of other 
 organs. The heart walls were very thin. There Vv^as no 
 evidence of any attempt at repair on the part of nature, 
 and death resulted from the gangrene, which affected the 
 stomach around the bullet wounds, as well as the tissues 
 around the further course of the bullet. Death was una- 
 voidable by any surgical or medical treatment, and was 
 the direct result of the bullet wound. 
 (Signed.) 
 
 Harvey D. Gaylord, M. D. 
 
 Herman G. Matzinger, M. D. 
 
 P. M. RixEY, M. D. 
 
 Matthew D. Mann, M. D. 
 
 Herman Mynter, M. D. 
 
 RoswELL Park, M. D. 
 
 Eugene Wasdin, M. D. 
 
 Charles G. Stockton, M. D. 
 
 Edward G. Janeway, M. D. 
 
 W. W. Johnson, M. D. 
 
 W. P. Kendall, Surgeon U. S. A. 
 
 Charles Gary, M. D. 
 
 Edward L. AIunson, Assistant Surgeon, U. S. A. 
 
 Hermanus L. Baer, M. D. 
 
 All day Sunday the remains of the dead President lay 
 in state in the City Hall at Buffalo, after simple and beau- 
 tiful services had been held at the Milburn house. Hon- 
 
ij24 BORNE TO THK CAPITAL. 
 
 day morning a special train left Buffalo at 7.46, convey- 
 ing Mr. McKinley's body to Washington. The funeral 
 train consisted ©f seven Pullman cars, with inter-com- 
 munication, and was drawn by two locomotives. Behind 
 the engines were two drawing-room cars for members of 
 the press. Behind these were a dining-car and a car in- 
 tended for Senators, and another for Mr. Roosevelt and 
 the members of the Cabinet. The next was occupied by 
 Mrs. McKinley. Last of all came an observation car at 
 the end of the train, in which the body was placed be- 
 tween the windows, so that it could be seen by the people 
 as the train passed. The railway men on the train were 
 all picked men, and a pilot engine ran fifteen minutes in 
 advance to clear the line. Only the engines and the ob- 
 servation car were shrouded in black, the other carriages 
 being undraped. The coffin, completely covered by a 
 beautiful silk flag, lay on a raised bier. Two sheaves of 
 wheat were crossed above the dead President's breast, 
 while a white dove, with wings outstretched, seemed to be 
 rising from the head of the coffin. The coffin was partly 
 hidden by an exquisite floral design of red and white buds 
 in the form of the American flag and the French colors, a 
 tribute from the Franco-American Society. At the foot 
 of the coffin stood a soldier, while a sailor was at the head. 
 The lid v^^as closed. The proceedings v/ere witnessed by 
 great masses of people, and in the vicinity of the station 
 windows and roofs of houses, the roofs of street cars and 
 yards were black with people, all heads being uncovered. 
 The train stopped only at Olean, Sunbury, Harrisburg, 
 York and Baltimore, to change engines. There were 
 masses of people at the stations at those places, while at all 
 the other stations and along the line thousands, including 
 school children, were gathered. The train literally ran 
 between two lines of people. Bells were tolling along the 
 
BORNB TO THE CAPITAL. 32$ 
 
 entire route. The train slowed down at every station to 
 allow the people a better view of the coffin. Each town 
 had chosen some distinct way of doing honor to the dead. 
 At Lockhaven young girls strewed flowers before the 
 train. Before arriving at Olean the widow of the late 
 President expressed the wish to sit for a time beside the 
 coffin. Dr. Rixey was at first averse to permitting this, 
 fearing that it would tax her strength, but she pleaded so 
 earnestly that he reluctantly consented'. 
 
 Mrs. McKinley all through bore herself as a brave 
 woman whose faith in a just Providence was undisturbed. 
 Not even when, after the heart of her husband had ceased 
 to beat, and the news was broken to her gently that the 
 President was dead, did she give way to her keen anguish. 
 There were no tears in her eyes, only a tightening of the 
 drawn lips, and a clinching of the hands. 
 
 At the national capital the remains of President Mc- 
 Kinley lay for the last time in the White House Monday 
 night. Mrs. McKinley occupied her old room — full of 
 bitter-sweet reflections. Next day a solemn procession 
 passed up Pennsylvania avenue to the Capitol. The es- 
 cort consisted of regular soldiers, sailors and marines, 
 the National Guard of the District of Columbia, members 
 of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Loyal Legion 
 and similar bodies, civic organizations, representatives of 
 all branches of the national Government and the Gov- 
 ernors of a number of States, with their staffs. The 
 streets were thronged with people, who were kept in posi- 
 tion by wire cables stretched along the entire route. 
 Many eyes were wet with tears as, in profound silence, 
 the remains, resting on a plain black hearse, drawn by six 
 sable horses in black draperies and trailing tassels, with 
 a groom at the head of each, passed in a fine, drizzling 
 rain to the Capitol, which was reached at 10.35. 
 
226 BORNE TO THE CAPITAL. 
 
 The catafalque which bore the body of President Mc- 
 Kinley had carried also the remains of President Lincoln 
 and President Garfield. The scene in the Capitol when 
 the coffin was placed on the catafalque was one of great 
 solemnity. Looking down upon the coffin of the mur- 
 dered President were statues of Jefferson, Hamilton, Lin- 
 coln and Grant. Among the w^reaths placed upon the 
 coffin was a beautiful one from the army in the Philip- 
 pines. The choir was furnished by the late President's 
 own church, the Metropolitan Methodist Church, which 
 sang with touching pathos Newman's immortal hymn, 
 ''Lead, Kindly Light." The Rev. Dr. Naylor, pastor of 
 the Metropolitan Methodist Church, delivered a brief and 
 impressive invocation. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 "all the world at his funeral'' — BACK TO THE OLD 
 HOME LAST SCENE OF ALL. 
 
 Tuesday night the dead President was borne by special 
 train to his old home in Canton, Ohio, there to lie in state 
 among his neighbors and townsmen. All through that 
 long night, as the train sped on in the darkness, evidences 
 of grief were at hand in the tolling of bells and the little 
 groups of mourning people that stood on the way stations 
 to watch all that was left of the President go by. Here 
 and there flickering fires burned in the darkness like fu- 
 neral pyres. Hundreds of miners, with flaring lamps on 
 their hats, clustered in long lines near the rails, as if to 
 light the dead man on bis way. As the train neared Can- 
 ton on Wednesday morning, mile by mile, the approach 
 was marked by growing evidences of deep personal af- 
 fliction. Flags that had often waved McKinley welcome 
 were now lowered in sorrow. Farmers and country folk 
 generally seemed to have suspended work altogether ; the 
 schools were dismissed and the entire population was 
 ranged along the track in sorrowful silence. The strain- 
 ing faces showed that the people took this mournful home- 
 coming as a personal bereavement, which had entered 
 into each home, and it was as though fathers, and 
 mothers, and sisters were v/atching for a glimpse of the 
 casket that held their own loved one. 
 ^ Here groups of school children had collected great 
 
228 "ALL THE WORLD AT HIS FUNKRAL." 
 
 pyramids of wild flowers, which were heaped upon white 
 cloth at the roadside. As the train passed, these myriad 
 •blooms, gathered in tender sorrow, were cast in the path 
 of the funeral car. 
 
 At another point hundreds of aged veterans of the war 
 were ranged in line, bare-headed and with furled flags. 
 Thousands of men in their working clothes, grimed with 
 toil and mute with an honest sorrow, clustered in front of 
 great industrial establishments to watch the passing of 
 the martyred President. 
 
 The entire population of the little city and thousands 
 from all over Ohio, the full strength of the National 
 Guard of the State, eight regiments, three batteries of 
 artillery, one battalion of engineers, five thousand men in 
 all ; the Governor, Lieutenant-Governor and a Justice of 
 the Supreme Court, representing the three branches of 
 the State Government, were at the station to receive the 
 remains at noon. 
 
 The only house without a touch of mourning drapery in 
 all this sorrow-stricken city, strange as it may seem, was 
 the old familiar McKinley cottage, on North Market 
 street, to which so many distinguished men in the country 
 made pilgrimage in the days that are gone. The blinds 
 were drawn, but there was no outward token of the blow 
 that had robbed it of its most precious possession. 
 
 There was not even a bow of crape upon the door when 
 the stricken widow was carried by Abner McKinley and 
 Dr. Rixey through it into the darkened home from which 
 the light for her had flown forever. Only the hitching- 
 post at the curb in front of the residence had been swathed 
 in black by the citizens. 
 
 From the station the body was escorted to the City Hall 
 to lie in state. Throughout the afternoon the human tide 
 pressed steadily by the bier four abreast and without a 
 
"ALL THE WORLD AT HIS FUNERAL." 229 
 
 moment's halt. In the five hours that the body lay in state 
 thirty thousand people viewed it. 
 
 At six o'clock, though there were thousands of persons 
 in line, the doors were closed to the public and prepara- 
 tions made for removing the body immediately to the Mc- 
 Kinley residence. Canton Commandery of the G. A. R. 
 acted as escort and there was no following. 
 
 Arrived at the house, the escort formed in line in the 
 street, presenting arms while the coffin, borne by the body- 
 bearers, was taken into the house. 
 
 All night long floral offerings continued to arrive, and 
 when at one o'clock Thursday afternoon the funeral pro- 
 cession started from the McKinley home, the collection of 
 flowers was undoubtedly the most beautiful ever wit- 
 nessed at the funeral of a great man. It included tributes 
 sent by the direction of European monarchs, South 
 American rulers, governors of the British Colonies, Aus- 
 tralia and Canada, from the Emperor of Japan — in fact, 
 from the four quarters of the globe had come instruc- 
 tions for the adornment of the bier. These tokens, how- 
 ever, were buried by the huge masses of floral tributes 
 sent by our own people. 
 
 The services were very simple at the little stone Metho^ 
 dist Church, which had been draped with ribbons of black 
 and white silk. 
 
 A beautiful portrait of the dead President, the gilt 
 frame hidden by crape, looked down upon the chancel 
 rails and toward the altar, covered with orchids, roses and 
 lilies. The funeral cortege reached the church at twenty 
 minutes to two, preceded by the solemn strains of the im- 
 mortal hymn, ''Lead, Kindly Light," exquisitely rendered 
 by a military band, which formed the advance guard of 
 the procession. The troops deployed, and took up posi- 
 tions on both sides of the entrance doors, while President 
 
230 "AI,Iv THK WORLD AT HIS FUNERAL." 
 
 Roosevelt, the members of the Cabinet and a throng of 
 naval and military officers and other dignitaries left their 
 carriages and awaited the arrival of the coffin. This was 
 lifted from the bier and carried up the aisle to the chan- 
 cel by bluejackets, who were followed closely by the mem- 
 bers of the family of the deceased, President Roosevelt, 
 the Cabinet Ministers and their guard of honor. As soon 
 as the coffin passed the threshold of the church the organ 
 pealed forth the mournful notes of Beethoven's ^'Funeral 
 March/' and while the chief mourners were taking their 
 places a quartet of female voices rendered a beautiful 
 anthem. The Rev. Dr. Milligan, pastor of the First 
 'Presbyterian Church, prayed that God would give them 
 strength to bear their calamity with patience, in fullest 
 confidence that ultimately the Almighty's wisdom would 
 stand revealed. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Hall, of the Lutheran Church, next read the 
 Twenty-third P'salm, and the Rev. Dr. Harbuck read the 
 first lesson, from Corinthians xv., 41. After the choir 
 had sung "Lead, Kindly Light," the Rev. Dr. Manchester 
 endeavored to speak, but the words would hardly come, 
 for the murdered President was his dearest friend. 
 Tears fell from his eyes, and at times he sobbed openly. 
 
 Bishop Joyce delivered a short prayer, and the choir 
 sang the favorite hymn of the deceased, ''Nearer, My 
 God, to Thee," in which the congregation joined. Many 
 broke down completely, tears streaming from hundreds of 
 eyes. 
 
 After the benediction the bluejackets bore the coffin to 
 the little ivy-clad vault in the cemetery, almost buried 
 beneath thousands of wreaths, the tributes of a mourning 
 world. President Roosevelt, the members of the Cabinet 
 and the relatives stood around the vault while the coffin 
 was placed in a casket of polished cedar. The Rev. Dr, 
 
"ALL THE; WORLD AT HIS FUNERAL.'* 231 
 
 Manchester then said a few words of prayer, and Bishop 
 Joyce read from the Scriptures, concluding with the fa- 
 mihar invocation "Earth to earth." At the moment that 
 the throng of people stood at the door of the tomb in the 
 little cemetery, the bounding activities of America paused 
 in solemn hush. The rocket flight of express trains was . 
 arrested on plain and mountain, the screws of steamships • 
 ceased to throb, the tireless murmur of the bustling 
 trolley was stilled. It was a simple service, and yet the 
 most impressive the world has ever seen. For, besides 
 the few thousands that followed President McKinley to 
 the grave eighty million Americans stood reverently in 
 spirit with them, and all the nations of earth bowed in 
 sympathy. The boy who had slept years before in. a tent, 
 with the sound of cannon in his ears, now found a rest- 
 ing-place in a martyr's tomb. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 THE DOOM OF THE ASSASSIN — THE NEW PRESIDENT'S CA- 
 REER — "following the policy of m'kinley." 
 
 And what of the assassin? There was no unnecessary 
 delay in bringing Leon Czolgosz to trial, showing con- 
 clusively that the administration of law can be made 
 prompt and effective. Unfortunately there are too many 
 cases on record where long delays have occurred by de- 
 termined efforts to postpone trials in the hope that im- 
 portant witnesses may not appear. In the trial at Buffalo 
 the selection of a jury was made without undue haste, 
 yet in a reasonable time. There were no wranglings over 
 legal technicalities. The pleadings of the lawyers were 
 clear, brief and to the point. Nor during the trial were 
 there any evidences of vindictiveness. It was an appli- 
 cation of the law in its majesty and impartiality. The 
 accused was impassive throughout. At the beginning he 
 pleaded guilty and was indifferent whether he should 
 have counsel or not. The Bar Association wisely con- 
 cluded, in the interest of justice, that the culprit should 
 be defended and named two of their distinguished mem- 
 bers for appointment. In accordance with this resolution 
 the court appointed Judges Titus and Lewis to defend 
 the prisoner. Their task was an ungrateful one. They 
 would have preferred to be excused, but at the call of 
 duty they did their best to vindicate the fairness of the 
 law and do what they could to aid the accused. They 
 
Thk doom of th^ assassin. 233 
 
 were powerless to render him any effective help. lie 
 had from the first confessed his crime, which had been 
 committed in the presence of a crowd of witnesses. The 
 only possible plea was that of insanity, but no expert was 
 found to declare him insane, and so from the first the 
 man was doomed. Nevertheless the trial was proceeded 
 with in regular fashion, with the result that a verdict of 
 murder — murder in the first degree, that is, with pre- 
 meditation and intent to kill — was delivered. When asked 
 in court if he had anything to say in extenuation of his 
 crime he reiterated the statement 'he made from the first 
 that he alone was responsible for the act that ended in 
 the death of President McKinley. The assassin, unlike 
 most of his kind, made no theatrical display of bravado 
 and indulged in no wild tirade when he had an oppor- 
 tunity to speak. From that moment till his crime met 
 its just punishment by electrocution he remained sullen 
 and uncommunicative. He maintained that he had done 
 his duty ; yet no one could doubt that he was impressed 
 with the enormity of his crime. 
 
 * * ***** 
 
 A word or two may not be out of place respecting the 
 man who was so unexpectedly called upon to occupy the 
 Presidential chair, and for certain details given here I 
 am indebted to Mr. Clemens' little volume dealing with 
 the life of the new President.* 
 
 Theodore Roosevelt was graduated from Harvard in 
 1880, and after extending his travel in Europe he re- 
 turned to this country, studied law for a few months, and 
 then plunged at once into the maelstrom of municipal 
 politics. He was elected in 1881 an Assemblyman from 
 the Twenty-first Assembly District. In one year Mr. 
 
 *"Life of Theodore Roosevelt: Our New President." By Will 
 M. Clemens. Street & Smith, Publishers. 
 
«34 THE DOOM OF THE ASSASSIN. 
 
 Roosevelt was known all over the country as a new power 
 in the Albany halls of legislation. 
 
 In 1884 Mr. Roosevelt went to Chicago as chairman 
 of the New York delegation to the Republican National 
 Convention. He opposed the nomination of Blaine, but 
 when' Mr. Blaine became the Republican choice, Mr. 
 Roosevelt fell into line and worked for the party candi- 
 date's success. 
 
 The next two years of the President's life bore unex- 
 pected fruit. They made him an author, paved his way 
 for appointment as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and 
 undoubtedly suggested to him the formation of the fa- 
 mous Regiment of Rough Riders. After retirement from 
 the Legislature Mr. Roosevelt went each summer to the 
 ranch 'he had purchased in the Bad Lands of North Da- 
 kota. He became there an expert rider of the vicious 
 horse, and gained a reputation as a courageous man, an 
 indefatigable hunter of big game, and a sporitsman of 
 ability. There he became intimately acquainted with the 
 ranchman, rustlers, and cow punchers, who subsequently 
 formed the nucleus of the regiment of Rough Riders. 
 
 In 1886 Mr. Roosevelt was again in the turmoil of 
 New York City politics. Henry George was a candidate 
 for Mayor. Abram S. Hewitt was the nominee of the 
 Democrats, Mr. Roosevelt was put in the field by the 
 Repubicans. Mr. Hewitt won. 
 
 President Harrison in 1889 appointed Mr. Roosevelt 
 United States Gvil Service Commissioner. He was a 
 firm believer in the competitive merit system, and put his 
 ideas in force at once. President Cleveland retained him 
 in office, altlic.ugh Mr. Roosevelt resigned in 1895 to be- 
 come president of the New York Board of Police Com- 
 missioners. 
 
 The Police Pepartment had just been exposed as cor- 
 
THE DOOM OF THE ASSASSIN. 235 
 
 rupt to such an extent that many felt that only reorganiza- 
 tion would work any radical improvement. The Roosevelt 
 police regime is remembered yet in the Police Depart- 
 ment as one of the ablest the department ever knew. 
 Under Mr. Roosevelt the morale of the force became 
 higher than it has ever been since, and the efficiency of the 
 rnen advanced in proportion. Mr. Roosevelt began by 
 saying what he meant. He told the police to be honest, 
 and that if they were not they would suffer for it, and 
 that if they were, they would not be persecuted therefor 
 by any individual or political party. 
 
 Within a month after taking office Mr. Roosevelt was 
 at once the best-hated and the best-liked man in New 
 York. He determined that the law requiring Sunday 
 closing of saloons must be enforced. He enforced it. 
 This act aroused much criticism from press and people, 
 but it effectually stopped the police blackmail of saloon- 
 keepers. 
 
 President McKinley nominated Mr. Roosevelt on April 
 6, 1897, to be Assistant Secretary of the Navy. When 
 actual hostilities with Spain began Mr. Roosevelt resigned 
 his post in the Navy Department, returned to the Bad 
 Lands and organized a regiment of rough riders. 
 
 Mr. Roosevelt was a member of the National Guard 
 from 1884 to 1888, being a m^ ember of the Eighth Regi- 
 ment, and though for a time he was a captain, he did not 
 think his experience was sufficient to qualify him to com- 
 mand a regiment, and so when the Rough Riders were 
 organized he declined to become colonel. He became the 
 second in command. Dr. Leonard Wood of the regular 
 army was made colonel. 
 
 The history of Roosevelt and his Rough Riders during 
 the Santiago campaign is too well known to be repeated. 
 After Guasimas and San' Juan Hill, Colonel Wood was 
 
236 THE DOOM OF THB ASSASSIN. 
 
 made a brigadier general and Lieutenant-Colonel Roose- 
 velt the regiment's colonel. After the campaign was over 
 Colonel Roosevelt returned to the United States the idol 
 of the country. He found himself already talked of for 
 the gubernatorial nomination of this State. Not until 
 he was a private citizen again, on September 15, would he 
 talk politics. He then entered into the campaign with his 
 customary vigor and impetuosity, and was, after nom- 
 ination at Saratoga by the Republican convention, on 
 September 27, 1898, elected Governor of the State of 
 New York over Augustus Van Wyck, the Democratic 
 candidate, by 17,786 votes. 
 
 From the Governor's chair to the Vice-Presidency was 
 but a step, although an unwilling one, for Mr. Roosevelt. 
 He was nominated at Philadelphia June 21, 1900, for the 
 second highest office in the gift of the people of the 
 United States. Mr. Roosevelt was unwilling to have his 
 name presented to the convention, declaring that he did 
 not desire the nomination. The popular demand for his 
 nomination was so great that he finally was forced to 
 yield to the delegates' desire and accept the nomination. 
 
 Since Mr. McKinley's death, Theodore Roosevelt, as 
 President of the United States, has conducted himself 
 with dignity, and has won the esteem of the American 
 people. At the very beginning of his Presidential career 
 he captured the hearts of his countrymen by the simple 
 statement: "It shall be my aim to continue unbroken the 
 policy of President McKinley." He felt that the path 
 the martyred President had trod was the right one ; and 
 who shall say his judgment was at fault? 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 WII^IvIAM m'kinLEy's predecessors — A UST WITHOUT 
 PARAI,I,EI. IN HISTORY. 
 
 We have had' twenty-five presidents since we became 
 a nation, and it may safely be said that no country that 
 has existed since the world began can show such a num- 
 ber of rulers, immediately succeeding one another, who 
 approached them in true greatness and worth. Of the 
 whole list there has not been one against whose personal 
 integrity the slightest charge could be brought, nor one 
 who was corrupt, dishonest or in any way unworthy. All 
 were men like ourselves, with their faults and frailties, 
 but they were honest, truthful, able and patriotic, and 
 they placed their country's welfare above every earthly 
 consideration. 
 
 At the name of Washington we all bow our heads, feel- 
 ing that every word of praise and admiration that we can 
 utter fell from millions of lips before we were bom, and 
 that to-day, as a century ago, the whole world does hom- 
 age to the immortal Father of his Country, whose fame 
 is secure through the remotest ages to come. 
 
 John Adams, born in Massachuisetts in 1735, and died 
 in 1826, was a member of the first and second Congress, 
 and nominated Washington as commander-in-chief of the 
 patriot army. He secured the adoption of the Declara- 
 tion of Independence and was said to have the clearest 
 head and firmest heart of any man in Congress. He was 
 
2^8 WILIvIAM M'KINLEY'S PREDECESSORS. 
 
 quick tempered and somewhat of an egotist, but as time 
 passed he was recognized as a man of exalted worth and 
 spotless integrity, and he and Jefferson, who had once 
 quarreled, grew to be warm friends to the close of their 
 lives, which, by a wonderful coincidence, took place 
 nearly at the same hour on the 4th of July, exactly fifty 
 years after the signing of the Declaration of Indepen- 
 dence. 
 
 Thomas Jefferson, born in 1743, in Virginia, and died 
 as above stated, was the greatest scholar that ever occu- 
 pied the President's chair. He was an excellent musi- 
 cian, a fine horseman and hunter, and, because of his pro- 
 found wisdom, was called ''the Sage of Monticello." 
 While not an eloquent speaker, he wielded a master pen, 
 as was proven by his authorship of the Declaration of 
 Independence. He was the fouTider of the present Dem- 
 ocratic party, was of simple tastes, disliked display, and 
 though rich, dressed as plainly as a Quaker. Extremely 
 liked by the "common people," he never lost that popu- 
 larity and won the respect of political opponents as well 
 as friends. He died poor in money, but rich in the loving 
 respect of his countrymen. 
 
 James Madison, bom' in Virginia in 1751, and died in 
 1836, did a great deal to secure the adoption of the Con- 
 stitution, and was the leader of his party until he left 
 Congress in 1797. He was not a brilliant statesman, but 
 he possessed intense application, was learned, had a won- 
 derful memory, and it was said that when he finished 
 speaking upon any subject "nothing remained to be said." 
 He was simple, modest, courteous and of such spotless 
 character that the striking tribute was paid to him at his 
 death : "It was his rare good fortune to have a whole 
 nation for his friends." 
 '. James Monroe, bom in Virginia in 1758, and died in 
 
 1 
 
WIIyUAM M'KINLEY'S PREDECESSORS. 239 
 
 1 83 1, distinguished himself as a soldier during the Revo- 
 lution under Washington, and while serving as a Min- 
 ister to France secured the purchase of Louisiana. But 
 for the curious incident already recorded, Monroe would 
 have been chosen unanimously tx) the presidency at his 
 second election. He was not a profound statesman, but 
 he was careful, prudent and patriotic to the core. After 
 serving his country faithfully, he, too, died on the 4th 
 of July. 
 
 John Quincy Adams, son of the second President, was 
 bom in Massachusetts in 1767, and died in 1848. He 
 was learned and served his country in several offices 
 abroad before becoming President. It was his fortune, 
 or rather misfortune, to be strongly opposed In politics 
 while in office, but all opposition was purely political. 
 Two years after the end of his term he was elected to 
 Congress, where he labored untiringly until he was 
 stricken with death while on the floor of the House. His 
 great ability won for him the title of "the Old Man Elo- 
 quent." The fame of this remarkable man was greater 
 at his death than at any period of his life, and he was 
 the recognized champion of popular rights. 
 
 Andrew Jackson, bom in North Caroliim in 1767, and 
 died in 1845, was one of our greatest Presidents. He 
 fought in the Revolution when a boy and became one of 
 the most successful of our military leaders. The only 
 victory that amounted to anything on land in the War of 
 1 8 12 was won by Jackson at New Orleans, after peace 
 had been declared, but of course before the news reached 
 this country. He was fiery tempered, obstinate to the fast 
 degree, filled with burning patriotism, impatient of oppo- 
 sition, full of intense friendships and equally intense 
 hates, of dauntless personal courage, the chivalrous 
 friend of woman, of pure private life, honest in every 
 
240 WILLIAM M'KINLEY'S PREDECESSORS. 
 
 fibre of his nature, and a man whose popularity among 
 his admiring countrymen will never wane. 
 
 Martin Van Buren, bom in New York in 1782, and 
 died in 1862, was so adroit a politician that he was known 
 as the "Wizard." Jackson brought about Van Buren's 
 election as his successor, and his administration suffered 
 because of the oppressive hard times of 1837, though 
 they were really the result of Jackson's imperious course. 
 Van Buren was not popular, but his personal record was 
 as blameless as that of those who preceded him. 
 
 William Henry Harrison, born in Virginia in 1773, 
 and died in 1841, made so brilliant a military reputation 
 in the War of 181 2 that his admiring countrymen elected 
 him to the Presidency. He was bluff, honest and 
 straightforward, dying sio soon after his inauguration 
 that he was not given time to impress his policy upon 
 the country. Had he been spared to do so, he could not 
 have added to the esteem in which he was already held 
 by those who knew of his great services in the field. 
 
 John Tyler was also a Virginian, bom in 1790, and 
 died in 1862. Differing with the policy of the party that 
 had elected him to the Vice-Presidency, he was severely 
 blamed, though none doubted his conscientiousness and 
 personal integrity. 
 
 James K. Polk, of Tennessee, bom in 1795, and died 
 in 1849, was President during our war with Mexico, and 
 although he united the dissensions in his party, some of 
 the acts of his administration weakened his popularity. 
 He had proven his ability by a long term in Congress 
 and by the governorship of Tennessee. He died three 
 months after his retirement from office, with no charge 
 affecting his honor from his most bitter political op- 
 ponent. 
 
 Zachary Taylor, "Old Rough and Ready," was an- 
 
WII^LIAM M'KINLEY'S PREDECESSORS. 241 
 
 Other soldier whose military achievements made him 
 President. He was a fine officer, who received the first 
 brevet given in the American army, and was the popular 
 hero of the Mexican War; but he was so little of a poli- 
 tician that he had not cast a vote in forty years. Con- 
 scious of his inferiority in statecraft, he selected an able 
 Cabinet, but soon died, honored and respected for his 
 many virtues and unsullied patriotism. 
 
 Millard Fillmore, born in 1800, in New York, and died 
 in 1874, succeeded Taylor. His industry, integrity and 
 practical ability made him a safe and useful President, 
 though when he signed the Fugitive Slave Law he signed 
 away most of his popularity in the North. 
 
 Franklin Pierce, born in New Hampshire in 1804, and 
 died in 1869, was hardly known outside his native State, 
 when, to end a prolonged contest in the national con- 
 vention, he was brought forward as the "dark horse," 
 who carried off the prize. So far he was the only Presi- 
 dent who retained his Cabinet without change through- 
 out his administration. He was not brilliant, but was 
 able, honest and patriotic. 
 
 James Buchanan, born in Pennsylvania in 1791, and 
 died in 1868, was our first bachelor President, and after 
 attaining manhood, seemed hardly ever to be out of pub- 
 lic office, a fact which establishes his great ability. He 
 showed timidity on the verge of the great Civil War, but 
 the sincerity and purity of his intentions cannot be ques- 
 tioned. 
 
 Abraham Lincoln, born in Kentucky in 1809, and as- 
 sassinated in 1865, stands next to Washington in the no- 
 bility and true greatness of his character. Of quaint wit, 
 immense good nature, unquestioned statesmanship, 
 womanly tenderness of heart, a broad charity and a gen- 
 ius of the highest order, he was called upon to bear the 
 
242 WILLIAM M'KINLEY'S PREDECESSORS. 
 
 heaviest burden ever carried on the shoulders of one man. 
 His was the marvelous intuition of doing the right thing 
 at the right time, and when he fell by the hand of the as- 
 sassin the South lost its truest friend. The fame of the 
 martyr President will grow brighter as the years and cen- 
 turies come and go. 
 
 Andrew Johnson, born in North Carolina in 1808, and 
 died in 1875, was so hated by the secessionists in Ten- 
 nessee that a mob attempted to take him from a railway 
 train and lynch him. He met them unflinchingly, re- 
 volver in hand, and defied them. This proved his per- 
 sonal courage, but he frittered away his popularity when 
 he became President and was impeached, escaping con- 
 viction by one vote. The charges against him were purely 
 political, and he was stubborn and hot-headed', but sin- 
 cere and honest. 
 
 General Ulysses S. Grant, born in Ohio in 1822, and 
 died in 1885, was the hero of the war for the Union, and 
 one of the foremost military captains of the age. He will 
 always remain enshrined in the loving gratitude of his 
 countrymen, who in honoring him to the fullest extent, 
 would have done still more had it been possible, for all 
 felt that too much gratitude could not be shown the pa- 
 triot who had saved the Union from death. 
 
 Rutherford B. Hayes, born in Ohio in 1822, and died 
 in 1893, was a gallant soldier of the Civil War, a Con^ 
 gressman and Governor of his native State. Of good 
 ability and excellent attainments, it is unfortunate that 
 his title to the Presidency must always remain clouded. 
 
 James A. Garfield, born in Ohio in 183 1, was the sec- 
 ond martyr President, having been shot by a half-crazy 
 miscreant in t88i. He displayed snch marked military 
 ability in the Civil War that he was commissioned major- 
 general. Jle Vv-ag wise and nrudent, frank, generous and 
 
WILLIAM M'KINLEY'S PREDECESSORS. 245 
 
 unassuming, and man3'- of his most devoted friends Avere 
 among his political opponents. His learning and ora- 
 torical ability were of a high order, and had his life been 
 spared he must have won a high rank among the illus- 
 trious occupants of the White House. 
 
 Chester A. Arthur, born in Vermont in 1830, and died 
 in 1886, possessed good ability, though he cannot rank 
 among our great Presid'ents. 
 
 Grover Cleveland, born in New Jersey in 1837, proved 
 his independence, self-reliance, patriotism and devotion 
 to the interests of his country, which he always placed 
 above party, thereby commanding the confidence and re- 
 spect of the best citizens of the republic. 
 
 Benjamin Harrison, also born in Ohio, the second 
 "mother of Presidents," in 1833, was a gallant soldier in 
 the war for the Union, an able lawyer and the best ofif- 
 hand speaker that has ever been President. When he 
 went out of office, his leading opponent said : *'His ad- 
 ministration has been able, dignified, thoroughly Am.eri- 
 can and untainted by the first breath of scandal." 
 
 TTien comes William McKinley, who played his diffi- 
 cult part in the Cuban trouble — a part that called for the 
 highest qualities of statesmanship — and played it with 
 conspicuous success ; the man who led us to take up the 
 white man's burden and spread the blessings of civilized 
 government and extend the bounds of freedom ; and who 
 Vv'as basely shot down by a deluded anarchist. 
 
 And finally, Theodore Roosevelt, the latest in the line 
 of American Presidents. 
 
 There is the list ! Where in the world can its equal be 
 found ? 
 
 And the whole world remains mute. 
 
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 Mark Stanton. 
 
 Ned Newton. 
 
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 Tom Brace. 
 
 Tom Tracy. 
 
 Walter Griffith. 
 
 Young Acrobat. 
 
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 Annie Ashmore. 
 
 Smuggler's Cave, The. 
 
 Capt. Ralph Bonehill. 
 
 Neka, the Boy Conjurer. 
 Tour of the Zero Club. 
 
 Walter F. Burns. 
 
 In the Sunk Lands. 
 
 Frank H. Converse. 
 
 Gold of Flat Top Mountain. 
 
 Happy-Go-Lucky Jack. 
 
 Heir to a Million. 
 
 In Search of an Unknown Race. 
 
 In Southern Seas. 
 
 Mystery of a Diamond. 
 
 That Treasure. 
 
 Voyage to the Gold Coast. 
 
 Harry Collingwood. 
 
 Pirate Island. 
 
 George H. Coomer. 
 
 Boys In the Forecastle. 
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 William Balton. 
 
 Tiger Prince. 
 War Tiger. 
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 Jack Wheeler. 
 
 Burt L. Standish. 
 
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 Frank Merrlwell Down South. 
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 Frank Merriwell's Trip West. 
 
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 From Tent to White House. 
 
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 "White Mustang. 
 
 George Manville Fenn. 
 
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 William Murray Gray- 
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 Cryptogram, The. 
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 White King of Africa. The. 
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 Cadet's Honor, A. 
 
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 Headon Hill. 
 
 Spectre Gold. 
 
 Henry Harrison Lewis. 
 
 Centerboard Jim. 
 Ensign Merrill. 
 King of the Island. 
 Midshipman Merrill. 
 Sword and Pen. 
 Valley of Mystery, The. 
 Yankee Boys In Japan. 
 
 Lieut. Lionel Loun»- 
 berry. 
 
 Cadet Kit Carey. 
 Capt. Carey. 
 Kit Carey's Protege. 
 Lieut. Carey's Luck. 
 Out with Commodore Decatur. 
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 Tom Truxton's Ocean Trip. 
 Tom Truxton's School Days. 
 Treasure of the Golden Crater. 
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 Guy Hammersley. 
 
 From Switch to Lever. 
 
 My Mysterious Fortune. 
 
 Little Snap, the Postboy, 
 
 Tour of a Private Car. 
 
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 Young Editor, The. 
 
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 Gayl© Winterton. 
 
 Arthur M. Winfield. 
 
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 Ernest A. Young. 
 
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 Three Years at Wolverton. 
 
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 JACK HARKAWAT'S BATTLE WITH THE TURKS. 
 
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 AMONG MALAY PIRATES. A Story of Adventure and Peril. 
 
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 BOY KNIGHT, THE. A Tale of the Crusades, 
 
 BRAVEST OK TRK BRAVE, THE. With Peterborough In Spain. 
 
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 BY PIKE AND DYKE. A Tale of the Rise of the Dutch Republic. 
 
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 CAPTAIN BAYLEY'S HEIR. A Tale of the Gold Fields of California. 
 
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 FACING DEATH. A Tale of the Coal Mines. 
 
 FINAL RECKONING, A. A Tale of Bush Life in Australia^ 
 
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 YOUNG COLONISTS, THE A Story of War in South Africa 
 YOUNG FRANC-TIREURS. A Tale of the Franco-Prus.sian War. 
 YOUNG MIDSHIPMAN, THE. A Tale of the Siege of Alexandria. 
 
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 While it Was Morning. 
 
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