New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-10-11
A MASTER OF DEBATE.
~OxrpNop MKINLEY'S SPEECHES.

What Mr. Gladstone once said or Johh
Bright may be said also Of Governor Mckinney
.'The people like to hear his voice 1t -
strong melodious voice, vibrating with lh'ehSi's
Of personal conviction. Always aosoiu'elS II,
rr.s, avon when he is discussing an abstract
question Of political economy or hauoh''i
finance. he never leaves his audiences in DOUBT
r..n.ctinr his sincerity and essential honesty OF
,,,rnose To a voice of remarkable fexipihty'
tox.r and purity of tone are added presence
~ commanding dignity and the stateliness Oh
manner which distinguished the OLD schooi VI
American orators. While he Is not "i'"ou'
large resources Of humor. he prefers 10 discuss
large questions with extreme seriousness anu
gravity He is never hippant; he never seeA'
10 force laugh by appealing 10 the popu-
lar sense OF what is luiicrous, ana ne coiile"''
himself with grim pleasantries ana WIFI hee"
satire when 1t is necessary to light up WIN
CLEANS of humor the exposition OF quesuo"S
of current politics. He is primarily IL oeoa'e'
and incidentally an orator The Distinguishing
choracter;stics of his public addresses are lucd-
,tv of styls and cumulative argumeh'au'e
force His appeal is made TO the ih'eilse"0'
rather than to the emotions OF an auuie"'e
He reasons with opponents ana strives ~ 'o
vince them but he never overwhelms them Will
denunciaton and invective
The attempt to collect the speeches ana al
Presses of public man making 81 i0" pm
tances TO fIorid oratory or academic graces as
Governor Mckinley is less hazardous 'ii a'
first sight it would appear The pages Oh 'his
-. ,,aunrinted volume contain few If any
sh.torical Messages or studied effects of declam-
oNon but they are filled with luminous ois-
cuss,on of public affairs a school-boy having
a recitation to declam would find notmhs mere
suited to his initiative powers OF eiocu'oi'' o"'
the man of affairs desiring Information on cur
rant questions of politics, ana aiming i"oio
over at the acquisition of the ART OF Puo"0
debate, could have no better work I'll refer
ence Governor Mckinley, while man OIL
strong political convictions is not partisan III
mia methods Of public discussion lie ihVar'.
.h,v defines the position of his opponents ana
presents an impartial analysis of their areu-
ments His speeches are conspicuous 1or TAR
ness and sincerity. He strives always 10 oiins
out clearly what is essential TO the a's"'''."'
on each side, and then TO adjust 'he sca'~'
with An even hand and an unpreJudiceo eye
II ia this habit of mind that impart5 educa-
tional value to his speeches ana me'hous VI
a,scu.son Governor McKinley's speeches
cannot he compared with the splendid rhetoric
and artistic oratory of Charles sumner pu'
whoever reads them will obtain access TO
treasury of accurate information on pubhc queS-
t,or. He will also learn the rudiments Oh
tho art of conducting debate with malice TO-
.vard none and charity for all, with an IN
h.rent love Of justice and fair play, and Win
t,nswerying loyalty to moral convicuohs.
rh. volume contains sixty-fve selections from
several hundred speeches, and mas peeh CUM
n,,ed by Joseph p Smith. librarian OF the Ohho
state Library, and revised by Governor Moi>',''
lev himself There is wide range VI SUI
1eots. There are memorial addresses OH ~
49,. Garfield General John A. Logan. William
d. Kelley, General Grant and General iiaSes
rb.re are addresses on special occasions such
- .ha dedication of public school building
,reatinps of the Ohio State Grange ana the
p,oneers of the Mahouing Valley, Decoration
DAY. Labor Day, the dinner OF the pennsylvania
New-England Society, the fiftieth ahhiVerS"''
of the founding of The Tribune meeting Vi
the alumni Of Oberlin College ana 'he oPeiiii's
Of the Ohio building at the World fair his
most important tariff speeches are rep'ouu0'u
without change including those on 'he WON
hill the Tariff Commission, the Iarln VI 1901
the Morrison tariff, Protection IN virginia, "''
address on free raw materials before the Home
Market Club of Boston, the MiilS 1ariil oi'''
the Senate Tariff BILL the Tariff OF 1891 the
-rf.rence Committees report and the issues
~ 1909 Every phase of the tariff discussion OF
the last twenty-five years is presented In th's
volume and the doctrine OF protecuoh Is w
planned advocated and defended with uhrlVaeu
resources of technical information iosica' shi'
and argumentative power. Among many othei
topics discussed in Congress or on the pia'-
form which are represented in this coilecuoh
are Congressional gerrymandering, free ana
<.,r s,ections crimes against the ballot. equal
suffrage labor arbitration. PENSIONS the Treas
u,v surplus the Dependent Pension Veto
49, nrrcbase of Government bonds,
.h question of a quorum Civil Service Reform,
Tho silver bill. the Eight Hour law the Direct
rax Refunding bill, pensions and the pup"c
debt. no compromise with the demagogue the
Federal Election bill and the Hawaiian treaty
The table of contents reveals at once the coi'-
sn,cuous part which Governor Mckinney mas
taken in American public life and the scope
md range of his intellectual and politicai ac-
tivities.
One OF the best samples Of debating power
Is the speech on free and fair eiec'ohs' ue"'
cred in Congress on April IS, 1879 on repeal
r,der n an important appropriation bill II
onens with denunciation of "a bold ana "ah'on
attempt TO wipe from the law all protecuoh
90 tho halot-box and surrender its purity 10
tho unholy hand Of the hired repeater ana l's
control to the ballot box suffers OF the great
cities of the North and the tissue-baiot par'J
of the South" Then follows lucid eNposi
ton OF the election laws and their method %
oneration After a complete refutation Oh INC
General charge that these laws interfere WIFI
local elections and encroach upon the rgh'S
ana movers Of the States. the tactics OF the
rspealers are analysed and their arguments aho
objections taken up and answered In detail WIFI
scrupulous fairness. After the laws nave Deer
explained and defended, and the question o.
repeal considered. wholly on its merits the
method of forcing legislation by means OF ar
appropriation rider is examined in the isht o.
historical precedents; numerous Democratic CT
tations against it are made. and the genera
conclusion is reached that the tactics OF inc
repealers are wrong In themselves ana reVoiu
tionary in tendency. There is not single pas
sase I'm the speech of any literary pretensions oil