Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-07-03
CREATURE OF LUCK.
ENTHUSIASM FOR M'KINLEY NOT
DUE TO HIS ABILITY.
Lacks Beth Brains and Heart
Weakened and without Force
of Character Ignorant Masses
Believe That Wages Can Be Reg
uIated by Government.
New York Evening Post.

New York Evening Post.
Or course everybody of any sens
knows that shrewd management ar.
prodigal expenditures Of money hav
contributed largely to the long lea,
which Mckinley now has over al
rivals for the Republican presidential
nomination. But after making al
proper allowance for this element ir
the case the fact remains that there i,
a genuine enthusiasm for the Ohio
candidate such as few men in our DO
litical history have aroused. The
cause for this enthusiasm deserve.
careful attention.
There have been candidates whose
personal magnetism" aroused pop.
ular feeling in their favor 80 wide.
spread and irresistible that it swep,
everything before it. Henry Clay, in
the Whig party OF his day, and James
G. Blaine, in the Republican party a
generation later, were the two most
conspicuous illustrations OF this influ.
ence. The personality OF the man
was what made Blaine so often a
strong candidate for the Republican
nomination and the nominee in 1884
The hold OF the man upon the affec
tlons OF Others was what made so man,
| Wings weep as over a death in theil
families when Clay's defeat at the
polls hall century ago became known
Mckinley is q cold, ," wooden" sort o
q man, whose daily associates for years
in the House never felt any spell o
personal influence, 80 that this does
not account for the enthusiasm in his
case.
There have been candidates who
aroused the masses of their party BY
their eminent capacity for leadership
and their distinguished services in be-
half OF cause which they represented
Grover Cleveland is the most striking
example OF this in our modern history
The force OF character pushed him to
the front ahead of many older and
more prominent men and made him a
presidential nominee within two years
after his reputation had spread beyond
his city, and the demonstration of his
power as leader during his first term
made him twice afterward the candi.
date through the overwhelming de.
mand of the people for his choice
Mckinley is so lacking in force oi
character and in capacity for leader.
ship that when in 1889, after a dozen
years of continuous service in the
House, he sought the Speakership, he
could command only 80 out of 165
votes in the party caucus, so that thi,
does not account for the enthusiasm
in his behalf.
What then, does explain the enthu.
siasm for one who is neither a military
hero, a leader in civil life nor a mag
netic" man? 1t is the fact. which was
itself q mere chance, that Mckinley'e
name came to be associated with O
tariff act, the passage OF which was
coincident with period OF prosperity
and the repassage OF which is believed
by the masses to be capable of imme.
diately restoring that prosperity. A
mere chance, we say. In the Republi
can caucus which nominated Reed fol
Speaker in 1859, Mckinley stood sec.
ond with 80 votes and Cannon of Hi
nois third with %. Custom virtually
DEGREES the naming by the successful
candidate of his chief rival as Chair
man of the Ways and Means commit.
tee, and 80 leader OF the House." II
Cannon had received the 80 votes and
Mckinley the %, it would have been
the Cannon tariff, and we should have
had to-day, with precisely as much
reason, unbounded enthusiasm fol
Cannon-a man, by the way, with
quite as much claim to the presidency
in point OF ability, as McKinley-and
Cannon's claim would seem too ridic'
ulous for consideration.
In other words, the enthusiasm fol
Mckinley is q matter OF neither brains
nor heart. 1t is not based upon adj
miration of the mans ability or upon
affection for one who makes tens oI
thousands regard him as personal
friend. 1t is purely q matter of the
pocket. 1t is based upon the belief
among the masses that McKinley's
election in 1S96--or, for that matter
Cannon's, if Cannon had been ap-
pointed Chairman of the Ways and
Means committee in l8S9-will give
them constant work with easy hours
at high wages. In short, it rests upon
the theory that the tariff is the most
important thing in the country, and
that the government can mark wages
up or down. 1t is due to the spread
ing among the ignorant of the idea
that prosperity is to be determined by
votes.
The success of campaign based
upon an unreasoning enthusiasm oi
this sort must be followed by disil-
lusionizing and a disappointment