The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-11-28
THE PRESIDENT ELECT.

Waiter ye,lmar. i'm rimes-Uerald.
=. l,,,,, ana, .o,d IN ~, to CANTON and to
80, IN ,,.i,h ,b,, ,,,n ,vbo Is IN be-
'hi,,t '.,i,,ra,, nf ~, greatest repul,lc
1,,,;,,, ~, ,.nminr fnur va,rs II gives
r .,',l;,i,u,l .,,iIe In his country and
;,s 1omorr,tic sniri, Yoi tind nothing but
,,na mon,v American simnIjcity of man
NOV ,uI hit in the home of the prcsi-
Iant-eIec, Major Mckinley is as APP
rru,cbabl, as any private citizen. 1t is
e,sier to ,at at him than i, is to get at
the average head of Il mercantile house
or bank president Tho truth is. about
all YOU have to do Is to walk in, and
there YOU are. A foreigner visiting in Can
ton asked his local friend. PLEASE take
me past the residence of your prcsideIt-
elect want to see whesc he lives, for
know it IS Impossible to see him" The
friend smiled and promised to take him
where he could see the house ut least.
They walked up North Market street I'M
der the Mckinley arch and entered Il door
yard from which every blade of grass
had been trampled by hundreds of thou-
sands of feet The foreigner commented
trpon the absence of a sentry from the
gate and asked if here were no soldiers on
guard about the premises. NO. not even
IA policeman or a dog"
II II Il
To the amaZcment of the visitor from
out "A ring at the bell and without any
announcement or presentation of cards.
They had no sooner entered the little hall
than man with stocky figure. smooth
face and luminous eyes under heavy eye
brows came forward from the library at
the right to greet them. 1t was the pres-
dcnt-elect himself If the foreigner WAS
nj ifaS tati of
republican simplicity he was little later
both amazcd and delighted As they
took seats and the prcsident-clect started
the conversation. his perfect tact soon
showed itself. First, he asked the for
cignCr some qucsi IONS which quickly
placed that rather startled gentleman at
his ease and led him to think the Ameri-
can prcsident-elect had taken great fan
cy to him and might ask him to become
an American and a member of the caDi-
net. The Canton caller Major Mckinley
had had but little acquaintance with, but
he drew upon his remarkable memory ana
presently asked after the visitors mother
and a brother who lived in u distant state.
/, \ H
Watch the prcsident-clect hour afte"
hour, with caller after caller. of high o"
low degree, and you see him always the
same. | emphasize this point because it
serves to bring out one of the strong traits
eight years | have seen two presidents in
Washington laboring under the handicap
of lack of tact. Not only did they suffer,
but their party and the country. Mr.. Har-
rison had brains to spare, remarkable in
sight to human nature. great logical pow
ers. Ret Clarkson once said of Harrison
whom he lid not like very well, either
hat hn ha lNi
of men and their motives he had
ever known But he had no tact, and as
another prominent Republican said:
Harrison will make n man feel mcancr
in giving him what he asks for than Chat
Arthur did when he turned the man
down" Arthur was the latest of our
tactful presidents, and his success was
due wholly to that quality, because he had
no great ability. Cleveland desp!ses tact.
because he knows he hasn't il. He bulls
everything through by main force. and
makes n heap of trouble for himself and
every one else doing II. The one big per-
.oral ,riunnnb of his second adminjstr,-
tion-repeal of the sherman law-was won
hv tho tact of Judpa Gresham oftnr
CIavoI,rd,s main force ,a,tics had failed
A.oin ~ crnvar Cleveland had bad ,bo
,act nr an Ar,bur or , NcKipIov tbo nam
ora,i. ,,a,,,, n,n,,,i M, ha,. ,,o,,,' o,',r =,
s,a'' .i,,.ar;s.,, T., a., oo,n,,airn ~ ,oc
When saw Mckinley with his callers