Delaware gazette and state journal., 1896-04-30
PEN PORTRAIT OF MKINLEY
Ohio's Judgment of Her "Fa-
vorite Son."
HE MADE A POOR CHIEF EXECUTIVE
A Weak Man, Much Beholden
to Others.
Faiird to Look After the Best interests Of
His state While Governor-what the Les-
sons of His Past Career Indicate as To Ills
Future Possibiiities-His Record summed
Up.
Correspondents New York Evening Posi-.


this series of lotters has been to present
faithful portrait of Maj. Mckinley
as his lifelong neigbbors in Ohio sec
him. That it ia only an outline sketch
is partly the fault of its subject, who
is only an outline statesman, and partly
the result OF there being 30 great mass
OF material of the same sort to draw
upon, that it is practicable to cite only
typical cases. 1t does not straighten
the crooked lines in this picture, or
tighten its heavy strokes, to say that
IL DOES not leave Mai. Mckinley under
Indictment for nositive and aggressive
wrongdoing. To tho extent that it
does not attempt to make him out d
criminal and an outlaw, this ia true.
The complaint against him. admitted
freely by Ohioan5 who are most friendly
10 him personally, is that he is ignorant
of the fundamental principles of bust
ness. a shifty politician, and weak
and neryeless executive. The only
strong trait for which his neighbors
give him credit is an inordinate ambi-
tlon to become President of the United
States That one idea appears to have
dominated his whole life ever since
Mark' Hanna began to make use of
him as candidate: and it has warped
and untitled him for doing his duty to
himself or to tho trusts his State has
committed to his keeping.
In our rapid panorama of his career
Tor four years, we have seen him
frightened into pitiful paralysis of
tongue and pen when urged to make
plain his position on tho silver ques-
tion at critical time. We have seen
him leaning, for his main support as
Presidential candidate upon a false
and hollow pretence of having his own
State behind him. We have seen him
20 down under load of another man 8
debts IN which he would not have
become entangled but for his lack of
ordinary business sense. We have seen
him trading upon a credit which proved
itself chiefly wind, since his own means
would not meet a respectable fraction
OF the obligations with which he had
loaded himself, and he had no settled
income We have seen that, instead of
quitting politics and going to work.
the only course which his frank friend
Mr hohlsaat thought practicable for a
= bankrupt who proposed to pay his debts
himself-he allowed group of his
rich hackers to "pass the hat" and pay
bis debts for him. Wo have seen him
in the Governors chair, letting tho
State of Ohio run half million dollars
into debt for mere current expenses,
while. he devoted his attention to his
Presidential prospects. We have seen
him ignore the need of replenisbing
the State Treasury, when his best
friends wanted his aid in passing tho
Whittlesey tax bill. We have seen him
equally oElivious of his present duty
when his help was most needed, in the
case of the Hooking canal lease. with
tho consequence that the State lost
80 OOO al single stroke, and the
chance OF an improved yearly rental at
q later date We have seen him mani
fest an active interest in only one of
the Statc's financial operations, which
resulted in leasing to a railroad cor
poration piece Of public property on Il
valuation of Sl57, 600, though ii was
valued by the lawful authority at
1857, 600. We have seen him permitting
the use Of the Governors room in the
Capitol as a camping ground for his
frien ] and bacRer, the chief street. rail
way magnate Of the State, when bill
was pending TO secure street-railway
franchises for 90 years, and number
OF Legislators had to be 'convincedr
before the vote. Wo have seen do.
moralization pervading the State gov
ernment in every department during
MS exercise OF the appointing power,
and the atmosphere of tine prisons and
asylums saturated with scandal.
1t ls no apology for such record to
say that Gov Mckinley never ran his
own hand into the State Treasury to
enrich himsolf; it is the business OF
tho Governor to keep the hands Of
other men out also. 1T is no excuse
for McKinley's incapacity that tho
Governor of Ohio has no veto power
under tho Constitution; he has at hand
other means for advancing good and
blocking bad Legislation, as the records
of several of McKinley's predecessors
in office show. 1t is not enough to
plead, as a reason for promoting Gov
ernor to the Presidency, that the scan
dals which made his term as Governor
memorable were not so huge as some
which have biackened the pages Of
other histories; petty sins are too often
associated with petty virtues, and
long list OF them stamps their per-
netrator as petty man and petty
public officer far below the standard OF
character which our republic has set
for its chief executive.
The half measure quality which per-
vades all that Mai. Mckinley does or
is can certainly not be considered
recommendation for the Presidency.
The same craving which has paralyzed
his best energies while first term
has been in sight would undoubtedly
dominate him in the hope of second.
the same lack of sturdy independence
which has always made him toy in
the hands OF stronger men would keep
him under their control as President,
especially in view of the additional
obligations incurred in his campaign.
What could be more edifying than 10
see the daily gazette of appointments
bristling with the old, familiar names:
Mark" Hanna for Premier, with
power TO plunge the nation into war
to-day and coo the sweet notes of peace
Tomorrow, according to whether the
markets needed a bear or a bull incen-
tive; 'Vos' Everett to manage the
Treasury and dispose of the bonds;
Richards for Attorney. General, to ad-
wise tho government how it could most
effectively cut down its sources of
revenue; "Bill" hahn for Secretary of
the interior, with the largest cabinet
patronage to handle; Sleeper for Inter-
state Commerce Commissioner, to see
that that unbuilt railroad in Athens
county gets its share of whatevergis
going round; - "Joe'' Smith for