The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-09-19
Treasures Up to His Opportunity E..


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Treasures Up to His Opportunity.
A tribute so just and true is paid to
the Republican nominee by the Lam
caster New Era that we offer no
apology for reproducing it herewith.
mo man." that excellent journal OBJ
serves. "can attain the prominence in
this country that Major Mckinley has
attained without being q person of far
more than the average range of ability,
as ability is rated among our public
men. His speeches in congress and out
of it during the past ten years have
shown incontestably that he is a man
far beyond the ordinary. But not
withstanding the high estimate in
which Major Mckinley has been held
by his fellow citizens, for ability. pa
triotism and broad gauge statesman
ship, 1t may be questioned whether
many Of our people ever estimated this
man at his proper worth. 1t Is only
since his candidacy for president on the
Republican ticket and his numerous
utterances to the scores Of delegations
of all classes of people representing
almost all the Industries in the land,
that we have reached a correct .appre-
citation of the mans true character and
his extraordinary mental grasp and
power. He seems to have lifted him
self to much higher plane of ability
and craftsmanship than it had been
supposed he could occupy. His ad-
dresses have in them a mental reach
which places him side by side with the
ablest men this country has ever pro-
duced.
There is, perhaps, no better test of
mans mental vigor. of his originality,
of his general ability than the manner
in which he deals with the many kinds
of persons who call upon him, each rep
resenting different cause or industry,
and each demanding peculiar aptness
Of speech and understanding. Under
such trying conditions the common
place man quickly finds his level. He
cannot open his mouth without putting
his foot into it. He either says some
thing he ought not to say, the wrong
thing at the wrong moment, or makes
a Ounce of himself straight along. In
either case the weakness Of the man
Is exposed and we arrive at the true
Kinley's case he has developed an abil-
ity to talk dozen times a day to as
many kinds Of people, to say the right
thing to them all and to say it with
vigor Of expression and with mental
grasp not surpassed by either Garfield
or Harrison, who have been the most
remarkable examples of this kind this
country has ever seen. His speeches
have been models of this kind of
speech-making. He has not made a
single mistake. but in every instance
has won his hearers by the quiet dig
nifty of his reasoning, by the cogency
of his arguments and by his remark
able power Of concise arg1ment and
statement"
In another respect not noted by our
Lancaster contemporary Major McKin-
ley is likewise deserving Of exceptional
praise. He has demonstrated the pos
session to a remarkable degree of what
Is known as reserve force of charact-
er. He knows when to talk and when
to maintain silence. He exhibits rare
power Of self control without going at
any time to the opposite extreme of
arrogance, self-conceit or that blind
self-confidence which brought Grover
Cleveland to political wreck. He is an
approachable man. companionable
man, a man who does not impart the
idea that he is a superior person hedged
about with awe. and yet he never for
gets his self-respect nor condescends to
words or deeds which would tend to
lower him in public esteem. In these
particulars he is truly unique among
the public men of our time, and it is
therefore simply the truth to point to
hin as embodying one Of the most not
able cases Of the man rising to the
cpDcrtuntty of which the later years
Of American politics contain any rec
ord.