Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1898-04-28
COMMANDMENT. chief Mckinley.

much discussed in Washington.
Commander.in,Chief Mckinley
ST. Paul Pioneer Press; Out of
those quieter walks of statesmahship
wherein his powers have been 'fsainly
exercised with the consideration of
financial politics, with the raising and
and disbursement of revenues, the ad-
justment of tariffs, the betterment of
the currency and the building up of
the industrial interests of the Union,
President Mckinley now emerges into
the arena where, before a world
awatch, his abilities are to be tested in
the exercise of the powers conferred
upon him by the American con-
stitution as commander-in-chief of
the army and navy of the Union.
In time of peace it matters
little what may be a presidents
qualifications for that command. In
time of war the very existence of the
nation may depend upon the discreet
exercise of his military powers. In
the present crisis the demand is for
such gereralship as shall, by the
speediest and most effective means and
with the smallest expenditure OF blood
and treasure, accomplish the nations
purpose to drive out the Spaniards,
make Cuba free. and bring our soldiers
and sailors back to their homes, while
peace shall again smile on land and
sea.
Is President Mckinley "the man for
the hour?n Fortunately he is not with
out military experience. Hs, went into
the army as private, served fourteen
months in in theuranks, won his first
shoulder straps by splendid, bravery at
Antietam, gained additional honors by
his conduct during numerous succeed
ing engagements, and came out at the
end of the war a brevet major. He
never held an important command
such was not his fortune-but wher-
ever placed he conducted himself with
such coolness and bravery and discre-
tion as gained him the utmost conf
dence of the generals on whose staffs he
served: and he gained in that youthful
experience a knowledge Of camps and
battlefields, which, added to his excel
lent capacity for sizing up" men. is
just now likely to prove OF great value
to the nation. But his modesty is such
that he will, in all liklihood, defer, in
arranging the grand strategy OF the
war, for whose conduct he is to be held
mainly responsible, to the demonstrate
ed ability of the splendid group of
veteran commanders whose experience
during our Civil war is now placed at
his disposal. With Schofeld and
Howard and Wallace and Siekles, and
Eothers who shared in the councils OF
Lincoln and Grant close at hand as
counselors, and with Miles and Gra-
ham and Brooke and Lee and other
younger men, who yet had training
similar to the presidents own in the
Civil war, ready to carry out his plans
in action, he can hardly make mis-
take in strategy or fail in execution, so
far as land movements are concerned.
In the navy, on which the general
thought is that the brunt of the con-
iict will fall, the president is equally
fortunate. He can pick his command
ers from among score OF more
splendid officers, schooled in actuall
warfare-better schooled than the
naval commanders of any other nation
in the use of ironclad ships and big
guns. Supporied'by such force, and
recognized as the possessor of that
good sense which is, after all, the
most desirable. element in the compo.
sition of commander-in-chief, the
I American people feel that in the hands
/ of William Mckinley the military and
naval power of the nation will be
grandly used as becomes the granG
motive of our war with Spain, the
magnitude of our preparations and the
sacrifices We are willing to make.