The Winslow mail., 1899-09-21
MODEST M'KINLEY.
The He1Sht or Absurdity Reached
by Our Self-Efacing Ex-
ecutiye

Great are courage, sobriety, industry,
love, charity. modesty, but the great
est of these is modesty. Our noble execu-
tive has of these qualities plenty. but
of modesty he has enough to 90 around
his entire cabinet if he could only in
duce the members to take some of it.
In the old days, when bashfulIy adj
mitting that he was really the author
of the tariff measure which bore his
name; in aftertimes, when, hailed as
the shining exemplar of protection, he
stood on the floor of congress, clad in
light gray prince Albert" red rose
in his lapel, his right hand thrust into
his bosom; still later, when he depre-
Gated the ardor of worshipers who
likened him to the great Napoleon,
agreeing blushingly that he resembled
the Corsican in brain, but averring that
physically he was of larger and slim
mer build; still later, when, as gov
ernor of Ohio, he granted only under
extreme pressure that he was the domi-
nant unity of the republican party, and
subsequently, when he shrinkingly per-
mitted a bunch of enthusiastic idol
aters to pay his debts-modesty has
been his chiefeSt, most charming char
acteristic. 1t is as much part of our
heaven-born ruler as are his gold
trimmed eyeglasses and patent leather
shoes.
The other day we were informed that
he would not attend the New York
ceremonies of welcome to Admiral
Dewey. Men of prominence have be-
sought him, committees have called
upon him, the wires have tingled with
messages of pleading from Gotham's S
highest and best, but all to no purpose.
Why? Because he is not willing to rob
Dewey of the glory that belongs to
him; because he is not willing to draw
the eyes of the multitude from Dewey
and center them on himself; because
he will not have the people to split their
throats and deafen him with cheers that
should be reserved for Dewey; be-
cause he believes that, for this occa-
sion only, Dewey is entitled to the cen
ter Of the stage. 1t is like him-like our
modest, altruistic, self-abnegating,
cheSIy, Imperial cnle1.
His own judgment" we are told by
the dispatches, ''his own sense of JUS
tice and propriety, his natural inclina-
ton to give Dewey all of the credit that
is coming to him weighed more heavily
in the balance than all of the plead
ings, arguments and inducements. So
it was that he finally decided to re-
main quietly in Washington during the
hubbub and turmoil of the Dewey re-
ception. The original plan of the
Dewey committee was for the president,
accompanied by Vice President Ho-
bart and the cabinet, to meet the adj
miral at quarantine. The idea was that
there the president should extend to
the admiral the thanks and greetings
of grateful public. For a time the
president looked upon this plan with
favor and he came near to giving it
his sanction. But the more he thought
over it the more ne became convinced
that he should do nothing that might
dim the luster of Dewey's star"
We ask a common-sense public:
'Isn't that delicious? ?" and await an
affirmative reply in confidence. George
Dewey, commanding an American
| squadron not especially powerful in
weight or numbers, sailed at nighttime
through a narrow passage, over water
which he believed to harbor mines, and
dared death in so doing. Beginning ac-
ton of daylight, he achieved one of the
most complete naval victories of the
ages, without the loss of a man, crushed
Spain's strength in Asiatic waters,
kneiled the downfall of that kingdom
and heralded to a watching world that
the spirit of dead Decatur lived in
American seamen. William Mckinley,
a republican politician, congressman
of no marked force, an average Ohio
governor, was made president OF this
republic by the mistakes of his oppo-
nents. In more than two years Of in
cumbency he has given q steady and
unrelieved exhibition of vacillation,
weakness, petty politics, subservience
to bosses, Difference to incompetent
subordinates and an inexcusable desire
to harbor, defend and protect rascais.
Yet he fears that his presence Will
'Dim the luster of Dewey's star! Inc
absurd could no further go.-Chlcago
Chronicle.