The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-11-05
The Truth hbout
William M'KinIey

| From the New York Sum-
M r. MKINLEY not very well under
Iv stood by the people of the United States
AVA until he was fifty-four years old, and in
the white house. lie carried to the eX.
ecntivc mansion reputation for not
| much more than good order of second.cass
! ability, personal amability and tact that
made and kept friends, considerable adroitness
| in the minor negotiations of statecrait intense
convictions and minute technical knowledge con-
cerning one Of the great questions OF public pol.
| icy, that Of protection by tariff and beyond
that certain inelastic, unimaginative Opportun-
ism suited to rather narrow zigzag path across
the pages OF history. Yet statesmen are not born
I! at ffty-four; and characters are not remodelled
at that age by the mere pressure OF cirCun.
stances. There must have been in William Me-
kinley from the hrst all the greater qualities
and capabilities which few observers would
have set down to his credit in 1885, or would
decline TO recognize in him four years later.
When all has been said that he said fairly
against this administration, the fact remains
that since the preservation of the Union BY
Incolns heroic patience and steadfast purpose,
no president hus been confronted by duties Of
such magnitude those which have dcvolved
, upon Mr.. Mckinley. No president could have
risen to the occasion with more surprising ex-
hibiton of entire mental and moral adequacy,
or with less alectation OF personal masterfnl.
ness. Ten years hence people will laugh wien
they remember that thme were those who ac-
cuscd Mr.. Mckinley of despotic practices and in.
tentions subversivc of free government Twenty
years hence it will seem incredible that the term
Mckinleyism once implied in the minds of some
Americans Il distaste for constitutional rcstrc-
tons, disposition TO override the coordinate
departments of the government, reckless de-
sire TO usulp and domineer. The record OF the
only to the letter OF the law but also to the
spirit OF our institutions, while shaping his way
through the crOwding difficulties of his first term,
will be no palmer then for men to read straight
than it is now; but it will be contemplated
then without partisan bias, and no political
adventuler and his party will have any motive
To distort misintcrpret it. On the other
hand. equally ludicrous will be the remembrance,
as an historic fact. that McKincyism was un.
ders,ood by others at different times to mean a
wabbling wavcring, helpless nfrmity OF will.
mannikinlikc subjection to the control Of cor.
rupt influences, spineless, shiftcss, shfty
habit OF polcy-tllis wavcrer being the McKin-
Icy who organized swift and crushing victory in
our first war with a foreign power for half
century. sent Dewey TO Manila and Sampson and
Shafter to Santiago and Chaffee to Pckin, added
more territory to our dominion than any presi
dent since Jefferson, raised the flag and the pres.
tige of the United States before the world higher
than ever before in history and preserved at
home the nations faith and honor while restor-
ing blessed prosperity TO the people thereof!
Perhaps enough time has elapsed already to
bring to u just appreciation of Mr. McKinley's
attitude early in 1893 some OF his critics and op-
ponants whcsc minds are not utterly awry. That
was the period, preceding hostilities with Spau
when lie WAS accused Of indecison; of congenital
inability to choose & part; OF moral cowardiCs
even. His political enemies. misapprencnalng
altogether the character OF the man, were at.
tempting to force him to premature action. His
friends in congress and in the country We're
tionally impatient. The pressure from every
side was sufficient to have carried lightweight
president off his feet. He lost, as q matter Of
historical fact, neither his firm footlold nor lis
head. While Others Were clanorins, his admin
istration was preparing for the coming war; and
the results OF the preparation were manifest a
few months later to the glory OF the flag and
to the astonishmont Of some Europeans and
Asiatics. So far as the several branches Of the
executive mansion were concerned, the most mo.
mentous crisis since the Civil war was met by
President Mckinley with At dignity, full sense
Of responsibility, unsweryingly patriotic purpose,