The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-11-07
HUMAN SIDE
OF M'kINLEY
THE MAN AS PORTRAYED IN
ANEoDoTE
Outline Study Of the Personality Of
the Present and Next President Of
the United States-A Narrative Of
Developing Powers and Steady
Progress Upward.
From the Philadelphia Press.

oeet ueCTeeu is IOo Weii hHOWH W tHc
reading public to demand any cut-and-
dried biography at this late day.
The mere dates of his life and the
bare facts have lost their interest. 1t
Is the anecdotal side, the more inti-
| mate side revealed by the stories Of
those who have known him long and
we'll and have treasured UP their REM
iniscences of him that is interesting.
To speak at length Of his ancestry
would be to repeat facts that are al
ready we'll known. That he is descend
ed from sturdy Scotch-1rish ancestors.
that he was the seventh child of Will
lam Mckinley. a pioneer in the iron
pudding business in Ohio-these facts
have been threshed over again and
again.
Though the town of Canton is most
intimately associated with the name Of
Mckinley, 1t was not his birthplace.
He was born in Niles.
The old inhabitants of that quaint
little village claim to remember him,
but their memories are vague. for he
was only a boy when the family moved
to Poland, Mahoning county, o. His
| people were not rich then, neither were
they poor.
AT POLAND ACADEMY.
Young William was sent to the viii
lage school in Niles, but his father felt
that better educa tional advantages for
the eight children could be secured
elsewhere. Accordingly he moved to
Poland and the future president was
sent to what was known as the "acad-
emy" in that town.
He stood we'll among his school-fe!-
lows in all his studies, but his work in
the Debating society seemed to give an
early hint OF the eloquent oratorical
powers which later enabled him to
sway multitudes with even more ease
than at that time he swayed the school,
fellows who gathered to hear the de-
bates.
AT the early age of sixteen he left
the Poland academy for the Allegheny
college in Meadville, Pa. Here. how
ever, a sudden illness forced him to
give up his studies and to return home.
On the top Of this misfortune came
what practically amounted to the busi-
ness failure OF his father. Everything
was not lost, to be sure, but the family
was so reduced in circumstances that
it was impracticable to send William
back to college.
TEACHER AND VOLUNTEER.
He was still little more than boy,
but anxious to do all ii; his power to
aid in the support OF his family, he
took a position as district school teach
er, with the munificent salary of $25 a
month.
And then came the war, and the
young school teacher, burning with the
desire to aid in the great cause of lib
erty, was one of the first to enlist in
the army.
Robert P. Porter, in MS Life of Will
liam Mckinley" gives this description
of the young mans enlistment:
Poland had strong enlisting pro-
pensities. 1t was the banner town
ship. The boys went to the front just
as soon as the National government
would take them. Poland's pride today
is that she never stood the draft. Her
quota was always full and overflowing.
Said an enthusiastic Polander to the
writer:
"'Of this she is rightly proud. When
the war cloud had burst over our heads
Poland came to the front with more
than her share of treasured sons as
her Offering.
"And the preliminaries We're, as
rule, conducted at the Sparrow House.
Ono day in June, 1861. crowd had
gathered in this old tavern. An i'm
passioned speaker pointed to the Stars
and Stripes which hung on the wall
and exclaimed with much expression:
"'Our country's flag has been shot
at. 1t has been traied in the dust by
those who should defend it, dishonored
by those who should have cherished
and loved it and for what? That this
free government may keep race in
the bondage of slavery. Who will be
the first to defend it?'
"a deadly silence reigned in that
hotel parlor. Many beating hearts
there We're in the room. Many young
patriots stood there who longed to
serve their country and YET ha4 not
the courage to make ihe first move.
presently a space was cleared in
front of the eloquent speaker. One by
one some of the choicest of the young
men of Poland stepped forward. Among
them slight gray-eyed bOyish figure
might have been observed.
TOO much impressed with the seri-
business of the situation to put himself
in evidence he stepped up with the rest.
He was only a boyish private then"
PUT ON THE STAFF.
Tie company that was formed then
was carefully drilled in the few days
that they had before their departure
for camp. On the day that they left
Poland half of the town followed them
almost to Youngstown In their eager
ness to keep the brave boys in sight as
long as possible.
At Youngstown the train was board
ed ard the journey for Camp Chase at
Columbia begun. Here Company T.,
of the Twenty-third Ohio regiment.
pitched its tents and among those who
lay under that scant shelter was Will
liam Mckinley, just starting on the
career that has brought him such hon
or and such gratitude from whole ma
tion.
McKinley's executive ability brought
him into notice almost Immediately.
He was made commissary sergeant and
for two years was ON the staH of Presi-
dent Hayes. who was then in command
of the regiment.
AT ANTIETAM,
ON what President Hayes had called
the bloodiest day of the whole war
the 18th of September, 1862, in the
Battle of Antietam-Serseant McKin-
leys conduct was such that his conf
mander in person recommended his
promotion,
Under the hottest fire, With men
lying dead and dying all about him.
with men suffering bitterly from the