Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1900-11-03

Who Is William Mckinley? His
biography has been written too many
times to make it necessary again to
describe the place of his birth, his edu-
cation, his army service. his legislative
career The American people know
well enough who William Mckinley is.
What is William Mckinley? This is
a question of more Importance with re-
gard to him, as with regard to any 9th
er man. The question is to be answer
ed partly by reference to his public
career and partly by an estimate of
what his fellow citizens think of that
career.
1t is needless to recount the events of
his early life further than to say that
they were of a piece with and led up
naturally to the events of his maturity.
In every onward step of his career he
has gone higher and higher in the es-
TEEN of his fellow countrymen, whether
as lawyer, soldier. representative in
congress. governor or president of the
United States.
Treasurer Bliss Tribute.
Hon. Cornelius n. Bliss of New York,
treasurer of the Republican national
committee, has well described the char
acteristics of President Mckinley and
contrasted his claims with those of Mr..
Bryan in the following statement;
sNow that the campaign is approach
ing its close and the various issues
have been sifted and analysed by the
voters so that they understand them
thoroughly the personal element comes
naturally into prominence.
mckinley or Bryan? Can any one
hesitate between the two? There is no
cause or occasion for disparaging Mr..
Bryan's personal character, but as
candidate for the presidency what com
parison can there be between the eX-
perienced statesman, the tried and true
legislator and executive officer, and the
inexperienced, superficial theoriSt who
never held an executive office in his
life and whose short career in congress
gained him renown solely as an orator
and an extreme free trade and free sill
yer agitatorf
"What little renown he gained then
and whatever respect he enjoyed four
years ago as a man supposed to be hon
est and sincere, even If mistaken, he
has sacrificed now. He has fallen into
disrepute with the respectable portion
of the community by the exhibition he
has made of himself in the city and
state BY his lodging and evasion of
the leading questions, by his outra-
geously impudent and false statements
about the policies and purposes of the
Republicans and by his wicked at
tempts to set man against man and
provoke the poor and laboring man to
violence he has proved himself the
worst kind of a demagoguc.
The Peoples True Friend.
Glow different the other man. Mr..
Mckinley. He is not the mere windy
orator pretending to n consuming love
for the people and going about sowing
seeds of popular discomfort and tur-
MOL. On the contrary, he has spent
his days and nights and devoted the
whole of his busy life to the perfecting
of practical plans for the good of the
whole people. He has devised and cX-
ecuted with incredible labor vast in
incalculable benefits broadcast over
the country. The tariff act which is
forever coupled with his name has been
benson of prosperity 90 all branches
of industry in the Unite States.
after long series of congressional
labors and triumphs Nj. Mckinley was
made governor of Ohio. He again sig
nalized himself in tn administration
of that office as frieni ana benefactor
of the people Eleyat d thence to the
chief magistracy of the nation, he at
once showed that he was the president
of the whole people-north south. east
and west. Republicans and Democrats,
rich and poor Under his guiding adj
vice the present tariff law was enacted,
and it has been succeeded by three
years of the greatest prosperity the
country has ever known.
But neither Mr.. Mckinley nor any
other man could have foreseen what
trials We're in store for him. out of
clear sky came the thunderboft which
destroyed the Maine and precipitated
the Spanish wiz. The complications