Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-09-16
WASHINGTON LETTER.
SPECIAL ooRREspoNDRNCR OF THE MONT OR
Washington, Sept, 9th 1901

WUSUIDgtOU, sept, SCI A0OA'
The tragic and Wholly unexpected
calamity which has bnfallen President
Mckinley and the countryis Of course
the overshado~ topic of interest
in Washington today. While astute
observers OF puolic events had long
recognized the possibility of such
tragedy, to the mass of the people it
had the bewildering effect of a thing
entirely unforeseen. 1t had been
foreshadowed to some extent in the
assassination of the Empress Eliza
beth and of King Humbert, which
proved the power and wicked daring
of the anarchist societies; and it was
practically certain that sooner or Ia
tor this power would be felt in Ameri
ca, in precisely the form which it has
taken. The attempted assassination
of II. G. Frick by Bergman, after the
Homestead riot, showed that such a
deed was not by any means foreign to
the thoughts Of anarchists in America,
and this type Of assassin regards his
victim as desirable in proportion to
the power which he Yields. That the
thing was planned skillfully and care
fully, and that the assassin was Or
dered by some secret association to
commit the crime, was proved to the
satisfaction of everybody before the
news was six hours old. The fact
that the assassin is not of the crimi-
nal type, that he has been calm and
coherent in his testimony, and that
his action was quite deliberate and
we'll planned, all remove this case
from the class Of crimes committed by
hulf crazy place hunters like Guiteau,
or political antagonists like Booth.
tits simply the result of an orga nized,
determined, and we'll consid cred
movement, whose object is, by the
assassination of persons in power,
and by causing public calamity of one
sort or another, to intimidate and
terrorize society with a view to abol-
fishing all social institutions. That is
in plain English the anarchists idea
of his duty; and whether he is to be
allowed to entertain and obey that
idea to the extent which he thinks fit,
depends entirely upon public senti
nent.
1t is doubtful if the news could have
caused, in the rest of the country,
such deeprooted pain and appre
hension as it caused in the national
car ital. It may be said without
qualification that no president has
endeared himself to the people OF
Washington more than President Nc
Kinley. His unfailing tact, his in
varia ole serenity, his attention TO
the wants and pleasures of those
around him, have become known to
the people of this city in a hundred
different ways. Republicans all over
the country may have learned during
his public life, before and after his
coming to the White House, to re-
spect his ability and admire his char
acter; in Washington, which has been
his home for many years, he has won
the esteem of even his political oppo-
nents by his admirable personal
qualities.
There are men ia power who pride
themselves on their ability to say
"No"; but they frequently say it in
such a manner that their interlocutor
feels as if he had been kicked. Mr..
Mckinley could always refuse favor
in way that made the disappointed
one choke down his feelings until he
was out of the official presence, and
even then he was not always sure
ever had to complain of discourtesy
from Mr., Mckinley, as representati We
or as president. He was placed in
many difficult positions, but he al
ways got out of them without hurting
anyone's feelings more than was alb
solutely necessary. Another lovable
trait in his character is his faculty of
remembering and noticing little things i
of Importance to others. If one of |
his friends had daughter married or !
lost child, President Mckinley never j
forgot to express his sympathy with
the joy or sorrow, as the case might |
be. If he could do nothing more he |
would send tactful little note. Fl e |
was never on his dignity, because his |
dignity was himself and not pedes- |
tai. He was accessible and ap
proachable from the first of his term
in the White House, and he always |
seemed TO know what to say to ever y |
body. Possibly a part Of this ia ct |
and consideration may be traced to
his we'll known devotion to his in