Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-02-28


the fate Of public men who have done
otherwise Mr.. Mckinley has kept his wit
| and humor for private conversation, ana
thus. naturally enough, has been accused
OF having none 800 -.'---.--
| AS 1t takes more faith to be an infidel
/ than a believer, so 1t takes more credulfty
| to believe in the Mckinley Of fiction than
| in the Mckinley of fact. 1t seems incredi-
BILE that intelligent and educated men and
| women should be able to believe, even on
| the authority Of both newspaper cartoons
and editorials, that the man who has done
| what Mr. Mckinley, has done could be
| under the DONNA ton of any other man.
Even after taking from President McKin-
| ley all the achievements of his administra-
| ton that can possibly be credited to others,
1t must be admitted that he has accom-
plished more than any of his predecessors,
with possibly one or two exceptions, in
what he has clearly done himself. From
such work 1t ought to be easy to infer the
workman. --....
His Own Administration.
At all events. the only way to under
stand President McKinley's first admins
tration is to recognize the fact that it
was his administration. There is no doubt
about this fact in Washington, where the
whole story is known in detail, and all
the characters in 1t are rightly appreciated
because thoroughly understood. If 1t be
said that Washington is friendly to Mr..
Mckinley, 1t can be said that Washington
is familiar with Mr.. Mckinley. He has
had to meet the disadvantage that the
prophet finds proverbially in his own coun-
try and In his own house, for he has lived
in Washington for almost quarter OF a
century, and has grown steadily into larger
powers before the eyes Of many men who
| remember what he was when he first came
to the House Of Representatives. He has
had to live down that familiarity which.
| In the beginning of a career, Is still apt to
| breed contempt. 1t has been hard to do
| this, just as 1t has been hard to take COM
- Tho h 40 10
| when he first appeared in public life. But
| to make himself the acknowledged leader
under these circumstances means more than
If he had gained the place by coming first
| to Washington with the prestige and au-
| thority of a President-elect, personally I'M
known to most public men.
| President McKinleys personal manner,
| which has had so much to do with his
| success, has had quite much to do with
the misunderstanding Of him. The express
sion of a kindly and euuable nature gov
| erned by the moderation and patience sug-
| gested by the crest of his Scotch ancestors,
| ar" olive branch clasped in a mailed hand,
with the motto Not too much" it's
| strength failed to impress those who think
| that brusqueness and buster and Dragging
are the necessary signs Of power. "A very
parft gentil knyghte'' is to many people
| Weakling simply because he Is gentle, and
they have had to know Mr. Mckinley well
| to appraise him properly. Even close &C
| quaintance has not helped those OF oppo-
site qualities to appreciate him. His "sua.
| viter ct fortiter' Is one OF the secrets or
| his success in making his way to the head
ship Of his party, through the ranks Of his
| colleagues, without alternating any consid-
| cradle number of them, and without making
| personal enemies OF any OF his political OPP
! ponents. 1t Is the key, too, to his dealings
| with his cabinet, which has contained such
large proportion Of strong men, with sem
| ators and representatives OF all parties
| and with public men generally. Mr.. Nc
Kinley has had his own way more than
| most party leaders, more than most OF his
predecessors In the White House. But he
| has had 1T In his own way. Always tact
| full serene, patient, modest in manner,
never sounding trumpet of announcement
or indulging in noisy threatenings or COM
| planning recriminations, he has not had
credit for his courage, persistence and de-
/ termination. He has cared more for real
| success than for making people think that
| he would have it or had won 1t. Now,
most men are still children who are inn
pressed by appearances. They like to be
| told. even by the President himself, that
| he Is doing or going to do great things, es-
| pecially if, as in the case of Andrew jack
| son, he publicly defies some enemy, or talks
| contemptuously Of the coordinate branches
| of the government. Most Americans look
upon the President as superior to the Con-
| gress and the Supreme Court about whose
| powers and functions they know very lit
tie; and they are rather pleased than other
| wise when he acts though the agreed
with this opinion. Even if such President
actually fails to accomplish. perhaps be-
| cause of a bellicose and clustering man.
| ner, any real, substantial success in the
way Of legislation or diplomatic negotia-
tons; even If he Is destructive rather than
| constructive, and leaves the country and
his party worse off than when he became
President, he may remain a hero indefin-
itely to many people.
Relations With Congress.
Not only is Mr.. McKinley's manner diff
ferent from that of the Presidents that
such men admire, but his theory Of the
presidency is equally different. Trained as
he was, almost from his youth up, in the
House Of Representatives, intimately &C
quainted with all the phases OF Congress
| and deeply imbued with it's spirit, while
possessed Of the friendship Of most Of its
leaders of his time, 1t was very natural that
he should consider 1t entitled to its full
constitutional powers and duties, and to
the most respectful consideration on plane
Of absolute equality with the President Of
the United States. Mr.. Garfield was the
only President of our time, except Mr.. Nc
| Kinley, who came to the White House
after such an experience at the Capitol, and
he had precisely the same e,, theory OF the
gress. According to this theory Congress
ought not to dominate the President, the
President ought not to dominate Congress.
but they should cooperate as far as prac-
ticable for the good of the country.
President Mckinley had the point Of view
Of Congress before he took the point OF
view of the President. He knows that Con-
gress collectively, is as wise, as patr1otlc
and as representative of the people as he
is and that individually. there may be
men in both houses who would be able to
take his place at short notice. without det-
riment to the country. He remembers, too,
how ne looked at the President when he
was a member Of the House. and how what
the President said and did affected him. 1t
is therefore comparatively easy for him to
practice the golden rule in dealings with
Congress in dealings with others.
Work of His Administration.
If the Cuban question. with all its conse-
quences, could have been postponed for
four years, and il the Chinese question.
with all Its consequences, had not arisen,
Mr. Mckinley could still have pointed. at
the end Of his first administration, to a
record Of work accomplished that would
have been extremely creditable. The Fifty
fifth Congress, on his recommendation and
under his inspiration, passed the Dingley
tariff law to take the place OF the Wilson
German law, at the extra session which he
called promptly after his Inauguration: and
the next Conxress.: on his Recommendation