Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-10-05
M'KINLEY'S LAST SPEECH.
How the Martyred President Sounded
Its Key Notes.

a Washington special to the New York
World says that President McKinleys
great speech at Buffalo grew from three
phrases thought out by him one evening
in Canton While he was smoking his
after-dinner cigar. This is the story of
the inception of the speech, which, it is
generally conceded, will live as one of
the great orations of history.
About three weeks before he was to
leave Canton for Buffalo on the visit
which terminated with his death, the
President and Secretary Cortelyou were
sitting together in the Presidents office
in his home. 1t was O'Clock and the
lights had not yet been lighted. The
Pre- Sidcnt had been busy all day with let
tiers and public matters, and had gone to
his office to smoke his cigar before TAX
ing up another batch of correspondence
Mr.. COrtelyou had ready for him.
AT such times he usually talked freely
on all sorts of topics. That evening he
sat quietly smoking. looking at the cell
ing and watching the smoke curl up
wards. Mr.. COrtclyou sat across the desk
from him, glancing over some papers.
Neither had said a word for ten minutes
when, suddenly. the President took his
cigar from his lips and said. apropos of
nothing a all. apparently:
'EXposition9 are the timekcepcrs Of
progress"
Mr.. Cortelyou had pencil in his hand.
lie made note of the epigram on bit
OF paper, but said nothing:
The President smoked for a few min.
ntes longer. Then he said:
Amlty is better than anmosity"
Mr.. Cortelyou made another note He
said nothing to the President, and Mr..
Mckinney lapsoI back into his thought
full mood. He pulled on his cigar for
time and once more broke the silence by
saying:
"Recipraeity is better than retaliation"
The watchful secretary made a note Of
this phrase also.
The President finished his cigar,
walked over aud looked out Of the win
dow, returned and sat down at the desk
again.
''Well, Cortclyou." he said what have
you for me tOnight<" There was not a
word between the President and sccre-
tary about the three phrases, bat after
the work was finished and the President
had gone in to see if Mrs Mckinley was
comfortable. COrtolyou went upstairs and
said to one of the stcnographers: Take
this
The stenographer put a piece Of paper
in his typewriter and wrote out the three
phrases as Mr.. Cortelyon dictated them.
He wrote one at the top Of the paper, one
in the middle ana one at the bottom and
handed the sheet to Mr. CorteyOu.
Coytelyou took the sheet Of paper and put
il on top of everything else on the Prrsi-
dents desk. When Mr.. Mckinley came
in he saw the paper picked it up, read
it and then turning to Cortelyou with a
smile. said:
''Ah, we have begun the Buffalo
speech. I see
The President took the three ideas and
expanded them into the Buffalo speech.
He did not use "amity is better than
animOsity." or 'reciprocity is better than
retaliation" in those exact words, bnt
that notable epigTam. "Expositions arc
the timekeepers Of progress" went safely
through ali the reyisiOns and attracted
immediate attention in the speech.
The President dictated but little Of the
speech He wrote it ont by paragraphs,
taking fully two weeks 20 it, lie used
pad on his knee on the porch and wrote
some Of it while he was in Mrs. Ne
Kinley's room. When he had il to his
liking he dictated If from his rough draft,
and then went over il two or three times
and polished il until il became the per
feet piece Of composition j. was when be
delivered It.