Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-03-05
MCKINLEY AS PRESIDENT.

The Atlantic Monthly for March con-
tains an article by H. Is. F. Mcfarland.
commissioner of the District of Column
bia. on Mckinley as a President" that
is of especial interest just now. Mr..
Macfarland pays particular attention to
what he terms 1.-The astounding Hanna
de!usion,' and asserts that the president
has. in reality. insisted upon his own
management and views to a greater eX-
tent than any of his predecessors.
This article gives a new insight to the
presidents character. and throws an in
teresting sidelight on his personality.
Mr.. Macfarland says in part:
Nothing illustrates the popular misun-
Outstanding of Mr.. Mckinley more than
the astounding delus.on. entertained by
some republicans as we'll as by many
democrats who do not know him, that
he is. and has been ever since 1898, more
or less under the influence Of Senator
Hanna. This sums up. in way that Is
as unjust as it is picturesque, all the
notions to the effect that Mr.. Mckinley
is yielding and unstable person. with
out convictions or even opinions. that
cannot be changed al the command Of
stronger man. Newspaper car. oons,
which now have more influence than
newspaper editorials, are largely re-
sponsible for these strange beliefs
but the have been fostered by UNI
informed editors and politicians mis-
| led by deceptive appearances and
malice. 1t is in terestirg to see how
| ignorance alone mis.eads writers about
| President Mckinley who are friendly to
! him. as when they speak of his az
! 'stoid and solemn" because they have
! only seen his manner in public. when
| the the fact is that he is a man of HUI
NOR who enjoys even the cartoons at
| his own expense, and is as fond OF good
| jokes and as apt at telling them, DIS
Abraham Lincoln Remembering the
fate of public men who have done other
wise, Mr.. Mckinley has kept his wit and
! hunlor for private conversation. and
thus, naturally enough, has been &C
cused Of having none.
Trained as he was almost from ma
Youth up, in the house of representa-
tives, intimately acquainted with all tn
phases of congress and deeply imhue'
with it's spirit, while possessed Of TIL
friendship of most of its leaders OF hi
time. it was very natural that he shoul'
consider it entitled to its full constitu
. tional powers and duties, and to tn
most respectful consideration on plan
of absolute equality with the preslden
of the United States. Mr.. Garfield wa
: the only president of our time, excep
I Mr.. Nc hinley who came to the Wnlt
house after such am experience at tn
capitol, and he had precisely the sam
t theory of the relations between the pres
- l'ident and congress. According to th1
Theory congress ought not to dominat
I the president, the president ought n,
: to dominate congress, but they Shout
cooperate as far as practicable for tn
good Of the country.
Pre- sident Mckinley had the point
d view Of congress before he took II
noint of view of the president. r
knows that congress, collectively, Is
:. wise. as patriotic and as representatlN
n Of the people as he is. and that, IND
yidually, there may be men in bot
Il horses who would be able to take
II place at short notice, without detrlmel
). no the country. He remembers to
how he looked at the president when
q was a member of the house. and no
10 what the president said and did ahect
i. him It is therefore comparatively ca
for him to practice the golden rule
dealings with congress as IN DEAN
with others.