New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1901-09-15
PRESIDENT MKINLEY'S LAST SPEECH

PRESIDENT VI hIALEl' \ LASI SFEEtH
President Mckinleys speech at Buffalo on
the day before he was struck down by the
assassin is likely TO take rank as one of the
guiding voices of the nation. 1t is his legacy
Of inspiration and advice TO people profoundly
grateful to his wise leadership through period
OF stress and change greatly ready 10 follow
his footsteps when living, and inclined TO cher-
ISL faithfully the principles he enunciated now
that he has passed away. The Buffalo speech
was not a studied farewell address. nor a COM
prehenslve survey Of the whole field of national
policy such as gave Washngtons final injunc-
tions to the American people their place IN
public esteem as almost a supplement to the
constitution 1t was planned merely for one
of those occasional speeches which the Presi-
dent as he travels is called upon to make, and
which Mr. Mckinley always made so happily.
1t discussed series Of questions happening TO
be before his mind as appropriate TO the time
and place but it treated those subjects In
way which attracted unusual attention even
for his utterances, both at home and abroad,
and was commented upon significant and
perhaps epoch making even before the emphasis
of its tragic sequel had been placed upon il.
Those who remember how Secretary WINDOWS
remarks on finances, which were cut short by
the stroke of death, served to arouse the belev-
ers in sound money will not be surprised TO see
President McKinley's last expression on public
affairs become the watchword of American
progress.
Many have foretold the time when protection
of the old sort would have done its perfect
work and the industries built up here would
be able to draw wealth for our people from all
quarters of the earth. The suggestion that
there were larger things in store for this coun
try than it yet had known, and that the pro-
tectiye policy which had given own
markets should be used instrument to
give us other markets, disturbed some who
were content with the prosperity they enjoyed
and dreaded change even the change OF i'm
provement President Mckinley at Buffalo,
however saw that the time was ripe With
that instinct for the psychologist moment for
which even his opponents gave him credit, he
did not declare himself as between the contend
ing believers in preserving trade relations as
they are and in reaching out to meet new OPP
portunites until the time had come to adopt
such a policy and carry ii 10 success. Academic
discussions are for others than the men respon-
sible for the government Of great nations,
though hotheads sometimes think otherwise and
abuse statesmen for not taking ZIP worthy
causes AT inexpedient times. Therefore, when
fIeSlueul spedhlHS Will a sehSt VI
the responsibilities of his high station, an
nounced policy his countrymen had reason to
feel certain that the time for action had come.
At Buffalo he said
The period of exclusiveness is past The ex-
pansion of our trade and commerce is the press
ing problem Commercial wars are Improbable.
a policy of goodwill and friendly trade relations
win prevent reprsals Reciprocity treaties are
in harmony with the spirit of the times meas
ures of retaliation are not. If, perchance, some
Of our tariffs are no longer needed for revenue
or to encourage and protect our industries at
home, why should they not be employed to ex-
tend and promote our markets abroad?
These words We're taken up in Europe as pre-
saying the evolution Of protection into a con-
sistent and large policy of reciprocal trade re-
lations, such as Secretary Blaine had thought
of twenty years ago, before either our produc-
ton or our conception Of national greatness had
yet grown up TO the idea. 1t was confidently
predicted in many quarters that under Presi-
dent McKinley's leadership such plan Of COM
mercial expansion would be carried out. Now
it seems like the farewell injunction of the
great apostle of protection to preserve and ex-
tend the prosperity already achieved by larger
life, for which we have been so well prepared
Other injunctions of the dead President are
also fixed In the peoples memory. He told us
to build the sthmian canal and the Pacific
cable, to extend our merchant marine to get
into direct trade relations with our American
neighbors Then to- In ending, he the war
President, he who expanded our territories
across the seas, who raised spectres of aggres
sion In the imagination of nervous foreigners
and domestic opponents. uttered this last word
| to lay such ghosts:
Let US remember that interest IL ir
concord not conflict. and that real eminenct