Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-04-09
PRESIDENT MchINLEr's METHOD

WASHINGTON, d. c. Queen News
Stand. National Hotel.
PRESIDENT MckINLEf's METHOD.
Mr.. Mckinley reverses the accepted
idea Of craftsmanship. He does not
guide or lead public sentiment, but fol-
lows it. In all his acts the workings OF
this tentative policy can be traced in
his many haltings, his backing and
filling and fiat contradictions of his
own positive statements and reversals
of his previous position, instances of
which are found at every mile post of
his career.
first putting his ear to the ground"
to catch the trend of public sentiment.
Sometimes he reads this wrong and is
compelled to reverse himself, or is
over-ruled by the interests which dom
mate his administration, as, for ex-
ample, when the Sugar and Tobacco
trusts compelled him to revise his
previously and solemnly expressed view
Of his plain duty in the Porto Rico
tariff matter.
Mr. McKinley's method of keeping
his ear to the ground is to read the
daily papers, hundreds of which are
taken at the White House. OF course,
it isn't his own party organs exclu-
sively that Mr. Mckinley reads, by any
means, for he knows beforehand what
they will say. He reads all kinds Of
opinions and strikes an average which
he believes to be general public opin-
ion Then on this ne acts.
The Presidents course in rewarding
Funston in the face of the disapproval
of the War Department is an example
of his method Washington cores
pondent familiar with White House do
ings says that for two or three days
after Funstons exploit all the Presi-
dent read was Funston matter mark
ed by his, clerks in the great piles of
papers taken at the White House, and
although Gen. Corfbin and Secretary
Root were opposed to doing much for
Funston, Mr. Mckinley, after his per-
usal of the press, appointed him briga-
der general. 1.-THE people demand it, !"
said he to the astonished Secretary Of
War and Adjutant General.
The President is now said to have
shis ear to the ground" on the case of
Aguinaldo He will determine what
to do with the Filipino leader after he
has studied what the people want as
nirrored in the press. The following
Is the Presidents modus operandi as
described by the correspondent men
toned:
While he goes through the larger news
papers every day his field day is Sunday.
At the beginning of each week he gives
Secretary Cortelyou a list of the subjects
IN which he is interested The newspapers
are given to clerks, who so through them
and mark the comments and news of each
paper on the subjects selected. They use
heavy crayon pencils and draw big. black
lines so the President can pick out the
articles he wants to see at a glance. On
Sunday morning the great pile of marked
papers is brought in to the Presidents Of
flee. Then, in his velvet house coat, and
smoking one of the three cigars he allows
himself each day. he goes, through paper
after paper. throwing those he has fin
ished in heap on the floor. Sometimes
he makes a note or two. but generally he
carries all he wants to retain in his mem
DRY. He spends from one to three hours
at this task. When he has finished he
knows the newspaper sentiment of the
country thoroughly.
Mr.. Mckinley might nave a worse
advisor than the press, but at the same
time in trying to truckle to the opin-
ion of the majority in this manner
he is apt to be grossly misled by the
popular clamor of the instant which
is apt to be far different from the sober
second thought of mature public senti-
ment
While this method may gain for the
President an evanescent popularity it is
certainly not the accepted plan of
craftsmanship in solving questions OF
public moment. History shows that our
wisest and greatest statesmen have
often had the public sentiment
of the hour arrayed against
them in solid phalanx, but in
the end their calmer. wiser, clearer
judgment has triumphed and been vim
dicated, and they have not been under
the necessity OF trimming, recanting
and reversing themselves as has Mr..
Mckinley in every important crisis of
his public career The point Illus
trates the difference between the true
statesman and the time-serving poll
tician.
These are days Of astonishing pros