The Washington times., 1901-09-14


While In Congress Mr.. Mckinley served
on the Committee on the Revision of the
| Laws, the Judiciary Committee. the Com
| mittee on Expenditure of the Postofice
Department. and the Committee on Rules
| and when General Harrison was nomi-
| mated for the Presidency Mckinley was
| assigned to the Committee on Ways and
| Means In his place, and he continued 10
| serve on the last-named committee until
| the end of his Congressional career. being
| chairman of that committee during the
| Fifty-first Congress and author of the IA
| nous tariff bill which bore his name. He
1 was known chiefly to the general public
in his career In Congress as an ardent ad-
vocate of protection and as the author of
| this bill
| In 1884 Mr.. Mckinley was delegate-at-
| large from Ohio to the National Conven-
tion, and aided in the nomination OF
James G. Blaine for the Presidency. He
| similarly represented his State in the next
National Convention, where he supported
John Sherman.
| GOVERNOR OF OHIO
| In 1891 he was elected Governor OF Ohio
| by majority of about 21O00, over ex-
| Governor James E. Campbell, Democrat
| The issue at stake was chiefly the tariff,
| but Mr.. Mckinley also placed himself
| in opposition to the free coinage of silver.
| To the National Convention OF 1892 he was
| again delegate-at-large from Ohio and
| was made permanent chairman.
In 1888 he was reelected Governor of
4 d
| expiration of his term he returned to Can
/ ton.
| 1t was believed by many that Mr. Nc
| kinley might have been nominated for the
Presidency at Chicago, in the Republican
| National Convention of 1855. had he been
willing to desert John Sherman, who
| could not be nominated, but whom Nc
kinley. a member of the Ohio deIega-
tion, had bgen instructed to support. He
was the most popular man in that con-
vention, and was applauded every time
] he came into the hall.
After five ballots had shown that none
of the candidates had majority, on the
sixth ballot one vote was cast for Will
liam Mckinley. and this was cheered by
| votes were. cast for him by the next State
called; and while the convention was
cheering for him. and it seemed evident
that it would nominate him, he sprang
upon chair and stopped it all by an ap-
| peal. or rather demand, that no dele
gate who would not cast reflection upon
me shall cast ballot for me-
II cannot, said Mr.. Mckinley to the
convention. Il cannot, consistently with
the wish of the State whose credentials 1
bear. and which has trusted me; cannot,
consistently with my own views of per-
sonal integrity, consent, or seem to con-
sent. to- permit my name to be used as
candidate before this convention. / would
not respect myself If / could find it in my
heart to do, or permit to be done, that
which could even be ground for anyone
to suspect that wavered in my loyalty
to Ohio. or my devotion to the chief of
her choice and the chief of mine" And
was nominated.
LOYALTY TO HARRISON.
Four years later Mr. Mckinley was
tested again. while presiding as chairman
Of the Republican National Convention at
Minneapolis, where he had gone to advo-
cate the denomination of President Har-
rison.
The anti-Harr1son managers, without
consulting Mr.. Mckinley sought to unite
majority of the convention in his sup
port, and were apparently succeeding.
They had induced the Ohio delegation of
From the chair Mr.. Mckinley challenged
the announcement of the Ohio vote and
demanded, as member of the delegation,
that its roll should be called. Upon this
poll of the delegation, his alternate, under
his instructions, voted for Benjamin Har-
rison. while all the other votes were cast
for Mr. Mckinley; but Mr.. McKinley's
action prevented the success of the move
ment to nominate him. and although he
received 1S2 votes, Mr.. Harrison was nomi-
mated on mat ballot.
He was nominated for President on the
first ballot at the Republican National
Convention at st. Louis, in June. 1886. the
vote being: Mckinley. -6611s;' Reed, S41z;
Quay. 61h; Morton. IS; Allisons aasssls 81.
FIRST ELECTED PRESIDENT. 40,
In the November election following the
total popular vote was 13, $780, 9f2, of which
the Mckinley. electors received 7104 l79,
being plurality of Col. .S54 over those cast
for William Jennings Bryan. of Nebraska.
and a majority over ali candidates of 3II-
142 The vote in the Electoral College was
2Il for Mckinley and 1I6 for Bryan The
issues on which the campaign was fought
were chiefly the free coinage of silver and
the restoration of a protective tariff.
President MckinIey's first Cabinet was
composed of the following: Secretary of
State, John Sherman; Secretary of the
Treasury, Lyman ]. Gage; Secretary of
War, Russell A. Alger; Attorney General,
Joseph McKenna; Postmaster General
James A; Gary; Secretary of the Navy.
Cornelius N. Bliss; Secretary of Agricul-
ture, James Wilson.
Some of President McKinley's more i'm
portant diplomatic appointments were:
Ambassador to Germany, Andrew D.
White; Ambassador to France. Horace
Porter; Minister to Russia, Ethan A
HITCHCOCK; Minister to Spain, Stuart L.
Woodford.
At a special meeting of the Fifty-ffth
Congress, lasting from March 10. 1897, to
July "a. new tariff bill. called the Ding
ley tariff. and superseding the Wilson
tariff" a Democratic measure. became a
law. The proposed arbitration treaty
with Great Britain was rejected. 100000
was appropriated for the relief of suffer
ers from the Mississippi floods, and $50, eco
for distressed American citizens in Cuba
During the latter part of 1897 the rela-
tions of the United States with Spain be-
came strained over the conditions in Gu
ba and there was continual talk of war
The President was opposed to the popu-
lar demand that sides be taken with Gu
ba. and did all that he could to hold the
feelings of the country and of Congress
in check. His Administration finally took
official cogniZance OF Cuban affairs and
opened diplomatic negotiations with Ma
dr1d looking to the cessat ton of the Gu
ban war. AS an incident of these negotia-
tions private letter of the Spanish Min
lister. De LONE. at Washington was In
tercepted by secret agent of the Cuban
junta and became public property.
This letter grossly reflected upon the
President. De LONE was promptly given
his passports and disavowal was de-
manded of and received from Madrid
This incident in its early stages added to
the Intensity of public feeling. but the
action of the Spanish Government in the
matter resulted in somewhat quieting
matters on this side.
WAR WITH SPAIN
The destruction of the Maine on Febru-
ary l6, 1883, brought matters to climax,
and although the President still hesitated
in his attitude and wrote message to |
Congress asking that he be given discre- |
tion to act as seemed best to him in avoid |
ing war. il possible. he could not longer |
hold that body in check, and on April % |
a formal declaration of war was made
The conflict was won and Spain was ut |
terly defeated in few months, and a |
peace protocol was signed August Is of |
the same year. Minor battles took place |
in the West Indies on the same day and |
the assault on the city of Manila was made
the day after. The Treaty of Peace was |
verbally agreed to on November 2S
The war was the shortest in the history |
of the country, but in its results one of |
the most important. Spain gave up her |
tfra inns in 81