Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-09-20


emn procession. these thousands OF sor-
rowing citizens. this imprisoned SER
vice. have brought him very near TO
us all, and made us feel that the ma
ton has indeed lost true servant OF
the people
Owing to the brief space Of time
allotted me and for fear | might tres
pass upon the thoughts of these dis
tingulshed gentlemen who are to fol-
low me. | have desired to speak only
OF our martyFed President as a man of
the people. William Mckinley was
the peoples President. He rose above
party and administered the affsirs Of
state In way that endeared him TO
the people of the nation and the world.
He possessed many rare gifts which
! qualified him for this unique possession
as a ruler, One of these was his ap-
/ proachableness. One day Just after a
! heated debate on the tariff question
with Leopold Morse, the two opponents
met on a street in Washington under
! peculiar circumstances. Mckinley had
severely punished Morse in the debate,
/ but he did II in such manly way that
| the latter could cherish no bitter feci-
ing against him. Morse was beng
driven TO the capital in one of these
new-fangled high-wheeled. elegant
| driving turnouts and he caught sight
! OF Mckinley, who was striding along
! the sidewalk and asked him to ride.
! Mckinley stopped, looked at the I'M
mense wheels and without needing the
! footman, climbed up over the barrier to
| his side As he sat down Morse said:
| Mckinley, any one who saw you get
! in would think YOU better Democrat
| than l." When they reached the capt.
| tol and came to get out, Mckinley
| found that the footman could open an
arrangement which allowed both easy
| exit and entrance to the lofty seat He
smiled on making the discovery. and
advised Morse, as a Democrat, to be
more approachahle This witty re-
mark was more to Mckinley than pass
| ing repartee. The truth 1t contained
was part of his nature. Neither ele-
walton to office, however, high, nor the
achievement OF success, however dlstin-
| guished. changed him.
81 once heard a friend. who has for
years been Intimately associated with
Mr. Mckinley. relate an incident which
! occurred Just after the latter had been
inaugurated President of the United
/ States. This gentleman had known
him as a young attorney at Canton,
nor of Ohio One day he called on
Mr.. Mckinley at the White House; he
was received with the same friendly
smile and the same warm grasp of the
hand he had known in other days.
! When he was about to leave the Pres
dent took him by the hand, and call
ing him by name, and said Il want
you to come and see me just as you al
ways have done"
What he was to that friend. he WAS
to every citizen of this republic. Chose
of you who have had the privilege of
grasping his hand know how frank and
open and natural he was. and how by
his wonderfully engaging personality,
he won the whole hearts affection. And
we shall never cease to recall, with
out feelings, of unbounded indignation,
that while in the act of extending a
friendly hand to an humble citizen the
cruel assassin shot him down.
Again. Mr. Mckinley had high,
regard for the will of the people. To
him the will of the people was sover-
eign. In the Republican convention at
Chicago in 1888, there was a stampede
at one time for the nomination of Nc
Kinley for President. He understood
1t, and saw that the convention was
drifting toward him, and in a mo-
ment arose. and in one of the ineTt
speeches he ever made, declined the
nomination because he had been pledg-
ed by his state to use every endeavor
to secure the nomination OF John Sher-
man, and therefore, under no clrcum-
stances could he be the candidate OF
the people.
-Four years later similar attempt
was made to put his name before the
convention, but he stoutly refused on
the grounds that he would be cam
didate of the convention and not the
peoples candidate.
But more than this In the forma-
ton and execution of all his policies,
he aimed to be the peoples ruler. 1t
has been said by unfriendly critics that
In his message TO Congress, his poll
cies were too vaguely outlined and Chat
he was weak in their execution. |
venture the assertion that subsequent
history will prove that what men chose
to call vague was Difference to the Will
of the people, and what they delight
to call weakness, was patient waiting
for the people to catch up with his
purpose William Mckinley discharg-
eu the duties of his high Office In the
interests OF the whole American peo-
pie His efforts in behalf of the south,
his visits to the south, his speeches to
the people of the south. his high re-
gard for the south in conducting our
war with Spain, has done more to
eradicate sectional feeling and to make
the American people one people than
all the efforts of all the Presidents since
the war of the rebellion.
"Mr Mckinley endeared himself to
the American people by his broad Chris
tian spirit. You will not, | am sure,
think me eager to drag denomination
alism into a great INSTRUMENTATION
al gathering when | say that Mr.. Nc
Kinley was member of the Methodist
Episcopal church. You are ali glad
am sure that he identified himself with
branch of the church OF Christ. He
gave his name to the church at the
age OF 10, and was for years a devoted
Official and a faithful superintendent Of
the Sunday school at Canton, and re-
manned a consistent member until the
time of his death But William Nc
Kinley was more than ehurchman;
we are proud as Methodists to call him
our own; he belonged as much to you
OF other faiths and to you Of no faith
as he di1 TO US He was a Christian
man. He carried the Christian spirit