New-York tribune., 1901-12-04
DEATH OF MR. M'kINLEl.
White House. December B. 1901.

White House December 3, lSol-
To the Senate and House of Representatives.
The Congress assemblies this year unoeF inc
shadow of great calamity On the oth OF SeP'eiii
her President Mckinley was shot by an anarclist
while attending the Pan-American Exposition AT
Buffalo, and died in that city on the l4th OF lna'
month
oe the last seven elected Presidents. he is the
third who has been murdered, and the bare recital
of this fact Is sufficient TO justify grave alarm
.nong all loyal American citizens Moreover. the
circumstances of this the third assassination OF an
American President, have peculiarly sinister sig
,ftcance Both President Lincoln and President
Czarfeld were killed by assassins Of types unfortu-
,ateir not uncommon in history President Lincoln
falling victim to the terrible passions aroused ny
+o,,r wears Of civil war and President Garfield to
the reveneeful vanity OF disappointed oiceseeker
President Mckinley killed by an utterly oe-
y-axe5 criminal belonging TO that body OF crlrnl-
nails who object to all governments gooo ano pau
alike who are against any form of popular hoeItE
if il is guaranteed by even the most Just ana no
eral laws and who hostile to the upright
.x,orent of a free peoples sober will as to the
tvrannical and irresponsible despot
II Is not too much that at the time OF
President NcKinieys death he was the most widely
loved man in all the United States, while we nave
never had any public man of his position VINO mas
been so wholly free from the bitter anin1oslues IN
cident to public life. His political opponents were
the first TO bear the heartest and most generous
tribute 10 the broad kindiness of nature the sweet
ness and sentleness of character whlch so en-
deared him to his close associates To a STANDARD
of lofty integrity in public life he united the oenoer
affections and home virtues which are all lnlpor-
,or+ q, the roake,p of national character. A gal
liant soldier in the great for the Union ne also
shone as an example to all our people because oL
his conduct in the most sacred ana iiltilate VI
he, nor G0r
:. b;-, for he never acted with aught but conslo-
Grafton for the welfare of others. No one coulo
fan 10 respect him who knew him in puphc oi pr
rate life The defenders of those murderous cfiiii
mails who seek TO excuse their crininality oy as
se-ting that it is exercised for political enos IN
weigh against wealth and irresponsible power But
for this this base apology cannot
be urged.
AN INSENSATE CRIME.
President Mckinley man OF moderate
means a man whose stock sprang from 'ne s'uios ~
tners of the SOIL VINO had himself belonged aino"s
.bs s,-aza,,orl,.,e uho had entered the army as a
private soldier Wealth not struck AT "heh
The President was assassinated out the 1oHeS' w
which is content with moderate gains after NE
time of unrerntting labor largely In the service o.
the public Still less power struck at III uiie
sense that mower is irresponsible or centred IN the
hands of any one Individual The blow was ho'
aimed al tyranny or wealth. 1t was aimed al one
Of the strongest champions the Wage"orker mas
had: ar cne of the most faithful representa-
lives Of the system Of public rights and representa-
tive government who has ever risen TO puoilc
Office President Mckinley filled that political ONCE
for which the entire people vote, and no Presoeht-
even LINCOLN hirnseIf-was ever more earnestly
anxious to represent the well thought out wishes OF
The people; his anxiety in every crisis was 10
keep in closesr touch with the people-to find out
what they thought and to endeavor to give express
sion to their thought after having endeavored TO
guide that thought Alright. He had Just been re-
elected 10 the Presidency because the majority or
our citizens the ma jority of our farmers ana wage
workers believed that he had faithfully upheic
their interests for four They felt themselves
in close and intimate touch with him. They felt
that ne represented SO well and so honorably al!
their ideals and aspirations that they wished MIN
TO continue for another four years to represent
them.
And this was the man at whom the assassin
struck, That there might be nothing lacking 70
eompete the Iudsslike infar1y his act he took
advantage OF an occasion when the President was
meeting the people generally. and advancing as IL
10 take the hand outstretched to him in kindly and
brotherly fellowship he turned the noble ano gen
erous confidence of the victim into an opportunity
TO strike the fatal blow There is no baser oeeo III
all the annals of crime.
The shock the grief of the country. are bitter In
the minds Of all who saw the dark days while the
President yet hovered between life ana death' AT
last the light was st!lled in the kindly eyes ana
the breath went from the lips that even In nortai
agony uttered words OF forgiveness 10 his
murderer OF love for his friends. and OF unfaltef-
ing trust in the will Of the Most High. ehch d
death crownng the glory of such a life. leaves us
with infinite sorrow. but with such priae IN wh1t
he had accomplished and in his own personal char
acter. that feel the blow not as struck at MIN,
but as struck at the nation. We mourn q sood ana
Srea1 President who 10 Dead but while we mourn