Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-09-19

port to every gateway to opportuni-
ty and glory. His state sustained him,
and at last the nation rewarded his
courage and consistency with the
highest honors it could bestow.'
Biographical Sketch.
William Mckinley was born at Niles,
He attande thS n0Uhiic scbnoIs in ftS
neighborhood until 1861, when the out
break of the civil war infiamod his ant
bition and aroused his patriotism TO such
a degree that, although only II years old
he enlisted as a private soldier. His first
service was in the Twenty-third Ohio
volunteer infantry, with which he served
until the close of the war, being mustered
out as captain and brevet major at the
age OF q.
He then studied law ana was admitted
to the bar, became a successful and popu-
q liawe efta ana IRON fnr ls Sfa 70 i0t nom Was pros q
About this time he began II turn his at
tention seriously to politics q i'd was eject
ed on the republican ticket to the Forty
fifth, Forty-sixth, Forty-seventh, Forty
eighth, Forty-ninth and Fiftieth con-
crosses. In the house of representatives
he made himself more popular as 4 COM
mittee worker than as a debater OIL the
floor. He made few speeches, but from
the beginning he showed much interest in
the tariff qffuestion, his first act as a rep
~resentative being the presentation of a pc
congress to take no action in the way of
tariff revision until a thorough investiga-
ton of the needs of American industries
had been made. He actively supported
the civil service reform bill and Mr.. IIol-
mans resolution. declaring the unearned
land grants to the subsidy railroads for
felt to the government. Gradually he
came to be looked upon by the epU
licans in the house as a power in the par
ty. and at the republican national con-
vention in 1888 his name was freely men,
toned as a possible candidate for the
presidency; but in this convention Nc
Kinley led the Ohio delegation. which had
been instructed to vote for Senator John
Sherman.
1T is an interesting fact in American
political history that there was a point in
the deliberations of the convention when
the nomination had he been willing to
sacrifice the authorized candidate of his
state to his own interest, but ne abso-
Iutely refused to let his name be used.
'I am here" he said, by a resolution
of the republican convention of Ohio,
passed without one dissenting voice, COM
handing me to cast my vote for John
Sherman and use every worthy endeavor
because my heart and Judgment were in
accord with the letter and spirit and pur-
pose of that resolution 1t has pleased
certain delegates to cast their votes for
me. / can not, with honorable fidelity to
John Sherman, who has trusted me in his
cause and with his confidence; 1 can not
consistently with my own views of per-
sonal integrity consent, or seem to con-
sent, to permit my name to be used as q
Candidate before this convention. 1 do re-
quest, l demand, that no delegate who
would not cast reflection on me shall cast
u DtlIOI u AAC.
Mai. Mckinley went out of that conven-
ton one of the most popular men in the
republican party, and as his views on
protection were the most pronounced of
all the protectionist leaders, it naturally
followed that the Harrison administra-
ton placed the tariff question in his
hands. The result of this action was the
drafting of a bill known as the ''NIcKin-
ley bill" which afterward became a law.
without attempting to analyze this bill,
il is sufficient to say that 1t placed a
tariff for protection only on the highest
ground aGan SiuCa the time when Henry
Clay first laid a protection proposition be-
fore the country. Mai. Mckinley rteired
from congress March 4, 1891, leaving his
ability as a legislator ana tarin maker to
be Judged by his works, with an eStab-
lished party popularity and reputation. In
1891 he was nominated by the republicans
for governor of Ohio, and was elected
over Gov. James E. Campbell. the demo-
cratic candidate, after a most exciting
campaign.
Many will recall the great republican
convention of 1896. when William McKin-
denCy of the United States at st. Louis.
Thousands of delegates and spectators
crowded the temporary structure used as
= convention hall. The first day of the
convention was June Is, 1896. On the third
aay of the convention, June is, 1896, the
names of Mckinley and Hobart were put
IN nomination and both were successful
On the first ballot. hen the nomination
was made unanimous and the widest en-
thustasm prevailed among the 5000 per-
sons who thronged the big auditorium.
When Chairman Thurston called the
meeting TO order on the day of the nomi-
was read by Senator Foraker and the
issue of this platform was the
money question. Teller and Cannon on
that day babe the convention and party
Eood-by. The session lasted for ten hours
and resulted in the success of the gold
standard.