New-York tribune., 1901-02-27
M'KINLEY AS PRESIDENT.
COMMISSIONER MACFARLAND'S TRIB-
UTE TO THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF
HIS FIRST ADMINISTRATION.

HIS FIRST ADMINISTRATION.
Henry z F. Mcfarland. Commissioner of the
| District Of Columbia. contributes to The Atlantc
| Monthly for March article on 'Mr. Mckinley
as President" in which he presents new views and
| sheds new light Mr. McKinley's character and
| record. He denounces the popular ASTOUNDING
Hanna deusion'': that. contrary 70 current
| belief Mr. Mckinley has had his own way more
| and heen more really ruler than his predecessors:
| that his management has been for the general
good and that 1T fortunate for the republic
that he was head in the closing years Of the
nineteenth century
From this article The Tribune iS perni''eh 10
print the following extracts:
Nothng illustrates the popuar ns9ndeTStanaihg Sl
Sion r neraSed by 0fe eome neaR Repubca1s Fa as veil
! by many Democrats who do not know MN; Inat I
under the nu innenee % of Senator Hanna This sums
a aR the ha5 i the ds that at
o Yielding and unstable b s
the command Of a stronger man Newspaper @ car car
papr eoa are e m hs
pf sos bg hsy hase S by
appesrances and by malice It is interesting 70 see
dent Mckinley who are friendly TO him, as when
he fhey eak ys & OF nm e as his ang ]
the fact is that he is a man of humor, who enjoys
fond of good Jokes. and as apt at telling them.
nen W nso9 a Done Nh the is 9f uR Ra
kept his wit and humor for private conversation.
/
having
HIS RELATIONS WITH CONGRESS.
~, Trained aimed as he was almost from his youth up in
ed with all the phases Of Congress and deeply i'm
bped with its spirit; while possessed of the friend
natural hat he should consider i entitled to is
most respeotf2I coPSderstion d on plane Of ab
ssolute equality with the President of the United
lime except Mr MeKns n wSo So came to the n W6ite
he had preeT he m Seo a fne n m
between the President and Congress. According to
P1 President the President ought not to dominate
practicable for the good of the country a. '"' %
eore e 6d ,s had pdn the PR pc Re f s Of
dent. He knows that Congress collectively is as
pie as he is. and that, individually. there may be
men in both houses who would be able take his
| country. He remembers. too, how he looked at the
and how what the President sad and did affected
him II IS therefore comparatively easy for him to
IS in dealings with others.
WORK OF HIS ADMINISTRATION
II the Cuban question. with all its consequences.
could have been postponed for four years. and II
the Chinese question. with all its consequences had
not arisen. Mr. Mckinley could still have pointed.
az the end OF his first administration, to record of
work accomplished that would have been extremely
! creditable. The LNth Congress. his recon-
! mendation and under his inspiration passed the
Dngley Tariff law to take the place of the Wilson
! German law, at the extra session which he called
promptly after his Inauguration. and the next Con-
gress on his recommendation and under his in
standard to provide for refunding per cent the
| lowest rate OF interest paid by the United
! States Government. and extend the national
urrs 5y themselves Would make very '" respeci-
able showing for administration in time
President Mckinley, besides settling. with the aid
H1 o T6Snsref the tariff and the reasgr questions
/ brought about the annexation OF Hawaii and the
Alaska The adjSstment Of the long stsndins Hs
GoatF9vsrsy with the Pachc raroads as 10 their
crnment. which secured much larger amount
government will lose none of the principal and
only comparatively small proportion OF the in
Kinieys direction that the Country generaiy proS
! ably does not realize that ii has been done.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
The President has been fortunate in his dealings
with foreign nations, apart from those which grew
/ out of the with Spain He was able 10 settle
satisfactorily the old and vexatious question OF our
! relations 10 England and Germany in the Samoan
Islands by ending the embarrassing condomnium
| and dividing the islands among the three govern
ments, securing the best harbor for the United
| States. When the Yukon gold discoveries moved
| canada to claim American territory in Alaska. In
order TO get seaport for the Yukon district. and
| Great Britain somewhat against her will pressed
| the claim. with an intimation that collision be
/ tween American miners and Canadian constab b.
Say Slaiy would mean bloodshed and might mean war;
| oecFetary Hay under the Presidents direction
! succeeded In arranging modus vivendi which. by
establishing a temporary boundary line, post poned
,le Puesuon 10 better occasion for peaceful
I .emcnt' without giving the Canadians.
! temporarily, seaport. any concession of real
The war with Spain. which President Mckinley
dld everything in his power prevent gave him
the great opportunity Of his life and the one that
ne nest improved In II he lifted his adminstra-
| uon 10 the plane OF those of Washington nd
coin. and linked his with theirs for our time
| " not for all time. the liberatnr of millions
| from the yoke of Spain The country wanted war
| want II, but was prepared for II when 1t came
| Throughout the he was not only the actual
comma nder-in-chef bur the director of our dipIo
| macy. 'V
From the time that Mr. John Hay succeeded Sec
! retary Dav the head OF the State Denartmen-
the Presldents attention directed with special
| care. amid all his other responsibilities the
| necessity or maintaining our commercial and other
treaty rights tr China. in view of tho era dual en-
| croachments of Russia. Germany England and
| france upon the territory and authority of that
| dent s direction. By clever and candid manage
ment. drew from these powers and others assent
10 the maintenance Of the open door Of com
| merclal and financial dealings with China,
anteed 10 us to the other powers trea ties
with China. and declarations that further terri
| torlal acquisition would be made by the powers in
| the nations gave our government place Of
| leadership in China; that when in May 1909
the anti-foreign empress dowager and her advisers
| encouraged anti-foreign demonstrations hv he
| patriotic society known the Boxers which led
TO attacks the diplomat tic corps and the other
foreigners in Peking, and finally their imprson-
| mittent assaults from imperial troops, the con
| certed movement for their rescue was led bv the
United States. helped greatly by having the PhiIn-
| pines a base of operations Moreover sarra
| tary Hay, July s. laid down the rrrcines
| which were accepted by the other powers for the
! settlement of this matter with China, under which
| ment, with the strict understanding that there
would be no territorial indemnites and no inter