Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-09-20

ible. Before the six weeks campaign
closed he had spoken in SO of the 80
counties of the state-a feat which had
never before been even attempted and
Is not likely to be equaled in many
years to come. He was elected over
his Democratic opponent, L. T. Neal,
by S0,995 votes in a total poll of $685.
65S. This phenomenal plurality plac-
ed him in the front rank of presi-
Dental possibilities. Letters and tele-
grams of congratulation poured in by
the hundreds and the thousands, and
the great majority of the Republicans
of Ohio from that day were positive
that he would be the next candidate
of their party for President of the
United States.
On the expiration of his term as gov
ernor he returned to Canton. The Re
public national convention was held
in st. Louis June IS, 1896, and he was
nominated for President on the first
ballot, receiving 661B votes, Thomas
b. Reed of Maine SAY, Matthew s.
Quay of Pennsylvania civ, Levi p.
Morton of New York S. William B.
Allison of Iowa 35h and ]. Donald
Cameron of Pennsylvania 1. The
| presidential ticket was completed by
the nomination of Carrot A. Hobart Of
| New Jersey for vice president.
In the election of November 6, 1896,
Mckinley carried % of the As states,
having in the electoral college 271
votes against 176 for William j. Bryan,
the Democratic candidate,
Major Mckinley began his first term
of office on March 4, 1897. He found
many complicated and urgent tasks
ahead of him. His first care was
to redeem the promise of the Re-
| publican party to repair the breaches
in the protective tariff system and to
insure the Treasury an ample revenue.
| Congress was called together in ex-
traordinary session and after three
months of effort the Dingley tariff law
was passed. This ended the period of
| Treasury deficits and enabled the gov
eminent to restore it's credit and build
up its gold reserve. The other com
| Elementary task-that of enacting the
| gold standard into law-was reserved
for the closing years of the admins
| tration, being accomplished finally at
| the first session of the following Con-
gress.
| The history of President McKinley's
| first administration is, however, large
| ly the history of the Spanish war and
of the political issues and conse-
quences of that conflict. Forced slow
| ly into an attitude in which interven-
ton in Cuba became a rational duty,
| President Mckinley reluctantly
| yielded to the necessity of appealing
to force to accomplish American ends.
Once engaged in war. however, no
energy was spared in prosecuting it to
a signal victory or weakness shown in
facing the responsibilities thrust on
the United States by its military
triumph. The conclusion of the
Treaty of Paris marked a new epoch
in American history, and President
McKinleys administration will take
its final color IN history from that far
reaching event.
To tell the story of the Spanish war
and the expansion of American power
to the West Indies. to Hawaii and
across the Pacific is wholly beyond
the needs or purposes of this sketch
The political and military achieve.
ments of the first Mckinley admins
tration are too fresh in public memory
to require enumeration or eulogy. II
is enough to say that through them
the United States has come to realize
] a new SHiill VI ndllOndlllN anu W Seeh
new means of sustaining it's dignity
and credit as a responsible factor in
the politics not of this hemisphere
only, but of both Eastern and Western
worlds.
In June, 1900, President Mckinley
was renominated by reclamation by
the Republican National convention
held at Philadelphia, and, after an
other spirited but far less strenuous
canvass against the same politica
rival, he was again triumphantly
elected President, receiving 292 cleo
toral votes against 55 for the Demo
cratic nominee. Shortly after hi;
second Observation-Disclosures A. 1901
the President issued a public state
ment refusing absolutely to be consid
cred a possible candidate for a thirt
term.
President McKinley's domestic rela
tions formed one of the beautiful feat
ures of his character. When he set
tied in Canton, after the war, one o.
the prominent men of the place was
the banker and capitalist, James A
SaXton, whose father John Saxton,
friend of Horace Greedy and JOSEPH
Medill. was for 60 years the editor O
the Ohio Repository, which he founded
in 1915. His son was a man of infiu
ence in business and political circles
and it was to a daughter of his, Mis-!
Ida SaXton. that Major Mckinley be
came engaged and was married Jan
20, 1871. She was one of the belle,
OF Canton, and was an unusually beau
tiful woman in face and figure. The
had two daughters, who died at al
early age. The Presidents mothe
died at the age of SS, only a few
months after her journey to Washing
ton to witness the inauguration of he