Milford chronicle., 1901-09-13
WASHINGTON NEWS.

The tragic and wholly unexpec- s
ted calamity which has befallen /
President Mckinley and the coun-
try, is of course the overshadowing
topic of interest in Washington to- {
day. While astute observers of
public events had long recognized {
the possibility of such tragedy,tO
the mass of the people it had the
bewildering effect of a thing ell
tirely unforeseen 1t had been fore
Swallowed to some extent in the
assassination of the Empress Eliz-
abeth and of King Humbert, which
proved the power and wicked dar-
ing of the anarchist societies; and
it was practically certain hatsooner
or later this power would be felt in
, America, in precisely the form
which it has taken The attemp-
ted assassination of H. c. Prick,
by Bergman, after the Homestead
riot, showed that such a deed was
by nomeans foreign to the thoughts
of anarchists in America; and this
type of assassin regards his victim
as desirable in proportion to the
power which he yields. That the
thing was planned skillfu1ly and
carefully, and that the assassin was
ordered by some secret association
to commit the crime, was proved N
the satisfaction of everybody %itbin
reach of daily papers before the
l news was six hol.Ts old The fact
: that the assassin is not of the Grim
+ ma lls!s'tS pc, that he has been calm and
= Coherent i'll his testimony and that
i his action was quite deliberate and
e well-planned, all remove this case
from the class of crimes committed
by half-crazy place-hunters like
Guiteau, or political antagonists
4 like Booth 1t is simply the re-
!. suit of an organized, determined,
and well-considered movement,
l. whose object is, by the assassina-
: ton of persons in power, and by
+; causing public calamity of one sort
\ or another, to intimidate and terror
. ize society with a view to abolish
. ing all social institutions. That
q is in plain English the anarchist s
Sc idea of his duty; and whether he
S, is to be allowed to entertain and
. obey that idea to the extent which
: he thinks it,depends entirely upon
" public sentiment. 1t is doubtful
20 if the news could have caused, in
r the rest of the country such deep
rooted pain and apprehension as it
caused in the national capital. 1t
be said without qualification
no President has endeared
nself to the people of Washing
IN more than President Mckinley
His unfailing tact, his invariable
serenity, his attention to the wants
and pleasures of those around him,
- have become known to the people
IN of this city in hundred different
We ways. Republicans all over the
o. country may have learned during
Re his public life, before and after his
- coming to the White House, to re-
~ spect his ability and admire his
'ls character; in Washington, which
xt has been his home for many years
RS he has won the esteem of even his
Is political opponents by his admira
Bile personal qualities.
There are men in power who
nu pride themselves on their ability
n to say mo-" but they frequently
lrt say it in such a manner that theil
10 interlocutor feels as if he had beer
:, kicked. Mr.. Mckinley could al
ways refuse a favor i'll a way thai
ia made the disappointed one choke
n. down his feelings until he was ou
-ge of the official presence, and ever
,or then he was not always sure tina
: he was disappointed. No one eve
- had to complain of a discourtes7
~ from Mr.. Mckinley as Representa-
YER tive or as President. He wa
of placed in many difficult positions
ned but he always got out of them with
ar out hurting anyone's feelings NOR
than was absolutely necessary
nu Another lovable trait in his char
en- acter is his faculty of rememberin,
is, and noticing little things of impor
Re lance to others. If one of hi
-de friends had a daughter married o
: lost a child, President McKinle
lol never forgot to express his sympa
thy with the joy or sorrow, as tn
i case might be. If he could d
ne. nothing more he would send a tact
ten full little note. He was never o
his dignity because his dignity wa
" himself and not a pedestal H
u a was accessible and approachabl
on from the first of his term i'll til
l to White House, and he alway
non seemed to know what to say t
everybody. Possibly a part of thi
anu tact and consideration may b
and traced to his well-known devotio
to his invalid wife. Those VIII
are members of the inner circle {
crv Washington society know man
charming little stories of this d,
,''o' votion, which are not given to ii
An public. A man cannot give hin
ice self SO completely to the task {
ken caring for beloved and delicat
as woman without becoming refine
and ennobled by the performanC
~ of the duty
has This Us why, with and intere
nlst quit apart from sensationseekin,
1 mere great crowds of people thronge
1 Of the avenues near the newspap'