The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1901-10-05
WKINLEY'S LAST SPEECH.
1t Grew Out of Three Phrases, Spoken
at Random.

From the New York World.
President McKinly's great speech at
Buffalo grew from three phrases
thought out by him one evening in
Canton while he was smoking his
afer-dinner cigar. This is the story o:
the inception Of the speech, which, it is
generally conceded, will live as one OF
the great o%rations of history.
About three weeks before he was to
leave Canton for Buffalo on the visit
which terminated with his death, the
president and Secretary Cortelyou were
sitting together in the presidents office
in his home. 1t was z O'Clock and the
lights had not yet been lighted. The
president had been busy all day with
letters and public matters, and had
gone to his office to smoke his cigar
before taking up another batch OF cor
~respondence Mr.. Cortelyou had ready
for him.
At such times he usually talked
freely on all sorts of topics. That
evening he sat quietly smoking, looking
at the ceiling and watching the smoke
curl upwards. Mr.. Cortelyou sat
across the desk from him, CHANGING
over some papers. Neither had said a
word for ten minutes when, suddenly,
the president took his cigar from his
lips and said, apropos of nothing at
all, apparently:
"ExpoSltions are the timekeepers of
progress"
MIR. Cortelyou had a pencil in his
hand. He made a note of the epigram
on a bit of paper, but said nothing.
The president smoked for a few
minutes longer. Then he said:
SANITY IS better than animosity."
MIR. Cortelyou made another note.
lie said nothing TO the president and
Mr.. Mckinley lapsed back into his
thoughtful mood. He pulled on his
cigar for a time and once more broke
the silence by saying:
"Reciprocity is better than retalia-
ton"
The watchtul secretary made a note
of this phrase also.
The president finished his cigar.
walked over and looked out of the
widow, returned aud sat down at the
desk again.
"Well, Cortelyou," he said, "what
have you for me tonight" There was
a word between the president and {
secretary about the three phrases, but
after the work was finished and the
president had gone in to see il Mrs. /
Mckinley was comfortable, Cortelyou
upstairs and said to one of the
photographers Take this"
The stenographer put a piece of
paper in his typewriter and wrote out
three phrases as Mr.. Cortelyou
dictated them. he wrote one at the
OF the paper, one In the middle and
one at the bottom and handed the
sheet to Mr.. Cor!elyou.
Next morning before breakfast Mr..
took the sheet of paper and
put it on top of everything else on the
presidents desk. When Mr.. McKin-
ley came in be saw the paper, picked it
up, read it and then turning to Cortel.
you with a smile, said:
sab, we have begun the Buffalo
| see."
The president took the three ideas
expanded them into the Buffalo
'peech. He did not use .'amny is bet.
er thar amnesty" or s'reciproc,ty Is
better thar retaliation" 10 those exact
'oIds' but that notable epigram.
'hxPosl'lons are the timekeepers Of
'rogress'' went safely through all the
and attracted immediate
in the speech.
The president dictated but little O,
he speech. He wrote It out BY para.
.raphs' taking full two weeks to Il
lie used a pad on his knee on the
orch and wrote some Of 1t while he
'as In Mrs. McKlnIey's room. When
e mad 1t to bis liking be dictated it
rom his rough draft, aud then WENT
II TWO or three times and polished
until 1t became the perfect piece of
ompositlon that 1t was when bo
elivered il.