The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-09-15
SENATOR cLAPP PAYS TRIBUTE.
Extols Virtues of Departed President
at Clinton Avenue M. e. Church. s

A portrait of VIM. Mckinley en-
twined with flags occupied prominent
position of the pulpit of the Clinton
Avenue M. e. Church last evening and
large audience listened to the re-
marks of Senator Moses E. Clapp. The
services were of a memorial character
and the hymns sung by the choir and
audience were those of which the late
president were particularly fond dur
ing his life time. Senator Clapp spoke
in part as follows:
Looking into the kindly face of Will
liam Mckinley as shown in the photo
graph here, there comes such a throng
of thoughts one hardly knows what to
say. A year ago the nation was
plunged into grief at his death. His re-
lation to public events and his own
character made him the idol of the
American people. With a. true recogni-
ton of the solemnity of the occasion
something should be said of the Span
ish-American war with which Presi-
dent Mckinley was so closely con-
nected.
1.-THE current of American history
was changed by the Spanish American
war. The effects and consequences of
that struggle cannot now be foretold.
There are those who believe annexa-
ton of Cuba is inevitable and this Is
majority of the people believe it is
our duty to insure the permanency and
success of that republic.
II would put our duty on higher
and broader ground than that. In the
cemetery at Washington are the
graves of thousands of American boys
who laid down their lives that Cuba
might be free. No grander monument
can the American people rear to the
Of fIo, To
the welfare of the Cuban republic
at is asked: Was William Mckinley
a statesman? Judged by the American
standard he was a great statesman.
He was the incarnation of American
purpose. The reason the people
mourned his loss was because of his
private life and character. We find
qualities in his private life which en-
deared him to the American people. A
government can be no better than it's
citizens on which it rests. The govern
ment comes from citizenship and not
citizenship from government.
zone thing that endeared William
Mckinley to the people was the affec-
ton for his wife. At no time during
his busy career as congressman or
afterwards as the chief executive of
the nation was he too busy to spend
part of his time at the bedside of
sIllS WIlC- AIOticI lIdlL VI Ills ClIdTdCIST
was shown at the time he was stricken
by the bullet Of the assassin.
Turning to the officer who had the
murderer in charge he exclaimed DO
not hurt him. Is it any wonder that q
man with such a heart won his way
to the hearts of the American people?
another trait was his religious life.
never felt the force of religion as
factor of the nation so much as I did
at the funeral of William Mckinley in
the rotunda of the capitol at Washing
ton. Gathered around the bier of the
dead statesman was the authority Of
this and other nations. AS we sat there
a woman arose and sang that grand
hymn Nearer My God to Thee AS
the words of the hymn rang through
the building they impressed me as
never before and hundreds who were
present afterwards expressed the same
thought William Mckinley in his life
and character taught US how to live
and in his Christian death taught US
how to die"