The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1902-05-09


mention this paper.
ber when our great president was laid
to rest, nothing has occurred SO full
Of memories and suggestions of him
as this convention.
1--WE are reminded that eight times
such gatherings as this named him
as the Republican candidate for con-
gress from the district of which Stark
county was part. We, today, suf-
fer new shock and are inspired to
new devotion and to new resolutions.
GAS he always, while living, i'm
spired us to new resolves, may the
fresh recollection of his martyrdom
and of his untimely death quicken our
conscience and elevate our ambition
to still higher resolutions and to a
still greater devotion. God only
knows what the life and character of
Mckinley mean to us. No man can
appreciate the mighty influence which
ne has put in motion among the quar-
ter of million of his people who
knew him so well and who followed
him so gladly.
He was no divinity to be worshiped
and of unbending dignity and compos-
ure, he was yet loved and trusted by
! us all. knowing him as we did, what
stupendous influence he has had and
will continue to have on our lives and
our conduct.
He Is a glorious inspiration and a
fountain of hope. If we wonder how
best to be strong, we see in him how
we can be both strong and tender.
II we seek to be great, We learn from
! him to be patient. Do we wish 10
! scourge eyfl and to- unhorse the Of
| fender, we learn from him that we
may do ii without passion and without
cruelty. Are we anxious to make speed
10 the goal, he tells us we must ploG
and that industry has her just reward.
He admonishes us that there is no
royal road 10 honor and no path of
roses to eminenCe.
But best of all he tells us that not
pride nor vanity. not brilliance nor
learning, but, breadth of vision and
goodness of heart and nearness to the
people are the touchstones which open
the door. and mark out the path that
leads to fame and the opportunity to
serve mankind in great concerns.
1.-The more we think of Mckinley tho
nearer we approach to sense of his
exceeding simplicity of character
There were about him no frills or
make believes. He had not all atom
OF mystery in his mind or in his move
ments. He was open as the day. He
had no secrets from the world. Any
discriminating friend might always
predict jst what he would do in any
given juncture. And that senti-
ment' all the country shared
The frenzied and hysterical might rave
and importune. but the great body OF
the people went on serenely with their
daily toll and their several enterprises.
sure that the steadfast man in the
white house would do the right thing
in the right way and that all would
be well.
Such is saving value of nature so
well and serenely poised, and so bod
ded in the everlasting rock Of stable
good sense.
"If rightly apprchend the life
which Mckinley lived anu the priE-
ciples for which he stood, l think that
now more than ever we need to study
and follow them.
"He was easily the greatest and
most philosophical champion of the
great American system of protection.
fic saw it and advocated 1t with wide
view and with sane argument He
was so thoroughly saturated with its
principles that he never wayered in
his adherence to 1t. Many times and
oft his colleagues shrank from what
appeared to be unfortunate conse-
quences of its advocacy, but he always
kept right on sure of purposes and se-
rene as to consequences. y;
Were he living now there would be
more steadfastness and less relaxation
in Its advocacy. No one less than he
was welded to mere tariff schedules; ;
but no one, so well as he, could dis
Germ, in piece meal revision of
schedules, the serious menace thus in
volved to the whole system of proteO
tion. If the camel's head but enter
the tent. his body will surely follow.
"The time comes every few years
when the assaults of tariff reformers
on our protective system shake the
convictions OF some protectionIsts and
1t then becomes fashionable for some
men to say that they do not worship
protection as a fetich.. When people
feel the necessity to thus adopt the
language Of apology they would do well
to examine into the grounds OF their
own convictions lest, when too late,
they find themselves irrevocably sep
arated from their ancient mooripgs
and chaos and confusion become their
portion. ~ .g,-
1T is to Mckinley and to the poll
cy Of protection for which he lived and
fought, thst we owe our present
ab0unding prosperity. We viii d.
nothins but III II we drift away from