The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-01-27
MKINLEY MEMORIAL MEETINGS
WE'RE ADDRESSED BY ELO-
QUENT SPEAKERS
VAN SAINT AT PEOPLES CHURCH
Life of MartyFed Executive Stril1-
ingIy Exempliied Possibilities of
American Citizenship-A Sym
metricaI Character,
HIS CAREER AN INSPIRATION

Several hundred people braved the in
clement weather of outdoors, and endured
the more rigorous atmosphere Of the inte-
rlor, yesterday afternoon to attend the Nc
hlnley memorial service at the PeoDle's
church Gov. Van SAINT presided at the
meeting, and was the first speaker. The
| governor said:
Never before has a death been 80
| mourned as was the death of William,
mckinley. William Mckinley was mourn |
ed and is mourned not because he was
great only, but because he was good. and
goodness is the only real greatness He
loved the plain people, and they in turn
loved him, and felt he was near to them
So many sided is his character. what
snail we most admire-the young soldier
shoulder1ng his musket to march forth in
ueIense of the fag-the citizen ever true
TO the call of duty-the statesman bring
ing the nation from the deepest gloom up
to the greatest prosperity-the great paci-
f1cator bringing North and South to-
gether in common love-the liberty-loy-
ing president freeing Cuba, and adding
great lands to our domain-or the loving
husband, tender and devoted to his sick
wife.
''McKinley's life typifies the possibilities
OF the American youth; he was a poor
boy, without friends or influence and he
soldier without a tarnish on his record;
a citizen whose every civic duty was per-
| formed. Great as was Mckinley. our
country is greater Lincoln, Garfield and
mckinley were stricken, but the govern
ment shuddered not, and the ship Of state
| sailed on through the stormy billows her
course unturned.
Hiram F. Stevens was the next speaker.
In beginning he referred to Gov Van
SAINTS statement that the presidency was
the highest office that man could receive
and he took exception to the statement,
saying that the greatest office on earth
was the office of the everyday citizen.
the everyday man, and it was because
William Mckinley filed that office
! worthily that he was a worthy president.
William Mckinley was great because he
hlled the place to which he was called all
| through his life. This rs true greatness.
The keystone is the most prominent and
most important stone in the arch, and
yet in the time of danger the absence
| or some other stone may prove as fatal
He is greatest who fills his place what
| ever 1t may be, greatly, performs it's dutv
| greatly, as if that place and that duty
were foundation stones of the human
| race. In this sense Mckinley was as great
| a man as we have produced
In the centuries to come he will prob
ably be recognized as the most symmetri-
cal figure in our history since Washing
ton. How did he come to his inheritance?
First he was honest, and honest in The
| largest meaning of that term. Honesty
| is natural, not an acquired gi4a, and a
man cannot be wholly honest unless it is
| in his blood. Honesty was one of William
! McKinley's birthrights. He was honest
mentally, Intellectually, and in every con-
| dition of his life paid 100 cents on the
dollar.
William Mckinley was a politician. A
| politician is defined as a man 'versed in
| the science of government" He was such
politician. He was citizen, and he
proved his citizenship by his life. His
| first impulse throughout his whole career
| was to be patriotic, and he was The
| danger of the American people is not
| from trusts, combinations or mergers, but
| from citizens. So long as we can keep
| our people pure, and our methods of gov
| ernment uncorrupt we are safe as a ma
| tton Few people discharge the duties OF
! citizenship as they should. Whose fault
| is it that legislatures are sometimes cor
rupt, that officials are not always honest?
| Every citizen is responsible. In a re-
| public the responsibility cannot be Shift
| ed to another. We each must bear it.
| The spirit of the Pilgrims is the spirit we
| need. They never delegated authority to
| others The old New England town meet
ing was type worth preserving. Those
men attended the town meeting as sacred
| ly as they attended church. AS we have
| departed from the policy of the Pilgrims.
we have so far increased the danger to
| our institutions. William Mckinley never
missed primary or a caucus. He was
politician who made no more promises
| before than after election; he was loyal
| to his friends; he was not a self-righteOus
/ man and made no pretensions. His was
| a practical religion; his life was it's test;
| his was a practical brotherhood Of man
and his life proved it. He was never an
apologist for any policy in which he be-
| lieved. We need more men like William
Mckinley in our public life men who hold
| the slightest duty of the citizen to be a
| sacred trust~ BY discharging the small
est duty faithfully he acquired the habit
| which in the great office he filed made
| the performance of duty an easy thing
| for him.
Was a LOvabIe Man.
| DR. D. l.. RAIDER, Of the First Methodist
| church, was the last speaker of the af-
| ternoon. He said: 1T is well for us to
forget questions of business, finance,
commerce, and remember the value of
men. If ever this country fails to pro-
duce great and-noble men no greatness
| in any line of industry or business viii
save us. So long as we glory in the
| memories Of noble men and strive to
/ bring up new generation Ike them, so
| long are we Sa1es why was Mckinney
loved? Because he was lovable. Be
cause he was good The people liked
him because he was like them, because
| he was true to them. 1t shall be a sad
day for US when we become so proud Of
1 our commercial glory, so wrapped up in
our triumphs of finance, that we cannot
turn aside to study such life, and to
| contemplate such a type Of manhood.
/ William Mckinley was sound at bot
| tom. He was born Of good people. He
was brought up to believe that money
was nothing, that power was Of no conse-
| quence but that goodness and honesty
| were everything, and so in pursuing
these latter things the gift Of power was
| also added unto him. He was a great
worker. Being forced to leave college
without completing his education, he al
| WAYS felt that he was lacking In some
| thing, and he had certain distrust Of
himself, which made him stupendous
worker. He threw his whole strength
into every task that he might master it.
AJx,avs ar his task-that explains his