The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1903-01-30
Theodore Roosevelt ReC0unts The Virtues of His
|I|ustrious Predecessor, William Mckinley, Can
tons Famous Son.
Classical Address Filled With Tender and Touch
ing Sentiment for the Man Who Has Crossed
the Great Divide.

antagonists grew to look upon him
with constantly increasing respect;
his party friends with constantly in
creasing faith and admiration. Eight
years before he was nominated 70.
president he was already considered G
presidential possibility. Four year
before he was nominated only his owr
high sense of honor prevented his be
ing made formidable competitor oi
the chief upon whom the choice of the
convention then actually fell.
I'm 1896 he was chosen because ths
great mass of his party knew him and
believed In him and regarded him as
symbolizing their ideals, as represent
ing their aspirations. In estimating
the forces which brought about his
nomination and election | do not un-
dervalue that devoted personal friend
ship which he had the faculty to in
spire in so marked a degree among the
ablest and most influential leaders;
this leadership was of immense conse-
quence in bringing about the result;
but, after all, the prime factor was the
trust in and devotion to him felt by
the great mass of men who had come
to accept him as their recognized
spokesman. In his nomination the
national convention of a great party
carried into effect in good faith the
deliberate judgment Of that as to who
it's candidate should be.
But even as a candidate President
Mckinley was far more than the can
didate Of a party. and as president he
was in the broadest and fullest sense
the president of all the people of all
sections Of the country.
His first nomination came to him
because of the qualities he had shown
in healthy and open political leader
ship. the leadership which. by word
and deed, impresses itself as a virile
force for good upon the people at
large, and which has nothing in COM
mon with mere intrigue or manipuIa-
tion. But in 1896 the issue was fair
ly Joined, chiefly upon question
which, as a party decision, was entire
ly new. so that the old lines OF politi-
cal cleavage were in large part aban-
doned. All other issues sank in i'm
portance when compared with the vi
tai need of keeping our financial sys-
TEN on the high and honorable plane
imperatively demanded by our posi-
tion as o great civilized power AS
the champion of such principle
President Mckinley received the sup
port, not only Of his own party, but
of hundreds of thousands of those to
whom he had been politically opposed.
He trimphed and he made good with
scrupulous fidelity the promises upon
which the campaign was won.
I'VE were at the time in a period of
great industrial depression. and 1t
was promised for and on behalf of Nc
Kinley that If he were elected our A.
nancial system should not only be
preserved unharmed, but improved,
and our economic system shaped in
accordance with those theories which
have aways marked our periods of
great prosperity. The promises were
kent, and, following their keeping,
came the prosperity which we now
enjoy. All that was foretold concern
ing the well-being which would fol-
low The election of Mckinley has been
justified by the event.
"Bnt, as so often happens in our
history the president was forced to
face questions other than those at
issue at the time of his election.
Within a year the situation in Cuba
had become literally intolerable. Pres
ldent Mckinley had fought too we'll,
in his youth, he knew too well at first
hand what war really was, lightly to
enter into a Struggle He sought by
every means to preserve peace, to
avert war. He made every effort con-
sstent with the national honor of the
Cuban difficulty. Then when 1t be-
came evident that these efforts were
useless, that peace could not be hon
orably entertained, he devoted his
strength to making the war as short
and as decisive as possible. It is
needless to tell the result in detail.
Suffice to say that rarely indeed in
history has a contest so far-reaching
In the importance of its outcome been
achieved with such ease. There fol-
lowed harder task. AS a result of
the war we came into possession of
Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philippines.
In each island the conditions were
snch that we had to face problems en-
tirely new to our national experience,
and, moreover, In each island or group
OF islands the problems differed radI-
cally from those presented In the 9TH
ers. In Porto Rico the task was
simple. The island could not be inde-
pendent. 1t became in all essentials
part OF the union. II has been Civ
en- all the benefits of our economic
and financial system. Its inhabitants
have been given the highest individual
liberty. while yet their government
has been kept under the supervision
Of officials so well chosen that the is
land can be appealed to as affording a
model for all such experiments In the
future: and this result was mainly
owing to the admirable choice Of in
struments by President Mckinley
when be selected the governing on
cials. .scf
I'm Cubs. whsre We we're pledged "a
&.