Arizona republican., 1903-01-28

ship and in the recognition of that power both by his associates in public life and by the public itself. Session after session his influence in the house grew greater; his party antagonists grew to look upon him with constantly increasing respect; his party friends with constantly increasing faith and admiration. Eight years before he was nominated for president he was already considered q presidential possibility Four years before he was nominated only his own high sense of honor pre- vented his being made formidable competitor of the chief upon whom the choice of the convention then actually fell. In 1896 he was chosen because the 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 I do not undervalue that devoted personal Friendship which he had the faculty to inspire in so marked a degree among the ablest and most influential leaders: this leadership was of immense conse- quence in bringing about the result i: 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 party as 70 who its candidate should be.
 But even as q candidate President Mckinley was far more than the candi- date of party, and as president he was in the broadest and fullest sense the president of all the people of all sections of the country.
 As so often happens in our history. the president was forced to face ques- tens other than those at issue at the time of his election. Within a year the situation in Cuba had become literally intolerable. President Mckinley had fought too well in his youth, he knew too well at first hand what war really was, lightly to enter into a struggle. He sought by every honorable means to preserve peace, to avert war. He made every effort consistent with the national honor to bring about an ami cable settlement of the Cuban diff culty. Then, when it became evident that these efforts were useless. that peace could not be honorably enter tained, he devoted his strength to mak- ing the war as short and as decisive as possible. It is needless to tell the result in detail. Suffice it 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 followed a harder task. As result of the war we came into possession of Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philippines.
 In Cuba, where we were pledged to give the island independence. the pledge was kept not merely in lette. but in spirit. It would have been q betrayal of our duty to have given Cuba independence out of hand. Presi- dent Mckinley. with his usual singular sagacity in the choice of agents, select cd in General Leonard Wood the man of all others best fit to bring the island through it's uncertain period of prepar- alton for independence. and the result of his wisdom was shown when last May the island became in name and in fact free republic, for it started with