The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-02-16

a NUM- ZIG llltIly ttuCSioISS w
~ ing told of Senator Mark Han
N ma is one in relation to his first
- "A acquaintance with President
Mckinley, who at that time
was a young lawyer in Canton, ONO.
Hannas father was the owner OF a
coal mine at Massllon. There was a
strike in the mine, q contest, ana
lockout, followed by riots and the
burning of the mine works. A dozen
miners were arrested, charged with
the crime, and they were defended by
Major Mckinley at the trial.
The young major volunteered to de-
fend the miners and without pay, be-
cause they were poor and he believed
them innocent. He stood Tor a prln-
ciple.
Mark Hanna and several other
young members of the mining company
were the prosecutors. They were the
Young dandies Of Cleveland, the sons
of rich fathers, and when they went
to Canton to attend the trial they TOOK
the best rooms In the principal hotei'
and had all the walters dancing at
tendance for their liberal tips, had a
mortgage on the best turnouts In the
livery stable, and created sensatlon
as they drove about town ana loungeo
about the hotels, the best-dressed men
in the town.
The natty appearance of Mr.. Hanna
and his associates in the courtroom
attracted much attention, In contrast
with that Of the defendants. MAJOR
Mckinley could not resist tnetenp-
tation to use this contrast IN ms APP
peal to the jury, and he did II most
effectively. They gave the jury an op-
ject lesson on the dlnerencs 1890 AZ
the positions of prosecutors ana oe-
Mr.. Hanna and his friends very I'M
Mr. Hanna and his friends veryun-
comfortable, as he called attention TO
their clothes and general air Oh opu-
lence AS they sat there In the court
room the major described them TO
the jury, at the same Tune polii'lhs
out their superiority over the ordinary
citizens Of Canton. He gave attentlon
To their crayats and the diamonds
worn there, to their perfeot-Httins
clothes, their patent-leather SHOES
their silk hats, their WHITE hahos,
which showed no evidence or TOLL;
their good figures and rosy cheeks, all
as evidence Of the perfectly groomed
gentleman Of leisure.
He also recounted their manner OF
living at the hotel. where they COM
manded the best of everything, ana
still found it not good enough for gen
tlemen of fastidious taste and luxur-
ious habits, and as he proceeded with
these details he made Mr.. Hanna re-
greet that he had come into court IN
such raiment.
But as the major turned TO the
group of defendants, with their bent
figures followed cheeks, unearthly
pallor, and rough and begrimed hands
and proceeded to picture the hardshlps
of poverty and poorly paid labor ne
aroused feeling akin to that OF q
lynching bee in the courtroom, and
the jury promptly acquitted the men,
while the spectators talked in a most
uncomplimentary way about the young
men who represented the complain
ants. ~ ..., -
That was the first meeting between
Mckinley and Hanna, and the impress
sion created by each was not pleasant
TO the other. Hanna thought Mckin-
ley a demagog and the major after
ward admitted that he had perhaps
been unjust in his plea, but he said
he could not resist the temptation.
The lesson then learned by Mr.
Hanna was never forgotten. Soon
after that. when he became the man.
ager of the business, he entered into
negotiations with his miners, and
they agreed upon a scale of wages
After that Mr.. Hanna had no trouble
with those in his employ: He had
thousands of employees, and he not
only recognized their right to organ
ize, but encouraged it by making
agreements with the unions
His identity with the civic fedora
ton and his efforts to arbtrate great
strikes grew naturally out of his long
friendly relations with organized
labor and his relations to great in
dustral combinations
NONE of the officials of the various
N companies with which Senator
q, Hanna has been identified has
ever had so many personal friends
among the employees as has he. The
reason for this is not far to seek. He
Gov 70 ,n1
circumstance connected with thu
family affairs of any of them, and i
was nothing unusual for him to gree
a conductor on street car as hearth!
as he would a brother senator and asl
him about the condition of a sick chile
or how his work suited him, or if h
saw how the service could be I'm
proved. He recognized to the full tn
brotherhood Of man and naturally hi
men appreciated his interest in then
and their welfare. Many OF then
have reason to remember his warn
heart and open hand because Of com
forts and delicacies sent to a sick wifi
OF ailing child. Others also have rea
son to remember Uncle Mark" as hi
employees dubbed him.
Some years ago when Cleveland wa
experiencing a particularly severe win
ter one of the city's leading charitabl
organizations was kept so bountifull
supplied with coal that the poor sui
fered very little from lack of fuel. FO
long time there was much myster,
on the part of many Of the organiza
tons officers as to who was furnish
ing the coal, and when the secret di
leak out it was thru the over exuber
ant charity worker thru whom MI
Hanna was supplying fuel.
~NE of Senator Hanna's marke
~ characteristics was his insistenc
to know everything about any
thing in which he was interested, an
to find it out for himself.
In 1880 he bought for $4,000 tn
Euclid Avenue opera-house, in Cleve
land, which had cost $196, 80 to build
and had proved a failure from the da
of it's opening. He put nephew, 1
G. Hanna, in charge as manager, an
thru him let it be known that the OPP
era-house would present the best at
fractions and make every effort t
please the public.
Financial success attended the ne,
management from the start. Tha
was eminently satisfactory to MI
Hanna, but he wanted to find out jus
how the money was made, SO night at
ter night found him on the stage talk
ing with the carpenter, the prOpert
man, and the stage manager an
everybody else employed thereon. A
a result, he soon began making sug
gestions about this piece of scener
or the method of operating some par
ticular mechanism.
Why don't you do it this way?" h