The Red Cloud chief., 1904-09-23
Indiana Senator WeIi-Fitted for
the Vice Presidency.
he HAS DIGNITY AND FORCE
And His Training and Experience viii
Enable Him TO Preside Over the
Senate with Credit to the Ma.
tion-Mckinley's Frieud.

800 " S'''' lNNh -
personal interest III rho nomination nj
senator Fairbanks Of lniiana for srcbn,
place on the Republican ticket. The In
diana Senator has Il personality all hi,
own. and his figure merely from a physi
cal point of view is 81 striking h. IN.
been a marked man in WaShingt Nh cvei
since he cam" here. Straight iS an ar
NV. thin. unusually tall. with brigh,
rcd cheeks, with a becoming amount oi
senatorial dignity, and yet with Il grnu,
inc democracy which is seldom ~ruinled
10y public men. the %it'publi an ranIi,
date for the vice presidency IN more than
usually popular ~ public men go.
Aside from this, however. thr ppnpl,
VINO are on til" inside pr public affairs
III Washington know, as people or the
rest OF the country may not know. that
senator Fairbanks is one Of the compar
atiNely few men in public life who have
actually made their Impress upon the
afairS OF IN" government. In every
church, every club. every village debat-
ing society. in every Congress and every
fhrlla1ncit. there are always n select
Few VINO do TIL" great bulk pf the work.
VINO are men of action. who are selected
ny thelr associates 10 perform the things
which have to be- done, whp have the
executive gift which makes them wise in
council. and whose advice aud assistance
are sought when great things are to be
done.
Courteous and Modest.
Constantly courteous. inyariah bly, kind
~. always reserved. consistently modest.
never seeking to put himself in the front
rank. Senator Fairbanks is not usually
credited by the world at large with the
extraordinary Influence he really pos
sesScs here in Washington. His assoc
GATES IN tho Senate. the members Of the
cabinet. and those whuSe duty il is to
execute the law have learned. however.
the quiet force of the Senator from In
diana. and ever since he came here with
Mckinney in lSoI Senator Fairbanks has
been one Of the inner circle. lie has
grown stronger day by day until his
nomination for the vice presidency was
absolutely forced upon him brcaiSc. in
inc OPINION or his associates in the Sen
ate and the party leaders generally. he
was the best equipped man for the posi-
ton. and was by his training and by his
political association Of presidential size.
so that he might be ready At any time
tn exercise the duties OF chief executive
If 1t should become necessary.
Few people are aware OF the unusual
degree to which William Mckinley gave
his confidence to Senator Fairbanks. The
two men were old friends, they repre-
scented much the same element in the
party, and in the early months of 1897
following the bitter political battle of
the previous autumn Mckinley and Fair
banks were in constant touch and the
Frcsident-elec began to lean upon the
Senator-elect This trust in the wisdom
OF the statesman from Indiana was never
lcssened. but rs month after month went
Icy the Indiana Senator was more and
more drawn into the deepest condolences
of the President.
There were trying times in Washing
ton during the latter part Of 1897 and in
the early part of lS9S The United States
and Spain were drifting inevitably to-
ward war. The sentiment in this coun- |
try was overwhelmingly in favor of in.
reference in behalf Of the suffering PEG. |
pie OF Cuba. The pressure for action
grew daily stronger. In the public press,
in Congress, in the churches, on the
streets, everywhere from tn. Atlantic
to the Pacific there was u constantly
growing sentiment that the United States |
must put an end to the shocking condi- |
tons in Cuba.
Mckinley Knew Public Sentiment,
When he was electsi William McKin. |
ley we'll knew what this public sentiment |
was and where it was likely To lead. No
man ever lived who was more skilled in
feeling the pulse Of the public than the
President who laid down his life NJ
Buffalo. When he cume To the White |
House. nevertheless. h. was determined
to EXHAUST every device known to diplo-
macy. short OF actual warfare, to bring
spain to terms and To bring peace 10
Cubn. Trained in the arts Of war him
self, William Mckinley well knew that
war was not To be entered upon lightly.
lie was for peace from the beginning.
During the first six months Of the Me-
kinley administration the tension here
III Washington was extraordinary. Pub.
lie sentiment Of itself might have forced
n war because of the outrages contin.
uaily committed by the Spaniards upon
the poor people Of Cuba. Then came
the explosion Of the Maine. which
touched the spark in the magazine. and
n few weeks the penpl. of the
United States were raging with the lust
Of blood.
Still William Mckinley stood stead
last. lie knew war was nearly in
evitable. but he was in n position to
know also that this country. rich though
Il was in men aud resources. was not
ready for war. lie was in u position
to know that there were no rifles. no
no clothes. no tents, no pro.
Visions or war for even the most mod
crate army. He had not exhausted hi.
and even thcn he knew that
time was necessary to prepare the conn
try for war. The great public which
was ignorant Of the real situation and
which did not realize thnt a mistaken |
public policy hal allowed bur army to
run down 10 a point where we were nor
tilted to fight even a little nation like
Spain, still Numbered for war and he.
,an TO suspect the good faith and the
'ravery of a man like William McI<in. ,
oy. ,
Mckinley Consulted Fairbanks.
All this is history. which the world
and which need not be recapitulat. {
ID in detail, What the world does not !