I ill
PRESIDENT.
WILLIAM M KINLEY
The Story of His Career From
Log Calin to the White
House - His Life as Sol
dier, Statesman, Hus
band and Man?Why
He Was Regarded
as a Typical
American.
In the tragic death of William Mc
Kinley the nation has lost more than
a president. It has lost a man of whom
tt was proud to say, "He is a typical
* American." Just how great Is this loss
can best be realized by a review of the
life of our third martyred president,
it 1? n life which can stand the search
ing ravs of publicity, for the career of
William McKluley bears no blot, re
veals no blemish, from Its humble be
ginning to its Illustrious but sorrowful
ending.
He was born Jan. 29, 1843, at Niles,
Trumbull county, O.
When he was nine years old, his par
ents removed to i'olund, where ho
passed the rest of his boyhood and
?cliool days. ?
In 18U0 he taught school, clerked in
the l'oland postotBce and finally. In
June of that year, enlisted as a private
In Company E, Twenty-third Ohio vol
unteers.
In 1802 he was promoted to be com
missary sergeant nnij later to Becoml
lieutenant on the stall of Rutherford
B. Hayes. He distinguished himself In
?everal engagements.
In 1803 lie became IIrut lieutenant.
In 1804 lie was iiromoteil to captain
and detailed as acting adjutant general
of the First division, First Army corps.
In 1805, having been brevetted a ma
jor of volunteers and honorably dis
charged, he returned to Poland and re
sumed the study of law.
In 1807 he was admitted to the bar
and began practice at Canton.
In 1871 he was married to Miss Ida
Saxton of Canton.
In 1870 he was elected to congress,
serving as u representative from Ohio
for fourteen years.
In 1SP0 he acted as chairman of the
ways and means committee which
framed the bill that afterward became
known as the McKinley tariff law.
In 1891 he was elected governor of
Ohio.
In 1893 he was re-elected governor of
Ohio.
In 1890 he was elected president of
the United States.
In 1897 he was inaugurated presi
dent.
In 1898 he personally supervised the
conduct of the Spanish-American war.
In 1899 he shaped the policy which
resulted in the extension of our do
main far beyond its former borders.
In 1900 he was re-elected president
by a popular plurality of 852.000.
In 1901 he had begun his second ad
ministration with the establishment of
Jt'KINLEY'S BIRTHPLACE.
civil government In the Philippines
and was preparing to inaugurate home
rule in Cuba. Early in the spring he
made a memorable tour of the country
from Washington to San Francisco, the
Journey being interrupted by the seri
ous illness of Mrs. McKiniey. With
the returning health of Mrs. McKiniey
he accepted an Invitation to visit the
Pan-American exjKisition at ItulTalo.
and it w as at the close of his third day 1
there that he was shot.
M'KINLEY'S BOYHOOD.
To speak at length of William Mc
Kiuley's ancestry would be to repeat
facts that are already well known.
That he was descended from sturdy
Bcotrh-Irish ancestors, that he was the
child of William McKiniey, a pioneer
tn the iron puddling business in Ohio?
these facts have been thrashed over
again and again.
Though the town of Canton is most
Intimately associated with the name of
McKiniey. It was not his birthplace.
Be was born In Niies.
The old inhabitants of that quaint
little village claim to remember him, !
but their memories are vague, for be |
was only a boy when the family moved
to Poland. Mahoning county, O. His
people were not rich then, neither were I
they very poor.
Young William was sent to the vtl- i
lage school at Klles, but bis father felt
that better educational advantages for
the children could be secured else
where. Accordingly he moved to Po
land, and the future president was
sent to what was known as the "acad
emy" In that town.
He stood well among his school fel
lows In all bis studies, but bis work In
the debating society seemed to give an
early hint of the eloquent oratorical
powers which later enabled him to
away multitudes with even more ease
than at that time he swayed the school
fellows who gathered to hear the de
bates.
At the early acre of lfl he left the
Poland academy I r Alleghany college
In Meudvllle. Pa. llere, however, a
sudden Illness fo ed him to give up
his studies and te return home. On
top of this misfortune came, what prac
tically amounted to the business fail
ure of his father. Ev vtldng was not
lost, but the fntnlly was so reduced In
circumstances that It was Impracti
cable to send W!l"ara back to college.
lie was still lit tit more than a boy,
but. anxious to do all in his power to
aid In the support of Ills family, be
took a position as district school teach
er. with the munificent salary of $25
a month.
And then came the war. and the
young schoolteacher, burning with
the desire to aid In the great cause of
liberty, was one of the first to enlist
In the army.
HOW M'KINLEY ENLISTED.
Robert I*. Porter In his "Life of WIl
II11 in McKlnley" gives this description
of the young man's enlistment:
Poland had itront* enlisting propensities. It
wan the banner township. The hoys went to the
front juat bb aoon us the national government
would take thvm. Poland's pride today la that
M'KINuKi' A3 A SOLDIER.
the never si > i ? dr.".ft. Her quota wm always
K ll and o ?rfluwing. Maid an enthusiastic Poland
cr to the writer:
"Of this she is rightly proud. When the war
cloud had hurst over our h a Is, Poland came to
the fri nt wi:l? more than her share of treasured
sons as her offoi i:ig. And the preliminaries were,
as a rule, conducted at the Sparrow House. One
day in June, latl. a crowd had gathered in thia
old tavern. An impassioned speaker pointed to
the stars and Stripes which hung on the wall
and exclaimed, with much expression:
" 'Our country's flag lias been ahot at. It has
been trailed in the dust by those who should de
fend it, dishonored by those who should have
cherished and loved it, and for what? That this
free government may keep a race in the dage
of slavery. Who will be the first to defend it?'
"A deadly silence reigned in that hotel parlor.
Many beating hearts there were in the roonf.
Many young patriots stood th: re who longed to
serve their country and yet bud not the courage
to make the firs: move.
"Presently a space was cleared in front of the
eloquent speaker. One by one some of the choic
est of the young men of Poland stepped forward.
Among them a slight gray eyed boyish figure
might have been observed.
"Too much impressed with the seriousness of
the situation to put himself in evidence, he step
ped up with the rest. He was only a boyish pri
vate then."
The company that was formed then
was carefully drilled iu the few days
that It had before its departure for
camp. On the day that they left Po
land half of the town followed them al
most to Youngstown in their eagerness
to keep the brave hoys in sight as long
us possible.
At Youngstown the train was boarded
and the Journey for Camp Chase at
Columbus begun. Here Company E of
tbe Twenty-third Ohio regiment pitch
ed Its tents, and atnoug those who lay
under that scant shelter was William
Mclviuley, just starting on the career
that has brought him such honor aud
such gratitude from a whole nation.
PROMOTED FOR GALLANTRY.
McKinley's executive ability brought
blm Into notice almost Immediately.
He was made commissary sergeant and
for two years was on the staff of Presi
dent Hayes, who was then In command
of the regiment.
On what President Hayes had called
the bloodiest day of the whole war?
the 17th of September, lSCJ. In the bat
tle of Antletam?Sergeant McKlnley's
conduct was such that his commander
In person recommended his promotion.
Under the hottest tire, with men ly
ing dead and dying all about him, with
men suffering bitterly from the want
of a bite to eat and a drop to drink,
Sergeant McKinley, with the staff that
he had organized so well, was every
where on the field, distributing the
food and the coffee that the fighting
men so much needed, cheering them
on with his brave words and never for
an Instant seeming to care for the shot
and the shell that were flying so fast
about him.
Major Hayes noticed the young man
with admiring eyes. While recovering
from his wounds he called upon Gov
ernor Tod of Uhlo and told tilm of the
Incident. The governor immediately
ordered the promotion of Sergeant Mc
Kinley and ordered further that the
promotion should Ik- placed upon the
roster of the eoin|>any.
Step by step after that the young j
man won his way up until three months I
before he waS mustered out he was
made major by brevet "for gallant and
meritorious service at the battles of
Opequan. Cedar Creek and fisher's
Hill."
Ills commission wat signed "A. Lin
coin."
, HIS POLITICAL CAREER.
Returning home from the war, McKIn
ley studied law with Judge Charles E. ?
Glldden of Canton and at the Albany
Law school, 'e was admitted to the bar
in March, 1807, aud settled Id < anton.
which became his permanent home. He
soon attracted attention as a lawyer of
ability, and. although Stark county was
Democratic, he was elected prosecut
ing attorney in 1803, but he was defeat
ed for the same office two years later.
From this time forward Major McKln
ley Rave much attem on to |>olliics.
The seeming disasters in McKiuley's
career brought only greater honors
When MeKluley offered himself us a
candidate for speaker of the house of
representatives, he found that two oth
er western men?Ilurrows and Cannon
?were asking for the place. Heed was
the only eastern aspirant, and he wod
handily. It Is a tradition In the house
<f representatives that the speaker
shall appoint his most formidable op
ponent chairman of the ways and
means committee, aud this chairman
becomes ex officio the leader of tlje ma
jority This lot fell to McKlnlejr. It
was hfs opportunity, aud he took ad- !
vantage of It by formulating the Mc
Kiuley tariff bill. The outcome is
known to the world.
Two years later, after Mellinley's
district had been changed so as to
make the normal majority against him
more than 3,000, he was defeated for
congress, but h? made a strong show
ing by cutting his opponent's vote down
to a margin of 300. This led to his
nomination as governor of Ohio, and
his next stpp was to the White House.
Had McKInley been successful In his
caudidacy for the speakership, and
had he appointed Reed chairman of
the committee on ways and means, in
all probability he never would have
been president.
Rut McKInley kept to his work. He
had no false notions of luck. In one
of his addresses to young men he said,
"Luck will not last." The president
held that
The fortunate
is ne wncse earnegt purpose never swerves.
Whose slightest action or inaction serves
The one great aim.
So this brace of temporary setbacks
that he experienced merely afforded
him time and space in which to get a
fresli hold on the lines of his destiny.
In 1884 he was a delegate at large
from Ohio to the national convention,
and helped to nominate James G.
Blaine. At the next national conven
tion he represented the state In the
same manner, and supported John
Sherman. At that convention, after
the first day's balloting, the indications
were that McKinley himself might he
nominated. Then his strength of pur
pose and his high Ideas of loyalty and
honor showed themselves, for in an
earnest and stirring speech he demand
ed that no votes be east for him.
In 1891 he was elected governor of
Ohio by a majority of about 21,000
over ex-Governor James E. Campbell,
the Democratic candidate. The issue
then at stake was chiefly the tariff,
but McKinley also placed himself in
opposition to the free coinage of silver.
In 1892 he was again a delegate at
large to the national convention at
Minneapolis, and was made permanent
chairman. Although his name was not
brought before the convention, yet he
received 182 votes. He himself was a \
strong supporter of President Har !
rison.
In 1893 Major McKinley was re-elect- !
ed governor of Ohio by n majority of
80,995. At the expiration of his term ?
he returned to Canton. He had lieen
a political speaker and leader in con
gress. known and admired throughout
the country, and his popularity and
the confidence of the people in his prin
ciples and purposes were constantly in
creasing; hence there was little em
prise when he was nominated on the
first ballot at the Republican national
convention at St. Louis in 1890.
M'KINLEY AS A SPEECHNAKER.
Experienced campaigners declare
that McKinley was an ideal candidate.
He had all the courtesy of a Kentucky
colonel, and his gallantry was unfail
ing. His memory for names and faces
was phenomenal. Though not effusive,
he was ever urbane. He bad tact and
in all the relations of life was a living
exemplification of the suaviter in mo
do.
His home at Canton, O., during the
progress of his two canvasses for the
presidency was the Mecca of thou
sands of admiring supporters. The
H'KLSLEY AS A LAWYER.
trampling out of the grass lu his front
ynnl. even down to the roots, grew to
be a national jest, yet it was no exag
geration.
lirief speeches were to the president's
liking. Two characteristic addresses
will suffice to Illustrate his methods of
address?one is no longer than Lin
coln's masterpiece at Gettysburg, and
the other required not more than three
minutes for delivery in his most delib
erate style.
At Canton, O., speaking of the prog
ress of the war with Spain, the presi
dent said:
Our glorious old dig, the trrobol of liberty,
fbs'.d today over two hemltpheree. During the
recant war we bad exhibitions of unprecedented
patriotism on the part of the people and unmatch
ed har ?ism on the part of our soldiers and sailors.
Our ascond gnat triumph ia the triumph of pros
perity. The busy mills, the active industries, the
genersl prosperity, have scattered plenty o'er a
ami 1 in* country. Our third great triumph ia ths
triumph we have had over sectionalism. We are
no I* Mger a divided people, and he who would
stir up snimositiea between the north and south
ia denied a bearing in both sections. The boys of
the south and the boys of the north fought th
ump ar.tiy on land and sea in every engagement
luring our war.
At Chicago, three days later, he gave
utterance to the following:.
The t'nited States never struck a blow except
for civilisation and never struck ita colon. Has
the pyramid lost any of ita strength? lias ths
MOTHER OP PRESIDENT M'EXXLET.
republic lost any of its virility? Has the self gov
erning principle been weakened? Is there any
present menace to our stability and duration? |
Tlu-?e questions bring but one answer. The re
public is sturdier and stronger than ever before, j
Government by the people has been advanced.
Freedom under the flag is inure universal than
when the Union was formed. Our steps have been
forward, not backward. From Plymouth rock to
the Philippines the grand triumphant march of
human liberty has never paused.
As n maxim maker the president
gained fame, and searchers of history
have declared that monarchies and
aristocracies have produced few
maxim makers, this form of thought
and expression having flourished most \
during periods of popular government. ;
One of the first maxims put forth by
McKinley in his first campaign against J
Bryan was, "It is better to open the
mills than to open the mints."
The president once sought to win [
acceptance of his policy of confidence1
and hope by saying, "A patriot makes
a better citizen than a pessimist."
To Indicate his confidence In the
course that he was steering the ship
of state, he declared, "The country is
not going backward, but forwa.d."
For younger men McKinley gave
voice to this oracular saying: "Luck
will not last. It may help you once,
but you cannot count upon it. Labor
is the only key to opportunity."
HIS HOME LIFE.
When Major McKinley first went to
Canton to consult his sister on the
choice of a profession, he met Miss Ida
Saxton, the pretty daughter of James j
Saxton. a well to do banker of Canton.
He was young and good looking; sbe
was sweet sixteen. The acquaintance
ship was of short duration, for lie had
to go to Albany to study law ami she
had to return to school, but the first
thing that he did on his return to Can
ton as a full fledged lawyer was to |
seek her out and woo her for his wife. I
They were married on the 25th day of
January, 1871. and he always declared
that it was the best suit he ever won.
The young couple began their house I
keeping in the old Saxton home at!
Canton. Two children were born to
them, but both died in infancy. Since
the birth of the second child Mrs. Mc
Kinley has been an invalid, but yet a
happy and contented one, for the devo
tion <jf her husband was untiring. She
followed his political career closely,
and often he was indebted to her for!
valuable advice. Muring the conven-!
tion which renominated McKinley for
tlie presidency, when the private wire
was ticking the news, there was no one
so deeply interested in the result as
Mrs. McKinley. and when it came and
her husband entered the room with the
message in bis hand there were tears
in the eyes of the others present as.
tenderly bending over her. he kissed
her and said, "I congratulate you. my
dear," and she replied with a look that
spoke more than words.
One of the president's most strongly
marked traits was his devotion to his!
mother and to his wife.
Willie ills motlier was alive tie scarce
ly allowed a day to pass without send
ing her some message to let her kuow
that all was well with him. Ills solici
tude for his invalid wife was equally
touching. He even weut so far at times
when she was suffering more than usu
al to attend to some of the little de
tails of the household management In
order to relieve her as much as possi
ble from the strain and anxiety of such
duties. Very frequently during the
time he was at the White House, even
when some important conference was
being held, he would excuse himself
and run up stairs to spend a few mo
ments with the invalid woman who
was so thoroughly In sympathy with
him. And no matter how dark or
threatening the situation may have
seemed to him he invariably presented >.
to her only the most cheerful side.
I'erhaps the most pathetic part of it I
all was that a man of such tender de
votlun to his family should have so lit
tie real home life. For the last twenty
years or more his efforts were given
so eutirely to the service of his country
and he was forced to move from place
to place so continuously that there has
been little chance for that domestic
happiness which a man of his nature
so covets.
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS.
Mr. McKinley was a plain liver. ITi
smoked moderately, but did not use In
toxlcatlng liquors. He was clean of
speech as he was of character. lie was
a model husband, a devoted son and
brother and in all the walks of life so
carried himself as to leave the Impress
of a noble character. He was strong
mentally and physic-ally. He had no
physical weakness. lie walked with
a decided and energetic step. While
bis face hail a certain pallor under ex
citement, It habitually wore the tine I
glow of a man in tugged health. He [
was frequently seen ujiou the streets
of Washington and was not hedged
about by the usual pride and circum
stance of rulers. He was the most
reasonable, the most accommodating
of men. No citizen was too lowly, no
cause too poor to enlist his sympathy,
hut with all this he was a business
man. He knew the value of time. He
would have been unable to accomplish
the work for which he was chosen if
he had failed to husband his resources,
and so It was that he got out of every
man associated with him the best and
most that was in him. He did nothing
himself that others should do for ?im.
His cabinet officers were appolnteu for
a purpose?to administer the affairs of
their great departments. He required
of them a strict account of steward
ship; he did not Interfere with them
in the discharge of their onerous du
ties; he called them Into consultation;
he required a showing of their books;
he drew upoa them for a strengthening
of administrative policies; he relied up
on them for material and support; his
olllcc was a model in the dispatch of
public business# A keen. Judge of men,
he surrounded himself with efficient
helpers. From an ordinary government
establishment, with very indifferent
methods, the executive mansion be
came one of t lie most practical and
helpful of pull! c offices. A position In
the office of the presldent of the United
States is today a post of signal honor,
highly prized among the thousands of
such places in the federal service.
Only the sterling qualities of his
character helped him in the dark hours
FATfTF.R OK IT.rSlIir.NT Jl'KIN'LEY.
of personal suffering which came to
liim during the lust few months of his
life. All public men train themselves
in the hard school of sel. control, hut
none was uiore successful than Wil
liam McKinley. The nation still re
members the ca! patient man who
watched for many hours at the bed
side of his wife and whose unbending
will smothered every outward trace of
the emotion which tore at his heart
strings. Even in that recent tragic
moment when he had been felled by
the assassin that grand moral strength
of his enabled him to endure pain with
a calm face. It was he who tried to
reassure his friends, although his life
blood was even then ebbing away.
Such was the stuff of which our third
martyred president was made.
The Commoner
(MR. BRYAN'S PAPER.)
T. e Comn oner has attained within
six months from date of the first issue
a ? ireulation of 100 000 t opies, a
record probably never iqinled in the
history of American periodical liter
ature The unparalleled growth of
this paper demonstrates that there is
room in the newspapet field for
A National Paper,
devoted to the discussion of political,
economic and social problems To
the cojumns of The Commoner
Mr. Bryan Contributes his Best
Efforts!
ard hit review of political events a?
they arise from time to time cannot
fail to interest tho e who study pub
lic questions.
The Commoner's regular subscrip
tion price is #1 0t' per vesr We have
arranged with Mr. B yan whetehy
we can firnisli his paper and
THE S.MITIIFIELD HEK\LD
togtther one year for $1 6o. Tne
regular subscription price of the two
papers when substrihed for separate
* ly is #2.00.
WHITE'S BLACK LINIMENT.
2oc. bottles reduced to 1 OC.
"I have used White's Black
Liniment and his other horse
medicines with arreat success and
found them to tie as represented.
"W. L. Fuller,
"Sniithiield, N. C."
For sale bv Allen Lee,
Smithfield, N. tf. Brujjpist.
guaranteed
^ $5,000 DEPOSIT
v /Ifc <3?>?i R-R- F'RE PAI?
H m'Tffyw 200 FREE
^ Scholtrnhlrs offered
CA.-ALA. BUSINESS COL LZCE. Macon.Ca
DR. S. P. J. LEE,
DENTIST,
OFFICE ON SECOND FLOOR OF
PROFESSIONAL BUILDING
on Market St,
SMITHFIELD, N. C.
i,.>,Houses
km ior Rcnt,
If you want to. rent any
kind of a house in Smith
field please let me know it.
J. M. BEATY,
SMITHFIELD, N. C.
Dr. J. W. Hatcher,
DENTIST,
Se-lma IN. CZ.
Office in Hare & Son's Drnji Store.
DR. H. P. UNDERHILL,
Physician and Surgeon,
KENLY, N. C.
Office at Mr. Jesse Kirby's.
FLOYD H. PARRISH,
8MITHFIELD. N C.
Fresh Meats, Beef and Ice
IIighbst Prices Paid for Hides.
HT" Iloef cattle wanted.
Treasurer's Card.
John W. Futrell, Treasurer of Johntrtdk.
County, will be in Sraithtield every
Monday and Saturday and Court Weeks
Office in back room of the Flank of Smith
field. In his absence county orders wib b?
oaid at the Flank
HOTEL DICKENS,
smithfieli), n. c.
Transients and Boarders
On Main Business Ktkeet.
Rates Reasonable.
MRS J. E. DICKENS,
Proprietress
New Market Opened.
We have just opened a first
I class market in tint
Dickens Building:
; (Ipnosite Holt's Hardware Store,
ana can serve the public with the
best fresh meats the market
affords.
We Want to Bijy
Fat Cattle, Pork, Hides,
Beeswax, Tallow, Etc.,
and will pay highest market prices
for same. Give us a trial.
Barber & Lindsay,
Kinithfield, N. C.
Sept. 8?tf.
NEW MILLINERY.
Go to H. W. Mitchell's for bar
gains in fancy millinery goods.
Hots Trimmed (o order
?BY?
Miss Annie Glisson,
a special saleslady. Call and see
us before buying elsewhere.
Respectfully,
Miss Claudia Milchcll,
CLAYTON, N. C.
Notice to Farmers.
We have bought the Square
Gin in| Smithfield for the pur
pose of
Ginning Your Cotton.
We have thoroughly cleaned
and overhauled the gins and
machinery and are now ready
to do your work. We have
secured the services of Mr.
James Ogburn to run the gin
and he would be glad to serve
the people. We will unload
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Cleans Your Cotton
and gives the best possible sam
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your seed and giye you a neat
package.
Try us and be convinced that
The Munger Huller Gin
is the one to gin your cotton,
tours,
J. W. Stephenson,
Walter Rand.
\