McKINLEY IN THE WHITE HOUSE

By Charles S. Olcott.

HAVING served through the Civil War, from which he emerged a major, and seven consecutive terms in Congress, besides two terms as Governor of Ohio, McKinley became the twenty-fifth President of the United States on March 4, 1897. His campaign was unusual in that he remained at Canton, Ohio, throughout it, making some 300 speeches from the porch of his home and there addressing an aggregate of a million persons.

The Republican party platform on which he was elected committed his administration to the gold standard and to a Protective Tariff, as opposed to the free silver and freer-trade campaign of Bryan. In his "Life of William McKinley," from which this account is taken, by permission of Houghton Mifflin Company, Olcott credits McKinley with receiving a majority of 286,257 votes the first President since Grant to receive a majority of the popular vote. Under his administration a decided boom in business followed the passage of the Dingley tariff measure.

THE administration of William McKinley began on the 4th of March, 1897, in an atmosphere of friendliness and hearty good-will. Not since the days of Grant had a President entered upon his duties with a majority of the popular vote. Hayes and Harrison each received fewer votes than his unsuccessful opponent, while Garfield and Cleveland, though receiving small pluralities, failed to command the support of a majority of the electorate. Lincoln went into office the first time with over sixty per cent of the voters opposed to him, and though he received a nominal majority for his second term, there were eleven States not yet readmitted to the Union, and which did not vote.

McKinley went into the Presidency with 7,111,607 votes at his back, constituting a clear majority over all opposing candidates of 286,257 votes. In addition he had the personal good-will of a large proportion of those who voted against him. Not an important newspaper in any of the large cities manifested a spirit of hostility. Everywhere a prevailing atmosphere of hopefulness and cordial good-will seemed to have taken possession of the people. Those who believed in Protection rejoiced that the greatest champion of their cause was now in a position of power. Of those who opposed Protection, many allowed their joy in the overthrow of the Free-Silver specter to drown for the moment any fears they might have entertained. Moreover, the genial nature of the successful candidate had made a strong appeal to the masses, and generally speaking the people of the United States wished William McKinley success and prosperity.

The outgoing administration bore a conspicuous part in this general manifestation of good-will. To those who were in the White House on the night of the election it is known that the Democratic President was sincerely gratified by the result, while his Secretary of the Treasury, Mr. Carlisle, made no secret of his elation at the overthrow of the Silver fallacy. Early in February, President Cleveland sent a cordial and gracious letter to his successor, with an invitation to dine at the White House on the eve of the inauguration, to which the President-elect responded in the heartiest mariner. There was the ring of sincerity in the exchange of greetings between the two men, each of whom entertained a genuine feeling of respect and admiration for the other, notwithstanding their diverse political opinions. Cleveland's entire Cabinet seconded the efforts of their chief to extend a hospitable welcome to the new administration, each retiring secretary manifesting a spirit of practical helpfulness to his successor. Never before in the history of the country had there been a more courteous transfer of authority. It is worthy of note, also, by way of contrast with previous transitions of the government from one party to another, that the only immediate change in the personnel of the public service was in the offices of the President, Vice-President, and members of the Cabinet. Change in the civil service, under a law which McKinley had helped to put upon the statute books, and which Cleveland had greatly extended in its application, had completely overthrown the spoils system, and though Republicans were eventually appointed in many instances to succeed Democrats, the substitutions were made gradually and with reference to fitness for the office, rather than to mere sectionalism or partisanship. The old-fashioned scramble for patronage had to a large extent disappeared.

Inauguration day on the 4th of March, 1897, found President McKinley face to face with many serious problems. The country was suffering from a widespread industrial depression. The Tariff of 1894 had not only greatly unsettled the manufacturing and commercial interests, but had failed to provide sufficient revenue for the expenses of the government. A steadily increasing fear had spread over the country, lest the gold standard should not be maintained. The party in power in the preceding administration was divided against itself, President Cleveland standing firmly for a sound currency, while the Democratic members of Congress were largely in favor of the free coinage of silver. The loss of confidence led to the presentation of an immense volume of legal tender notes for redemption, and the reserve fund of $100,000,000 in gold, which for a long time had been considered by the Treasury and the public as a necessary safeguard, was rapidly depleted. Again and again President Cleveland had been forced to borrow money to replenish the reserve. The purchasers of bonds would, to a large extent, obtain the gold with which to pay for them by presenting greenbacks for redemption, thus depleting the reserve still further for the purpose of replenishing it! The bond issues, therefore, failed to accomplish their purpose, until at length the administration was compelled to bargain with a Wall Street syndicate, representing foreign bankers, to supply the necessary gold at exorbitant rates. Issues of bonds were made aggregating $262,315,400, adding nearly $11,111,000 to the annual interest charge.