Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 7).djvu/222

180 hailed as the most prominent republican aspirant for president. In his second annual message Gov. McKinley recommended biennial sessions of the legislature ; suggested a revision of the tax laws by a commission created for the purpose ; and condemned any unnecessary increase of local taxa- tion and indebtedness.

On 23 Feb., 1894, McKinley delivered an address on the life and public services of George Washing- ton, under the auspices of the Union league club, Chicago, which gave much gratification to his friends and admirers. Beginning at Bangor, Me., 8 Sept., and continuing through the next two months, he was constantly on the platform. The Wilson-Gorman tariff law had just been enacted, and to this he devoted his chief attention. After returning to Ohio to open the state campaign at Pindlay, Gov. McKinley set out for the west. Travelling in special trains, under the auspices of state committees, his meetings began at daybreak and continued until nightfall or later from his car, or from adjacent platforms. For over eight weeks he averaged seven speeches a day, ranging in length from ten minutes to an hour ; and in this time he travelled over 16,000 miles and addressed fully 2,000,000 people.

During the ensuing winter there was great dis- tress in the mining districts of the Hocking valley. Gov. McKinley, by appeais to the generous people of the state, raised sufficient funds and provisions to meet every case of actual privation, the bulk of the work being done under his personal direction at Columbus. Several serious outbreaks occurred during his administration, at one time requiring the presence of 3,000 of the national guard in the field. On three occasions prisoners wore saved from mobs and safely incarcerated in the state prison. His declaration that " lynchings must not be tolerated in Ohio " was literally made good for the first time in any state administration.

On the expiration of his term as governor he returned to his old home at Canton. Already throughout the country had begun a movement in his favor that proved almost irresistible in every popular convention. State after state and district after district declared for him, until, when at length the national convention assembled, he was the choice of more than two thirds of the delegates for president. In the republican national conven- tion held in St. Louis in June, 1896, he was nomi- nated on the first ballot, receiving 6613^ out of 922 votes, and in the ensuing election he received a popular vote of 7,104,779, a plurality of 601,854 over his prmcipal opponent, William J. Bryan. In the electoral college McKinley received 271 votes, against 176 for Bryan. The prominent issues in the canvass were the questions of free coinage of silver and restoration of the protective tariff system. Early in the contest he announced his determination not to engage in the speaking campaign. Realizing that they could not induce him to set out on what he thought an undignified yote-seeking tour of the country, the people im- mediately began to flock by the thousand to Canton, and here from his doorstep he welcomed and spoke to them. In this manner more than 300 speeches were made from 19 June to 2 Nov., 1896, to more than 7.50,000 strangers from all Earts of the country. Nothing like it was ever efore known in a presidential campaign.

Besides the pilgrimages to Canton already men- tioned, the (tanvass was marked by the fact that Major McKinley's chief opponent, Mr. Bryan, was the nominee of both the democratic and the popu- list parties, and by the widespread revolt in the democratic party caused by this alliance. Within ten days after the adoption of the democratic plat- form more than 100 daily papers that had been accustomed to support the nominees of the demo- cratic party announced their opposition to both ticket and platform, and Major McKinley was vigorously supported by many who disagreed totally with him on the tariff question. The cam- paign was in some respects more thoroughly one of education than any that had been known, and its closing weeks were filled with activity and ex- citement, being especially marked by the display of the national flag. Chairman Hanna, of the re- publican national committee, recommended that on the Saturday preceding election day the flag should be displayed by all friends of sound finance and good government, and the democratic com- mittee, unwilling to seem less patriotic, issued a similar recommendation. Thus a special " flag day " was generally observed, and political parades of unusual size added to the excitement. The re- sult of the contest was breathlessly awaited and received with unusual demonstrations of joy.

On 4 March, 1897, Major McKinley took the oath of office at Washington in the presence of an unusually large number of people and with great military and civic display. Immediately after- ward he sent to the senate the names of the fol- lowing persons to constitute his cabinet, and they were promptly confirmed by that body : Secretary of state, John Sherman, of Ohio ; secretary of the treasury, Lyman J. Gage, of Illinois ; secretary of war. Gen. Russell A. Alger, of Michigan ; secretary of the navy, John D. Long, of Massachusetts ; sec- retary of the interior, Cornelius N. Bliss, of New York ; attorney-general, Joseph McKenna. of Cali- fornia, who was succeeded m 1898 by John W. Griggs, of New Jersey: postmaster-general. James A. Gary, of Maryland : secrerary of agriculture, James Wilson, of Iowa. On 6 March the new presi- dent issued a proclamation calling an extra ses- sion of congress for 15 March. On that date both branches met and listened to a special presidential message on the subject of the tariff. The result was the drafting of the bill called the " Dingley bill " after Chairman Nelson Dingley. of the ways and means committee, and in the course of the summer this passed both branches of congress, and by the signature of the president became a law.

It was expected that the election of President McKinley would put an end to the hard times that had prevailed for many years in the country, which. as was believed, were due to the tariff policv of the democratic party and to apprehension regarding the possible adoption of free coinage of silver. After the passage of the Dingley tariff bill there was a