Page:Lives of the presidents in words of one syllable (1903).djvu/149

 The sev-enth child of Will-iam and Nan-cy McKin-ley was born Jan. 29, 1843, at Niles, O-hi-o. He, too, had the name of Will-iam, and, in time came to be the 25th man who was Pres-i-dent of the U-ni-ted States.

The lad, Will-iam, went to the free schools of Niles till he was nine years old, then his folks took him to a new home at Po-land, in the same state, where he found a school of high grade, and staid there a few years. When quite young he took the vows of the Meth-o-dist church and kept them all his life. He taught school as a youth, and was, too, a clerk in the Po-land Post Of-fice.

When the war broke out, in 1861, young McKin-ley, still in his teens, gave up his work and went with the troops, in the "23d O-hi-o," to the seat of war. He was one of the rank and file at first, but was brave, rose fast, and when the war was at an end, came out "Bre-vet Major." He fought for the old flag with great zeal. He felt that he must do this though he did not love war. All tales which are told of his days on the field go to show the worth of the man and what a help he was to the cause of right.

When peace came, Ma-jor McKin-ley went to Can-ton and took up law. In 1869 he wed Miss I-da Sax-ton of the same town. In 1877 the bright young man-at-law was sent to Con-gress. He thought much on what was best for the land, and when he spoke on a theme he did so in a way to show that he meant what he said. In 1891 he was Gov-ern-or of O-hi-o.

Free Trade McKin-ley did not like. He felt that it would be best to keep cheap goods out of our land and so he made a bill which bore his name and it came to be a law.