Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 12.djvu/714

Mckinley.

ck'tlid to Congress in tlic year following, and served in the Lower Mouse for seven luiiseculive lernis. In liis first term, in connectiim with the Wood Tariir Jiill. lie upheld the protectionist policy, although his early views on the subject liave been considered as less positive than those which he expressed in his later years. Xot only upon that subject did the development of his views seem to some to show inconsistencies, but also with reference to financial questions was there an even more marked change, inasmuch as he stood with the Western wing of his party in favor of the reiuonetization of silver, and voted for the Bland-Allison Bill, even against the veto of President Hayes. When Garlield was trans- ferred to the Senate, McKinley succeeded him as a member of the Ways and Means C^ommittee of the House. In the same term he spoke vigorously against the repeal of the Federal Election Law, and his speech on the subject was used as a cam- paign document in 1S80. In that campaign he served as a member of the Republican National Committee, was chairman of the Ohio State Con- vention, and was himself reelected to Congress. In the next national campaign also he took an active part, drafting the tariff plank in the Kepublican platform. In the succeeding adminis- tration he became a leader in opposition to the Wills Bill and to President Cleveland's plan of tariff reform. Again in the campaign of 1888 he j)rei)ared the tariff plank of the Republican plat- form, being chairman of the Committee on Reso- lutions. He was one of the managers of the eami)aign of John Sherman, although at one time it seemed that the convention would be turned to himself. He prevented that contingency', how- ever, by a vigorous speech. By this time he was recognized as a distinctively national leader, and although Thomas B, Reed .secured the Speakership of the House, McKinley was made chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, and in that position framed and carried lliniugli Congress the highly protectionist tariff which bears his name. (See Tariff.) In the election of 1890 he was defeated. Ending his Congressional service in 1891. he was in the same year elected (iovernor of Ohio by a plurality of more than 21,000 over Campbell, who in 1890'had carried the State by 11,000, and the success was emphasized in 189,3, when McKinley was reelected by about 81.000 |)lurality. The foiir years of his service as (iovernor were marked by the estab- lishment of a State Board of Arbitration, by improvement in the organization of the National (iuard, and by other evidences of effective admin- istration. His first term, however, was disturbed by serious emlxirrassment in his personal finances, from which he was relieved by the as- sistance of a number of friends, chiefly friends whose political relations with the Governor seemed at times to make the relief more prolific of criticism than insolvency would have been. His second term was marked by the activ- ity of the corporate interests, particularly of the promoters and backers of street railways, and the Governor's connection with legislation on these matters was .such as to provoke much hostile comment. His policy with reference to the charitable institutions of the State also was such as to give his opponents opportunity for severe criticism, although in general his admin- istrations Avere such as to enhance his reputation outside of his State and to mark him still more plainly as a national leader, He was thus the natural and the leading candidate licfore the Saint Louis Convention in 1890, where on the first ballot he received 0G1(. votes. Coming out now strongly for the gold standard, in accord- ance with his party's platform, he quieted the fears aroused by his earlier course and even by his support of the Shcrnum Bill so late as 1890, and took a vigorous lead in the work against the free-silver campaign of Bryan, His personal campaign was unusual in that he remained at Canton throughout, making, however, some 300 speeches from his own porch and therc address- ing in the aggregate probably a million persons. Although he received in the popular vote a plu- rality of only about 000,000 votes in a total of more than 14,000,000 votes, he nevertheless re- ceived 271 electoral votes as against 170 cast for Bryan. Garret A. Hobart was elected Vice- President. JIcKinley's first administration was characterized particularly by the events and poli- cies incident to the acquisition of extensive colo- nial possessions. The war with Spain, ])recipitat- ed by the conditions in Cuba, resulted through the treaty of December 10, 1898, in the annexation of Porto Rico, of the Philippine Islands, and of Guam, upon the pajment to Spain of $20,000,000, and resulted also in the termination of Spanish sovereignty in Cuba, For the remainder of McKinley's service as President, the efi'orts of the Administration were directed to the organiza- tion and maintenance of proper local administra- tion throughout Cuba, to the general improve- ment of the material and social condition of the people, and to the preparation of the inhabitants for the conduct of a general republican form of government, which was to be instituted under the direction of the President's successor. Equally without precedent in our history were the exi- gencies presented in the problem of administering colonial dependencies, a problem which in the early years was made still more difficult by the ]irotracted warfare carried on by portions of the Pliili])pine population. Through the efficiency of the administrators selected by the President, and especially through the effective work of the commission headed by Judge William H. Taft, the close of McKinley's first administration saw the greater portion of the newly acquired islands in a condition of peace and with an orderly administration of government, in which the natives shared, and with most of the attendant circumstances such as to justify the claim flint the assumption of the duties of colonial admin- istration had been successfully eft'ected. By this development, however, many new problems, both of politics and of jurisprudence, were presented, and in such a manner as to make impressive the fact that under McKinley the nation had entered upon what in various respects seemed to be a new course of development. Furthermore, during his administration, in August. 1898, Hawaii finally became a part of the United States, and two years later received a Terri- torial Government, with the right to a delegate in Congress. At the close of 1809 negotia- tions were concluded by which the trip.irtite con- trol of Samoa (q.v.) was terminated, and the United States secured control of Tutuila with the harbor of Pago-Pago. A number of reci- procity treaties were concluded, so that from many points of view the Administration seemed engaged in an expansion of influence and of ter-