OCR Text |
Show jsciousii ss fir the last time, bis soul tcstf to highest peak of grandeur, grand-eur, anJ with the knowledge of Juty perfnrmedJDd a life epeiitl io the service of hi9 countiymrn ind his God, he was willing to Pbss to the beyond. "Goodbye, goodbye all; it ia God's war. His will be done," are words that will live in the minds and hearts of bis grateful and sorrowing coun-j . I trymen, when every ignoble and abandoued assassin is swept away I and forgotten. I ' .:.v; REFLECTIONS ON M K1NLEY. The Ibte" President of the United Unit-ed Slat s was a splendid specimen of American manhood. He wss also a rjian of destiny. Those who opposed him during life cannot point out one flaw in bis career- in the troublous times preceding .'the recent war, h was calm and unmoved, with his eye on the future fu-ture and his hand on the helm. No threats, no criticism, no appeals, ap-peals, could leal him inty uncon-j sidered action. When he took a stand, it was after full considers-j tion of every consequence i n -1 volved, and the result was success and honor in every instance. When he prepared the bill in 1839 which afterward bore hisj name, every right of American I industry was considered. No! favoritism was shown, but every I struggling industry was listed and! iti comptitar frjm other lands 1 where labor is on a starvation I plane, was closed out of the grand mirbets of the United Stit s. Confidence was restored and three years of unprecedented pros-perity pros-perity followed. , Fate was bind' to him in Lis I official life. Iu 18S8, be was4 pitted against Thomas B. Reedj for the presidency of the House j of Representatives and drfeated I by a Larrow margin. Many of I his friends were chagrined at the reilt, little realizing that that ZlZ. dBfKftt b'ought him . other and greater victories. Mr. Reed, in accordance with cust-jm, chose him for tbe chairmanship "of tbe Ways and Means com rait tip, aad he framed tbeMcKinley bill. It brought on njucfl adverse criti-' -nm irom tbe Democrats, and -ttie people of European countries; - nt iteealed hia fame among the! 'members of his own party.. It f -fiiade him the logical and trium-' phant candidate f)r the V presidency. presi-dency. . tr- - ' -T i , , Under the administration of Tvilliam McKinley, tie country' -reached its highest point of pros-l V ptrity. Such waa the confidence I filt in his wisdom and patriotism,!- - capitalists launched put in to various va-rious enterprises all over the land. The result was that iabr is in de-l mand and industry thrived at never before. The internal trade I and the imports of merchandise of this country have reached as-' toanding proportions. William McKinley placed his native land in the forefront of nations as the greatest trade-producing, the most humane; and the most influential influ-ential of all lands. Jlis fortitude on his death bed sublime. When a whole world was mourning and in tears, : when it seemed as though the beartsnear him would break in excess of grief, he was reconciled to the calamity which had overtaken over-taken him. Like the Savior, he .could forgive even the hand that had bo cruelly struck him. When j death approached, he conld en-J courage his beloved wife and ad- monish her to be brave. At he realized that he wes baing con-' |