Reclass Mip. 1246-33 Ө PREFACE. The Author of this book had the pleasure and advantage of the personal acquaintance and the honor of friendship and confidence of William McKinley for a quarter of a century, and as a public journalist knew the public men of his State-knew the man McKinley at his homes in Ohio and Washington-knew his friends-he had no enemies -knew his relations with men and measures, and there was not a blot on the illuminated pages of that open book, his life. There has been no embarrassment in the work of biography, from the beginning to the completion, save in the surpassing riches of the material testified by clouds of witnesses. It is a life illustrious indeed, without a blemish or a flaw, nothing to avoid, explain or extenuate. His good reputation is the white light of a cloudless sky, no shadow falling to dim the deeds of a day. The life of William McKinley, twenty-fifth President of the United States, was luminously representative of the better characteristics of Americanism. He was the ninth President re-elected. Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Jackson, Lincoln, Grant, Cleveland and McKinley are the names of that list. The first recorded leadership of McKinley is that he was the foremost boy of his village to leave school and go for a soldier. He entered the first class in the army, that of the enlisted men, and was a man with a gun for fourteen months on his shoulder on the march, and against his shoulder on the fire line. When the war was over he was a Major, and always a Major with the majority. He is the only enlisted man in our history who served as a private in the ranks for a year and became President. He earned the promotions he got in war and in peace. From private to President, he secured no advance that was not coming to him. There is no prouder record written on the rolls of glory. 182109 |