Washington and was reviewed by President Lincoln. And I know of no better place in which to have such a celebration than in this glorious city, which witnessed the Declaration of Independence.

"As I stood on the reviewing stand to-day my heart was filled only with gratitude to the God of battles, who has so favored us, and to the soldiers and sailors who have won such victories on land and sea and have given such a new meaning to American valor. No braver soldiers or sailors ever assembled under a flag.

"You had to-day the heroes of Guantanamo, of Santiago, of Porto Rico. We had unfortunately none of the heroes of Manila, but our hearts go out to-night to the brave Dewey "-here the President was interrupted with tremendous cheers-"and to Merritt and to Otis and to all the brave men with them.

"Gentlemen, the American people are ready. If the Merrimac is to be sunk-" here the President turned to the young naval constructor, while every one shouted 'Hobson-' "yes, Hobson, is ready to do it and to succeed in what his foes never have been able to do-sink an American ship.

"I propose a toast to the army and navy, without whose sacrifices we could not now celebrate the victory, a toast not only to the men who were in the front, in the trenches, but the men who were willing and anxious to go, but who could not be sent."

CHAPTER VIII.

Glowing Tribute to Our Lamented President-Speech on Being Notified of His Second Nomination-Masterly Statement of the Political History of Our Country.

THE

HE sorrow over Mr. McKinley's untimely death was not confined to any one section of our country. This is made plain by the following editorial from the "Atlanta Constitution," which gives eloquent voice to the grief that was common to our whole people:

"The death of the President comes to the people of the United States as a common grief. In the North, to whose cause he was espoused when civil war raged; in the South, to whose people he brought a message of real fraternity; in the new nation, baptized in the blood of all sections, the name of McKinley had become a household word. He was close to each, without indif ference to either; with the love of a father, he looked forward to the maturity of the nation over which he had been called to preside.

"The hour of death removes politics, but better still the love of a lifetime had extracted whatever asperity might have existed. The high office of President was fittingly filled by a man measuring up to its requirements. To him it made no difference whether patriot had worn blue or gray; he accepted the heart-loyalty of the present as the token of the future. There will be many evidences of the dead President's administration to perpetuate his name.

"He had an eye to the material supremacy of the Union; he had expanded the limits of American authority beyond the seas, but, greater than all-the greatest possible-was the binding of domestic wounds and the healing of internal estrange

ment.

"The nation mourns for McKinley; the South kneels at his bier; the whole world sees a weeping but united nation.

person.

"But government never stands still. With the closing of the career of the President, the Vice President comes into office. This brings to the nation no shock of policy or of The people elected McKinley and Roosevelt as in one purpose, and one in policies. Theodore Roosevelt is an outspoken man; brave, and ready to meet every emergency. Placed in positions of untried trust, he has proven equal to every occasion. His qualities are of the manly order. He, like the late President, is full of hope for his country, and looks to a glorious future for it. In his blood there courses a Georgian strain. That he will meet his new responsibility there need be no doubt. Theodore Roosevelt will prove a worthy successor of William McKinley.

A LESSON OF RESPONSIBILITY.

"To the nation itself there comes the lesson of responsibility. A government of laws can only be upheld by a people devoted to law observance. We have permitted canker to grow up in the body politic. We have overlooked the vile abuse of our institutions by men who sought our protection only to betray it. While the nation's chief was in agony vile men rejoiced, and brazen women, like the Goldman fiend, laughed officers to scorn. Law was mocked, and there was only helplessness to look on. There must be a change! There must be no compromising with civic crime! The Anarchist must go! He must not gloat over the grief of a strong nation. Herein lies work for the people!"

This eulogy is fully merited, as may be seen from the public utterances of Mr. McKinley which have regard to every section. of our broad land and to all the varied conditions of labor and finance. His address to the committee that notified him of his second nomination for President was an elaborate declaration of great principles. Every issue involved in the campaign was discussed at length, and the document possesses great value as a sketch of the political history of the country during the administration. The following is the text of the address:

The nomination of the Republican Convention of June, 19, 190, for the office of President of the United States, which, as

the official representative of the convention, you have conveyed to me, is accepted. I have carefully examined the platform adopted and give to it my hearty approval. Upon the great issue of the last national election it is clear. It upholds the gold standard and endorses the legislation of the present Congress, by which that standard has been effectively strengthened. The stability of our national currency is, therefore, secure so long as those who adhere to this platform are kept in control of the government.

FRIENDS OF THE GOLD STANDARD.

In the first battle, that of 1896, the friends of the gold standard and of sound currency were triumphant, and the country is enjoying the fruits of that victory. Our antagonists, however, are not satisfied. They compel us to a second battle upon the same lines on which the first was fought and won. While regretting the reopening of this question, which can only disturb the present satisfactory condition of the government and visit uncertainty upon our great business enterprises, we accept the issue and again invite the sound money forces to join in winning another, and, we hope, a permanent triumph for an honest financial system system which will continue inviolable the public faith.

As in 1896, the three silver parties are united, under the same leader who immediately after the election of the year, in an address to the bimetalists, said:

"The friends of bimetalism have not been vanquished; they have simply been overcome. They believe that the gold standard is a conspiracy of the money-changers against the welfare of the human race—and they will continue the warfar against it.”

The policy thus proclaimed has been accepted and confirmed by these parties. The Silver Democratic platform of 1900 continues the warfare against the so-called gold conspiracy when it expressly says: "We reiterate the demand of that (the Chicago) platform of 1896 for an American financial system made by the American people for themselves, which shall restore and maintain a bimetalic price level, and as part of such system the immediate

restoration of the free and unlimited coinage of silver and gold at the present ratio of 16 to 1, without waiting for the aid or consent of any other nation."

So the issue is presented. It will be noted that the demand is for the immediate restoration of the free coinage of silver at 16 If another issue is paramount, this is immediate. It will admit of no delay and will suffer no postponement.

to I.

Turning to the other associated parties, we find in the Populist national platform, adopted at Sioux Falls, S. D., May 10, 1900, the following declaration :

"We pledge anew the People's party never to cease the agitation until this financial conspiracy is blotted from the statute books, the Lincoln greenback restored, the bonds all paid, and all corporation money forever retired. We reaffirm the demand for the reopening of the mints of the United States for the free and unlimited coinage of silver and gold at the present legal ratio of 16 to 1, the immediate increase in the volume of silver coins and certificates thus created to be substituted, dollar for dollar, for the bank notes issued by private corporations under special privilege, granted by law of March 14, 1900.”

EXTRAORDINARY ANNOUNCEMENT.

The platform of the Silver party, adopted at Kansas City, July 6, 1900, makes the following announcement:

"We declare it to be our intention to lend our efforts to the repeal of this currency law, which not only repudiates the ancient and time-honored principles of the American people before the Constitution was adopted, but is violative of the principles of the Constitution itself; and we shall not cease our efforts until there has been established in its place a monetary system based upon the free and unlimited coinage of silver and gold into money at the present legal ratio of 16 to 1 by the independent action of the United States, under which system all paper money shall be issued by the government, and all such money coined or issued. shall be a full legal tender in payment of all debts, public and private, without exception."

1