was nominated by the Republicans for the Presidency.

He was unpopular with a portion of his own party because he was a high tariff man; but as we have seen, the issue in 1896 was not the tariff, it was free silver; and on that question McKinley came out strongly for keeping the gold standard. He was elected by a plurality of about 600,000 votes, all from Northern states except West Virginia.

It fell to McKinley, also, to take the responsibility urging and securing the annexation of

of

the Philippine Islands, and he took great interest in providing these islands with a good colonial government, carried on at first by American officials sent out from Washington. He was easily renominated in 1900 and re-elected by a plurality of 900,000. The Democrats in this election failed to carry any Northern states other than Montana and Nebraska.

of men who felt that they had made him President, and showed a broad and generous spirit toward the new possessions of the United States.

Early in 1901 he made a great speech on our foreign relations. Said he: "The period of exclusiveness is past. The expansion of our trade and commerce is the pressing

McKinley, however, was not a President of a section, but of the whole country. He was a remarkably gracious and sunny-tempered man, who could make friends even among former enemies. He showed good judgment in his appointments, was free from the influence

later, like Lincoln

and Garfield, he was shot by an obscure man. McKinley, like Lincoln and Garfield and Cleveland, showed that the United States opens the highest places of power to men of humble beginnings who have character, and the strength needed for Presidents.

This is William McKinley's lofty conception of his country and of the grave responsibility of the people to their country: "The past of our country is glorious. What it shall be in the future rests with you-rests with the whole people. Your voice. . . is commanding and conclusive. It is the mandate of law."

B

Y 1877 the South was reconstructed in a business sense as much as in its relations to the Union. Northern money went into rebuilding the railroads, filling up the missing links and improving the whole system, so that the South has several through lines from the Middle States to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. First class roads were also built from Cincinnati and Chicago to New Orleans. The old Ohio and Mississippi steamer traffic was for a time renewed, but when railroads were built alongside the rivers on both sides, the river trade declined.

Railroads are not
affected by low
water and crooked
channels; they
gradually took
away the business
and the big through
steamboat lines gave
The same

it up.
change happened on
the Missouri and
the upper Missis-

HE

THE

The South also developed its mines, especially of coal. Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama became coal-producing states, and as there was plenty of iron ore and limestone in the Southern mountains, the South for the first time produced large quantities of pig iron. Iron cities grew up at Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Birmingham, Alabama.

sippi and finally reached the Ohio River.

The cotton crop rose to higher figures than had ever before been known and commanded a good price. Tobacco was a profitable crop. Hogs and some cattle were raised. The corn crop was always large-more valuable than the cotton. It was found that the coasts of Louisiana and Texas were just suited to the rice plant, and that added a new industry. Lumber was a product of immense value.

The South was soon gathering wealth with plenty of money of its own to build new cities, improve the old ones, and set up banks and and insurance companies, and manufacturing of many kinds.

Iron, Coal and
Steel

One of the main reasons for the wealth of the United States is that it has vast iron ore and coal fields near water transportation, which can bring together the fuel and the ore for iron manufacture. During the Civil War very rich iron mines were found near the shores of Lake Superior. Transportation by the Lakes was very cheap. The ore was brought down by water to meet the coal from the mines of Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. That built up the two cities of Cleveland and Pittsburgh, with their furnaces, rolling mills, hardware and bolt and screw factories, and also Buffalo, Erie and Youngstown.

Coal was developed also in Illinois, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, and the state of Washington, furnishing cheap fuel to the surrounding country. From the Virginia mines coal was brought down to the seaboard at Newport News to be sold to steamers and carried to the Northern cities.

Iron was used for many purposes besides the old-fashioned blacksmith work. The machinery for the mill and the farm was largely made of iron. Rails on the railroads called for millions of tons. The steel construction of iron buildings greatly increased the demand. Locomotives were built of iron, and after the Civil War, most of the ships. Blast furnaces smelted the ore into pig iron, rolling mills provided bars and rails of wrought iron.

Steel as everybody knows is a form of iron containing a small amount of carbon. The old-fashioned "crucible steel was made by a long and costly process. An Englishman named Bessemer invented a process by which pig iron could be converted directly into steel, strong, tough, and lasting. In course of time steel made by this method and another called the open-hearth process, took the place of iron for machines, buildings, ships, rails and many other purposes.

It was especially valuable for bridges. All the great rivers were soon spanned by long steel bridges which linked the railroads together; and the immense Brooklyn Suspension Bridge was erected across the East River at New York.

Other Metals

The United States is rich in a variety of metals. Lead mines were early opened in Illinois and Wisconsin. A valuable zinc deposit is worked in Missouri. Copper is found in great quantities in north Michigan, Montana and the Southwest. Gold and silver are mined from the Rockies to the Pacific.

Among great mines are the Calumet and Hecla (copper) in the Lake Superior basin; the silver mines of Cripple Creek, Leadville, etc., in Colorado, and Consolidated Virginia in Nevada, and the copper mines of Douglas and Bisbee in Arizona.

Most of the mines of precious metals are in mountain regions where there would have been little or no settlement but for the profits of the mines. Mining towns, however, are liable to fade away if the mine runs out.

Oil Business

In Pennsylvania in 1859 began the drilling of oil wells, and "gushers" were struck in various places, out of which the oil spouted like a fountain. The crude oil could not be burned as it was, but it was easy to refine it in iron stills. In this process the oil threw off various gases, which were drawn through a coil in a water-cooled still. First

to come over were gasoline and naphtha, which nobody then valued; after that a clear white oil called kerosene, the best thing ever known for lamps.

The early oil business was a wild orgy of speculation. Backcountry farmers on whose land oil was struck found themselves millionaires. Owners of big

This map shows THE VALUE PER ACRE OF FARM LAND IN THE UNITED STATES. Note that the State of Illinois is the richest farming State in the Union. Iowa, Indiana, Ohio and New Jersey are other important farming States.