The McKinley tariff

signed the Declaration of Independence; his son, nicknamed "Tippecanoe," was elected president in 1841; and in 1889 the grandson of "Tippecanoe" became president. In 1841 there was much discussion about the tariff. One party said, "The duty on imported goods ought to be just high enough to pay the expenses of the government, and then prices will be low." The other said, "If imported goods are too cheap, our manufacturers will either go out of business or else they will pay our workmen no higher wages than the workmen in Europe receive." When Benjamin Harrison became president, people were discussing this same question. William McKinley, of Ohio, proposed in Congress a bill whose aim was to impose a high duty upon imported goods that could be manufactured in this country. This bill became a law.

The right was also given to the President to change the duty on certain articles, if the country sending those articles should impose unfair duties upon our products. This principle was called reciprocity, and by this means

Indian troubles

we could be sure of fair treatment, for we had become so large and so rich a nation that other nations were eager to win the privilege of selling their goods in this country.

Millions of people from Europe had come to make their homes in America. Instead of thirteen little colonies clinging to the Atlantic coast, our nation spread from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and great cities had sprung into life where half a century earlier there had been only a wilderness. In the movement of population to the westward there had sometimes been trouble with the Indians. They were here first, but most people have come to feel that roaming over a land does not give a claim to it, and that civilized

nations have a right to take possession of "wild land." The Indians were gathered into tracts called reservations, in places where it was thought no white men would wish to live; and then as these tracts became valuable, the Indians were moved, not once, but many times. It is no wonder that they tried to resist, and that there were bloody massacres.

of Oklahoma

In the year that Benjamin Harrison became president, the Indians were moved from Oklahoma, and one April day there was The opening a strange scene acted on the border of the new territory. Thousands of men had gathered together from all parts of the country. Just at noon a bugle sounded; men ran, horses galloped, wagons swayed wildly to and fro. Everybody was frantically struggling to get possession of a

bit of land, for the government had agreed that whoever was first on a lot might have it for his own on payment of a small sum, much less than the land was worth. This was so unfair a way to grant property that when the time came to open another terri

tory to settlers, the plan was tried of allowing them to draw lots for the pieces of land.

After Harrison's term of office was over, Cleveland was again elected. In his first term he had done all that he could to help Civil Service Reform on Civil Service Reform, and during this second term he succeeded in putting many more offices under the merit system. Before Cleveland's second election there was much discussion

tion

The Colum about the best way to celebrate the four hundredth anniversary bian Exposi- of the landing of Columbus. In 1876 the Centennial had eelebrated the one hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and it was now decided to hold an exposition in Chicago. The buildings of the exposition were exceedingly beautiful. So many of them were white that they were known as

four hundred years after the coming of Columbus, but the plan was not made early enough, and the doors could not be opened until 1893.

SUMMARY.

An amendment to the Constitution abolished slavery, and the negroes were
enfranchised. After some delay, representative government was com-
pletely restored to the South.

Before 1876, the first Atlantic cable was laid; Alaska was purchased;
England paid for the damage done by the Alabama, the dispute being
settled by arbitration; and the Union Pacific Railroad was built.
Between the Centennial and the Columbian Exposition, our "green-backs"

became as good as gold; Civil Service Reform was carried out; Chinese laborers were excluded; a tariff for protection as well as revenue was imposed; and much land in the West was thrown open to settlers.

SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITTEN WORK.

One of the unsuccessful men describes the opening of Oklahoma.
Why should the landing of Columbus be celebrated?

XXIII.

THE UNITED STATES AS A WORLD POWER

outlook

THE next president was William McKinley, the Ohio congressman whose plans for the tariff had been adopted seven years before. A hopeful Forty-five states had been admitted to the Union, business was flourishing, the crops were large, and throughout the country there seemed to be good reason to expect a peaceful, prosperous time.

One hundred miles off our coast, however, there was trouble, and it was soon plain that this trouble would affect the United States. Cuba belonged to Spain, and the island had been ruled so harshly that the Cubans had tried many times to free themselves from Spanish control. Soon after McKinley became president, they tried again and fought more desperately than ever. Spain could not suppress the revolt, and her commanders treated the Cubans so savagely that the United States believed it was time to interfere. Another reason for interference was that the Cubans and their friends were trying to fit out vessels in the United States to carry arms and supplies to the island. The only way to prevent this was for our government to keep ships sailing up and down our long coast, and the expense of such patrolling was very great. A third reason was that many Americans owned property on the island, and this war was breaking up their business

The Span ish fleet in the East destroyed

and causing them much loss. To protect them if need should come, the United States battleship Maine was anchored in the

posed to have a formidable navy, but if this could be destroyed.

she would be powerless. One of

her fleets was in the Pacific, in the
harbor of Manila, the chief city of
her Philippine colonies. Commo-
dore Dewey was off the coast of
China in command of an American
fleet of six warships. The order
came to him, "Capture [Spanish]
vessels or destroy." Mines that
would explode at a touch were
scattered about Manila harbor, but
Dewey steamed in one night, and
destroyed ten Spanish warships and
one transport without losing a
man. The power of Spain in the
Pacific vanished in a day.

SE

Ꭺ

LUZON

Manila

PALAWAN

MINDORO

980

SCALE OF MILES

60

160

PACIFIO

OCEAN

SAMAR

PANAY

Iloi

NEGROS

SULU ARCHIPELAGO

MINDANAO

THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

Spain then sent a fleet across the
Atlantic. The United States vessels kept close watch, and it was