to deliver a course of lectures on constitutional law in the Leland Stanford, Jr., University of California. In 1896 he married Mrs. Mary Scott Lord Dimmock. Three years later he was appointed by President McKinley Counsel in the Anglo-Venezuelan Boundary Arbitration Commission, and concluded his argument in this case in Paris, September 27, 1899.

It

He was to see the century out and died March 13, 1901, at the age of sixty-eight. He was never a great man in the sense in which a Gladstone, a Lincoln, or a Jefferson was great, but a good man he ever was, and left behind him a clean record. was thought by many that he was cold, in fact so much so, that the wags took delight in making jokes at his expense, on his lack of enthusiasm, but to those who knew him best he was warm-hearted and kindly.

CHAPTER XXV.

PRESIDENT WILLIAM MCKINLEY.

(TWO ADMINISTRATIONS, 1897-1901, 1901-).

ON September 6, 1901, the American people, and, indeed, the entire civilised world were shocked by the awful crime that was perpetrated in the Temple of Music at the great Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo. On that day, in a time of happiness and rejoicing, the last President of the nineteenth century was ruthlessly shot down by a cold-blooded assassin. What reason could there be for the crime? None! In the case of Lincoln the bitter feeling in the South, and the constant threats against the man who had destroyed the rebels' plans make his assassination at least intelligible; but in the case of McKinley no cause could possibly be given; he was one of the people and had never been in any sense of the word tyrannical or over-bearing in his high office.

When the character of the Presidential office is considered and the fact that in the last thirty-six years three presidents have been slain, it would almost seem that, in a sense, Democratic government was a failure, that it would be necessary to hedge the President about with some of the safeguards that surround the crowned rulers of Europe. But even if

this were done would the President be more secure, would it not rather be but an incentive for crackbrained social theorists to make further attempts on his life? The strangest thing about this assassination was that the murderer was not the only one capable of viewing with pleasure his dastardly deed. Over in Europe anarchists in their folly met at the time of Czolgosz's execution and rejoiced that one of their kind had been brave enough to slay a tyrant. Poor benighted creatures, only making the lot of those they would free from the rule of oligarchies, aristocracies, monarchies and plutocracies the harder. As such a deed is contemplated we are almost forced to believe that the world is run by cruel chance; but the sublime faith of the dying man, "God's will, not ours be done," gives us a more hopeful point of view.

William McKinley, who was thus cruelly taken off, was the President who was to see the nineteenth century with its infinite progress out, and the twentieth century with its even greater promise in. He was born at Niles, Trumbull County, Ohio, January 29, 1843. He was of Scotch-Irish stock, his ancestors having emigrated to this country in the early part of the eighteenth century. His great-grandfather David McKinley fought through the Revolutionary war, and his grandfather James McKinley served in the War of 1812 under General William Henry Harrison, and took part in the celebrated battle of Tippecanoe. His ancestors were humble toilers who in the latter part of the eighteenth century settled in the promising young State of Ohio. His father, William McKinley, Sr., was a young ironfounder and his mother Nancy Allison a farmer's daughter. They were both energetic workers and,

while not rich, were at the time of their illustrious son's birth in well-to-do circumstances.

For a time they remained at Niles where their children were educated in the village school, and William, a thoroughly energetic youth, enjoyed himself picking berries, skating, and fishing in Mosquito Creek along with the other boys of the village. But Niles had not good educational advantages, and, for their children's sake, the McKinleys removed to Poland where there was an excellent Academy. At Poland, too, there was a debating club called the "Edward Everett Society," and as William McKinley was a very active member of this society no doubt a good deal of his forensic ability was due to the interest he took in its debates. At the age of sixteen he was sufficiently far advanced to matriculate at Allegheny College, Meadville, Pennsylvania. He set out for this institution like every other young freshman with high hopes, seeing the world at his feet, but unfortunately he was not in good health and had scarcely begun his college course when he was forced to return home. Hard times visited the United States and his father felt the effect of them; so much so that when William was robust enough to return to college he was not in a financial position to send him back. However his son was not to be thwarted in his ambition, and like many another lad entered the teaching profession as a stepping stone to a career. He taught school in a district school several miles out of Poland and received the magnificent salary of $25 a month; however, as he "boarded round," it was a little better than that.

After several years' teaching he made up his mind to return to college to finish his course, but just when he had resolved to take this step Sumter was

fired upon and surrendered and the call for volunteers was sent forth by President Lincoln.

Ohio made a loyal response to this call offering more volunteers than she was asked for, and William McKinley was one of the first to enroll his name,the fighting blood of his great-grandfather David and his grandfather James was in his veins. His name was enrolled in Company E of the 23rd Regiment of Ohio Volunteers. In this regiment were several men who were to rise to high distinction both in the army and the State. The colonel of it was William S. Rosecrans, and its major, a no less distinguished person than Rutherford B. Hayes. The regiment enlisted for three months' service, and at once set out for Columbus, but before it reached that place the 75,000 men requested by Lincoln had been more than enrolled. However, a second call went up almost at once, this time not for three months but for three years' service, and the 23rd responded to a

man.

For the next fourteen months William McKinley was to be a private in the ranks. The summer and autumn of 1861 were to be spent in chasing an elusive foe, and the Ohio volunteers experienced much marching, considerable guerrilla warfare and many privations, but no heavy fighting. Young McKinley had been several times under fire, receiving his bap tism at Carnifex Ferry, September 10, 1861. The hardships endured by the men began to tell on them, many were smitten down with malarial fever and by other diseases, and it was fortunate for them that they were able to spend the winter in drilling and recruiting. In the spring of 1862 they were in West Virginia still trying to cut off Confederate bands, but, on May 8, were themselves compelled to beat a