M.KINLKY. WILLIAM. 



he was again speeding through Ohio, to conclude 

 the campaign liy a tour of his own State. On 

 undertaking the journey lie had agreed to make 40 

 lies, lie made them, and :>25 more, in 300 

 different towns. For over eight weeks lie averaged 

 :i speeches a day. ranging in length from ten min- 

 utes to an hour: and in this time lie traveled over 

 Ki.lMH) miles and addressed fully 2,000,000 people. 

 Never were more effective speeches delivered, for at 

 every point visited his party achieved phenomenal 

 victories, carrying the popular branch of Congress, 

 largely by the impetus he gave to the campaign, by 

 more than a two-thirds majority. 



During the ensuing winter his official duties as 

 Governor were made the more arduous by the prev- 

 alence of great distress in the mining districts of 

 the Hocking valley. Here at one time 7,000 people 

 were without food, except that furnished by the 

 public. Employment could not be had ; but Gov. 

 McKinley. by appeals to the generous people of the 

 State, raised by voluntary contributions sufficient 

 funds and provisions to meet every case of actual 

 privation, through relief committees of his own se- 

 lection, the bulk of the work being done under his 

 personal direction at Columbus. Several serious 

 outbreaks occurred during his administration, at 

 one time requiring the presence of 3,000 of the Na- 

 tional Guard in the field and entailing an outlay of 

 more than $60.000, but this extraordinary expense 

 was met by most advantageous arrangements with 

 private capitalists without the expense and delay of 

 an extra session of the Legislature. On three occa- 

 sions prisoners were saved from mobs and safely in- 

 carcerated in the State Prison. His declaration 

 that " lynchings must not be tolerated in Ohio " was 

 literally made good for the first time in any State 

 administration. In February. 1895, he delivered 

 notable addresses at Albany. X. Y., before the Un- 

 conditional Republican Club, on Lincoln, and at 

 Rochester, on "The Business Man in Politics." In 

 the following April he visited Hartford, Conn., and 

 spoke to a State club that bore his name, and on 

 Memorial Day he delivered an oration on Grant at 

 his tomb in Riverside Park, Xew York city. In the 

 ensuing political canvass he confined his speaking 

 to Ohio, where, under his magnetic leadership, a 

 brilliant and decisive Republican victory was won, 

 and his party, for the first time for thirty years, 

 succeeded in the effort to elect both United States 

 Senators. 



On the expiration of his term as Governor he re- 

 turned to his old home at Canton, at which he qui- 

 etly remained during the next six months, except 

 for a visit to Chicago to fill a deferred engagement 

 of the previous year to address the Marquette Club 

 on the life and public services of Lincoln, Feb. 12, 

 1896. The country was already ablaze with polit- 

 ical excitement, and many friendly advisers urged 

 him to break his promise and not give his rivals the 

 advantage of any possible mistake on such an occa- 

 sion. But, disdaining these suggestions, he spoke 

 with his usual candor and sincerity, and not only 

 delivered a splendid historical address, but, using 

 Lincoln's views on the tariff as a text, boldly ad- 

 vanced his views upon what should constitute the 

 Republican platform in the pending campaign. The 

 people applauded his position, and simultaneously 

 throughout the country began a movement in his 

 favor that proved almost irresistible in every popu- 

 lar convention. State after State and district after 

 district declared for him, until, when at length the 

 national convention assembled, he was the choice 

 of more than two thirds of the delegates for Presi- 

 dent, on the very platform that four months before 

 he had so clearly outlined. In the presidential can- 

 vass this confidence and love were again signally 

 manifested in a manner new to the zeal and enthu- 



siasm of even these remarkable campaigns. Early in 

 the contest he announced his determination not' t.. 

 engage in the speaking campaign, his only contri- 

 bution to the cnn>c to be his expected letter of ac- 

 ceptance. This proved to be one of the strongest 

 papers of its kind in the annals of American poli- 

 tics, but the people were not content. Realizing 

 that they could not induce him to set out on what 

 he thought an undignified vote-seeking tour of the 

 country, they immediately began to ilock by the 

 thousand to his modest home in Canton, and' here 

 from his doorstep he welcomed and spoke to them. 

 In this manner more than 300 speeches were made 

 from June 11) to Nov. 2, 1896, to the more than 750.- 

 000 strangers who came in special excursion trains 

 from all parts of the country for that express pur- 

 pose. Enthusiastic visitors from States as distant 

 as Nebraska. Kansas. Missouri, Tennessee. Virginia. 

 Maryland. Vermont, and New York came daily to 

 mingle with the shouting thousands from all i 

 of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan. Kentucky, West Vir- 

 ginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. About 30 States 

 sent such delegations, and more than thirty times as 

 many political clubs and organizations were repre- 

 sented in them, Men of both old parties and both 

 old sections, and equally enthusiastic women and 

 children, with every species of music and decora- 

 tions. More than 50.000 came at the formal open- 

 ing of the speaking campaign, and nearly as large 

 crowds on three other great days. They tore down 

 and carried away the wooden fences" piecemeal, 

 but were always good natured and devoted to the 

 leader, whose charming personality attracted them. 

 His speeches were as remarkable for their good 

 sense, originality, versatility, and effectiveness as 

 these pilgrimages were unique and unprecedented. 

 In spite of the enormous strain upon Major McKin- 

 ley's mental resources, his physical powers were put 

 to the sorest trial, yet no visitor was ever repelled or 

 disappointed. Not only was every delegation satis- 

 fied, but the country each morning was given some 

 new text for contemplation and conversation, always 

 patriotic and encouraging to the cause he espoused. 

 Nothing like it was ever before known. His only 

 departure from home during the campaign was a 

 hasty trip to Cleveland to speak at the centennial 

 anniversary of that city, where he reviewed a pro- 

 cession said to number more than 250,000 people. 



In the Republican National Convention held in St. 

 Louis in June, 1896, he was nominated for President 

 on the first ballot, and in the ensuing election he re- 

 ceived a popular vote of 7,104.779. a plurality of 601,- 

 854 over his principal opponent, William J. Bryan. 

 In the electoral college McKinley received 271 votes, 

 against 176 for Bryan. The prominent issues in the 

 canvass were the questions of free coinage of sil- 

 ver and restoration of the protective tariff system. 

 The States carried by Major McKinley were : Cali- 

 fornia, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, 

 Iowa. Kentucky, Maine, Maryland. Ma-~aehusetts, 

 Michigan, Minnesota. New Hampshire. New Je:- 

 New Yorlc, North Dakota. Ohio. Oregon, Penn.-yl- 

 vania, Rhode Island. Vermont. West Virginia, and 

 Wisconsin. For a further account of the election, 

 platforms, etc.. see the articles POLITICAL CAMPAIGN* 

 OF 1896 and UNITED STATES in this volume. 



He married, Jan. 25. 1871. Mi<s Ida Saxton, 

 daughter of James A. and Catherine Dewalt Sax- 

 ton. Her grandparents were among the founders 

 of Canton, nearly a century ago. Her father was a 

 banker of large means, who. after giving Ida. his 

 youngest daughter, many advantages of education 

 and travel, began her business training as cashier 

 in his bank, that she might be fitted for any change 

 in fortune that could overtake her. Miss Saxton 

 naturally had many admirers, but she preferred 

 William McKinley from the moment their acquaint- 



