And State Papers 531 



tillers of the soil, who had himself belonged among 

 the wage-workers, who had entered the Army as a 

 private soldier. Wealth was not struck at when 

 the President was assassinated, but the honest toil 

 which is content with moderate gains after a life- 

 time of unremitting labor, largely in the service of 

 the public. Still less was power struck at in the 

 sense that power is irresponsible or centred in the 

 hands of any one individual. The blow was not 

 aimed at tyranny or wealth. It was aimed at one 

 of the strongest champions the wage-worker has 

 ever had ; at one of the most faithful representatives 

 of the system of public rights and representative 

 government who has ever risen to public office. 

 President McKinley filled that political office for 

 which the entire people vote, and no President not 

 even Lincoln himself was ever more earnestly anx- 

 ious to represent the well thought out wishes of the 

 people; his one anxiety in every crisis was to keep 

 in closest touch with the people to find out what 

 they thought and to endeavor to give expression to 

 their thought, after having endeavored to guide 

 that thought aright. He had just been re-elected 

 to the Presidency because the majority of our citi- 

 zens, the majority of our farmers and wage- workers, 

 believed that he had faithfully upheld their inter- 

 ests for four years. They felt themselves in close 

 and intimate touch with him. They felt that he 

 represented so well and so honorably all their ideals 

 and aspirations that they wished him to continue 

 for another four years to represent them. 



