From The Inland Printer, October, 1901 AMERICA'S MARTYRED PRESIDENT BORN AT NILES, OHIO, JANUARY 29, 1843 DIED AT BUFFALO. N. Y., SEPTEMBER 14, 1901 Memorial Service TO William McKinley LATE President of the United States UNDER THE AUSPICES OF The Ohio Republican Association OF WASHINGTON, D. C. {In conjunction with all citizens of Ohio resident in Washington) IN CHASE'S THEATER October 6, 1901 PUBLISHED BY REQUEST BY T. M. SULLIVAN Secretary Washington, - - 1902 p. Author. 03 O HON. MARCUS A. HANNA, UNITED STATES SENATOR FROM OHIO, LARGELY THROUGH WHOSE LOVE FOR, DEVOTION AND FIDELITY TO WILLIAM MCKINLEY, OUR COUNTRY WAS BLESSED WITH HIS UNPARAL- LELED ADMINISTRATION, THE HOMAGE AND GRAT- ITUDE OF HIS COUNTRYMEN ARE DUE, AND THE POIGNANCY OF WHOSE GRIEF FOR HIS DEPARTED FRIEND TOUCHED A SYMPATHETIC CHORD IN THE BREAST OF EVERY LOYAL AMERICAN, THIS VOLUME IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED. CONTENTS. Page Dedication 3 Invitation, Historical Sketch and Letter of Dr. M. D. Maun .... 7"9 Introductory II Opening Remarks, by Mr. T. M. Sullivan, Secretary of the Ohio Republican Association 14 Invocation, by Rev. J. J. Muir, D. D., Pastor of the E Street Baptist Church 15 Largo from Xerxes (Handel). By U. S. Marine Band, Lieut. Wm. H. Santelmann, Leader 16 *> Address by Hon. Joseph H. Brigham, Chairman, Assistant Secretary of Agriculture T 7 Octette— Lead Kindly Light, Prof. J. D McFall, Leader i9 ^ Address by Rev. Frank M. Bristol, A. M., D. D., Pastor Metropolitan M. E. Church 20 O How Kindly (Beethoven). By U. S. Marine Band, Lieut. Wm. H. Santelmann, Leader 24 Address by Hon. Thomas H. Anderson, Associate Justice D. C. Supreme Court 25 Solo— Beyond the Gates of Paradise. By Mr. F. E. McClure, Mr. A. P. Tasker, Accompanist ••.... 29 Address by Hon. Alphonso Hart, Ex-Lieut. Governor and Ex-M. C, Ohio 30 There is a Green Hill Far Away (Gounod). By U. S. Marine Band, Lieut. Wm. H. Santelmann, Leader 33 Address by Hon. D. K. Watson, Ex-Atty. General and Ex-M. C, Ohio 33 Duet — Some Day the Silver Cord Will Break. By Prof. J. D. McFall and Mr. Harrington Barker 37 Address by Hon. Simon Wolf, Ex-U. S. Agent and Consul-General at Cairo, Egypt 38 Octette— Nearer My God to Thee, Prof. J. D. McFall, Leader 4° Resolutions and vote of thanks presented by Mr. T. M. Sullivan and adopted by a rising vote 40-42 Letter of Regret from President Roosevelt 43 National Hymn — America. By U. S. Marine Band, Lieut. Wm. H. Santelmann, Leader 43 4 ILLUSTRATIONS. Facing Page William McKinley — Frontispiece. T. M. Sullivan 14 Rev. J. J. Muir, D. D 15 Hon. Joseph H. Brigham 17 Rev. Frank M. Bristol, A. M., D. D 20 Hon. Thomas H. Anderson 25 Hon. Alphonso Hart 3° Hon. D. K. Watson 33 Prof. Jasper Dean McFall 37 Hon. Simon Wolf. 3 8 Plympton B. Chase 42 Lieut. Wm. H. Santelmanu 43 I. BY THE UNITED STATES MARINE BAND, Lieut. Wm. H. Santei^mann, Leader. HON. JOSKPH H. BRIGHAM, Assistant Secretary of Agriculture. i7 agrees OF HON. JOSEPH H. BRIGHAM. Ladies and Gentlemen : The citizens of Ohio here assembled invite you to unite with them in paying a loving tribute of respect to the memory of her most illustrious son. William McKinley was not born to wealth. His opportunities for advancement were not unusual, but were all improved. His parents taught him to be truthful, industrious, faithful — virtues that went with him to the end of life and crowned his efforts with success. At his Christian mother's knee he was taught to fear God and keep His Com- mandments. In after life when temptations came, as they come to all, he remained steadfast and true. When his coun- try needed defenders, he was among the first to volunteer. His war record was without stain, and he returned to his home at the end of the strife with honors won upon many battle- fields. Major McKinley entered public life when he was twenty-six years of age. He held many honorable positions, all of which he considered sacred trusts committed to his care by the people. He was a firm believer in the principles of his party and an earnest and able advocate of its policies ; but he was never known to speak harshly of those who, in the exercise of their rights as American citizens, opposed his views. As a political leader he was without a peer. He harmonized contending factions in his own party and drew a large follow- ing from the ranks of the opposition. As a statesman, far- seeing and patriotic, the historian of the future will write his name among the first of those whom we delight to honor. As a husband, he was admired by all who knew of his care and tender solicitude for his invalid wife. She was never absent from his thoughts. When his public duties were almost crushing him, his thoughtfulness and devotion to her won the admiration, of all. Quiet and unassuming, he was yet ambi- tious to serve the people, and while still a young man had reached the highest position within the gift of the greatest nation in the world. When the cowardly assassin struck him down he was in the prime of life and the height of usefulness. He had won the respect and love of every section and class as no man had ever been able to do in the hundred years of our national life. It is hard to realize that such a life is ended. Must we accept it as a mysterious ' ' Dispensation of Providence " ? Is the pitiless assassin who thus ends a life of purity and usefulness the agent of Almighty God ? I do not believe it. We have no right to thus excuse ourselves from all responsibility. If we permit mad dogs to run unrestrained among our loved ones, we have no right to hold the Ruler of the Universe responsible for results. If we permit men and women more dangerous than mad dogs to advocate the murder of rulers and teach it as a duty, we have no right to expect God to interfere to save our noblest and best beloved. God will never do for men what men can and ought to do far themselves. We must rid our country of all who advocate the assassination of rulers. They should be trans- ported to some lonely island where they will not be subject to any rule except their own. The world can afford to give them what they profess to desire — a land without rulers and without law, where, cut off from all communication with law-abiding, Christian peoples, with no opportunity to secure the notoriety they crave, they would soon cry out, as did the first mur- derer : " My punishment is greater than I can bear." The voice we loved is hushed in death ; the familiar form, the pleasant, smiling face we shall see no more. Everything that mortal man could do to save was done. The Christian world joined in prayer to Almighty God that this life might be spared. It was all in vain. The assassin's work was thorough ; the few hours of hope that cheered us soon gave way to despair and grief. When he realized that his hold upon life was failing, he drew nearer to the God he loved and served. In this trying hour he was still great. He bade an affectionate farewell to those who had gone with him to the brink of the dark river, then, turning his face from the cares and joys of earth, he entered upon that existence which lies beyond the clouds and beyond the tomb. We are not permitted to know what awaits us there, but we hope and believe that he who so loved and served his fellow-men while on earth has passed through the gates of the Eternal City and found peace and joy, " where the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest." 19 ©ctette. Hymn.— Lead Kindly Light. Miss Elizabeth Wahly, Miss Lillian Chenoweth, Mrs. C. B. Bayly, Mrs. Margaret Holland, Mr. Harrington Barker, Mr. D. C. Holland, Mr. A. McNeill, Prof. J. D. McFall. Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom, Lead thou me on ! The night is dark, and I am far from home ; Lead thou me on ! Keep thou my feet ; I do not ask to see The distant scene ; one step enough for me. I was not ever thus, nor prayed that thou Shouldst lead me on ; I loved to choose and see my path ; but now Lead thou me on ! I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears, Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years ! So long thy power hath blessed me, sure it still Will lead me on O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till The night is gone, And with the morn those angel faces smile Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile ! 20 Hfcfcrese OF REV. FRANK M. BRISTOL, A. M., D. D. Benjamin Franklin once contemplated moving out to the Ohio Country, as with a Prophet's vision he saw the dawning possibilities of that fair region which has come to be not only the garden of fruits and flowers and golden grain, but the garden of great minds and noble hearts, of fair women and magnificent men. But there could not have dawned upon the splendid dream of that Philosopher of the Revolution the coming glory of such names as Grant, Sherman, Chase, Stanton, Hayes, Garfield and McKinley. O, Sons of Ohio, we envy you your legitimate pride, your glorious boast that you hail from the State which such names have made immortal. To the galaxy of our National fame what single State has added brighter Stars or contributed more brain and brawn, more heart and heroism, more great motherhood and more noble manhood than Ohio ? Of our three Martyred Presidents two were your Compatriots, who rose from the humble ranks of your God-fearing people to become illustrious as Martyrs to liberty and law. No citizens have a greater reason to mourn to-day than this faithful political bodyguard of the martyred leader whose virtues were your pride, whose genius was your glory, whose victories were your joy, whose friendship was your inspiration, and whose pure, unsullied and illustrious name has become the immediate jewel of your souls. I shall never forget the impression made upon my mind when at the Columbian Expo- sition in Chicago I looked upon that monument before the Ohio State building representing in heroic statues the most illustrious sons of Ohio— Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, Chase, Stanton, Hayes, and Garfield — and there in the granite was graven the significant legend, " These are my jewels." Another now must stand beside those Jewels, in moral stature, in the greatness of his manhood, in the faithful service of his life, in his beneficent usefulness, in his splendid patriotism, in his superb Americanism, and in the immortality of most grateful and loving fame, the peer of any Son born of that Ohio Motherhood. William McKinley was first an American then a Republican as he was first a Christian then a Methodist. REV. FRANK M. BRISTOL, A. M., D. D., Pastor Metropolitan M. E. Church, Washington, D. C. 21 If we were assembled to make use of a Martyr's name in exploiting any partisan interests then I could have no place or voice in these exercises. Though your organization bears a party name, to-day you are greater than your party. Though many in this vast and thoughtful assembly follow other politi- cal banners, bearing other political names, representing other political policies, to-day they are greater than their par- ties. First of all and above all we are all Americans, and as never before, fellow citizens ; fellow citizens bound heart to heart by a common sorrow and by a common pride, for the universal sorrow over the untimely taking off of President McKinley is accompanied by the universal pride that he to whose memory the World pays tribute was a Son of Ohio, a citizen of the United States, and the magnificent product of Americanism. William McKinley was a Republican, as true to his republicanism as was ever Jefferson to his democracy. He was your ideal and leader, and he led you to glorious victories, but it will be your pride forever that a party never had a more high-minded, conscientious, white-souled leader than William McKinley. Nor did his political antagonists ever lower their campaign banners to a more fair-minded, genial, magnani- mous and patriotic gentleman. I do no man and no party injustice when I believe his politi- cal opponents, from gallant leader through all the party rank and file, would rather have been defeated by William McKin- ley than by any other man in the Republican party or by any other man in the world. He was a partisan politician but not a partisan Governor, nor from the days of Washington have we had a less partisan President. If I may be pardoned for introducing the personal element, permit me to illustrate, by a conversation I had with him, how nobly and grandly he could rise above partisanship as he could rise above sectarianism. While less sagacious and more nar- row-minded men were criticizing him for his warm-heartedness toward the South, for his suggestion that Confederate graves be decorated, and for his appointing ex- Confederate soldiers to high civic and military positions during the war with Spain, he said to me : " My critics have good motives, but they do not stop to consider that I am President of the South as well as of the North, of Democrats as well as Republicans. We are one people, we have one destiny ; we must rise or fall together." Then to further illustrate his feeling, he stated that while Governor of Ohio for the first term the Roman Catholics had built and were about to open an educational institution in that State. They asked their Governor to attend the exercises and deliver an address. He cordially accepted the invitation, and the fact was published. When certain zealous Protestants 22 heard of it they were alarmed, and eaine to the Governor to enter protest. Governor McKinley said: "Gentlemen, } t ou do not stop to think that I am not a sectarian Governor. I am the Governor of Ohio, of the Catholics and of the Protestants, of the Jews and of the Gentiles. I shall make the address." " But," they argued, " if you do this your chances for re-elec- tion to the governorship are lost ; it will kill you politically." "Gentlemen," said he, "whether I am to be re-elected Gov- ernor of Ohio or not, I shall keep my promise by these Catho- lic citizens of Ohio and deliver the address." And he did. That address, as the people of Ohio will remember, was one of the finest orations in support and defense of our common schools ever heard in this country. That was the courageous spirit of the man who comprehended the true, broad-minded, non-partisan and patriotic functions of a Governor and of a President. Republican though he was he had the spirit of Lincoln and of Grant in his appreciation of the necessity for obliterating all sectional animosities and burying forever all the hatreds and misunderstandings engendered by our Civil War. No Presi- dent has done more either by his political acumen, his patriotism or his cordial, courteous manliness to unite the hearts of all our citizens of the North and the South in a new love of the flag and a fresh consecration to liberty. He stood for the brotherhood of American citizenship — not for a nation of sections, but for a National Union. And that national union meant to him not simply an indivisible union of Slates, but the universal and eternal union of the brotherhood of patriotism, the fraternal federation of a free, enlightened and righteous Americanism. The very name William McKinley has become synonymous with national honor, national prosperity, national dignity and national duty. Duty? Yes, William McKinley saw with a prophet's vision that the United States of America was rapidly approaching its age of responsibility ; it was evolving into a World-power ; it was becoming great enough for a mission ; it belonged to civilization ; it could no longer evade its share of the burdens and responsibilities of civilization. It was given to thiswise, far-seeing, courageous, God-trusting man to preside over the transition through which this country has passed from a governmental problem to a World-power. We see it to-day, our Prophet saw it yesterday, that the future is preparing to make great demands upon this America. These vast inexhaustible resources, this greatness and power, are factors in the problem of the World's civilization. The United States occupies too much of this earth not to be vastly responsible to the entire human race for its just share in the enlightenment of the 23 World, in the universal freedom of mankind, in the prosperity and happiness of all peoples. William McKinley stood for a greater America, for a richer, more unselfish America, for a history-making America, for a world-enlightening America. And he saw in this not simply good politics, but he saw in it a Providence wiser than all politics, a law of evolution independent of all legislation, a programme of destiny which no conventions ever dictate or circumvent. There was the ideal politician, the true Statesman, the safe, victorious leader, the great President. No statesman, no President has done more to give our flag honor on the seas, and our country front rank among the nations of the earth. William McKinley belonged to the common people, the only people who have ever amounted to anything in the history of the world, the only people who have the virility to give the world geniuses, reformers, heroes and martyrs. He never lost touch with the people, nor did he ever betray the trust they reposed in him. As Congressman, Governor and President he was true to the interests of that great majority of American citizens whose toil makes possible our prosperity, and whose integrity and intelligence are our national glory. Abraham Lincoln emancipated labor from the disgrace and ignominy which slavery had placed upon it. William McKinley was instrumental in leading American Labor from its drudgery to its dignity, and no Statesman has done more than he to exalt and ennoble common industry and establish the sovereigntj'- of the working man. It was the mission of this illustrious son of the common people, this great American Commoner, to make the humblest tiller of our soil, the most obscure mechanic in our mills, the roughest sailor in our Navy, and the poorest fisherman on our coast, as well as the scholar, millionaire and philanthropist feel the value, pride and dignity of being an American Citizen. He believed in well-paid labor and well- paid capital, well-paid muscle and well-paid brains, well-paid enterprise and well-paid obligations. He believed in the aristocracy of the common people, the prosperity of the nation, the progress of the world, the brother- hood of the race and the coming of the Kingdom of God. Forceful, sagacious, invincible leader as he was, he never posed, never declaimed, never taunted, never sneered, never ridiculed, never insulted — he left all that to weaker men. He was never theatrical ; there were no dancing plumes on his helmet — he wore no helmet — fearlessly and bare-browed he went into the fight ; but you who followed him always knew where he was in the battle, and his clear, clarion voice never gave an uncertain sound, his magnificent eye never lost its fire, his strong but gentle, firm but courteous. 24 trusting but masterful personality never lost its magnetism. You were proud of him as a Soldier, proud of him as a Congressman, proud of him as a Governor, proud of him as a President and, above all, with all the brave men and with all pure women of this country and of this world you were and forever will be proud of him as a man. There was the philos- ophy of his power and of his greatness, he was a clean, pure, high-minded man — a chivalrous, Christian gentleman. That sorrow of the world, when in schoolhouse and hall of justice, in marketplace and home, on the highway and in the work- shop, in the church, from the humblest frontier chapel of America to the echoing aisles of England's Westminster, the people and the children of the people wept and grieved over the death of William McKinley. That sorrow of the world was a sublime tribute to a sublime character, the homage of humanity to pure and lofty manhood. For this gift to your country, for this gift to the world, for this man of the people, and this man of God, America, Christendom, humanity turns with weeping reverence and gratitude to that great State whose tender and mighty arms of love enfold in his noble sleep the form of her precious son, her son of charity and chivalry, her son of purity and fame, Ohio's, America's, the World's William McKinley. As the gallant Wolfe was being rowed across the St. Law- rence to lead the English attack on the heights of Quebec he repeated the beautiful lines of Gray's " Elegy in a Country Church Yard;" with a significant emphasis he uttered the words : " The paths of glory lead but to the grave." And as he fell on the Heights of Abraham covered with glory and with victory the poet's line seemed all too true. But no, it was a mistake. Sweet poet, brave soldier, it is not true that " The paths of glory lead but to the grave." To-day in our sorrow and our hope we believe, we know a grander thing : the paths of true glory lead throtigh the grave and up to thrones and crowns of immortality. Such a soul as our manly, martyr President still lives — lives in glory and happiness forever. O, How Kindly Beethoven BY THE UNITED STATES MARINE BAND. Lieut. Wm, H. Santeumann, Leader, JUDGE THOMAS H. ANDERSON, Associate Justice Supreme Court, District of Columbia. 25 Hfcfcress i OF HON. THOMAS H. ANDERSON. Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen : We have met to lay the tributes of our affection upon the bier of Ohio's most illustrious son. It seems but yesterday that we looked into his manly face, heard the rhythmic music of his voice and felt the inspiration of his presence. To-day Ohio holds in her keeping his precious dust while eighty millions of his countrymen guard as a sacred heritage his immortal deeds and memory. Far be it from my purpose on this sad occasion to endeavor to stir your emotions or open afresh your bleeding hearts, but rather, to repress the emotions of my own, that I may fitly lay an humble tribute of love upon his honored tomb. To me and to many of us Wil- liam McKinley was more than President, he was a personal friend. A friend whose qualities of heart and mind bound us to him with cords of sincerest love. While he enjoyed, as did no other American, the love and affection of his countrymen yet so manifold were his virtues and so attractive his personality that those who knew him best loved him most. Therefore it is that while our sorrow is national in the broadest sense, aye ! more, it is world wide, his sad and untimely death has touched the hearts of the people and especially those of his own beloved Ohio, with a sense of inexpressible grief. No wonder the the whole world weeps at the grave of such a man, no wonder that he was the pride of his State and its best beloved citizen. No wonder that Ohio, that gave him to the Nation and to man- kind, receives back with loving affection and as a sacred trust the mortal remains of her immortal son. And yet while we thus mourn his untimely and tragic death, the influence of his noble life lives on. In his own eloquent and incomparable speech, as he stood at the tomb of the immortal Grant, ' 'A great life never dies, great deeds are imperishable, great names are immortal." By common consent he was the greatest statesman of his time, and the most perfect type of American manhood in the annals of our history. So great was he that the whole world felt the inspiration of his genius and the uplift of his power. So good was he that he drew all hearts unto himself, and held them to the last in the enduring bonds of love and affection, 26 " The deep damnation of his taking off" is, beyond compare, the saddest and the bitterest experience of our history, if not of all time. He fell a martyr to that malignant hatred " that wages war against a republic as well as against a monarchy," that seeks to strangle liberty whenever and wherever it is regulated by law. He fell in the zenith of his power, and in the glory of a matchless career. He fell at a time when he stood before the world the acknowledged leader and controlling force in the greatest epoch of industrial prosperity and national progress in the history of the human race. He died with his honors full upon him, and amid the ascending prayers of the good and great of all lands that he might yet live. This is the man whose transcendent genius filled the world with his renown. While the annals of our brief but stirring history are replete with the names of great men, yet a greater than William Mc- Kinley has not risen among us. As we approach the mementos of his glory, we stand with uncovered heads as we contemplate the greatness of his exalted character, his incorruptible integ- rity, his sublime Christian faith, his lofty patriotism, his arduous and enduring public service, and his imperishable fame. These are his virtues that will be spoken of him as a memorial for all time. He was indeed a burning and a shining light that illumined the pathway of men and guided in safety the Ship of State. " A thousand orators will essay in vain to portray the real greatness of the man and to add to the wideness of his fame. A thousand biographers and historians will strive to add to the lustre of his achievements," and yet the story of his useful and eventful life will still remain an inexhaustible fountain from which the young men of America will draw lessons of priceless value. Viewed either in the light of his boyhood, his manhood or his public career, his character is alike attractive and worthy of emulation. Many are prone to think of him, however, in the light of his great fame as President of the Republic. But that is not the whole of his fame — that is only the greatness of his public character, which, after all, is not conclusive evidence of true greatness. Public character, too often, is artificial and transient. Such was the greatness of Bendict Arnold, whose ascendent star glowed for a time with rare brilliancy only to fall into an oblivion of shame and infamy. Such was the greatness of the gifted Aaron Burr, "as brave as Caesar, as polished as Chesterfield, as eloquent as Cicero," he walked with stately 27 tread before the public gaze and they thought him great ; but in an evil hour he yielded to the seductive whisperings of a dis- loyal ambition and forever forfeited the love and confidence of his countrymen. The unfortunate history of these unhappy names but accen- tuates the fact that neither valor, nor genius, nor public fame, can of themselves make men great. The greatness and genius of William McKinley, unlike these, was of the heroic and enduring type. Whether standing in the public gaze or alone in the quietude of private life, he was the same upright and exemplary man. His whole career from start to finish was one of lofty aim. By dint of faithful and intelligent industry, and his own inherent worth and masterful genius, he rose from the ranks of the common people to the most exalted position within their gift. While reverses and disappointments came to him, as to other men, he met them manfully, and, like the hero that he was, overcame them. I^et come what may he faced the future with calm, dignified and unswerving purpose. In every crisis in his own or his country's history, he was equal to its stern demands. Without egotism, or pride of opinion, he was brave and self- reliant to an eminent degree. This was fully exemplified in his acts and attitude immediately preceding and throughout the war with Spain. While he listened with the utmost respect to the advocates of immediate war, and was not unmind- ful that public sentiment demanded it, yet he stood almost alone against immediate action. But when the hour for war had struck, when the country was at last prepared, he no longer hesitated, but with startling suddenness and unfaltering courage he struck the enemy with such invincible force that at the end of less than one hundred days the fleets of Spain had been utterly destroyed and her surviving soldiers and sailors were our prisoners of war. It may not be generally known that in that brief but brilliant struggle he not only exemplified a masterful self-reliance, but he displayed in a high degree the qualities and genius for supreme command, by the actual exercise of his constitutional prerogative of Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States. On more than one occasion, responding to the sudden exigen- cies of the situation, he quit the repose of his bed chamber at the midnight hour and hastening to the famous War Room of the White House he moved armies and hurled navies through the medium of the telephone and the telegraph while the rest of us were enjoying that repose he so much needed for himself. 28 It has been said that " inate modesty is the constant attend- ant of pre-eminent virtue." If this be true, and true it is, then we have but to mark this and kindred acts of devotion to duty to appreciate the pre-eminent virtues of the man. It was this very self-abnegation and devotion to duty that won for him the constantly increasing admiration of his coun- trymen as he ascended higher and higher the rounds of fame. And yet his self-abnegation was not inspired by indifference to the reward of duty well done. He was not indifferent to the approbation of his countrymen. He believed in the people, and the consciousness that the people believed in him was to this masterful man a tower of strength. He loved life and he enjoyed it ; he loved God and he served Him ; he loved his country and he dedicated his life to its service. More than any other American President, Mr. McKinley was the President of the whole people. Though not of his party, and differing from him on certain important public measures, he none the less had the highest esteem and confidence of all his countrymen. They believed in him as a man and in the sincerity of his purpose as a public official. Apart from all questions of party difference, he represented practically the unanimous sentiment of the people touching all great questions affecting their welfare. With him there was no North, no South and no lines of sectional division following the artificial boundaries of the past. He loved his country and his country- men with a sincere and steadfast devotion, and his countrymen loved him in return. While the people of the South surren- dered their swords to Grant, they surrendered their hearts to McKinley. The beauty and tenderness of his domestic life, the theme of many a song and story, remain as a perpetual in- spiration and benediction to the home circles of earth, while the simplicity of his life and the manifold virtues of his char- acter will for all time be counted among the richest legacies bequeathed by him to his beloved country. Measured by what he accomplished he was the peer of any man in the annals of all history, and in all that constitutes a perfect man he is the world's most perfect example. Time will but add to the sum of his greatness and to the lustre of his fame. He died as he lived, the champion of liberty and prog- ress, of peace and righteousness, and of every cause that tended to the advancement of his country and the welfare of his countrymen. But above all he lived and died a Christian, and as long as the memory of the mighty past and his own eventful career survives, he will be lovingly spoken of as " our Christian President." His faith in God was as simple as a child's and as mighty as a prophet's. As he stepped down into the valley 2 9 of the shadow of death he feared no evil for the Lord was with him, " His rod and His staff they comforted him," and when his loving heart ceased to throb and his eyes closed forever upon the scenes of earth, God heard the whisperings of his soul, " Nearer, My God, to Thee, Nearer to Thee." Solo. Beyond the Gates of Paradise King. BY Mr. F. E. McCLURE. Mr. A. P. Tasker, Accompanist. Beyond the gates of paradise, those pearly gates ajar, There is a fair and peaceful land, where happy angels are. They walk upon its streets of gold, through fields of living green, And gaze upon its jasper walls no mortal eye hath seen. And sweet refrain, and golden harps ring out in chorus there, While Heavenly music ever floats upon its balmy air, No storms or tempest ever breaks upon its cloudless skies, No aching hearts, or tears ; Beyond the gates of paradise. Beyond the gates of paradise, to realms of endless day, How oft' we long for that fair land, could we but soar away, And see the myst'ries that unfold, which here we ne'er can know, Within the home of shining ones, with raiment white as snow. 'Tis but a cloud that lies between the earth and golden shore, And may we join its happy song with those we loved before, With bright'ning hopes, through rifted clouds, we see the sun arise, And waiting friends stand there : Beyond the gates of paradise. Re/rain : Beyond the gates of paradise, A welcome waits for me, Sweet land of rest, where weary hearts, From care and toil are free. Beyond the gates of paradise, They tell of new found joys, And happy unions wait — Beyond the gates of paradise. 3o Bbfcress OF HON. ALPHONSO HART. Mr. Chairman : In the State of Ohio, on what is known as the Connecticut Western Reserve, were born within forty miles of each other, two men whose characters and lives have made a profound impress upon the history of the country and the w r orld. They were of humble origin. They had none of the accessories or advantages of wealth or social prestige. They were, in the best sense of the term, self-supporting, self-made men. They both enlisted in the Union Army and fought for their country in the War of the Rebellion. After the war was over they each became distinguished members of the National Congress, and each was the leader of his party on the floor of the House of Representatives. Each was chosen President of the United States by a large majority of the electoral vote. Each died at the hands of an assassin ; one, Garfield, in the month of September, in the first year of his term of office ; the other, McKinley, died in the month of September in the first year of his second term of office. The graves where they sleep are almost in hailing distance of each other. Garfield rests at Eake View, overlooking the blue waters of L,ake Erie. McKin- ley, in the quiet peaceful shade of the cemetery at Canton. Truer, larger souled, more patriotic men never lived. One great martyr-President had preceded them — Abraham Lin- coln — who lived, labored and suffered for his country and his countrymen, and who is now a saint in Heaven. It seems as though the larger hearted, the more exalted a man, and the greater and grander his work, the surer is the assassin's bullet to find him. It might be said that the bitterness engendered by the War of the Rebellion led to Lincoln's death. It might be said that party and political disappointments led to the death of Gar- field. But who in all the wide, wide world could harbor aught of evil against William McKinley ? His name and his fame have circled round the world and wherever the name was heard it was accompanied by not only the blessings of his countrymen but the whole civilized race. Standing here to-day looking over his life, looking at the wondrous results HON. ALPHONSO HART, Ex-Lieut. -Governor and Ex-Member of Congress, Ohio. 3i wrought by his administration , who can conceive a heart so full of evil, a soul so corrupt and so destitute of all the human- ities as to kill the People's, the Nation's, the World's friend. It shocks the moral sense, it startles the soul and compels us to believe in the absolute, the total depravity of man ; that there are some human beings in the world in whom there is no element of good — no spark of human sympathy. We are gathered here to-day to express in a simple way our loyalty, our devotion, our love for William McKinley ; our sor- row at his death, our devotion to his memory. We come to pay our tribute and to express our sorrow. Nothing we can say or do will add a single wreath to his brow ; or an addi- tional ray of luster to his name. His record is made up. His history is ready to be written, his fame is established to remain undiminished and undimmed forever and forever. His place in the world is fixed. What he was is known, and naught that we can say or do will destroy or add to the shining glory of his name. I am not here to say that all he did was perfect ; that he made no mistakes. Perfection is not an attribute of mortals. But I am here to say that taking his administration as a whole in all its parts and all its results it is without a parallel in history. Under his guiding hand the Nation has prospered in strength, in wealth, in power and prestige as never before. New and unexpected questions arose at the very beginning of his administration ; questions never dreamed of during the campaign of 1896. Who ever anticipated the conflict with Spain ? Who ever imagined the results of that war ? It is a well-known fact that Mr. McKinley hesitated and held back when the country was clamorous for a declaration of war. Even after the destruction of the United States battleship Maine in Havana Harbor, he counseled deliberation and delay. He waited until events so shaped themselves as to exhibit to the world the justice, the lawfulness and the necessity of war, and then he struck the enemy a blow so swift, so terrible, so crushing that it seemed almost to be the execution of a divine decree. Spain lay prostrate under the power of our arms. You know the history and it need not be recited here. You know of the battle of San Juan and the heroic conduct of our soldiers there, one of whom is in the White House now. You also know how on the morning of May 1, 1898, George Dewey, on board the flagship Olympia, led his fleet into Manila Harbor, over bursting bombs and exploding mines, and under the ene- my's guns destroyed the Spanish fleet. You know how the Brooklyn, the Oregon, the Texas and other vessels of the fleet, under command of Schley, surrounded the enemy as with a circle of fire, and all that was left of the Spanish naval power 32 was a bloody dream. You know of subsequent events ; of the Treaty of Paris by which islands enough to make an empire came under the dominion and authority of the United States. Events piled upon events, victory following victory in such quick succession as to startle the world. At the White House sat William McKinley, cool, deliberate, controlling the mighty forces of the Nation. These victories and the measures adopted by his administration meant the extension of American com- merce to the uttermost portions of the earth. They meant the spread of business to the distant islands of the sea — they meant the extension of American civilization, American laws, Ameri- can liberty to lands that had been in darkness thousands of years — they meant the forward march of humanity and Chris- tianity — they meant the opening up of the great highways of the world to the nations with the United States in the lead. What a marvelous record America has made. I love to speak of it. The Declaration of Independence was signed and published only one hundred and twenty-five years ago. The Constitution of the United States was adopted only one hundred and fourteen years ago. At that time there was only a narrow line of settlements along the Atlantic coast. Now the settlements have extended across the continent. Then our population was only three millions ; now it is over eighty millions. Then our flag floated over Boston, New York, Phil- adelphia, Baltimore and Charleston. But "westward the Star of Empire made its way." Strong, brave, fearless pioneers took that banner and carried it over the Allegheny mountains — across the Ohio river— across and beyond the Mississippi. They planted it upon the top of the Rockies. They raised it on the shores of the Pacific. They hung it out over Alaska. They unfurled it over Honolulu — over Porto Rico, over Manila. The Hawaiian Islands, the Ladrone Islands, the Philippine Islands, are only stepping-stones for America in its majestic march across the sea and around the world. All the world knows America now. All the nations have heard the news. This great Republic, ocean bound and mountain crowned and bordered by island gems ; this Republic, founded by the fathers, baptized, defended and preserved by the blood of their children, stands in the front. It is at the head of the great procession of the nations and leads in the civilizing and christianizing forces of the world. To the crowning glory of this work William McKinley gave his heart, his soul, his life. His great example is before us to be read by all mankind. His work in life was mighty. But McKinley living was not greater than McKinley dying. His great, brave, tender, heroic soul, looking out through his dying eyes ; his voice sweet and low from lips soon to be silent forever HON. D. K. WATSON, Ex- Attorney -General and Ex-Member of Congress, Ohio. 33 spoke of love undying, of hope eternal, of faith everlasting, of country, of wife, of God. The angels must have hovered around his couch and Jesus, lover of our souls, received his spirit. Standing here to-day let us honor him, and as a way to honor him let us consecrate ourselves anew to the country which he loved and which we love and the principles he defended and for which he gave his life. There Is a Green Hill, Far Away Gounod. BY THE UNITED STATES MARINE BAND, Lieut. Wm. H. Santei