The Verdict, and the Opportunity

No man is wholly free either from defects in personal characteristics or from mistakes of judgment, but when a national figure passes into history it is a wholesome thing that the larger emphasis should be placed upon those results of his public work which have most vitally affected the national welfare. If they have affected it for the worse, the truth should be frankly told; but in the present case it may be accurately said of Mr. McKinley’s administration, as a whole, that it restored financial confidence and business prosperity, was a unifying force within the nation, and materially advanced the United States in world-wide influence and broad opportunity for good. He was not personally the creator of all this, but he gave the weight of his influence and encouragement to the side of most of the tenden- [300][301] cies which brought it to pass. Whatever mistaken steps have been taken are not irretrievable, and it is in our power to make the results of the McKinley administration tell with increasing force for abundant prosperity at home, international peace, and the steady growth of civilization among the barbaric and backward races.