his seven terms in Congress, Mr. McKinley was noted for his clear
grasp of national questions and his interest in tariff legislation. It
was in 1890 that he brought about the passage of the tariff measure
which is always associated with his name. In the same year he was
defeated, but, being nominated for governor, he was elected by 80,000
majority. As in the case of Mr. Cleveland, this triumph attracted
national attention, and his administration was so satisfactory that he
could have received the nomination for the presidency twice before he
accepted it.

The presidential administration of McKinley has proven one of the most
eventful in our history, for, as set forth in the following chapters, it
marked our entrance among the leading nations of the world, in the field
of territorial expansion beyond the limits of our own continent and
hemisphere. Before entering upon the history of this phase of our
national existence, attention must be given to important happenings of a
different nature. One of these was the organization of what is popularly
known as "Greater New York."

[Illustration: THE OBELISK IN CENTRAL PARK, NEW YORK.]

"GREATER NEW YORK."

For a number of years, a prominent question among the inhabitants of the
metropolis and outlying cities was that of their union under one
government. The New York Legislature in 1890 appointed a committee to
inquire into and report upon the subject. After several years of
discussion, the Legislature provided for a referendum, the result of
which showed a large majority in favor of uniting the cities referred
to. A bill was carefully framed, passed both branches of the law-making
body by a strong vote in February, 1897, and was signed by the mayors of
Brooklyn and of Long Island City. Mayor Strong, of New York, however,
vetoed the bill, but the Legislature immediately repassed it, and it was
signed by Governor Black.

The expanded metropolis began its official existence January 1, 1898,
the government being vested in a mayor and a municipal assembly, which
consists of two branches elected by the people. The population at the
time named was about 3,400,000, the daily increase being 400. Should
this rate continue, the total population at the middle of the twentieth
century will be 20,000,000, which will make it the most populous in the
world, unless London wakes up and grows faster than at present.

The area of Greater New York is 317.77 square miles. Its greatest width