until Mr. McKinley became a candidate for President
that Hanna took a very great interest in national political affairs.
He had the deepest affection for the late President, and was
determined that he should be nominated and elected President of
the United States, at whatever cost. Mr. Hanna took hold of Mr.
McKinley's campaign for the nomination and controlled it absolutely
and, to use the common expression, he "ran every other candidate
off the track."

He came into Illinois and carried the State easily. He was not
sparing in the use of money, but believed in using it legitimately
in accomplishing results.

It must have been a great satisfaction to him when the St. Louis
Convention nominated his candidate, William McKinley, of Ohio, on
the first ballot by a vote of 661 as against 84 votes for Thomas
B. Reed, of Maine, the next highest candidate. He had it all
organized so perfectly that the St. Louis convention was perfunctory
so far as Mr. McKinley's nomination was concerned. The Convention
recognized that it was Mr. Hanna had achieved this great triumph;
and after Senator Lodge, Governor Hastings, and Senators Platt and
Depew had moved that the nomination of Mr. McKinley be made unanimous,
a general call was made for Mr. Hanna. He finally yielded in a
very brief address:

"Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen of the Convention:--I am glad there
was one member of this Convention who has had the intelligence at
this late hour to ascertain how this nomination was made--by the
people. What feeble effort I may have contributed to the result,
I am here to lay the fruits of it at the feet of my party and upon
the altar of my country. I am now ready to take my position in
the ranks alongside of my friend, General Henderson, and all good
Republicans from every State, and do the duty of a soldier until
next November."

Naturally, Mr. Hanna was made chairman of the Republican National
Committee, and as such conducted Mr. McKinley's campaign for election
just as he had conducted the preliminary campaign for the nomination.
He there showed the shrewdest tact and ability in its management,
and many people believe that he elected McKinley very largely by
his own efforts.

I do not know whether Mr. Hanna was very ambitious to enter the
Senate or not, but I do believe that Mr. McKinley saw that he would
be probably the most useful Senator to his Administration; and he
contrived to make a vacancy in the Senatorship from Ohio by