inducing
John Sherman to accept the position of Secretary of State in his
Cabinet, thereby making a place for Mr. Hanna in the Senate.
Senator Sherman resigned to enter the State Department; and on
March 5, 1897, Mr. Hanna was appointed by Governor Bushnell to fill
the vacancy.

From the very first Mr. Hanna took rank as one of the foremost
leaders of the Senate. Of course, he had everything in his favor.
He had nominated and elected McKinley; he had been Chairman of the
Republican National Committee, and it was known that he stood closer
to the President than any other man in public life.

But notwithstanding this, he had the real ability naturally to
assume his place as a leader. He assumed a prominent place more
rapidly than any Senator whom I have ever known. He took hold of
legislation with a degree of skill and confidence that was remarkable,
and carried his measures thorough apparently by his own individual
efforts and energy. He changed the whole attitude of the Senate
concerning the route for an interoceanic canal. We all generally
favored the Nicaraguan route. Senator Hanna became convinced that
the Panama route was best, and he soon carried everything before
him to the end that the Panama route was selected.

During the first McKinley campaign, Mark Hanna was probably the
most caricatured man in public life. He was made an issue in the
campaign and was usually pictured as being covered with money-bags
and dollars. But it is very strange how public sentiment changed
concerning him. Before the first McKinley Administration was over,
Mark Hanna enjoyed quite a degree of popularity; but it was not
until he entered the campaign of 1900 that he really became one of
the popular figures in American politics.

Some one, I do not know who, induced him to go among the people
and show himself, and try to make some speeches. His first few
efforts were so successful that it was determined he should make
a speech-making tour. Senator Frye, of Maine, one of the oldest
and most experienced and finest orators in the country, accompanied
him on his tour. Senator Frye told me that he prevailed upon
Senator Hanna to make short campaign speeches first. He requested
him to try a fifteen-minute speech, then extend them to thirty
minutes. Before their tour was ended, he was making just as long
and just as good a speech as any old experienced campaigner. During
this campaign, there were more calls on the Republic