In the last Alumni
Pipeline, local historian Jeff Rankin wrote a brief article about
U.S. presidents, former presidents and presidents-elect who have visited
Monmouth. The author recently discovered that he neglected to include
William McKinley. From “Speeches and Addresses of William McKinley,”
published by Doubleday in 1900, he found the following reference, and
notes, “I assume he spoke from a train platform, as it is brief, and it
occurred between speeches at Ottumwa and Galesburg on the same day.”
Speech At Monmouth, Illinois, October
13, 1898
My Fellow-Citizens:
I quite despair of making my voice heard by this great audience, but
whether you hear mine or not, I have heard yours of hearty welcome, and
thank you.
The American name was never higher than it is now, and American
citizenship was never dearer to its possessor, nor fraught with graver
responsibilities. The army and the navy from Manila to Santiago have
nobly performed their duty. It is left for the citizens of this country
to do theirs. May God give us the wisdom to perform our part with
fidelity, not only to our own interests, but to the interests of those
who, by the fortunes of war, are brought within the radius of our
influence. [Applause.]
