CURRENT TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVI, Issue 11108, 6 November 1896, Page 5

CURRENT TOPICS.

. THE PEESIDEST ELECT ASD HIB BXTAL.

Major M’Kinloy, who has just been elected President of the United States, owes hia great popularity, not to any personal charms or com-

manding intellectual gifts, but to the fact that he stands as the leading advocate of the policy of Protection. Eight years ago he was almost unknown outside his own State, but to-day no laudation of him can be too extravagant to satisfy his admirers. He was a school teacher when the civil war broke out, and threw aside his books to volunteer as a private soldier for active service. He went right through the war and took part in several of the leading battles, with great credit to himself. He earned his commission in 1862, and was raised step by step till Lincoln gave him the rank of brevet major for distinguished services. 'When the war was over, and the special regiments disbanded, he was offered a commission in the regular army, but declined, went back to his native State, studied law, and was called to the ■Bar. He opened an office in the town of Canton, and soon came to the front. After being chosen for different local offices, he was sent to Congress, when only thirty-two. For many years little was heard of Major M’Kinley in Congress, and it was not till the latter part of the eighties that ho came prominently before the public. He then contested the Speakership with Mr Keed, and was badly beaten, but, in accordance with an old, custom, he was given the Chairmanship of Committees, as a kind of consolation prize. As Chairman, it fell to his lot to preside over the committee that framed the protective tariff. Here was his opportunity'. Tho M’Kinley Bill, drawn up in the interests of manufacturers, was carried; but at tho election of 18f)0 the Protectionists were left in a very small minority, and Major M’Kinley was for the " time tho most unpopular man in tho States. How American feeling has changed since then is shown by the election that has just been decided. Mr Bryan, the defeated candidate on this occasion, was born in Salem, Illinois, in 1860. Ho attended a public school until fifteen years of age, and then iiitovod Illinois College, and graduated with tho highest honours in 1881. Ho was fleeted to Congres&-<>n,the*iai3ff^j<ffo^

upheaval of 1890 and re-elected in 1892, but his extreme attitude on the silver question split his party and he lost his seat in 1894. Since then he has been engaged in journalism and attended the Convention, at which he was selected as Democratic candidate, as a reporter for a Nebraska paper. Major M’Kinley will assume his active duties at the White House in March of next year.

AMERICAN WOMEN AND POLITICS.

Though American women have no vote in national affairs, it by no means follows that their political influence is nil; on the con-

trary, they, perhaps, take a more active part and exercise a more real influence in public affairs than the women of any other country. Incidental corroboration of this view is to be found in the fact that during the Presidential contest just closed a large amount of public attention centred in the wives of the two prominent candidates. Mrs M’Kinley, although now a chronic invalid," was in earlier life a typical American woman, who had travelled, had worked as a cashier in a bank, and of education and intelligence. devotion of Major M’Kinley' to his helpless Avife was duly impressed upon the sympathetic Americans during the electoral contest; and this devotion, which is said to be the nearest approach to the heroic in the successful candidate’s character, doubtless gained turn many votes. Mrs Bryan, who is only twenty-nine years of age, is a woman of brilliant talents and high educational attainments. Some people have credited her with the authorship of some -of the “boy orator’s” stirring speeches. She studied law and was admitted to the Bar, and her position as her ■ husband’s better half was so universally recognised by the party which has selecte’d him as its candidate, that at the final balloting of the Chicago Convention his partisans shrank with almost superstitious reluctance from going to the final ballots until they were_

assured Mrs Bryan was in the hall. “ When the Nebraskan delegation,” says the Times Herald reporter of Chicago, “ ascertained that Mrs Bryan was not in the hall during the early hours of the Convention, it almost created a panic of fear that Bryan would lose without her presence. At that juncture a page brought a message that Mrs Bryan was at the door seeking admission, as she had lost her ticket. In a few moments the Chairman of the delegation returned with a sigh of relief —Mrs Bryan was in the hall. On the voting day, Mr Bryan peered over the faces on the stage, and when he saw his wife among the spectators, smiled with sweet confidence, and turning to his comrades in the delegation, said with deep faith in his future success, -‘Now for the ballot, our Mascotte is here.’ ” The “Mascotte” did not bring Inck all through the campaign, for it is said by a correspondent that Mrs Bryan meddled in campaign matters in a way that the men behind Bryan bitterly resented. It was Mrs Bryan who insisted that her husband should go to New York City and deliver the speech which was a comparative failure. The real “Mascotte” has been Mrs M’Kinley, whose influence was of the passive kind, and whose husband acted up to the axiom that a politician never need regret the addresses that he does not deliver.

THE AUSTRALIANS IN NEW ZEALAND.

The arrival of the* Australian cricketers at Auckland will, it is to be hoped, stimulate our local players to a sense of the importance of getting into form to meet

the visitors, who commence their match here on November 26. To-day they will meet an Auckland fifteen, and the form displayed by the northern province will give cricketers some idea of what may be expected from Trotffs men on New Zealand wickets. At the same time it must not be forgotten that the Australians will he called upon to play twenty-four hours after arriving from a long sea voyage, and consequently cannot be expectedtodothemselvesfull justice. The present team is the fourth fully accredited one from Australia that has visited this colony. The first arrived here in 1878. This, it will be remembered, was the famous eleven that established the reputation of Australian cricket by defeating the Marylebone Club at Lords; but such was the energy and enthusiasm of Canterbury cricketers in those days that the visitors suffered defeat by six wickets. The result was largely due to the efforts of Messrs Secretan, Watson, Frith, Ollivier and others who will long be remembered in connection with cricket in Canterbury. The next team to visit here —that captained by Murdoch in 1880 —avenged this defeat by beating Canterbury in a single innings. Many of those who are looking forward to the arrival of our present visitors will remember the manner in which the Australian captain defied the efforts of the local howlers, finally returning with a century to his credit- The only other team to visit New Zealand was that of 1888, and on this occasion Canterbury cut a very respectable figure, having all the best of the game, which was left unfinished. It will ho seen that this province has hitherto held an excellent record against Australian elevens. This time however, the prospect is, unfortunately, less bright, and those picked to practise have not entered upon their work with anything like the energy which the selector had a right to expect. In view of the fact that tho province will this year have a handicap of four men only, instead of seven, as hitherto, it is doubly necessary that an improvement should be shown in this respect, and that the public should be given some indication that they may expect to see at least a creditable display against the Australians. We hope the visitors will have a successful tour, both from a cricketing and a financial standpoint; but Canterbury will have to bestir itself if it is to contribute to this result.