America 1881: They Call Me Legend

Chapter 551 William McKinley

Marcus Hanna is a millionaire and banker with a strong presence on Wall Street.

He was also involved in the rescue operation a year ago.

He also dabbled in coal, iron, and shipbuilding, and made good profits in these trades.

However, as he was nearly sixty years ago, he quit his various business organizations a year ago and moved from Cleveland to the small town of Taylorsville, Georgia.

At first, the townspeople thought the tycoon wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle and enjoy his life.

But they suddenly discovered that Hannah was singing every night in the mansion in the town.

The gate of the tycoon’s house was full of traffic, and there was no white man. The people who came to visit included but were not limited to John Sherman, who was also a millionaire, the Republican Senator and leader of the Florida State Andrew Hughes, and the Republican Justice A. Thorne Nolan et al.

It has become a place of worship for prominent Republicans across the country.

Because Mr. Marcus Hannah has another identity.

He is the backstage leader of the Republican party, the real political boss.

And those important Republicans came here not just to see the old man Marcus Hannah.

The main purpose of these people is to meet the most likely presidential candidate of the Republican Party this term, Governor of Ohio, William McKinley.

Mr. McKinley is a veteran politician.

He had all the makings of a good politician of his time.

For example, he was born middle-class, Protestant, served in the army, won honors in the Civil War; served as a lawyer, won the evaluation of integrity and honesty, entered Congress in 1876, and worked diligently there for 14 years.

Even his appearance conformed to the definition of a handsome man at that time, and he was not the same as some crooked guys.

It was also based on this consideration that Marcus Hanna chose McKinley as his party candidate.

Today, the Hanna family's drawing room is filled with smoke.

This is a very luxurious yet quaint room.

On the baroque ceiling, there is a crystal chandelier from England in the 18th century; on the floor of the whole room, there are red and blue Persian carpets woven with complex patterns;
On the table next to the wall is a blue and white porcelain vase made in China, and on the wall directly above the porcelain vase is a portrait of Washington, the founding father.

At this time, the smile of the founding father was faintly visible in the smoke of pipes and cigars.

"Mr. McKinley, we are impressed by your vision and political views, and we have to admit that you are a very good and noble person."

A bearded man sitting on the sofa smoked a pipe and said with narrowed eyes.

His name was Thomas C. Putat, the leader of the Republican Party in New York State, and sitting next to him was Matthews S. Quay, a representative of Pennsylvania.

For the compliments of the two, McKinley on the opposite side responded with a smile.

He sat on the sofa, crossed his fingers and placed them on his lower abdomen.

On the other hand, Hannah was expressionless.

However, the bearded Putat suddenly changed the topic:
"We would very much like to support you in this campaign and at the same time, we very much hope to play our part in your new cabinet."

When Mr. Hannah heard this, he frowned, but McKinley beside him didn't react too violently, and kept smiling:

"Then what can I do for you?" he asked.

"If you can succeed in the White House, I hope to serve as the Secretary of the Treasury in the first cabinet."

Since this is a private place, Putat didn't make any secrets about his ambition, and said straight to the point.

"I feel I am qualified for this position."

However, Hannah's face suddenly changed.

Although fat distribution has always been one of the "traditional virtues" of the Republican Party in the 19th century, based on his understanding of McKinley, the presidential candidate may have his own ideas.

But McKinley's smile still did not disappear from his face, and he maintained his gentleness:
"I will consider this matter, but it is too early to talk about it now, so I cannot make any promises to you."

Putat and Quay exchanged glances.

"In that case, let's take our leave first."

The two stood up, shook hands with Hannah and McKinley calmly, put on their hats and left the house.

"Perhaps you should agree to them first. I don't think this is a very outrageous request." Hannah watched the two Republican bosses leave in their carriage through the window.

McKinley stood up, the expression on his face was still calm, but the words he said were quite different from his expression:

"If Putra is not allowed to be the finance minister, I can't be the president, so I don't want to be the president."

Hannah rubbed his forehead.

He has no way to deny the correctness of this sentence, but politics is always about compromise and deal, and the reason for the unsuccessful deal may be that McKinley feels that Putat is not worth the price in his heart.

"Then we may have to face many opponents." Hannah sighed.

Sure enough, after Putat and Kui went back, they first started looking for their own agents within their sphere of influence.

But Hannah was already prepared.

He had identified those potential party contenders early on, and used his influence to persuade them to give up being party candidates.

Putat and Quay touched their noses.

So they set their sights on several newly joined states such as Wyoming, Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico in the west.

Both Hanna and McKinley became anxious after learning of Putat and Quay's plan.

Hanna suddenly sees a weak link in his campaign plan.

This link is the west.

Both he and McKinley started their careers in the east and have no roots in the west at all!
And his own influence in the west was not even enough for McKinley to gain an absolute advantage in the Republican Party.

If this problem is not resolved, even if McKinley wins the support of the Republicans in the west through speeches and various election activities, there will be no way to wrestle with the Democrats and the populists later.

After all, the West is the birthplace of the Populist movement, and that's where the Populist turf is.

The latter have decided to unite and jointly recommend a candidate to fight against the Republican Party.

Besides, speaking tours and campaigns required railroad support.

Or are you going to ride like a caravan circus through the wild west, from Louisiana to California?
Hanna and McKinley were like ants on a hot pot, devastated.

Until one day, a black carriage stopped at the gate of Hanna's house.

A big nose with thick eyebrows and big eyes stepped out of the carriage.

As soon as he got off the carriage, he couldn't help but picked up a cigar and hurried into the gate of the villa.

And Hannah could not wait to stand in the hall waiting for the big nose.

When the figure of the latter appeared at the gate, seeing the big nose, the old man was almost so excited that he shed tears.

He called out Big Nose's name as if seeing a savior:

"Mr. Morgan, you're finally here! I almost had someone stop you at your door!"

(End of this chapter)