Editor’s note: This is part of a weekly series marking the 120th anniversary of Niles native William McKinley’s U.S. presidency.

The summer season was drawing to a close as President William McKinley met informally with a delegation of the Rough Riders regiment on Sept. 21. A majority of the men were from the New Mexico territory on their way home. New Mexico had furnished four of the captains and 440 of the men in the regiment.

McKinley spoke with “earnest enthusiasm” of the work of the regiment in the Santiago campaign. He cited the competent leadership of their regimental officers, Col. Roosevelt and Gens. Wood and Young.

The following day the president reviewed from the White House portico a detachment of 200 members of the Marine Corps that served in Guantanamo during the war. The marines had just arrived in Washington, D.C., and they marched directly to the executive mansion, headed by the Marine Band. The newspapers reported the president stood with bared head as the “bronzed heroes” marched past, waving his hat and clapping his hands in turn. McKinley seemed much affected by the appearance of the men who had behaved so nobly during those trying days at the front when they constituted the only American force on Spanish soil.

On Sept. 23, McKinley announced the establishment of the nine member commission to investigate the conduct of the War Department and its handling of the Spanish-American War. In his opening to the commission, McKinley concluded his remarks with the following statement:

“There has been in many quarters severe criticism of the conduct of the war with Spain. Charges of criminal neglect of the soldiers in camp and field and hospital and in transports have been so persistent that, whether true or false, they have made a deep impression upon the country. It is my earnest desire that you shall thoroughly investigate these charges and make the fullest examination of the administration of the War Department in all of its branches, with the view to establishing the truth or falsity of these accusations. I put upon you no limit to the scope of your investigation. Of all departments connected with the Army I invite the closest scrutiny and examination, and shall afford every facility for the most searching inquiry. The records of the War Department and the assistance of its officers shall be subject to your call.

“I cannot impress upon you too strongly my wish that your investigation shall be so thorough and complete that your report when made will fix the responsibility for any failure of fault by reason of neglect, incompetency, or maladministration upon the officers and bureaus responsible therefore — if it be found that the evils complained of have existed.

“The people of the country are entitled to know whether or not the citizens who so promptly responded to the call of duty have been neglected or misused or maltreated by the government to which they so willingly gave their services. If there have been wrongs committed, the wrong-doers must not escape conviction and punishment.”

Wendell Lauth of Bristol is a Trumbull County historian.

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