Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1894-04-21
M'KlNuEY'S FIRST GUN.

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M'KlNLEY'S FIRST GUN.
The Tin Napolcons Inauguration Of His
Presidential Campaign.
The series OF speeches delivered by
MIR. Mckinley at Minneapolis were ac-
cepted by his hearers, and doubtless
intended by himself, as the opening Of
tho presidential campaign OF 1898. 1t
Is an early start, and too early start
has its perils. but that is his affair
Mr.. Mckinley is bold man to stand
up and discourse OF the calamities
which he has been chiefly instrumental
in bringing on the country. He is a
bold man to seek to lay them on the
democrats If we could conceive OF
Paris had he survived the Trojan war,
standing amid the ruins of Ilium and
laying all the blame for the dcsolation
around him upon the unreasonable jeal.
ousy Of Meneiaus, on the one hand,
and the reckless daring OF Hector on
the other, we might find something
like parallel to the nerve OF McKin-
ley. But we are not driven to the Dor.
derland Of myth for such parallel.
When Nero, after firing the city OF
Rome, and Adding while the confagra-
tion was in progress, came forward
when the desolation was complete. and
said the Christians were the cause OF
the whole trouble, he furnished Mr..
Mckinley with historical precedent
perfect In all Its details, with single
exception, namely, that Nero knew
what he was doing, while we cheer
fully give MIR. Mckinley the benefit OF
the assumption that be had not the re-
motest idea that he was playing with
fire when he struck the industries and
the prosperity of the country so fatal a
blow. We might also note that Nero
spared his impoverished people the In
Fiction Of four speeches in single
day, but then Nero was not candidate
for the presidency.
II anyone doubts that Mr., Mckinley
was the chief agent in bringing on the
panic of 1898 he has only to remember
that it was admitted on all sides last
summer that the Sherman act caused
the panic. Now. it has since come tc
light that the Sherman act would never
have passed had 1t not been necessary
to the passage Of the Mckinley bill. j
Mr.. Mckinley had devised a rationaI
tariff bill, such as the republican lead
ers in the northwest had promised the
people in 1855, no bargain would have
been necessary to secure its passage.
By framing bill so outrageous that
his own party would not agree to it
without n bargain, Mr. Mckinley
brought upon the country all the woes
that attended and followed the panic
of 1898, as we'll as that are yet to fol-
low.
In declining to criticise the tariff bill
in detail, Mr., Mckinley acted the part
of wisdom. He follows the republican
platform in asking for tariff that will
cover the difference between wages in
this country and wages abroad. 1t
would be rather difficult, we imagine,
for him to find any article OF impsr-
tance on which the rate is not sufficient
to cover the difference in the cost of
labor Though the republicans laid
down this rule, they have not been will.
ing to abide by it. When Mr.. McKin-
ley introduced his bill four years ago
he said In the accompanying report
that in no case had the rates been made
higher than was necessary to cover dii-
ferences of cost In the United States
and In foreign countries. This was
shown to be untrue In innumerable
instances, but Mr.. Mckinley would not
on that account agree to any abatement
in rates
When Mr.. Mckinley dilates on the
benefits of reciprocity he raises the
question why he put his bill through
the house withou. any reciprocity in
it. The reciprocity scheme, such as it
is, is not his work, 1t was added after
the bill went to the senate in conse-
quence Of a suggestion from Mr. Blaine,
though Mr. Blaine's scheme of reci-
procity was rejected and another sub
stituted This fact might not be so
important were 1t not for the fact that
Mr.. Mckinley is candidate for the
presidency on the basis OF his bill He
should, therefore, conhne himself to
such things as he put into the bill with
out compulsion from the senate. The
scheme of reciprocity is not success
as whole, aud any slight benefits
that may have resulted from some of
Its features cannot be credited to Mr..
Mckinley. 1t was devised to reduce
the balance Of trade against this coun-
try with sugar-producing countries,
which it has wholly failed to do, but
on the contrary, has increased the bal
nnce very largely. louisville Courier
Journal.
A Republican Mania.
The suicidal mania affected the re-
publicans four years ago when they de-
vised the Mckinley bill, the Sherman
law and the force bill. Their defeat
in 1890 counted for nothing, and in 1892
they came up smiling, insisting that
the neonle did not know what they