St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1896-05-09
M'KlNLEY AS CANDIDATE.
Corrupt Methods Employed to Put Him


CorrupS methods Employed to Put Hin
4 Forward.
It is not to be wondered at that In,
republican opponents of Mr.. McKinle,
are making charges touching the virtn,
OF the men who are conducting thi,
campaign. They are saying that ricl
manufacturers have been corruptins
the primaries throughout the country
/ and that the delegates have been pur
chased. However that may be, it /.
clear that public man must gain q
reputation that units him for the pres.
denc5 If he is the servant OF those who
are interested in governments only as
1t enures to their pecuniary profit
Whether Mr.. McKinley's, strength in
the convention has or has not been pro
cured by the corrupt use of money
whether, it it has been, he is or is not
q party to the corruption, he is the
candidate of those who want to divert
the government from it's constitutional
function of promoting the general well
fare that its chief power, may be used
for their own selfish purposes. And
| it is because Mr.. Mckinley has already
/ permitted himself to be employed as
the. agent of such men, and is pre-
snmably willing to be 30 employed
again, that the extreme protectionistss
show such anxiety to bring about his
nomination that prominent men OF
their own party are led to accuse them
OF employing corrupt means to accom-
plish their end.
Another aspect of this candidacy is
that Mckinley is not only the chief or
the extreme protectionists, but he has
heretofore been for unsound money,
and is now, ifs we are to believe the
platform of the Ohio state convention
which nominated him, in favor of bi.
metallis1n, either through internation-
al arrangement or, if that cannot be
had, through congressional legislation.
In other words. the protected manufsc-
turers, in order to capture the silver
vote for the restoration of the tariff
law of 1890, are willing to elect as pres
dent a man whose views ON the cur
rency are unsound.
1t will be ditIicult--we trust, i1npos-
sible-to elect Mr.. Mckinley president
on the theory that has dominated his
canvass for the nomination. The tariff
is not to be the issue at the coming elec-
ton, nor, if it were, do we believe that
the country would agree to make an
other trial of McKinleyism. The issue
is to be the currency question. Neither
the silver men nor the gold-standard
advocates are likely to support a |
double-dealer merely because he is
ready to do the bidding of the men who
are now working for his nomination. |
If the republican party has really come
under the control Of the beneficiaries
OF the tariff of 1890. and if therefore it's
convention nominate Mckinley in
grateful recognition of past tariff IA
vors, and In hope of like fayors to come.
II in order to make the tariff issue |
prominent the party is to face both /
ways on the currency issue, the lead
ers who are anticipating a triumph at
the coming election are likely to be
disappointed; for, no mat
ter what the politicians may think, the
country wants the money issue settled,
and the question that will be put to
candidates in the approaching cam
paign is: Where do you, stand on the
money question:" To this question
Mr.. Mckinley has not yet made reply
that is satisfactory to the advocates of
sound money; nay, he has more than
once ranged himself on the side of those
Who could debase the currency in order
hat so cents might be made to pay q
lollar of Indebtedness. Although he
would not probably dare renew his adj
,ocacy of such a silver bill as the Sher-
nan law, and although he might fear to
'tand squarely with Teller, Dubois,
'teWarts and his other silver friends,
dr. Mckinley does not favor the single
sold standard, and therefore his cleo
ion to the presidency would be fraught
With danger to the best interests of
he country. Harper's Weekly.