Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-05-14
SENATOR PLATT ON M'KINLEY
Declares Him a Financial Straddler
and Extremist Unfit for the
Presidency.
RATIONAL REVIEW OF TIE SITUATION
The Ohioan Will Not Be Nominated
at the st. Louis Convention
Astute New Yorker Out for
Political Blood.

New York, May 14.-Ex-S Senator Platt
has issued formal statement in regard
to the presidential situation, in which the
nomination of Major Mckinley is vigor-
ously opposed:
"My opposition to Gov. Mckinley"
Mr.. Platt says, proceeds almost entirely
from my belief that he will get the Re-
publican party into turmoil and trouble.
He ia not we'll balanced man of affairs,
as Gov. Morton is. He is not a great
man, as Mr.. Reed is. He is not a trained
and educated public man, as Senator Alli-
son is. He is not an astute political
leader, as Senator Quay is. He is simply
clever gentleman, much too amiable
and much
TOO IMPREssIoNABLE
to be safely intrusted with great execu-
tive Office, whose quest for honor hap
pens to have the accidental advantage of
the association of his name with the last
Republican protective tariff.
"Mr. Mckinley had really less to do
with that industrial law than had either
Gov. Dingley or Senator Aldrich, but,
simply because of his position as chair
man of the ways and means committee of
the 51st congress, it has borne his name
and there seem to be good many people
who labor under the impression that he
wrote it line for line and that the theory
that it embodies originated in his colossal
intellect. / would not deny him one jot
or little of the credit that really belongs
to him, but it Ia most unhandsome to de-
fraud others Of the credit that belongs to
them.
"When national conventions get down
soberly to the work of choosing q candidate
they are not apt to overlook the fact that
in the four m onths' campaign that is to
follow his personality and his record will
be subjected to the searchlight of hostile
criticism. Nor do they forget that there
are two qualities-resoluton and con-
servatism which the people always re-
quire in their chief magistrate.
"Now, if we Republicans are successful
in the next campaign, as seems SO prob
able to-day, there are two great questions
in which are involved the earning capac-
ity of every citizen, that we shall have to
settle. If we are to settle them
WITHOUT UNSETTLING OURSELVES,
we must settle them at least for genera
ton to come, and to be SO settled they
must be settled wisely, temperately, con-
servatively. They are the tariff question
and the currency question.
"The American people have shown that
they don't want radical tariff in any
direction. What they want is protective
tariff 30 devised as to make up by taxes
on foreign articles that compete with ouI
own for the difference between the price
of labor here and abroad. Mr.. Mckinley
represents the most radical and extreme
view of protection. We must not only
draw bill that can be put through a
Republican congress, but we must draw
one that will not be open to serious
criticism as class legislation l fore
see the greatest dangers to the Repub-
lican party as the result of extreme tariff
legislation.
SIN the first place long before the bill
has become law the country will be
flooded with foreign goods, which must
be sold and consumed before domestic
producers will feel the effects of the new
law. Business will not revive on the in.
stant that Republican president is
elected, and during all the period when
the new bill is under discussion and until
the immense food of foreign goods has
disappeared into consumption, we shall
have to defend our measure. 1t should
be, therefore, safe, healthy and rational
bill
"Fuly as important as the tariff bill
yes, more so-is that measure which must
be devised to render our currency system
intelligible, safe and elastic. If Major
Mckinley has any real convictions on the
subject of the currency they are not re-
vealed in his votes or his speeches. He
voted once for the free and unlimited
coinage of silver. He voted to override
the veto by President Hayes of the Bland
bill, and at different times he has voted in
direct conflict with these votes. He has