St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-03-14
AGAIN I.FRYING THE FAT"

Frying the fat has come to be the
accepted expression for the process of
obtaining money from protected manu-
facturers with which to carry on Re-
publican national, congressional and
state campaigns. 1t was in the cam
paign of 1883 that the term was coined
by a senator, supposed to have been
Plumb, of Kansas, who, when the ia
vorites were slow in yielding up
share of their plumber, wrote letter
full of indignation, in which he de-
clared that, could he have his way, he
would hang these parsimonious ingrates
over hades and fry the fat out of
them. A FRY the fat circular fol-
lowed, and it is history now how the
manufacturers melted and the good
Wanamaker carried the funds to New
York and secured the result that Har-
rison piously attributed to the inter-
ventiOn of Providence.
It is but natural that, with the issue
of more and more protection bulging to
the front again, and finding its proper
fried out to enable him to secure the
nomination. 1t is merely the rub recip-
rocal, a favor to be reQuited as it was
in 1890, when the manufacturers were
allowed to write into the schedules
the taxes they had paid for the priv
ilege of imposing. There is no sense
of moral obloquy felt; it is a straight
business transaction, SO much money
for so much protection. And it Is nat
ural that McKinleys manager should
demand this money aid to help secure
the nomination of the man who typifes
the policy of reciprocity in favors more
completely than any of the other can
didates. SO the manufacturers are be-
ing fried of their fat to aid in his
nomination, and will be fried again
later, if he succeed, to help elect him
OF the fact Of this frying there is
abundant evidence. Marcus Antoninus
Hanna, as the New York Sun, with its
partially for the antique, dubs him, i:
the general superintendent of Mr.. Nc
Kinley's ante-convention campaign
Mr.. Hanna is a wealthy iron manufac ct
urer of Cleveland. He has lively sens,
of the benefits of McKinleyism and
lively appetite for more of it. He ap
preciates the great value of having tn
United States as a partner, furnishin,
capital and sharing no profits. MI
Hanna has been quite lavish with hi
own money. He has spent 500, 900 al
ready, it is said; for these Southern
delegations are very expensive affairs
and the Louisiana incident was espe
cially so. Delegates did not "sta
bought" But the organized appetite
for campaign Doodle is not limited t
the South. There are patriots every
where who can "spend a little none
advantag eously,' and it is darkly hint
ed that the Crookston demonstrate
Wednesday was financed by Hanna.
Mr.. Hanna has become aware Of til
immensely of his job and the insult
cheney of his purse to supply the pres:
ing demand And, anyway, why shoul
he only bleed when so many of his fe
lows drew their wealth from the san
fount? So Mr.. Hanna sends out
circular letter to his fellow iron ar
steel manufacturers appealing for al
A Pittsburg dispatch says that lars
number OF manufacturers there, int
ested in high protection, have bee
thus asked. Another special says tn;
Mr. Hanna, not satisfied with the I
sponses to his written appeals, h;
taken the field in person and is layir
down the law to the benefciaries wi
emphasis. The silk mills in Patterst
yielded up $4,000, and like sum w
transferred to Mr.. Hanna's purse
Philadelphia. Probably enough fat w
thus be fried for ante-convention pu
poses, and if Mckinley is chosen, as
will be, the fires under the frying p;
will be stirred to fiercer heat and
more copious run of fat tried out f
the campaign.