The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1896-07-02
MeKINLEY,s EVASION.

McKINLEY'S EVASION.
Ex-Governor Mckinley was formida
BILE candidate for the Presidency since
the elections of November, 1895. From
that time up to the day he was nomi-
mated frequent attempts were made by
newspaper men to get him to state
whether in the event of his nomination
and election he would pledge himself to
maintain the present gold standard, but
he always refused to answer. On one
occasion the New York World sent a
special correspondent to see him person
ally and propounded several questions
to him about carrying out the gold
standard, but the Major politely ans.
wered "give my compliments to the
World but have nothing to say" All
efforts by the newspaper men to get
pledge out of him proved futile and the
attempt was abandoned.
When the convention convened Mark
Hanna, McKinleys manager, was bent
on adopting the cowardly double shuttle
money plank of the Ohio platform, but
the gold standard men, led by Senator
Lodge, compelled Hanna to strike his
straddle colors on the first day of the
battle. Hanna struggled desperately to
get of as easy as possible by tempering
the gold standard expression, but he
and his whole outfit of shivering shutters
were routed horse, foot and dragoon,
and the convention, by vote Of S to l,
adopted the single gold standard plat.
form and then nominated Mckinley
who must swallow it, no matter how
distasteful the dose may be.
There was some excuse for McKinley's
reticence during the preliminary struggle
for the Presidency. Hanna unquestion.
ably had obligations in McKinley's name
from the free silver men and he was
slow to drive them from the support of
his candidate by the adoption of a gold
standard platform. But whatever may
have been McKinley's attitude on the
money question prior TO the convention,
there can certainly be no excuse now for
evading the question any longer. He
must accept the platform or desert it.
He may be elected by accepting the
platform and standing squarely upon it,
but he cannot by any possibility be
elected by deserting the platform.
George b. Mcclellan tried that in 1864
and General Hancock in 1880, and both
were disastrously defeated.
1t is now two weeks since Ex-Governor
Mckinley was nominated for the Presi-
dency by the Republican National con.
vention at st. Louis. Visiting delega-
tions from Columbus, Wheeling, Youngs.
town, Alliance, Akron, Massillon, Cleve-
land and other places have called on
him and to each delegation he has re-
sponded in eloquent language, but not
one word has yet fell from his lips about
the gold standard platform that his
party adopted for him. In his speech of
acceptance on Monday to the notifca-
ton committee he speaks about the
"best money in the world" but he does
not define what the "best mon, in the
world is" He prates about pro-
lection and reciprocity as being the
twin measures of true American policy;
but on the question of gold or the single
gold standard platform upon which he
was nominated and which must
be the paramount issue in
he is as silent as the grave.
The Republicans can not win this
battle on discussing the tariff question
or by any pledge or promise TO return to
the Mckinley bill. The business in
terests are averse to paralyzing business
by eight months discussion of the
tariff question, and the Republican plat
'orm explicitly declares that they are
mot pledged to any particular schedule"
which Enthusiastically means that they
ire not pledged to the Mckinley
schedules. The Republicans will not
gain single electoral vote by discussing
he tariff question. All the political
parties save a wing of the Prohibition
SITS contessedly admit that the financial
question will be the paramount issue in
.he campaign, and any attempt by the
leaders to talk tariff or to
below about reciprocity, which McKin-
ey strenuously opposed when in con-
yress, will only result in ignominious
allure and disastrous defeat at the polls.
COL. FELLOWS ON FREE SILVER.