The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-03-11
VIEW AT WASHINGTON

burg Dispatch 1.-The politician and the
| philosopher have had sine to sit in judy
ment upon the address of President Mokin-
ley, and while they generally vote 1t to be
admirable In its caution and perfect In Its
! conservatism, they also vote 1t to be ques-
tionable whether caution and conservatism
have not been somewhat overdone. Most OF
the critics seemed to have looked for some
thing ringing" Even the old heads Of the
senate and house expected something brill
liant. something that would have made the
whole world talk. something that would
prove the perfec, poise aud confidence
OF the man in the clearness OF his convic-
tiors and his power TO express item,
something suggestive of an awakening
from the political and commercial leth-
srsy which Is producing a'rapid dry rot.
1t was a keen disappointment to many OF
Mr.. McKinleys friends that he did not
say more and say il better. While they
admit the admirable spirit that pervad =
the address. they ear not slur over the
fact that 1t is cautious to the extent of
timidity, and they argue that this is
a time of all others when new president
should have shown that he is possessed OF
the ability to deal strongly with all OF the
grarple with them to the full extent of that
ability.
have Just had conversation with one
OF tho most ardent OF the innumerable
ardent friends OF the president. and he
calls my attention to the language OF the
address even upon topics which contain
no dynamite and which are most famil-
lar to Mr.. Mckinley, asserting that his
utterauces are commonplace and plati-
tudinous THE address" says this
friend. 'abounds IN such aNioms as these:
The government should not be permitted
to run behind or Increase its debt In
times like these True enough, but 1t is
50 selt-evident that It sounds pueriic
Again Mr. Mckinley says "A deficiency
Is inevitable so long as the expenditures
Of the government exceed It's receipts
1t hardly neeucd a Daniel come TO-
judgment to tell us that. OF that de-
Efficiency he says; II can only be met by
loans or an increased revenue why. GER
tainly. but what is the use Of telling what
everybody knows Again, he says: "A
surplus in the treasury created By loans
is not a permanent or safe reliance. Great
Scott. what discovery And as IL TINS
were not enough, he goes on 10 say that
such a surplus viii suffice while IT lasts,
NNA u tddA iihA la@N lNA- N4iAiN III N"'''-@@
Of the government are greater than its re
cetpts. And again The best way for the
government to maintain its credit is toi
pay as it goes And again. IN speaking o.
arbitration; Peace is preferable 10 war IN
almost every contlngoncy
NOW do not want to seem hypar-
critical, but upon my soul these common
places are painful to me in a paper which
should have been full Of fire and virility'
am surprised at NJ, <nley. Timidity Isl
but another name OF medlocrity, and Nc
kinley has never before TO NY mind, given
evidence of mediocriY. lie is a great .nan,
really. but the presidency appears to have
scare,; him for the moment He'll be all
right after he gets used to It,
"To me 1t is astounding that Mr.. McKiu-
ley should have passed over the Cuban re-
tellion as though it did not exist. 1t was
quite within the province of an Inaugural
ton address to discuss the subject. espe-
cially when international arbitration. as
embodied in the deceptive treaty before
congress. is given so much attention.
sturdy treatment of the subject, 10 matter
how brief.'sp sympathy with the enthusias-
tic expression of the whole country would
have thrilled every American heart aud
would have oounterbalauced the hackneyed
statements in regard to the tariff and
money questions. 1t is possible. however
that the president desires to feel his way
carefully and not plunge at first blush
into a question that has caused so much i'll
feeling In congress. and the consideration
Of which has developed a narlisanship that
Is ineXplicable in favor of the spanish
butchers. | am assured that Dir Mckinley
* almost as enthusiastic for free Cuba as
the Cubans themselves, and feel confident
he Will speak at what he thinks is the
Proper moment; hut 1t is my Judgment that
he could have found no more opportune
time than in his first words as president
ana by doing so he would have at once
seized upon the heart of the whole country
and distracted attention to some extent
from analysts OF the very indifferent timber
cut Of which he has constructed his cab
inot."
1t would he interesting to know by whose
orders a government vessel was ordered out
to bring one Mr. Grover Cleveland n pri
waite citizen of the United States, to duck
ing grounds on the Potomac river for sea-
son OF what Is called sport" by some very
heartless people. The lamentable fact that
Mr.. Cleveland was once president OF the
United States does not fully explain this
unwarrantcd and unprecedented use Of tho
government property. 1t Is to be assumed
that President Cleveland ordered the vessel
to he sailed for the enjoyment of Citizen
Cleveland but II so 1t was Il theft OF nublic
property that should be investigated No
other president has ever been guilty of such