The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-05


The first portion of the inaugural ad-
dress delivered by Mr.. Mckinley yes
terday seems scarcely worthy of the
man or the occasion. He misto0k, fer
one thing, the requirements of the sit
uation A brief and simple inaugural
address, expressing a sense Of the du-
ties and responsibilities assumed, and
avoiding specific issues unless some
special reference should be called for
is at once best In taste and greatest in
force. The first official utterance Of
President Mckinley has all the too
great latitude of the average message
to congress. 1t essays a review OF all
leading questions of foreign relations
and domestic policy, on an occasion
where the briefest summary must be
tedious and the most exhaustive re-
view permissible incomplete Hence
the beginning of the address is dull
and filled with platitudes.
1t is hard to be patient with an ex-
ecutive who expresses himself thus
upon the great question Of finance:
with adequate revenue secured, but
not until then, we can enter upon such
changes in our fiscal laws as will, while
lnsuring safety and volume to our
money, no longer impose upon the gov
eminent the necessity Of maintaining.
SO large a gold reserve, with its at
tendant and inevitable temptations 10
speculation" If this means ANYTHING
what is it? If it does not mean any,
thing, as the words indicate. why touch
the subject? On the revenue question
Mr.. McKinley's limitations arpear in
this one sentence: Between more
loans and more revenue there ought TO
be but one opinion" No more is there.
But is there no other choice? Why
should our annual expenditures be
from $150,00O,00O to 5000, coo, 600 more than
they We're eight years ago? This sim
pie fact knocks out all the labcred ar
gument to prove the need Of higher
taxes. But to Mr. Mckinley the last
election meant only more tariff: and
the country has no right to quarrel
with him, for it knew in what his
views Of public policy were summed
up when it elected him president.
Agriculture is put off rather sum
marily with the assurance that the
revival Of manufacturing will bring re-
lief to it. Why not take the other tack
while, and try the beneficial effect
upon the manufacturer Of giving holm
10 the farmer? And the new president
does not seem quite as confident of the
merits Of his attraction as when he
was only an advance agent. Deem mol
anchOly must settle upon those who
nave believed that prosperity must
come with Mr.. McKinley's Inaugural
ton when they read that TT will take
time to restore the prosperity Of form
er years" This is hardly carrying cut
the allurlng promises of the bill boards
However, more tariffs we must ana
snail have, and Sc congress is called
In special session in ten days fr9m date
and then the wheels will begin 70 go
around. We fear sadly that the husf-
est whirring will not be heard from the
wheels of mills and factories.
Passing from these profoundly unsat-
fsfactory features Of the address. we
are glad to commend as heartily those
other portions in which the new presi-
dent is not bound in slavery to any pre-
conception, and where he can speak
out the honest aspirations and pur-
poses with which he is possessed. His
tribute to a government of law and
order is strong and sound He advo-
Gates civil service reform in words
which, while not devoid Of ambiguity.
we prefer to interpret as voicing a sin
cere friendship. He urges the adOp-
ton of the arbitration treaty. And.
mirabile dictu he has not a word Of
comfort for the jingoes. Not a hand
is held out to the Cuban orators. That
transformation scene which the Repub-
licans told us we were to witness on
the Atm of March is absent We are
to leave other nations "undisturbed
with the settlement Of their own do
mestic concerns" 1--WE want no wars
Of conquest; we must avoid the temp