The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1897-02-13
insufficient Aims Giving.

Insufficient Aims Giving.
From the Kansas City Times.
President-elect Mckinley has written
the committee in charge of the inaugu-
ration day ceremonies at Washington
that he would prefer the $50 900, which
it is preparing to expend on the inau-
gural ball, be devoted to charitable
purposes. He suggests that S25 5000 OF
the $50, 900, set aside for that function,
be devoted to relieving the wants of
the wretched people in h crowded
cities, and the balance be sent to the
prosecuted Armenians and the plague
stricken and famished inhabitants of
East India.
For anything like purposes of ade-
ouate succor, the amount named ty
our next president for alternating di' =
tress in the big cities would go a very
short distance. 1t would hardly suffice
to buy all the hungry ones alone as
cheap a thing as a bowl of soup, not 10
mention the items of medicines for the
sick, and of fuel, shelter and clothing
for the cold, homeless and naked.
McKinley's commendable suggestion
of how other people shall spend their
money must strike that part of the
public which is not gullible as rather a
cheap piece of buncombe. Nearly two
months ago Major McKinley's coacher,
Mark Hanna, spent several days in
Washington making elaborate prepare
lions for this very same inaugural ball,
and the other expensive fiummeries
which are to add to the imposing effect
of Major McKinley's triumPhal march
to the White House. On that occasion
Majordomo Hanna examined every
available edifce IN the capital, and
finally selected the government pension
building as h only n having suffi-
cIent floor room to allow the horde of
p%ie-hunters, placemen and p%lutocrats
to swing themselves in the exhilarating
whirls of the dance in Joy over the
Mckinley Inauguration.
The scruples which have suddenly
overtaken the Mckinley conscience,
along with the cold wave, car possibly
be explained by the recent visit to
Canton of Mr.. Hanna, in conjunction
with the good Deacon Kohlsaat. 1t is
not improbable that the suggestion of
helping the poor came from the kind
hearted editor in all sincerity, and was
seized upon by Hanna, on account of
the magnificent advertisement for the
new administration which the adoption
of it contained. Let it be granted that
Major Mckinley is sincere in his sug-
gestion about the diversion OF The ball
money to relief work.
The i~ncredulous would be more in
clined to take this view if he had made
an offer to incur personally a certain
amount of the expense required to re-
lieye the destitute, sick and hungry in
the big cities, and proposed to meet
the obligation out of his salary when
no shall have become president. There
would be little trouble for the philan-
thropically in ,lined Major Mckinley 10
borrow, say $4,000, from some of his
wealthy friends and devote it TO the
purpose mentioned. By rigid econ
omy he could manage to pay it back
out of his first annual installment of
$4,000, and his example would have
the effect to cause others, who, unlike
himself, are rolling in wealth, to I'M
loose their purse strings and help the
helpless,
Even Mark Hanna, whose pathway
to wealth has led through thousands of
pinched and starved laborIng men and
been sprinkled by the tears of those
dependent on them, might chip in a
few dollars just for the sake of pleas
ing the major.
Just now the millions of dollars con-
tributed by the sl%ush-funders, whose
money was the main factor in McKin-
Iey's election, would remove all the
pressing want and dire distress of the
destitute and unemployed people in the
United States during the copiinuapce
of the rigorous weather, and leave
enough surplus to pay for a dozen
inaugural balls, such as the impending
one.
Major Mckinley, and such of his
friends as have grown rich out
of the class legislation and protective
policy of the republican party, would do
well while this fit of charity Is on them
to reflect on the long chain of causes
which have made gaunt poverty, COM
panioned by sickness, restitution, idle
ness and hunger, stalk through the
cities of the land, bringing death to
many, suffering to thousands and caus-
ing the humiliation of receiving aims to
make bitter the bread of other thous-
ands of honest men and women, Iall TOO
to work if the door of oppor-
tunity were not locked and barred
them. The policy of protection,
which enriches those who have much
and impeverishes those who have little,
upheld by Major Mckinley and the
trusts, monopolies and
money-grabbers who elected him, are
almost entirely for the con-
lagration of misery, which he has
expressed a wish to extinguish with
half the incensiderable sum TO be spent
IN Mark Hanna's inaugural ball.