The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-02-07
From the Memphis
HE TRIALS
OF M'KINLEY.


will 1t be. On May II. 1896. the Hon. Tom
Cat Plat. now senator-e for the State
OF New York. had himself interviewed in
the New York Herald. and among a num-
Der of things he said. Mckinley will get
the republican party into trouble. He is
not well balanced. = = Not great man
Not trained and educated public
man. Not public leader Simply
u careful gentleman Much too amable
and too impressionable to be safely in
trusted with the great executive office"
Since that time Mckinley has done moth
ing which would cause Plat to change his
opinion. When the New York confidence
man said that he was trying TO prevent
Mckinley's nomination, but there Is no
reason to doubt that 1t was his real couYic-
ton. and he will so into the senate loId-
ing that view and prepared to act accord
inely.
That Mckinley Is a tariff maniac is only
too evident. Congressman John G, Sturte
want. successor to 10 Sibley from Peunsyl-
vania. visited Canton recently and he re-
ports tho prcsident-elect as saying: Il
will call special session OF congress on
March 10. and. unless | change my mind
you may be in Washington at that time.
desire to have my protective system inau-
euratcd Immediately upon my inaugura-
ton. and want IL measure passed that Will
Immediately stimulate business aud give
idle men work"
Now. in this interview Mr.. Mckinley
shows himself to be what the alenists
would call a mattoid. He is evidently
under the impression that the fcople Of
tho United States elected him as a sort OF
instrument Of Providence to give the lc~
nghtcd people more protection, lie speaks
o. my protective system" and the reces-
sity OF having it Immediately inaugurated.
Now the president of tie United States is
not legislator: he is merely a suEgester
Of legislation; and he can approve or dis
approve Of laws passed by congress. The
constitution does not charge him with the
duty OF ombodying his hobbies into laws, or
trnnslatiNg his special form OF insanity INTO
statute. Mr.. Mckinley Will probably
learn. very soon after he Is inauguratcd--
indeed II will doubtless be his first yalu-
able lesson-that the business OF lawmak-
ing belongs to congress, and the person
who Will impress the lesson on his mind
will be one Thomas b. Reed. AS the Com
mrrcial- Appeal recently pointed out, our
real ruler, owing to gradual and almost
imperceptihle accretions of power, is the
speaker OF the house of representatives,
II would be virtually impossible for con-
gross to pass or to repeal any law With
out the consent OF the speaker and It is
certain that my protective system" unless
II happens TO be Identical with The Reed
protective system. will receive about as
much consideration In the house OF repre-
as it Will in the legislature OF
Tennessee.
II is evident that Mr. Mckinley will 20
into the presidential Office under very
erroneous impression. and Of course there
is trouble ahead OF him. The Hon. Tom
Plat in the senate and the Hon. Tom
Reed In the house will doubtless be amused
at the presidents idea that he thinks he is
doing something In the way of lawmakng.
but the gentleman from Ohio will soon
realize that he is the veriest Hooker in
Vienna.