The Irish standard., 1897-10-02
M'KENNAS DECISION.


ney-general in the Hanna Mckinley cab.
met has rendeteu1two decisions of i'm
portance since he entered on the duties
OF his office. The first was in the
West Point chapel case in which he gave
1t as his opinion that the Catholics in
the service OF the government were not
entitled to have erected at their own ex-
pnse building wherein to worship Cod.
This decision coming from Catholic
TOOK his co-religionists throughout the
country by surprise and ELECTED words
of commentator and even cheers from
sectarian bgots assembled in national
conference
Some Catholic editors commented Sc
verely upon the expressed opinion of the
attorney general in the case and went
so far as to question his firmness as
Catholic. He has since given addition
al cause for criticism from the fact chat
on September II, the Lords day, when
every good Catholic went to mass, he
went to a Methodist church with presi-
dent Mckinley.
AT the time OF his appointment some
catholic papers thought it an act of
liberality on McKinley's part to take
The Californian judge into his cabinet,
hut the man from Canton knew the ma
terial of which Mckenna was mad, bet
ter than did the papers aforesaid. The
weak-minded "Cawtholic" from the Pa
clflc slope expects to succeed Justice
Field on the United States supreme
bench and is therefore willing to please
Mckinley rather than Jehovah in OBJ
serving the Sabbath day.
In a recent interview with Frank G..
Carpenter. the famous correspondent
McKcnna tCld him that his family came
from the north CT Ireland, but that ne
was born in Philadelphia, while his
father was running bakery there.
Very likely, McKenna wishes to pass
himself off for one OF the Scotch Irish"
Who all came from the north of Ireland,
where Mckinley's ancestors dwelt. Nc
kenna appears to be as true to father
land as to faith and would relinuuish
his connection with both through ambi-
tion to reach the woolsack. Mr.. Car
Denter says "heidresses so correctly that
he makes you think of Pitt Crawley, in
Vanity Fair. who would rather have
died than sat down to dinner in any,
thing else than dress suit and a white
necktie"
The second decision given by Attor-
ncy-General Mckenna is in the noro-
rious section % of The Dngley tariff bill
which is as follows.
THAT discriminating duty of 10
per ccntum ad fvalorcm, in adtliti y. to
the duties imposed by law, shall be
levied, collected and paid on all goods,
wares Or vessels not of the United States
Tor which being the production or man
ufacture of any foreign country not con-
tinguous to the United States, shall
come into the United States from such
contiguous country) but this discrmi-
mating duty shall not apply to goods,
wares or merchandise which shall be
imported in vessels not Of the United
States entitled at the time of such i'm
portation by treaty Tor convention) to
be entered in the ports of the United
States on payment Of the same duties as
shall then be payable on goods, wares
and merchandise imported in vessels of
the United States (nor to such foreign
products or manufactures as shall be inn
I'D
in the usual course OF strictly retail
trade)."
His construction of the section is that
goods coming directly into the United
States from foreign countries through
Canadian ports are not subject to The
discriminating duty Of 10 per cent, and
that foreign goods shipped from colln-
tries ether than British possessions in
British vessels are not subject to The
discriminating duty.
That decision nullifies the section in
its entirety We are not lawyer and
consequently our opinion of this decis-
of the obnoxious section was to encour-
age American shipping in our opinion
it ought to stand as it was The Brit
ish ship owners are benefited by Mcken-
mas decision. while the American ship
owners are injured. The United States
should give every aid by law to the
building and equipment of merchant
marine to get share of the commercial
trade OF the world. Such decision
as this by McKenna is beneficial to the
interests of the British shippers, while
1t acts as damper on American enter
prise.