The times., 1898-10-20
A Campaign of squirms.

Even our revered friend Hanna seems
to have reached the conclusion that
there are active forces in the political
world other than money. and, in poll
tics. its consequences of bribery, cor
ruption, and coercion. In 1896 he con-
sidered Doodle as the only instrument
of success worth thinking about. \
few weeks ago he added whitewash to
the party kit of tools and fancied that
that and plenty of cash would do the
work at the polls without doubt or
difficulty. He is learning better, and
now observes with surprise and chagrin
that cash and diluted lime are not
nearly adequate TO meet and defeat the
cruited by the incessant and brilliant
labors of Hannaism, Algerism, and
Dodgeism.
Hanna bosses d mouse divided against
itself. In the New York end of il he
has reason to fear that Plat is grin
ming himself sick to think how neatly
he has fixed his bucking broncho to be
easily thrown in the State race. He
knows that the Ohio cellar of the edi-
flee has lots of dynamite concealed
among the Goals from his own cherish
ed mines. The Illinois chamber has
been wrecked and ruined by Virden
operators and murderous detective
agency men. TIE Michigan outbuiIding
is being carried off bodily by returned
soldiers from Algerian fever camps.
The whole business is ratty, rotten,
in nj nd to COLL
Prophet Mckinley roams up and down
and around, sounding the loud timbrel
of goodness and gush, making VOWS to
the immortal gallery gods that their
anger may be averted; doing the
double bucket trick to make the popu-
lace think he will keep and fight for
all the Philippines, and, at the same
time to let the bond sharks and others
in the deal distinctly understand that
the Philippine surrender and the Span
ish debt matters will be safe, if only
the Administration can be assured of a
majority in the next House of Repre-
sentatives.
The acute political situation here is
reflected plainly in Paris. The Ameri-
can Peace Commissioners are in the
tightest kind of a box, and will be until
the November elections relieve them
from the necessity of appearing as one
thing to the American voter, and quite
another to the American Republican
campaign contributor. To the former
they must hold cut the lure of i'm
perial possessions in the Orient. So
Day. of Canton, smiles a sardonic smile
and tells the Spaniards that the sur
render of the Philippines may probably
be demanded irrespective of the Cuban
or any other debit
Noble, -abneGating Day of Con-
ton! He says this while in his pocket
are his instructions to demand no more
than Manila and coaling station, but
TO say nothing whatever about it until
after the polls are closed next month.
But even verbal concessions to the
many-headed, like the pious fraud of
the Saratoga Convention Philippine
plank, and the expansive patriotism of
recent utterances of Mealy Mark Han
ma, cannot be made without exciting
suspicious among the syndicate people
that it is possible they may be betray-
ed and thrown down, should that course
appear desirable to the Administration
as an escape from popular indignation
and political destruction. And this
suspicion is known to exert a most de-
pressing effect upon contributions to
the holy propaganda of the party. 1t
is as pretty dilemma as ever was
caught in its native wilds and domestj
Gated in the Republican zoo. 1t is
something like the amphibian that can
not live on the land. and dies in the
water. II the Administration does not
swear itself blue in the face that it
win keep every solitary one of the Phil
ippine Islands against not only Spain.
but all creation. swift punishment
awaits it. If it does not convince its
private partners and associates that
nothing shall prevent Philippine sur
render and the Spanish debt assump-