The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-10-12
PEOPLE AND POLITICS.
BY AN OBSERVER.

President Mckinley has now been in
office a year and a half His orbit there
fore is nretty well defined. We have a
,,it,tc,.n in the white House. Not a
noiitician ike Quay and Plat, nor even
ike Hanna. but stlll a politician. lis -
am old bird at the business, being vel
eran campaigner. an Ex-Governor OF Ol'''
and q typical. II not professional, Oo"-
gresham. The public drawing the uio-
ulty of his high ONCE over hinl, mas Dee'
disposed 20 forget his past parusanFy anu
his political schooling. and has Oeeh ANA
ious 10 attribute TO him the highest mo-
tives and the fairest dealings But no"
It indeed seems that only his skin IN po-
litical manipulation and IN watching Win
experienced eye the currents OF puoio
opinion have prevented him from pelhb
failure as President. He certainly can
tack with the wind. ana but for that MS
boat would have been upset long ago.
for 10 IS surely not OF staunch enough
tlmbers 10 hold us own course rake
this one fact that this President has ap-
p0intod from his own State more personal
friends 10 Office than all Of the PRESIDENTS
combined since General Grant. ms is
not "A reckless statement, for MT. Seaiy'
the Courier Journal correspondent, prints
fIn ISL. taken from tAN' 'ttt rN
which shows that. outside Of the state or
Ohios Federal Offices and leaving out OK
the question an cierkships and minor
places. Mckinley has given l3' fat oihce5
TO his Ohio friends This also does not
cover the Ohio men that he has appointed
which are credited 10 other States. The
showing Is remarkable ono and proves
that the President is thoroughly spoiled
with that old Ohio idea that the general
government is the place whore al good
Ohio Republicans go Tho days OF Hayes
and Garfield we're bad enough. but there
has nothing been comparable to the days
! Of Mckinley.
Nothing reveals both the weakness and
the strength OF Mckinley in any clearer
light than this investigation OF the War
Department now going on at Washington.
Ii shows his strength because Mckinney
strength chiefly consists in political skill
and manipulatons in reading and run
ming with public opinion. lI shows his
weakness en- that he has given us an eX-
aiDlti0n of Mc Kinley investigating Nc
Kinley and every practical man knows
that the verdict is already made up and
the jury packed. The talk about nom
partisan commission is the palest moon
shine. Wo an remember the celebrated
returning board which was 90 be nom
partisan, made up OF high court digni-
| taries and spOtiess senatorial celebrities,
ana yet when IL came down TO the acute
moment Of the vote DC was a strictly par
| tisan vote And yet imagine doctor
| from Cincinnati. q Grand Army Of the
Republic commander. lifelong and per-
s0nal friends of the President. Dodge and
McCook and Wilson bringing ia any sort
ID ..a.rrr NNrsH n .r
Mckinley for incompetcncy and favorit-
ism and weakness in the conduct or the
nations war. The first Witnesses called
are those two noble old Contederates,
| Wheeler and Lee They are West Point
graduates and conventional soldiers. They
| knew what the hardships of war wcr0,
and cannot help but feel like the present
! soldiers have had am easy time. Their
| own part ln the war has been noble and
| satisfactory to the public. There has
! been 40 criticism Of either one OF these
men. OF course. their horizon has been
! bounded in largely by their own deeds,
and the part they have taken in it. There
| fore they have not. Of course. been able
! to see anything very wrong. Now. let u5
| take uu the other witnesses. They are
| the very ones who are being criticised
| Boynton. sternberg. Shafter, Brooke. AL
! ger and their suOOrduates. OF course,
( these men viii use this Intoxicating COM
| mItfoe as their opportunity TO set them
/ selves right The private soldiers, the
| young officers. the sub0rdinates boo every
/ department. dare not iitt voice or speak
/ ID word when everybody from the P-esi-
/ dent down is ready 90 make them suffer
/ i0r DO. and 90 deny &C. as am unjust and
/ uuf0uuded charge Hence the invcslga-
/ ton SIS "a worthless scheme of small poo
!. HH. rHF..
/ water in the faces of the American people
! and make them think 90 SIS raining. il
/ would Doe interesting and we would arr
] rive at something worth the trouble, IL
| This Investigation We're carried out as
/ prosecution and not az a. defense or the
| administration. There was strong prob
! ability a. one time that the army would
/ accuse tine navy of the mistakes and
/ buuglesome way th3l Wa went nc Sanu-
ago especially The five DAYS wait on the
crowded transports and the lack of plan
I that characterized the attack itself. The
| writer of these observations saw a per-
| scnal letter from naval officer On which
/ be expressed the hope over ID month AGO
! that such a charge would be- made. and
/ thar such am Investigation would Doe ore
! dlrcd. boo which ease he said s0mer hing
! very interesting would come OUT But as
/ soon as President Mckinley saw that
! there was about 90 Doe "a genuine reyela-
| ti0n OF the whole truth iu regard TO that
/ campaign the word was passed along
4 through the departments, everything was
oiled over. and suppressed. and the AIDE
/ min.stratiou and the ts.uns come
| mittee wrapped themselves once more in
! the nehli0us glory OF "the great santiago
! victory. ANA told the people that success
/ was sufficient answer to an criticisms.
/ Hundreds of lives lost that otherwise
! need nor have been is small matter
/ when regulations are to he protected and
| The Republican party BIS to Dee continued
IN power
The political outlook 90 this country
is not very encouraging The Repub-
ncan party is as h1paies,.y committed to
the reconciliation and defence of McKn-
ley Boo $500 as the Democratic party is
/ h0polessiy committed Co. the rcnom.nat.ou
| ~ Bryan. The one means high tarn
/ taAes. political scandals and flvoritism
to personal following the other means a
| change in the kind and value OF the
/ American dollar and the consequent dis
| rupti0n and congestion OF business. There
! .Hl be lirtle 0r nothing hoped from the
| Republican party iu the way OF inn
| Urlvemeut. we have sometimes Choir
ished a distant prospect at least that
by some turn in the wheel. leader would
| arise in the Democratic ranks that would
| lead u5 ont OF the wilderness The pe0-
pile IN this country are hungry for a
I cal 3D. .rI .aFrn H Ir