Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1898-10-27
A Past Master in the Art.

The University CT Chicago last Mon
day conferred the degree OF Doctor OF
Laws on President Mckinley, who had
reached the city in his swinging around
the circle'' tour. 1t is pity that the
university was not able to confer on
its distinguished guest the degree OF
Past Master of Political Trickery; for
he has well earned that honor il the
conduct of his administration. His last
dodge is well worthy Of the new Doctor
OF Laws. Having secured the ear OF one
of the numerous press associations that
send out to the press Of the country the
news from Washington, it has been in
spired by Mir. Ayers War Department
to say that "a high officer of the Span
ish army" has made the statement that
if the SpaniardS had known the cOndl-
ton of the American army, its ''inabil-
ity to stand hardship" and IT'S lack of
general efficiency" set forth in the
American newspapers, they would have
CONTINUED fighting for long time to
Gomez And this manufac tured state
ment from mythical Spanish officer
has, SO The dispatch goes, caused some
uneasiness in official circles the appre-
hension being that Spain may renew
the war. These same "official circlesn
believe that "but for the outcry made
regarding the army and the conduct of
the war, the Spanish members of the
Paris peace commission would never
have felt encouraged to raise the ques-
ton of the United States assuming the
Cuban debt. Another thing that has
caused grave concern" in Mr.. Alger's
War Department is the fear that these
outcries and complaints may lead the
Spaniards in Cuba to think the "Ameri-
can troops are not of much account, )"
and may induce them to give the said
American troops trouble after they o.
cupy the island. This probability, the
War Department thinks, can only be
overcome by sending a much larger
force to Cuba than was first intended
One would think that this barefaced at
tempt of official circles in Washing
ton to stlfle the investigation and pro-
cure flawless whitewashing was bad
enough; but we see that the admins
tration organs elsewhere have promptly
taken the cue. The New York Trib- !
une, whose editor, Whitelaw Reid, was
appointed by MI. Mckinley to be a
IN ember of the Paris peace commission
thinks the Spanish are encouraged" by
the great opposition shown in New
York State to the election of RooSe- |
Welt, the candidate representing the |
administration, and whose defeat, it |
thinks, would throw away the fruits
of victory of the war
Nobody but past master in political !
lodging could have thought of irving /!
this transparent dodge Oh the American |
people As the captured Spanish army !
in Cuba was already a physical wreck !
from its inability to endure hardship !
and the climate, and was unable, on any
terms, to continue the war; as they |
were without food, health, pay, or any
thing else which might help an army TO ,
keep the field, ara as their country was |
bankrupt and without money, it is !
hard to see, unless the American people |
are taken to be idiots, how the admins
tration came to adopt this latest dodge. !
1t is great pity the Spanish Off
cer,n manufactured in the War Depart
ment, could not have been sent with
Mr. McKipl9y on his tour; and still
greater pity that the University OF Chi
cago did not have it in it's power to
confer on the President the honorary
degree Of Past Grand Master Of Polit-
Cal Dodgers"