Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1899-09-02
AN UNJUST CRITICISM.
Opponents of the Administra-
tiln Guilty of 1t.
PRESIDENTS PRUDENT COURSE.


1t has been we'll said that" much
haste makes great waste" A wise
physician makes careful diagnosis
of a case before he prescribes medi-
cine. This distinguishes him from the
"quack," who, after looking at the
tongue and feeling the pulse, pre-
scribes the same medicine for every
disease. The great doctors who cure
the physical ills of life will tell you
that many deaths have been caused by
the hasty diagnoses of medical men.
Conscientious and successful attorneys
require time in order to study their
clients cases. Few of them would
care to rush Immediately into court to
try an intricate case without first in
vestigating the facts at issue and stud
ying the decisions of the courts in the
matter. A young, inexperienced law
yer, fresh from his quiz books, whose
head needs a hoop around it to keep
it from bursting, may feel confident, he
can argue points at issue before judge
or a jury without special study, but
after his case is lost, and his more
experienced opposing lawyer tells him
of the many hours he spent in hard
work on his case, he learns that his
head does not contain as much wisdom
as he had previously imagined.
Even learned judge who is world
| famed for wise decisions, will fire.
quently have cases come before him
that require weeks and months of
careful research in the realms of legal
lore to enable him to arrive at just
conclusion.
| William Jennings Bryan's main crit
icism of President Mckinley is that
there has been no Philippine policy
declared or adopted
That President Mckinley has not
declared or adopted a permanent pol
icy" for the government of the Phil
| ippine Islands is true. But the presi-
dent is not endowed with power of
such magnitude. The constitution of
the United States has imposed the bur-
den of such responsibility upon con-
! gress. 1t is true that the president
can recommend a policy which may
be adopted, modified or rejected by
congress. President Mckinley has not
! yet recommended a permanent pol
icy" for the government Of the Phil
| ippines, and the reason is obvious to
every thoughtful mind.
Little was known of the Philip
pines in this country before
Admiral Dewey won mis- illus
trious victory there. The accounts of
the intellectual and moral condition
of the Filipinos were contradictory in
the extreme. Like the wise and pru-
dent statesman he has proven himself
to be, the president determined on a
tentative policy" appointing COM
mission to investigate the true con-
dition of affairs in the Philippines, to
promise the Filipinos that the United
States would treat them beneficently,
and to ask them to enter upon the
pursuits of industrial life until con-
gress determined on a permanent
policy" for their government.
Mr. Bryan has had comparatively
little experience in real states
manship. He is eloquent, it is
true, but impetuous. To listen
to his criticisms of the president
of the United States, one can readily
see with what haste he would dispatch
the stupendous problems involving the
future welfare of this nation, of the
100000 of Filipinos, and in some
measure of the nations Of the world
To him the problems that cause this
nations great statesmen months of
earnest and careful research to secure
data on which to base a policy for the
future, are insignificant, and can be
settled by the scratch of pen or the
utterance of few words. His impet-
uous decision would work incalcu-
liable injury; his haste would make
great waste. AS a physician his hasty
diagnosis would lead to death in many
cases; as a lawyer he would be useless
to his clients; as a judge he would be
reversed and an expense to the public;
as president he would bring national
disaster by his hasty methods of set
Ting stupendous problems, settling
them as he thinks President Mckinley
ought to have settled the policy re
garding the Philippines-in less time
and with less thought than. a farmer
would give to the planning of his crops
or a carpenter to the framing of a
door.
The unjust criticism of William Jen-
nings Bryan is re-echoed by other op-
ponents of the administration. Rep
resentative Clayton of Alabama says:
MY criticism of the administration
is the same as Mr.. Bryan's. It is that
no policy was ever declared or adopt
ed" If, when Agoncillo came over
here, there had been an explicit state
ment of our aims by the administra-
tion, it would have cleared the way
Of most of the difficulties"
This is the superficial diagnosis of
the quack. 1t may impress the un~
thinking, but the great mass of the
American people will support Presi-
dent Mckinley in his determination
to be sure the nation is right before il
announces a permanent policy.
One thing the president has done
as the first requisite to the establish
ment of civil government He has de-
termined that law and order shall be
established in the Philippines and in
surrection and outlawry be crushed
out, Before any civil government car
be decided upon, peace and order must
prevail 1t is to secure this that oul
troops are now hghting, and when that
@-u-laH--ll-ls-H-El-uu-