Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-03-02
THE PRESIDENT At BOSTON.


ley's speech before the Home Market
Club in Boston last night was as
shrewd as it was characteristic. There
was not spark of initiative or leader
ship in it. The President stood up
before his fellow -countrymen in this
great crisis of our national life, to
confess himself us perpleXed and con-
fused and ignorant as they, yet as
hopeful also, as well-meaning, as ready
to grin and bear it, TO trust to luck to
make all come out right in tine end.
Those are not the arts OF the great
political orator, or tho ways of the
daring political leader; but they per-
fectly fit the assumed role of an ex-
pectant and obedient servant of tho
people. They hit the great average
dulness between wind and water.
mckinley thinks Just as do, will
be the complacent remark of the mass
Of his readers. Nine-t enths of man
kind divide all thought into Just two
classe;--''my idee exactly" and
"humhug Mr.. Mckinley is one
of the rare public speakers who are
able to talk good deal of humbug in
such way as to make their average
hearers think il excellent sense and
exactly their idea,
| His performance at Boston was all
the more clever because heawas con
frontcd there by exceptional Difficult.
| ties. He had TO face past utterauces
of the Home Market Club, and its
recent positive declarations against the
policy OF adventure in tho Philippines,
| to the defence of which he devoted his
speech. Worse than that, he had TO
face utterances and declarations of his
own against that policy. When Mr.
Mckinley addressed the Home Market
1 Club in 1883, he was the most home
keeping statesman in all the land
Lot England take care of herself, let
] France look after her interests, let
4 Germany take care of her own people,
/ but, in Gods name, let Americans
\ look after American That was then
his eloquent cry. He was against any
entering wedge such rs the Home
Market Club now asserts his policy of
1.-THE open door to be, which twill in
| the end overthrow the entire editice''
of protection. As for going out to
Invade the worlds markets. no
man could be hotter against that fatal
policy than was Congressman William
! Mckinley. Hear what he said. on
April Gath, 1890. would happen if We
were to try doing precisely what we
are doing under his direction:
If we would invade the worlds
markets, harsher conditions and greater
sacrifices would be demanded of the
masses. Talk about depression-we
would then have it in its fulness. We
would revel in unrestrained trade.
Everything would, indeed, be cheap,
but how costly when measured by the
degradation which would ensue. When
merchandise is the cheapest, men are
the poorest: and the most distressing
experiences in the history of our
country aye, in all human history
have been when everything was the
lowest and cheapest measured by gold,
for everything was the highest and the
dearest measured by labor. : =
With me this position is deep con-
yiction, not theory"
With such awkward voices coming
out of the past, it required, we say, no
little address on the part of President
Mckinley to surmount tine oratorical
difficulties of his position ut boston.
But he surmounted them by ignoring
them. Not a word about trade or pro-
lection or the open door fell from his
lips. Instead of charging up the hill,
he mado wide detour, and appeared
innocently unaware that there was any
hill at all. This must have been some.
thing of q staggerer to the officers oil
the Home Market Club, who had beer
publicly demonstrating with the Presi-
dent for fatally wounding protection in
the house of its friends by throwing
the Philippines and Cuba and Porte
Rico open 10 the trade of the world.
They perhaps wondered how he coulG
get out of this corner. Bless theil
simple hearts, had they not read thu
Tribune on the extraordinary eloquenc,
of Mr.. McKinleY's ''silences?" Cor
nersr simply disappear when silenc,
is dense enough. Difficulties must b,
impudent indeed If they continue II
exist after being ignored.
As q master of significant silences
however, Mr.. Mckinley was not 5,
successful when he came to speak o
our liberRting and civilizing mission
have ignored the yolleys from thosi
Filipino guns, But he could not. anC
their cracking disturbed some of hi.
most touching periods. We were il
Manila as 'liherators" and ''rescucrs. >
there was no doubt of that: but some
how we had only precipitated "a reigl
of terror and the liberated native
were unaccountabiy en- aged in shoot
, ing down their rescuers. Still we wer
i To go or and confer priceless blessing
i upon the gems and glories Of thos
tropical seas, and if the misguide,
, Filipino did not appreciate or dcsir
i our presence. why, the "liberator'
4 could not submit important question
concerning liberty and government t
: men whom it was necessary first t
!, kill. Their children and grandchildren
Z as the President said, may ''bless III
/ American republic because it enamel
|, pated and redeemed their fatherlard,
= but the present generation is in fai
. way to be killed off in the process.
; We dwell upon some of the example
Of moral and political confusion in tn
i Presidents speech. because they sho,
I us once more into what false an
: humiliating position the country la
= been brought. Mr.. Mckinley said tn
: best that can be said for the hone:
: intentions and humane purposes of thi
{ country in taking over the Philippines
i, But no fiue talk about humanity ca
cover up the frightful ineonsistencie
which dog our STEPS. We may /
humane, but the Filipinos think I
z