Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-03-27

iok 1|Ie sIent IA t6e i,jked
States Ii 4 political nonenfity where
Hanna II concerned and Hanna could
destroy william Mckinley. Of Canton.
Ohio, utterly If he chose. just as he
created him practically from nothing,
raising him at once from hopeless
bankruptcy to the pinnacle Of his am
bition.
And William Mckinley has proven a
most tractable, docile and accomplished
! figurehead. For the many scandals and
! blunders of his administration he has
| in some mysterious manner always
managed to escape personal response
bility. Even when the responsibility
has been traced directly to him, as 1t
has been in most instances, especially
in many cases of scandalously unfit ap-
pointments, it somehow has failed to
stick, for the people seem to recognize
almost instantly that their solemn
visaged President is but a figure-head
and that he would doubtless do right
| if he had his own way. With sort
! of underlined pity the popular mind
turns the shafts of its criticism and
/ blame away from the President.
| Hence, personally, he manages to stand
fairly we'll with the people, though
his administration in all respects is I'M
questionably the worst. the most. in
| nOmnntpnf ridden scandal
smirched, the most subservient to the
corrupt and corrupting money power in
| the entire history of the country. Yet
| the President, himself, neatly lodges
most irresponsible of American presi-
dents, ever lodging blame, ever throw
| ing down the reinS when in a tight
place and leaving things to straighten
out themselves with the aid of COM
mission or two.
Indeed, William Mckinley has proven
most valuable figurehead for Boss
| Hanna. Hence that Gar of all things
Republican long ago decided to try
the same William Mckinley again..
| He will not be the same strong can
| protection and sound money" cry of
| 1896. He will be infinitely weaker and
without rallying cry in 1900 and with
trail of foul scandals behind him and
| following him up at every step such
as never before disgraced an American
administration.
| If left to itself and to form its own
sentiment in its own way the Repub-
| lican party, there is every reason to
| believe, would never renominate Will
lam Mckinley. The party is full of bet
ter and stronger men, as long headed
politicians of that party know. But
and here is the evidence of the one
man-power that rules that organiza-
tion-the Republican party has never
been left to itself. Hanna-unlike his
protege in the White House-has never
loosed the reins an instant. The party
and its sub-leaders have never been
permitted for a moment to think of any
one but William Mckinley. And for
William Mckinley the ropes have all
been laid by the deft hands of Hanna.
The next Republican National Con-
vention is already cut and dried more
| than year in advance and it's ticket
| selected. That ticket is Mckinley and
Hobart-for Hobart, also, is on the
Hanna slate.
| This Hanna has decreed and what
ever the Republican party may think
about it it will have to swallow once
again-McKinley, with his high tariff
plumes bedraggled by the trusts and
the milestone of imperialism and long
train of army and other scandals about
his neck, cutting a rather sorry figure,
and Hobart, the smooth and elegant
Wall street familiar
The really good, strong, earnest men
of the party, the Reeds and the Roose-
velts, must keep to the rear. The par
ty must not be allowed to enthuse too
much over them anywhere and where
ever a Reed or a Roosevelt boom has
started it must be headed Off These
are Hanna's orders and Hanna is the
autocrat of the Republican party-the
HeWho-Must-Be-Ob
This is the horoscope of the proud
g. o. p.-now boss-ridden and helpless
with all its great men cowed and under
the thumb of the thick-necked, nom
intellectual boss from Cleveland, o.
Any one may read it.