Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-12-15
ON THE MESSAGE
Comment of Democratic Journals OF
the Presidents Paper to
Congress.

ihepe for anything but increase upon
| increase of expenditure in aid Of all
sorts of projects, chiefly private, SO
long as the party of which Mr.. McKin-
LEV is the chosen head remains in pow
ler.-Chicago Chronicle.
| It is a soothing document, with no
| irritating touch upon any sore subject
of political controversy-precise
| what might have been expected from
| President Mckinley the year before
the presidential election. The irrita-
| ton will come when congress shall I'M
dertake the necessary task of forcing
| the hand of the eXecutive.-Philadel
| phia Record.
| In the 10000 words, more or less,
which the president unloaded yester-
| day upon a helpless congress, there is
not one clear-cut, inspiring thought.
| The message has some good points and
some bad, like any average report of a
bureau clerk. The presidents views on
the Philippines are as vague as his ideas
about Cuba. His wisdom consists in
passing responsibility along.-N. Y.
Journal.
| AS to the trusts, the president is suffi-
GENTLY frank and direct. That what
| ever power congress possesses over this
most important subject should be
promptly ascertained and asserted"
The Post suggests that as beginning
congress might deal with a few of the
worst culprits in an effectual manner
| by making a reduction in the altitude
of the tariff schedules, under the shell
| ter of which they are operating
Washington Post Ind.).
| With the exception of half dozen
sentences there is nothing in it that
conveys any new information or any
new views of the presidents policy. 1t
has all been announced or foreshad-
owed. It puts nothing in very strik-
| ing way. 1t is filed with platitudes and
ambiguous phrases, with high-sound-
| ing declarations that mean nothing
| Indianapolis Sentinel.
The president has some pretty bold
words to say about the trusts. Let US
hope they are sincere and not merely
| a sop thrown to the powerful anti
trust sentiment among the people. How
much of sincerity there is in Mr.. Nc
| Kinley's utterances will be shown by
| the attitude toward the trusts of the
| administration leaders in congress-
Wheeling Register.
The president alludes to the Flip
| mos as rebels, thus intimating that they
have been citizens of the United States.
A man cannot well be a rebel or traitor
toa government to which he has never
owed or acknowledged allegiance. The
| president apparently considers ale
glance purchasable commodity,
worth about two dollars per head
Grand Rapids Democrat.
Several things that the people would
like to have known, as they are the
government, with the president as
their executive representative, are not
limited at. There is nothing as to the
rumored alliances that are agitating
the world, nothing about the plans for
keeping the Chinese door open, nothing
by the way Of related facts that was
not before known.-Detroit Free Press.
When he says that all of the amend
ments to the rules promulgated by him
last May had "for their main object a
more efficient and satisfactory admins
tration of the system of appointments
established by the civil service law,
he makes a statement widely at vari-
ance with the facts. The whole world
knows that he surrendered to the spoils
men on that occasion. Buffalo Cour-
Ter.
In two words the presidents pro.
gramme is extravaganza and empire
He perfunctori1y reminds congress OF
its Responsibilities" so would we. II
is to congress that we must now turn
for defense against executive usurpa
ton. The presidents message is in the
main long record of change of ma
tional policy, wrought so far on his
own initiative.-N. Y. Evening Post.
And what is his recommends ton as
: to trusts? Simply and solely that con
gress shall give the subject STUDIED
deliberation" resulting in wise and ju
dicious action It is a lame and i'm
potent conclusion. It would be gross
flattery to call it a statement of policy
1 or of principle. It is in effect a con
;; fession of mental vaeuity as to a mat
l ter of political discussion.-N. Y. Times
In his treatment of the broad ques
ton of a Philippine policy the presi
dent slides easily from unctuous ex
. pressions of benevoluence to blow:
with the iron heel. The Filipinos arr
I ''insurgents,' rebels and they mus
+ be crushed. Mr.. Mckinley does no
see that these brown men are fightins
! for the same right for which our ia
theirs of the American republic Tough
a century and quarter ago.-Bostol
: Post.
The message is not frank, unequiv
ocal declaration for Imperialism, but
! verbose and labored effort to concea
4 the real purpose to drag the American
: republic away from it's early ideals
! and, with the glamour of expansion an,
< | Understanding phrases about the 'ob
: legations thrust upon US by destiny, t.
d blind iberty-loving people to tn
q real character of the policy which i
is proposed to enforce.-Louisville Dis