The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1899-02-24
The Mistake of 90.


Club dined President Mckinley and four
members of his Cabinet. The object OF
the dinner was mainly to afford an oppor-
tunity for the President to make speech
to the country, which lie did, and like all
of Mr.. McKinley's speeches il was fine
one, but-contained no information as to
the Presidents policy on the Philippine
question, except that he did not know
what to do, but would turn all response
bility over to Congress as soon as Spain
ratified the treaty.
The speech was characteristic of Mr.
Mckinley. He promises nothing, he has
no policy, he advises nothing but hopes
for the best in fear and trembling. Day
by day the evidence develops more and
more clearly that Mr.. McKinley's vacillat-
ing, purposeless course was the architect
Of the present war with the Filipinos.
Having blundered into war he is anx-
ious to turn over the whole future respon-
s;bility to Congress. So it was with the
war with Spain. He continued to pursue
Clevelands internal policy of assisting
Spain to crush the Cubans till the Amer
lean people would stand it no longer,
and after having by his indecision and
cowardly weakness made war inevitable,
washed his hands of further responsibility
and turned it all over to Congress and
Alger
The Filipino trouble is mainly if not
entirely the result of what is entitled to
be named McKinleyisni, as the venal,
acknowledgement of the war department
has been christened Algerism. The in
quiry by the country and by the leading
Filipinos was made, as soon as Spain
had collapsed and her remnant of power
been destroyed in the archipelago, what
is to be the policy of the United States
towards the people of those Islands? and
the answer given by Mckinley, for whose
answer the world listened, was like that
of the priestess of the oracle of Delphi, a
voice of mysterious meaning. In truth it
was the tongue of the sibyl that spoke for
power behind the President 1t was the
same exploiting, world plundering money
power whose mystical language spoke
through its sibyl when the lives and
liberty of the Cubans trembled in the
balance, which strove to secure its Spanish
bonds by the United States assisting Spain
to crush Cuba.
Having lost Cuba that beast of prey,
the money power, turned its blood-shot
eyes toward the Philippine Islands, and
hoped and still hopes to fasten its blood
sucking tendrils OH the tropical islands in
the Pacific Hence the mythical lore OF
its high priestess of the White House.
plain, direct answer by the President
for the American people, that they had
no intention of enslaving the Filipinos
but would assist them to establish local
selfgovernment and enjoy independence,
would have been endorsed by 90 per cent
of the American people and relieved the
anxiety of the intelligent Filipinos.
But when the spectacle of the President
of the United States appeared, debating
terms of peace to Spain and offering
$50, 200, 900 as a purchase price for the
Philippine islands, accompanied by the
mythical language of the President in
his proclamation to the islanders, what
other inference could be drawn, than that
Mckinley meant the islanders as rich
mine for the exploiters behind him to
work
To strengthen the belief that such was
his purpose, or rather the purpose of the
Mark Hannas who order Mckinley S
words and acts, standing army of 100, DOC
is urgently, not merely advised but
demanded. The money power press
is as clamorous for a large standing
army as it is for the gold standard, not
only to subjugate the Filipinos but to
hold as menace over the dissatisfied,
complaining American people. The exact
purpose of the American people should be
declared in no uncertain language and
Aguinaldo given to understand that his
war against the United States is an injury
to his countrymen, and only an in1pedi-
ment TO the consummation of their fond
hopes.
Mr.. McKinley's Boston speech last
week, which was prepared with painful
care, gives no such assurance, but is an
acknowledgment of the pitiful weakness
of the man whose powerless hand holds
our helm of state. The people are begin
ming to realize the mistake or fraud of
1896.