The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-12-27
Public Money.

notable thing about the present
attitude of the Hanna Mckinley
machine is it's apparent recklessness
IN arranging for Legislation that will
result in the extravsgant expendi
ture of public money They seem
to take it for granted that the people
are too dszed to see through their
schemes. one Of the most costly of
which is the ship subsidy job which
is to be started with an appropriation
Of 500 100000. to be disbursed in
ten years. This job was endorsed
by Mr. Mckinley in his message, and
by the republican National Committee
1t its recent meetings. and it ia TO
push it along that Assistant Post
master General Perry. and Com
troller of Currancy Dawes have
been selected 20 long in advance of
the campaign. and in absolute
defiance of the Civil Service law to
prepare literature to be distributed
by the national committee The
principal duty of this republican
literary bureau for several months
will be to try to fill republican papers
with demands for the passage of the
ship subsidy bill by Congress. in
order that the weak kneed republi
csns in Congress. who are disposed
to balk on this sub sidy business,
may be made to believe that the press
OF their party is demanding the legis
la'ion 1ftbis job goes through
Congress. and 10 signed BY Mr
it ought to and probably
will. make thousands Of democratic
votes in the Presidential campaign.
q nd that isn't the only contemplated
job 10 fact, it looks as though tho
Hanns. Mckinley machine, in i,s
rsckIessneas to spend public money
III the interest of its favored
supporters, would furnish first, class
lot of vote making democratic cam
paign material
Boss Plstt has already half won
bic fight agsinst Secretary Root 90
the nominee for vice president on the
Mckinley ticket, az Boss Hanna has
publicly said that there was no dis.
position to force Mr.. Root on the
ticket If he was not acceptable to'the
New York delegation But Platt 10
not to have everything bis own way,
and it is practically certain that he
will not be able to get bis man. Tim
othy Woodruff, on the ticket Hanna
played q strong anti Plstt card when
Re got boom started for Cornelius
Bliss, who was Mr. McKinley's first
secretary of the interior, and who ia
every bit ss Objectionable 10 Platt az
Root And he dropped hint for
Plstt when be said that if New York
wanted second place on the ticket,
it would have to present a united
delegation at the convention, other
wise the nomination would 90 to
some other state Already Attorney
General Griggs has a miniature boom.
That Mr., Mckinley does not re
gard his reelection as an assured
thing. may be judged from the fact
that he has already partially made ar
rsngements for an across thu CONT
nent stamping tour. similar - the
one he made last fall The excuse is
10 be the launching of the battle ship
Ohio. at San Francisco, which is to
take place sometime in September or
October Mr. Mckinley will attend
the launching on q special train.
going by one route and returning by
another, and will make rear platform
speeches wherever the party mans
gers may consider them necessary
Similar trips are to be made to the
Now Eoglsnd states. oil of which
shows that M. Mckinley isn't ex
pecting the walk over that less
shrewd members of bis party are pre-
Subscriptions to tho fund that is
beiog raised for the widow and chill.
dren Of Gen Lswton. who v as killed
in the PHILIPPINES. are coming in quite
rapidly The total now exceeds
$ll. 900
The administration has refused to
order Gen Wheeler to either re- !
main in the Philippines, where be is
said to be much dissatisfied with the
command given him by Otis, or to
return to Washington He got q
friend to endeavor to get Mr. Nc
Kinley to drop hint on the subject.
and that is the sort Of hint he got.
Ii Gen Wheeler returns, he will have
to resign his commission as brigadier
general of volunteers
Senator Marion Butler, chairman of
the national peoples party commit
tee, has sent q letter to- each mem
Der of that committee askiug for their