The times., 1899-05-05
The Presidents TASK.


We wait with interest, and while We wait
we watch with sympathy the course that
the amiable man of the White House may
take regarding the report of the Beef
Court.
When man has had his mind perturbed
and multiplisected as Mr. Mckinley has in
connection with this beef criminali.y. it
is not strange that his mental processes
should show a doubtful, not to say a scat
tering, tendency. We all remember the
unpleasant conditions to which he was re-
dueed when the awful truth of the. War
Department scandals fell with a sicken-
ing thud upon situation in which he
stood smiling and confident as the recog-
nized and admired leader of the people
in great and successful war We must
give him the credit of believing that,
when that bombshell fell in his camp, it
seemed to him reasonable enough, with
his own credit and reputation more or
less at stake, TO throw water on the fuse
rather than TO let the missile explode.
Probably, If he had to do il over again. he
would not meet such an emergency by
creating Commission which he had no
legal right to create, and endowing it with
non-existent powers. Certainly he would
not repeat the mistake OF placing upon it
men like Credit Mobilier Dodge and others
OF the same ilk, who would have dis
credited, in the minds OF the public, a
tribunal properly established. But he was
in doubt as evidently he was in fear of
the people and of Congress, and he hunt
ed cover in the way suggested to him by
the advisers who have been his evil genii
ever since his inauguration.
Let us accord him the compliment of
saying that when he understood the indig-
nation which the infamous course and YER
dict of his Alger Relief Commission had
excited throughout the United States, he
desired to assuage clamor and criticism
although he was in doubt as to how to go
about IL And at this point let it be re-
marked that If Mr. Mckinley would
give more credence and respect to his manly
instincts and impulses, there would be a
vast deal less about which TO find fault
with him. He argued that the American
people had always shown confidence in the
character of their Army officers. It.
therefore, occurred TO him to relegate so
much of the question of crimes against
the Army as the circumstances compelled
him to consider, to a board of Army off,
GERS. This he did with the doubt:ulness
which we have deplored in his handling
of public subjects generally. Still. he did
it. and that would have been well If he
had not been induced to make the Beef
Court one composed of officers generally
supposed to favor the persons and interests
held obnoxious in connection with the
scandals by the community; some of them
being notoriously personal enemies OF
officers who had been instrumental in
unearthing the hideous offences alleged
against our troops and our national honor
Now we have the denouement. The
Beef Court has more than met the expec-
tations OF its War Department creators.
II has done the task assigned to II SO well
that Mr.. Mckinley is unable to stomach
| the result, as being opposed 10 good poll
tics, the safety OF his Administration, and
his own proper ambition for second term.
| But he is acting doub;fully. He appears
TO be doubtful how far it is safe 10 go in
the protection of Algerism, and associated
things and people with whip hand over
his interests and prospects. and how far
the common people must be ticIled in vim
dicstion of their dangerous objections to
inefiiciency, nepotism, corruption, and
fraud Thus he is doubtful,
Now, Thomas, mentioned in the Bible
was a doubter, but we are all agreed that
Thomas was an honest doubter. Is Will
lam, the modern instance, also an honest
doubter?