The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1899-02-23
An Indelible Spot In History.


Washington is, and will forever re-
main an indelible spot of shame in
the history Of our country. Its mis-
takes have not been merely blunders.
They have been black with shame.
That William Mckinley is or was
by nature an amiable man of good
maners and habits, will not be de-
MED. That his ambition for the
great Office of President tempted him
to surrender his independence Of
character, and so, his integrity, no
candid student of events will deny.
That the presidential nomination and
election wore both purchased for him
with his knowledge and consent, is
fact so generally known as to be nc
cepted. Before the money was raised
to effect the result. Mr.. Mckinley
was compelled to make concessions
to the men and corporations that con-
tributed the money.
Trust and corporation magnates do
not buy pigs in pokes. They always
know what they are getting when
they part with their ill-gotten gains.
Before they subscribed their millions
to the campaign fund for the nom-
ination and election Of Mr.. Mckinley
they required pledges Of M. A.
Hanna, Mr.. McKinley's manager,
that il nominated and elected, the
trusts and plundering corporations
of the country were not to be inter-
fered with during the four years of
his administration. This pledge is
being and will bo carefully kept.
The amount ofmoney raised to effect
the nomination of Mr.. Mckinley
over such stronger men as Thomas
B. Reed, Governor Morton, Senator
Allison and other candidates, is not
know. But q Republican in Colum-
bus In high standing in the business
world told the writer that q member
of the National Republican COM
mittee told him in Chicago, two or
three weeks before tho election in
1896, that this committee had already
collected twenty-five millions of dol
lars, and could collect as much more
as 1t might need.
This tells the tale of shame, and
the degradation of our time. This
explains why Mr.. Mckinley has nc
policy, and is seeking to correct
none of the abuses produced by
trust combinations. He can not dc
it without violating his pledge. He
agreed to let them have their way
and is keeping his word.
But shameful as all this is, it is
not moro wanting in morals and
character than the course the ad-
ministration has pursued in the last
year, touching the liberation of Cuba
from Spanish oppression. There
has never been any intention ON the
part of the administration to set the
Cubans free, or to permit them to
become free, From the day congress
declared war, the corrupt men who
control the administration have de-
signed to steal the island with all its
sea wharfs, railroads and telegraph
lines and franchises of every kind
and description. This they are now
doing and will continue to do. The
army and navy are being, used to
keep back and down tho Cuban
patriots, under the pretense that
they cannot govern themselves, un-
til the trusts magnates have gobbled
up everything on the island that is
worth mentioning. BY that time
the American syndicates will have
obtained SO large control. there that
Cuban independence will be i'm.
possible. Cuba and her people will
be as much under the control OF
trusts, syndicates and plundering
combinations, as they were under
the heel Of Spanish tyranny. The
people there will be as helplessly
poor and enslaved as they have been
for two hundred years.
American soldiers and sailors are
now shooting down men and women
in the Philippines who only seek tc
be free and to govern themselves by
laws made by them. The people oi
the United States do not approve
this inhuman war. If this were O
Democratic administration and 8
Democratic President had done
what President Mckinley has done
at Minila, the Republican newspa.
pers of the country would be clam.
oring for his impeachment. Ant
had the congress been Republican
a Democratic President would have
been impeached aud removed from
office in disgrace for what William
Mckinley has done and failed to do
When impartial history is written
and the events Of the past two and 6
half years are considered in the ligh
OF reason and patriotism, the nom,
ination, election and administration
of William Mckinley will bring the
sense of shame to every honest mar
who studies that history for the foe
1t reveals, and the philosophy II
teaches. The fact that the Presiden,
has permitted the war against Spain
to be perverted from the purpose
for which it was declared can be ex.
planned only on one or the other OF