The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-08-02
McKinley's Responsibility as
to the Philippines.

pendent and democratic newspapers
that are holding Mckinley RESPONSE
bic for yhat ever of wrong has been
done and what failure in war opera
tions may have occurred in the Philip
pines. McKinley's course in dealing
with Secretary AIger was false,
vasclllating, pal.ry. Even so sym
pathetic paper as the Philadelphia
Times is has not refrained from speak
ing ssplain word to Mckinley :"
"Ths war department does not be-
long tc, the president, nor does it be-
long to the secretary of war, nor to
the Algers, the Esgaus, the Carters
and others who welded its power 10
the nations shame.
..The war department belongs to
the people. 1t is great bulwsrk Of
safety or a fruitful fountain of sacri-
fee of life aud treasure in time Of
war. and war is here
.'The country has been dishonoTed
and President Mckinley belittled by
the political shutting that has thus
far hindered the dismissal of Secre
tary Alger from the war depart.
ment."
At last Alger was dismissed. but
that does not relieve Mckinley OF
censure and responsibility. He must
shoulder all the bad for be could have
prevented it. He could have found
a faithful, capable, strong man in the
north if he had elected to search for
one Mckinley is fully as guilty and
as deserving of severe censure as
AIger is. He kept him in lis place
all through the disgracefal and dis
gusting period of failure and abuse
and de bauchery aud utter incom.
potency. The scandal was great and
inexcusabie. The war department
was corrupt and disgraceful to the
American people The recent infor-
nation given to the country by the
newspaper correspondents in the
Philippines revealed to the people
what they had strongly suspected,
that sne war news had been 80 "doc-
tored" as to be a repetition of lies,
and that the real facts in the distant
islands were systematically conceal
ed. If not all so suspected, there
were very many who did suspect.
The country has really very
gigantic elephant on it's hands. 1t is
said there is crisis in the Mckinley
gang
Professor s G. Wheeler, of Yale
University, says that the fate of the
Philippines will be that the CONNER
cial sharks will get them. Here are
the words of this acute observer
"We will forget little while
about the Philippines, as we have
forgotten about the Alaskans Who
caress about the Alaskans now We
will forget all about the Cubans We
will absorb ali our energies and con-
centrate- all our attention upon our
selves The commercial sharks will
get bold of the Philippines as the
seal sharks have got hold of Alaska,
and as the sugar sharks have got
hold of Hawaii already and the great
multitude OF people like you and I
will care very little abous it's
That is but one able mans view
But others see that commercial
schemes are at the bottom of the
war upon i2.0O0,O00 Filipinos of
average intelligence and as we'll
educated generally as tie white
people in some of the states of the
American nation It used to be
"un4on
l. is announced from Washington
that Gen. Otis will have free full
swipg--that the department will not
Interfere farther as 10 what he SENDS
or withholds-that all censorship will
be lifted Well, the country will see
how this will be The news is that
Mckinley & Go will in DO event any
more interfere with Gen Oils Of
course Mckinley dare not censure
Otis for his lies sent out as war news,
when the little major was a party to
1t all. and knew what was doing and
how false aud misleading. The Bal
timore Sun says:
''For months the censorship at
Manila has been matter of nctorlety.
Its efec. in deprivipg the people OF
the United States of full or accurate
information as to events I actually
occurring 10 the Philippines, AUD OF
the true situation of affairs, has long
beeo suspected, and has long been
the eubject of widespread comment
and complaint The extent to which
the news has actually and wll'fully
been mutilated, talsified or wholly
suppressed. we may now infer from
,ba statamopt of renntahIe and