Omaha daily bee., 1899-05-14

humilatlne position. Il makes my blood boil
as l speak the words. a recreant president
is the sole cause of It. He II was who
who changed his mind and demanded the
Philippines against the advice and wishes
Of most OF his colleagues. VIII the president
be permitted to sacrifice the lives of our
soldiers much longer in futile effort to con-
quer 200 islands that would not stay con-
quered II they we're beaten? Such is the
position as viewed from Londcn.
Prospects of Republican Party.
You ask my personal views as to the
future. / answer, President Mckinley will
not be allowed by the managers of the re-
publican party to continue his folly. l be-
lieve he has been already Informed by those
whose voice he cannot disregard that he
must stop and return to American tradi-
tions. The country has no stomach for VIC
tories over people fighting for righteous self
government. Reading between the lines 1t
is seen that he is now veering round Had
he authorized Otis or directed him to grant
Agulnaldo the conference the latter asked
before war broke out all that has happened
since would have been unnecessary. Today
we see his commission taking every means
in its power to get a conference with Agui-
naldo and they are not standing on form.
General Otis, as reported by today's cables,
still wants to push on military operations,
to which President Schurman objects. The
contrast between Otis and Dewey is sig
niicant. Dewey always reports only what
has been done. Otis has misled the coun-
try several times about what he is going
to do. His plan of campaign was given out
with a great iourshing of trumpets. He
was going TO corral the enemy, but so far
he has been a complete failure. He won
skirmishes as everybody expected, but lost
his campaign. The suppression of the news
from Manila which our republican president
enforces would not be tolerated by mon
archical Britons. One suppressed cable at
Manila that comes via Hong Kong today
tells us the Nebraska regiment Is reduced
to 300 men with 100 on the sick list.
'The season approaches when military
operations must cease and the president no
doubt stands aghast at the grave situation.
He is now reported as about to call an
extra session of congress in vain effort to
relieve himself of the responsibility. My
forecast is that the president will get out
of the Philippines and return to American
principles by obtaining shadowy protec-
torate in some form and that he will be able
to appear before the republican convention
with the Philippine question settled, having
given them the same promise of independ-
ence he gave Cuba and that our party will
then carry the presidential election. If he
approached the country with the war in the
Philippines unsettled 1t is improbable he
will get even the nomination. The weight
would be too great to carry. This, however,
he probably thinks already secured, but his
election would then be another story If the
democratic party were to drop silver and
come out for Amerlcanism. If the issue Is
presented to the people as between the prin-
cples of Washington or Mckinley there Is
no doubt of the result. Our party would be
beaten. and deserve to be,
"There, you have tempted me into proph-
ecy--a dangerous business"