The Winslow mail., 1899-09-14
PRESIDENT AND PARTY.
Even the Republican Press Has Had
Fling nt It's Weak
Head.

"The weakest president since Bu-
chanan," the New York Herald Cnd.)
calls President Mckinley. "a hesitat-
ing president" is what the republican
New York Tribune sails him. 'Is there
no one else?" asks the republican Port
land Oregonian, as it contemplates the
apparent certainty of Mr.. McKinley's
denomination, and wonders, eff the re-
publicans think they have a Walkeyer
for 1900, do they propose TO go out of
business in 19O4?" The Oregonian goes
on to say!
Now is the time t5 take, into account
the certain impression made upon such
of our people are neither officeholders
nor offce-seekers, by the administration
else?
= 'It is an imperfect world, and we must
deal with voters as we find them: It would
be of all things most lamentable and t6 IS
opposed tooth and nail that a candidate
running on the reiterated Chicago plat
form should be elected. But we must
reckon with the impulses as we'll as the
reason of the people. It may not be pos
sible to placate all that are enraged at
apathy to the gold Standard at betrayal
of the civil service; at sacrifice of this
army; at neglect of Alaska; at disas-
trous delays in LuZon; at appointments
of unfit men for office. The people like
a man that doesn't try to evade, and de-
lay, and eQuivocatej and try to carry wa
ter on both shoulders: They don't like
man that will tell his cabinet officer hs
wants him to stay, and get two or three go-
betweens to tell him he wants him to go.
They like man that has the decision to
act and the courage to speak"
The New York Tribune, the foremost
republican organ of them all, in similar
vein remarks that ''if President McKin-
ley has erred, it has been in hesitating
to assert his own undoubted preroga-
tives." The Tribune takes no stock in
the assertion that a lawyer was needed
for secretary of war, and says:
Congress has plenty of lawyers in its
own membership. If it should not choose
to adopt their suggestions, it could
readily obtain suggestions from others.
Neither congress nor the country is so
thoroughly satisfied with the actual work
legitimately done by the war department
under its recent head as to receive with
equanimity the extraordinary statement
that a new head has been chosen for it
not so much with reference to improving
its necessary and imperative services, but
expressly with a view to doing something
else which primarily belongs to the sem
ate and house of representatives.
So much for the claim, constantly
paraded, that President Mckinley has
no opposition, no critics, within his own
party. His very weakness has proved
his strength with the patronage chat
fering, nomination-making bosses of
the republican party. The Platts, the
Quays, and the Hannas of course adj
mire a president who will abdicate his
power of appointment in their behalf.
But the thinking element of the re-
publican party, although they do not
pack primaries, deliver delegates, or
control conventions, have taken the
measure of President Mckinley; and
enough of them will vote against him
to defeat his reelection, if the democ-
racy is wise.
President Mckinley may even find
that, so far as the nomination itself is
concerned, he has sold his birthright
for not even a mess of pottage. The
Platts, the Hannas and the Quays would
not hesitate to knife him in a minute,
should self-interest so dictate.-Albany
Argus.