Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1899-11-18
.sTuE SUN" ON MCKINLEY


ing proclamation into a polit-
zeal campaign document and
issuing it as the expression Of
the views of Providence, Mr..
Mckinley not only insults the
American people, who are not
accustomed to being ordered to
offer thanks To Heaven for par.
ty measures and party policy,
but insults the Almighty also
by the attempt To make Him a
particeps criminis i'm the acts of
criminal aggression" com
mitted by the Administration.
The forgery of the name of the
Almighty as an Endorsement of
the performances and credit of
Messrs. Mckinley, Hanna & Co.
is not a new device, as the firm
has been placing that indorse-
ment on all the political paper
it has uttered almost ever since
it began business at the White
House. In fact. from the fire.
quency with which the name of
the Ruler of the universe has
been used by them in this con-
nection, it might be supposed
by those who knew no better
that Providence was a member
of the firm. II is rather un-
usual, however, to make a
Thanksgiving proclamation.
which is supposed to be adj
dressed to all the people of the
country without distinction of
party, a vehicle for political
discussion and am occasion for
claiming that the Almighty is a
member of a particular political
organization. We are inclined
to think that the American peo-
pie, as a whole, will refuse to
return thanks for such speci-
mems of exalted" American
patriotism as have been fur
nished by the Mckinley Admin
neutrality-suspicious., for in
stance, like Hanna, Eagan. AL
ger, or even like the President
himself. For exalted" patri-
otism of this kind many millions
of Americans will consider a
day of fast and humiliation
more appropriate than a day of
thanksgiving, and more fitting
than expressions of gratitude
the fervent supplication of the
litany, slightly altered for the
occasion-"from such patriot
ism, good Lord, deliver u.s.
Not satisfied with requiring
the people of this country to
return thanks for the crimes
which have been committed i'm
the name of Providence. Repub-
licanism and liberty. the Presi-
dent coolly demands that the
Filipinos shall unite in giving
thanks for Mr.. Mckinley and
his policy of bloody annexation.
He calls OH "all our people on
this continent and in our newly
acquired islands" to do so, and he
claims the Filipinos as "our
people" by right of recent pur-
chase, and recognizes them as
part of our population by de-
scribing them as insurgents. 1t
is a little hard on the Filipinos,
not only to have their country
and their liberties taken away
and to be butchered by whole
sale, but to be commanded to be
thankful for battle, murder and
sudden death. Under the cir
cumstances they can scarcely
be expected to join in such
thanksgiving with any more
heartiness than the Thanksgiv-
ing turkey could be expected
to do.
Governor Roosevelt. whose
beligerent habit of showing his
teeth on all occasions well sug-
gests his combative nature. fol.
lowed President McKinley's
lead a few days later, with
Thanksgiving proclamation on
similar lines. 1T is right" he
announces in his usual aggres-
sIve and rough-riding style,
"that we should give thanks
for the prosperity that has come
to the nation, and for the way
in which this great people in
the first flush of its mighty
manhood is moving forward to
meet its destiny, and to do
without fiinching every duty
which that destiny brings.
One cannot help feeling, when
one reads after the warlike
Governor of New York, that it
is well for Providence that it
has had the discretion to side
with Teddy" on duty and des-
tiny and agree with his views
on all national questions.