The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-04-27
CUBAN SCANDAL
CAUSES WORRY.
Administration Taking Cogniz.
ance of the Matter.
DRAWING DOUBLE SALARIES.

An Abuse That Has Opened the Eyes OF
The Peopie-what Prominent Senators
And Representatives Have To
Say About 1t.
Washington, April 25.-The Cuban
scandal is hurting. Adding the other
manifold scandals arising from the
new departure of the country in
foreign affairs It marks another mile
stone to show how far the Republican
party has led the United States from
the safe path mapped out by the
fathers of the country, and, in the
opinion of the most conservative and
level-headed men in this city, furnishes
another argument why the present ad-
ministration should not be confirmed in
power for four years longer. These say
that should the voters confer upon Mr..
Mckinley a new lease of power his ad-
ministration inevitably would be more
imperial, more autocratic, than in his
present term. 1t could not possibly be
otherwise. There will be more patror-
age, more power, more pomp, more
pageantry. There will be more offices,
more concessions, more opportunities
for trusts and monopolies. 1t will be
fine for those who are near the throne
but perilous for the country.
How perilous appears from study
of the law bearing on this Cuba ques-
tion allowance matter, which was in
augurated by Secretary Alger and en-
dorsed and continued by Secretary
Root. Speaking of this. Republican
| senator said 1.-THE act Of the secretary
was deliberate violation OF law, whether
the amounts were paid over as supple
mentary allowances or as additional
salaries" Section 1869 of the revised
statutes says:
mo allowance shall be made to
officers in addition to their pay. except
as hereinafter provided. The exceptions
relate to fuel, quarters, and forage.
There Is no exception to cover the ex-
penses of entertaining, and, however
necessary these may be, 1t is for con-
gress and not for the executive to sup
ply the money for them. If it is con-
ceded that the secretary Of war or the
president has the right to delibera-
tely violate the law in this matter and
do as he likes with the island trust
funds, he is clothed thereby with reven-
ues greater than those Of the queen of
or the czar of Russia, and can use them
to debauch, not Cuba only, but the
United States as well. OF course, we all
know that President Mckinley would
not do this and that he would not de-
rive personal gain from his admins
trs.tion of the island revenues. But all
history has shown that the purse" in
a popular government should be care
fully kept in the hands of the legisla-
tive body which most closely represents
the people. 1t Is for this reason that
the house Of commons in England and
the house of representatives in the
United States alone possess the power
to originate appropriation bills. To put
a practically bottomless purse belong
ing to another into the hands Of the
purest and best man on earth is dan
gerous at the best. How much more
so when he may be tempted to use its
contents to perpetuate what he honestly
believes to be the best interests Of the
country. An English statesman once
said that the danger in a Democracy
was that men would do things for the
sake of their party that they would not
dream Of doing for their own sakes.
The United States may tempt even
Mckinley too far and wake to find it.
self betrayed"
Senator Platt, Of Connecticut, con-
tended in the senate the other day that
President Mckinley was the supreme
power in Cuba and that congress had no
more control over that island than 1t
had over Canada. If this doctrine is
held by the Republican majority in
congress and Is to determine our rela-
tions with Cuba, 1t would seem that 1t
would, as Senator Daniel. OF Virginia,
pointed out in his reply to Mr.. Platt,