Washington sentinel., 1900-06-09
Webster Davis a Mckinley gPlant.'

| before.
| Webster Davis a Mckinley "Plant." D."
We print in another column a let
Ter from w. w. Bride relative 10
Webster Davis connection with
the Boer cause. The Editor OF the
SENTINEL grieves to say that he is
one OF those who was taken in by
the political intrigue to which Mr..
Davis lent himself, for that it is and
nothing else. The facts, as stated
by Mr.. Bride, are true to the letter.
The Editor Of the SENTINEL, whose
Boer sympathies were we'll known,
was the first person approached in
the interest of the plan OF which
Mr.. Davis was to be the tool. We
thought that the age Of chivalry
had returned, that there was still
heart lett to sympathize and sac
rihce in the cause OF liberty. Alas!
Alas! we should not have locked
for that in the camp of Mark
Hanna.
The "cut and dried" laudation
of Mckinley at the Boer meeting
got up at the expense Of others,
was the first mark OF suspicion.
His subsequent seclusion and iso-
lation, and his further inteUection
Of a tribute to Mckinley at the
New York Boer meeting, COM
pletely removed tine veil Of mys-
terry that surrounded his actions.
He was, as we had been warned,
mere creature Of the Hanna gang.
worming his way into Boer envir-
onments, to be later on the more
effective in his appeals for his chief.
He had played the same part in
South Africa that Beveridge had
played in the Philippines. Both
visits were at the expense Of the
United States.
Davis gave the impression that
he was at variance with Mckinley,
and especially with Hay, that, in
fact, Adelbert Hay would not have
been received at Pretoria but for
him, and that il something were
not done, he would attack the Ad-
ministration. Well, the Boer en-
Voys arrived here. Nothing was
done. Still Mr.. Davis is silent.
But we understand the "plea" has
not been vet consummated. A
number of Boer sympathizers have
been approached to request that a
plank" favorable to the Beers be
inserted in the Philadelphia plat
form, A plank OF "Molasses" to
catch Boer "fies." Out upon such
traficking in human slaughter.
The politician in the White House
who fastened a system OF loot
in Cuba, who has torsaken his
"plain duty" in Porto Rico, and
pursued a course Of criminal ag-
gression" in the Philippines-all
in open violation Of public pledges
cannot be relied on to carry out
any promise. We haYe been taken
in. We acknowledge it. The
fault was of the head however, not
of the heart. The head has now
seen its error.
We shall spare no pains how
ever between this and election day
to ventilate the betrayal by this
man Webster Davis of the most
sacred duty that man owes TO man,
the duty to be true to a trust re-
posed IN him, especially where
human life and liberty are at stake.
We have no faith in any plank that
may be inserted in the Republican
platform. We have no faith in any
promise William Mckinley may
make. He is utterly incompetent to
fulfil the duties Of the high office
OF President OF the United States.
He is completely in the hands OF
Mark Hanna and Steve Elkins,
men ignorant OF the first prinei-
Piles OF craftsmanship, and intent
only in adding to the ill-got wealth
Of those IN power. But he has to
reckon with the aroused con-
science OF the nation which he has
ignored. The dead spirits and
surviving widows and children oi
Beers and Filipinos, not to speak
Of sacrihced Americans, cry to
heaven for vengeance, and on the
seventh OF November next he will
be relegated to that oblivion and
contumely which his incompetence
and his treachery deserve.