Washington sentinel., 1900-09-29
Hanna on Himself.

The Hon. Marcus Hanna, who
has been playing the new role oI
silver tongued orator in the West
has returned to New York exud-
ing wisdom at every pore, saws
the New York T0UrHaL He had
arranged Mr.. BrYan's Cabinet by
the time he had got as far East as
Cleveland. and when he reached
the Grand Central Station he had
progressed far enough to take it
all back.
In the Cleveland interview which
Mr., Hanna now qualihes. but
which we take the liberty of be-
Ieving to be genuine, the proprie-
tor OF the Administration saws:
Bryan is making an ass OF himself, He
is wabbling around from one issue TO
| another trying to find safe ground on
which to stand. No 500 Ter does he talk
on one OF his so called issues than the
| prop is knocked from under him and be
makes flying jump over to some other
so called issue.
Mr.. Hanna, whom the benevo-
lent torethought of nature has
spared the trouble OF making an
ass Of himself, is equally fortunate
in the matter OF issues. He does
not have to wabble. He knows
only one issue-the check book.
He has only one care-to make
Wall Street "come down."
Mr.. Hanna thinks that "the So
called trust issue is the veriest rot,'
and that "the Democratic party
cannot pull the wool over the eyes
of the workinGman OF this country
oil this trust rot any more than 1t
can on the fake issue OF imperial
ISM" These remarks naturally
direct atten ton to the Republican
position.
The Republican party IS con-
ducting its campaign, so far as the
trust issue is concerned, upon
three propositions:
I. There are no trusts.
?. Trusts are good things.
3. The Republican party will |
suppress the trusts.
All these statements have beer
made, not merely by different Ne- /
publican speakers, but by the same
one-the islustrious Mr.. Hanna,
who is himself the Republican
party.
Observe the beauty Of this pat
ent, double action defensive sys
tenn, You can take it backward,
forward, or sidewise. The Repub-
lican spellbrnders can begin by
maintaining proposition No. 3:
"The Republican party will sup
press the trusts" When they are
driven from that by the reminder
that the trusts live by Republican
favors, that the Republican party
never has tried to enforce an anti
trust law, and that Republican
who have made such at
tempts, like the former Attorney
General Monnett, of Ohio. have
been PROMPTLY read out OF the
party, they can retreat to the next
line OF defense: Trusts are good
things" When they are shelled
out of that by a reference to such
things as the work Of the Anthra-
cite Trust in Pennsylvania, they
can make last stand behind the
proposition: "rhere are no trusts"
Or they can begin with No. I
and retreat successfully to Nos. 2
and 3, or start in at the middle and
skip out at both ends.
But Mr.. Hanna's troubles will
begin when he tries to defend all
three propositions at once.
What the Ohio statesman needs
IS candid friend to send him such
1 note as Quay once sent to one
Of his candidates for the Governor
ship Of PennsylVania-"Dear
Beaver. Don't talk" AS long
rs he was the silent man" who
sat in his Office and pulled the
strings that made his political
in all the States dance
10 his tunes, Hanna was a great
nan. 1t could have been said OF
lim, as cur amiable contributor,
Mr.. Bierce, once said of one Of his
pets in California: "He can't talk
and he can't write, but they do say I
ne is a devil to think" But now
hat he has abandoned the silent
role and tried to talk ne has dis
closed the fact that he can't think.
He has revealed himself as a
coarse, ignorant pretender, as des-
.itute OF political sagacity as of
courtesy or heart, and at home
only in the arts of extracting
money from unwilling pockets and
applying it in corruption,
Mr.. Hanna refused to let Roose
4 Al Il I I