Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-06-07
NO ENTHUSIASM FOR M'KINLtY.

New York Evening Post.
While all the Republicans accept the
nomination of Mckinley for the Presi
dency by the philadelphia convention
as inevitable, there is great lack OF
enthusiasm for him among the rank
and file of the party this time. A Re-
publican who recently returned to this
city after spending eyeral weeks in a
northern county of the State was much
impressed by the signs Of disaffection
which he encountered. He spent hours
every pleasant day in walking and in
riding horseback, and whenever he
found chance, he fell into conversation
with the people. He is a shrewd poll
tician, and easily succeeded In directing
the talk in such a way as to learn how
the men whom he met felt about public
affairs. To his surprise and disappoint
emit, he often found hesitancy and doubt
regarding the intention Of voters who
supported Mckinley four years ago.
The prosperity argument does not count
gers have expected, and the trust argu-
ment operates against the party to an
| extent which they have not anticipated.
Prosperity?' said one farmer. I'VE
farmers are not any better off than we
were. What we sell brings no higher
prices, while the things we have to buy
cost more. / bought 10 pounds of nails
yesterday, and / had to pay so cents
more than they used to cost before
there was nail trust. There may
be prosperity for the trusts said an
other man, "but am not getting any
of it. In fact, I'm worse off than / was,
for the trust has shut uE factory here,
for which / used to drive q team. "
The visitor found this feeling preyalen
enough to cause him no little disqulet
Another thing which was notlceabl,
about this test of public sentiment wa
the entire absence of any satisfaction
with the expansion policy. The OBJ
server is himself an ardent lmperialist
but when he had ended his report, j
i appeared that he had said nothing
about enthusiasm over the course O
the administration toward ''our ne,
, possessions. - The reason was that h
, discovered no such enthusiasm.
willingness TO support the President a
! matter of necessity was pi ofessed b
i men who will vote the Republica
ticket, but there was no sign of salts
faction with the work which is bein
. done in the Philippines There !
\ plenty of evidence that voters through
a OuG tub COuutry hr6 IL bilo ohiho Kan
. of mind regarding the issue of Imper
: alism The Boston Record, which
= edited by a Republican ex- Congress
i man, quotes one of the most prominel
! Republican members Of Congress fro
Il Mississippi Valley district, as writir
i that the current sentiment in the par
y at Washington is one OF ''deep-seatt
= disgust at this whole lingo business,
, and that this only reflects a feelir
q which this Western man finds to pr
= vail among the people in his part
y the county. A prominent Weste
70 Republican who is an ardent support
v of Imperialism told New 70
acquaintance last winter that, IL t
y situation in the Philippines should u
Us i'm prove before the opening of t
y Presidential campaign, but should q
ot generate into guerilla fighting viii
pn did not seem likely ever to end, {
OF outlook would not be promising for t
Oh Mckinley administration. Events a
or already proving the sagacity of this fol
re cast, and the continent OF disgust
u the whole lingo business seems lik'
to grow.