The evening times., 1900-01-27
a ReerettabIe Bacl1sIiding,

RegrettabIe BacksIiding.
On more than one occasion il has been
both our privilege and pleasure to call at
| tention to President McKinley's attitude on
the question of trade with our insular pos
sessions. Although a lifelong protection
list, and the political associate of class of
men which has always been cheerfully
ready to sacrifice the Constitution or the
Bible or any other bulwark of American
society, whenever such a course might be
/ necessary to the perpetuity of a system
which gives it the power to loot the public
under pretence of aid to infant industries.
the wickedness of extending the curse of
Dinglcyism TO regions under our own flag
and sovereignty has been evident to Mr..
McKinley's mind that for a long time he
has been independent enough TO dare the
hostility Of the Chinese Wall element in
his party and stand up for right and JUS
tiee. Apparently, after serious struggle
he has been driven from the admirable po-
sition he originally occupied in relation TO
free trade with Porto Rico, and there is
JOY unspeakable among the cabbage-leaf
on the sugar-beet farms of Iowa, and all
around the rum distilleries Of New Eng
land
1t is a Presidential year, and. although
the hapless American subjects who in
habit our Anlillean colony are starving
because their products are shut out from
the markets of the rest of the United
Of ha corr
preached and practiced by the Presidents
evil genius. Hanna, steps in and forbids
relief The excuse is made that to declare
free trade with Porto Rico would be tanta-
mount TO an acknowledgment that the ISL
and is an integral portion of our common
country. Now, down in his amiable heart,
Mir. Mckinley knows that there is no
truth contained in the Scriptures. or in
the multiplication table, more certain or
more eternal than that any land under
the Stars and Stripes and the Government
of the country as possession, is ipso
facto American territory in the same
sense and TO the same extent that Alaska,
Arizona. New Mexico and Oklahoma arc.
The contention, invented by the tariff rob
bers. that We can take by treaty or puT-
chase and incorporate within our impe-
rial boundaries territory of other nations,
without making it American, and for ifs
cal purposes treat it as foreign, is too silly
to justify discussion. The same may be
said regarding the collateral argument,
that 10 remove the oppression Of Ding
leyism from a place like Porto Rico would
amount to a national undertaking TO grant
a Territorial Government with universal
suffrage and. later, 10 erect the possession
into full State. There is no Constitu-
tional or common-sense ground for the
proposition. The whole plea is a vicious
subterfuge on the part of the ultra-pro-
tectionists in behalf of their monopolies.
and We are sincerely sorry that Mr.. Nc
Kiney has given way TO it.
Of course. IL is unnecessary to say that
the monopolists have tried TO show the par
ty managers what a terrible mass of votes
The beet farmers. the stogy rollers. and the
Nedford rum makers could throw against
the Republican candidate if Porto Rican
cigars. sugar, and aguadiente were per
mitted to gct loose in the States before
election: but we think that such excited /
representations might be ignored with per-
feet mpunitv There does not appear to
be the slightest reason for doubt that Mr..
Mckinley viii be nominated, irrespective
Of his attitude to the tobacco, rum, and
sugar champions. After that. let it be
granted that many of them might vote
against him out of spite, He need not
lose a moments sleep on any such account
He has an enduring foundation in the no
ble army OF domestic Filipnos in Congress. /
both OF his own and the opposite party I
who are fighting desperately day by day 20 1
make votes for him. and are succeeding /
magniicently. As long as the anti-expan- /
sionists are roaring and lashing of their /
tails. there is not the least danger for Mr.. /
Mckinley. On the contrary, it is highly |
probable that if this Filipino foolishness /
continues he will get more than enough |
Democratic votes TO offset any losses he |
might incur among the tariff monopolists. |
His Porto Rico backsliding is something to-
tally unnecessary.