Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-09-29
DRIFT Is DEMOCRATIC.
President Mckinley VIII At
tempt to Stem the Tide.
ToREVrvEFRoNTP oRoHCAMPAIeN
"Pros?erIty-" shown Up by the Coal
strike-HhOIe Country Ia Aroused
10 the Dangers of ImperIalism-De-
mocracy's Prospects Very Bright.
Special Washington letter.

Especial Washington letter.
President Mckinley Will return to
Canton. 4 strong effort will be made
10 revive the front porch campaign.
Mckinley realizes that Bryan is max
iuG thousands Of votes by his epigram-
matte, clear cut and forceful speeches
The drift is plainly Democratic.
Something must be done to stem the
tide. President Mckinley won't make
any votes by his front porch speeches,
because hc Will only talk to those al
ready committed TO his cause, but he
viii feel better to be busy. 1t is very
harassinG To attend to business at the
White House and feel that the country
is passing adverse judgment on the adj
mlniStratIOn Of the past four years.
When at Canton, the President car
get his mind away from the Chinese
situation. He can do the ostrich act
and by hiding his head IN the sand flat
ter himself into the belief that tie
country does not know what he is do
ing in China.
Already the Chinese expedition has
cost the country over $IOUUO,OOU, ana
for WHAT Our citizens were rescued
several weeks ago. The troops are not
to be withdrawn except to the coast,
and Mckinley hopes that "A reelection
VIII leave him free to take part in the
partiriOninG Of China. The people,
however, understand this latest deyel- |
Opmcnt Of Imperialism ana militarism.
The country is now threatened with
a serious domestic disturbance. Some
thing must he wrong with the full din |
nor pail when over 1000 miners 90
on strike in the anthracite region of
Pennsylvania.
The fact is that these men average |
about 30 cents Il day and about four
days work in the week. For months |
they have been pleading with the "per- |
atOrS for living wages. They have Of |
fcrcd to submit their case to arbitra-
tion. The operators have refused their |
request.
The coal combination really doesn't |
care very much II the men do go on |
strike. The coal output this year ap- /
proNinatcS "G.noO,0uO tons. The pro- |
dUction in August alone was GI9,OOO
tons over the same month last year.
The coal barons VIII simply put the
price OF coal up. They already an
Hounce an advance of 81 Il ton. So a
strike really means millions in their
pockets because ii gives them al OK
Cusc To squeeze the consumer.
Ii is striking answer - the Rcpub-
lican prosperity argument that right
in the midst of the campaign these
thousands of miners should declare:
we might wen stsrvc idle -
working.
II is starvation for the men anyhow
unless public sentiment can compel the
coal operators to pay decent wages.
The conditions III Pennsylvania are
terrible. The public will be shocked
To learn under what circumstances
these men and their families have been
dragging out an existence.
Hanna would have given good big
slice of his campaign fund to have de-
fcrrcd the strike until after election.
But the operators are so secure in their
monopoly that they would not make
III" slightest concession Ia the men.
They callouSly told Hanna they be
lrv'd his predictions of n few months |
ago that Mckinley would bc reelected
without trouble. ana they really didn't
see why presidential election should
interfere with their private affairs.
This attitude i an emphatic remind
cr that the trusts and combinations
merely regard the administration as
their tool They do not propose to
1Hkc advice from Hanna. They merely
dictate their desires To- him aud expect
{, .ss.c them carried out
10 II well for the people 10 consId-
RI this strike and decide whether
they can afford to have another four
years Of trust controlled admins
Iratiun.