The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-03-09
WHICH is THE sUspECTr

Gen. Lew w dlidC0 ID OllS VI NhO AAAN-N
who have played a more or less con-
spicuous part in the political affairs or
his country without realizing with any
particular force the tricks that politics.
like conscience, plays with most men.
The general is not In politics just now,
save to the extent to which all good
Americans are understood to be with
whom there are other objects in life be-
side the acquisition of Office.
Freedom and plainness of speech Is a
blessed privilege which is rarely vouch-
safed to the active politician. And free
dom, If not plainness, Of speech is one
of the privileges which Gen. Wallace evil
IDENTIFY prizes highly. How otherwise
could he, a true-blue Republican, and
called on by all party traditions and
usages to stand by his party, have in
dulged himself in sheer political bias
phemy, as he recently did when he re-
ferred to the leader of his party, the
his president, the chairman Of his party 8
national committee. and the guide, philos
opEer and friend of all true imperialists,
Senator Marcus Hanna, of Ohio, as the
Great Suspect of American politics?
Suspected of what? Has ever anyone
indulged in suspicion regarding this good
and wise statesman? Has there ever
been ground for suspicion of him in any
direction? And where is suspicion sup
posed to end and certainty to begin, If
Mark Hanna is TO be regarded as sus-
pect? Gen: Wallace is not quite as plain
as he is free in his speech
Now, let us see whether we can COM
pass the exact meaning Of Gen. Wal
lace's reference to the great man from
Ohio who is president of the United
States-de facto. The general says that
certain William Mckinley. sometime
elected president of these United States,
was William Mckinley for keeps. so to
speak, when he recommended free trade
with Puerto Rico. but that when he
urged his fellow Republicans in the
house to vote for that is per cent mon
strosity he thereupon became transform
ed into Hanna, the Suspect of American
politics.
We all know that the aforesaid William
Mckinley has the more or less happy
faculty of shedding the skin Of his
avowed opinions, and. like certain other
we'll known members of the animal king
dom, coming forth in an entirely new
garb of conviction. Indeed. 1t may be
said, Furthermore, that in his reincarnate
form there is usually more or less to sug-
gest his close association with the very
positive character whom Gen. Wallace
designates suspect. But wherein does
this particular quality of our nominal
president give Gen. Wallace warrant for
characterizng Mr. Hanna as a suspect,
and thereby implying that suspicion does
not lie at the door of Mr. Hanna's first
assistant in the great undertaking of
conducting the executive affairs of our
national government?
No; Gen. Wallace is neither plain nor
exact in his speech. His SMILES are not
well chosen. There is nothing In the en-
tire catalogue of possible crime against
the purity or perpetuity Of free institu-
tons of which Senator Hanna stands sus-
pected There are many such things the
suspicion of which very clearly attaches
to the skirts of his official lieutenant.
Had Gen. Wallace designated William
great and his Cleveland mentor as the
Great Convicted of American politics, he
would have dealt far more kindly by his
own high reputation as great literary
artist.