The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-05-09
..cod,,,,. the Nan. Not snort.,

The "New York Sun" on Monday printed
most interesting editorial which pre-
scented, in artistic combination, its pa
triotic opposition to the HayPauncefote
| Treaty. and its unwavering confidence in
| William Mckinley. Referring to the sup
Elementary convention signed by Secretary
Hay and Lord Pauncefote. extending until
| March ). 1901. the time allowed for the
exchange of Publications of their joint
CONNECTION. the Sun" said:
There seems 10 liuger in the mind Of the
| Secretary a vague hope that between now and the
end of President MeHney's first something
! may occur to render his unfortunate proposition
! more acceptable TO the country than 1t is at
| present. We DO not know whether he is counting
! on the solar eclipse. the dog days the
/ Sept rmber equinox. the November election. or
the passing OF the nineteenth century. to effect
such a change in public sentiment viii induce
the Senate to consent to the surrender Of the
! American inter oceanic waterway to European
peIyison ard ultimate control.
I'VE think that the pride of authorship and the
ot,stinacy Of premature seif-commitmcnt delmde
! the Secretary. Every Indication in Congress and
! in the country points TO strengthening. not a
weakening, of the demand for isihmian canal
that shall be American in fact well in name.
The passage Of the Hepburn bin last week in the
! Honse. by the overwhelming majority Of 22j 10
| 49, in spite Of the fact that that is
| the old Clayton-Bulwcr Treaty and runs di
| rectly To the main purpose of the new
| HayPsuncefofe Treaty. ought to be enlightening
to the Secretary in TINS respect. That is say, it
ought to be eniightcning unless Mr. Hay holds
that the Fifty-sixth House is composed OF nearly
fools rsscals 10 one wise and honorable leg
islator.'
Is this line of reasoning, like other
| things that have attracted public attention
within a few days. evidence of the evolu-
tion of new personal and pure Mckinley
cult? The Hon. Webster Davis has de-
ciared, in effect, that the President is
more earnest in support of the Beers
against the British than Kruger himself:
but that the wicked people who surround
him, and constitute his conscience and
backbone, will not let him show it. Is it
the latest scheme to boom the amiable
Chief of State on the proposition that the
king can do no wrong and that il his cab
inets. official and kitchen. cause him to
sim We should get after them and forgive
and re-elect him? Presently. at the cur
rent rate Plat and Depew and Allison
and Aldrich will be swearing that Mr..
Mckinley has been a constitutionalist all
along. has always believed that the, Con-
stitution extended over Porto Rico with
the flag, and has only hesitated to say SO
for fear OF injuring the feelings of close
| friends over in New York. Mr.. Rockefel-
| Ter. Mr. Havemeyer, and Mr.. Duke among
| them.
We do not think that the American peo-
pie generally can be brought TO differen-
| tiate Mr.. Mckinley the American canal
| anti trust constitutionalist patriot held
down and muzzled by wicked partners,
| from Mr.. Mckinley the head and front
| of all the Administration Porto Rican,
Hay Pauncefote. and Panama iobbery Of
Tending. Neither do we believe that an
| attempt to unload responsibility for the
canal policy of the President upon the
| Hon. John Hay would be eminently Sue
cessfu. The latter cannot be made
scapegoat unless the public are willing to
accept him as one, and they are not so
| minded. Since his dear Mr.. Dick letter
plenty of people are prepared TO think
| that he could be used indelicately BIZ
others-something never dreamed Of be-
fore But that his power and dominion
is great enough to force the Administra-
tion into a course obviously dangerous
to it, merely to save his official vanity
! and pride of authorship is quite be-
yond reason.
The Sun seems to think otherwise.
and is entitled to its opinion, but In
Washington that opinion viii not be wide
ly shared Here it has been observed that
the party whip and spur have been applied
mercilessly in Congress in opposition TO
the American canal proposition and in
favor of the Hay Pauncefote Treaty by
well known agents of the President. No
body has imagined for a mon Il that the
purpose of these efforts was to salve the
wounded feelings of Mr.. Hay; while the
general consensus Of opinion has been, and
is. that its sole object was to kill the
Nicaragua Canal in the interest of the Nc
Finley Salisbury deal and the Panama Ca
nal syndicate The President. no doubt.
would stand by his Foreign Minister as far
as he dared, just as he did by Russell A.
Alger as long as that was safe But there
must be reason stronger than mere friend