The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1901-07-13

be fruitful of good resul,s-and
these will not be long in making
themselves felt throughout the
parish.
MAY CHANGE HIS MIND
In a recent number Of The Public
Louis F. Post animadver,s upon
President McKinley's disinterested
patriotism with admirable IRONY.
He says:
Though President Mckinley has in the
most pronounced and emphatic manner de-
clared that he is not and never will be .
third term candidate for president, that this
expresses his ''long-settled Conviction and
that he would not accept a nomination even
if rendered. nevertheless let no supporter OF
his despair. If the circumstances require
Mr.. Mckinley to forego this sslong- settled
conviction for the sake of his party and
the continued prosperity of his country, his
public record is guarantee that he will
make the sacrifice. 1t would not be Mr..
Mckinley's first sacrifice of conviction upon
the altar of patriotism and politics. He was
a silver coinage ma n who gave up his mon
etary convictions to save the .shonor of the
nation" by becoming president. Long a
strenuous advocate of the ''home MARKER
for American products, he has now assumed
the task of prying open foreign markets for
the sake of the great trusts upon which the
prosperity of his country depends. De-
nouncing ''forcible annexation" of alien ter
ritory as terminal aggression within the
purview of the American s'code of morals -
he nevertheless suppressed this ethical con.
viction to promote a policy of forcible an
nexation to the extent of debating a treaty
of cession from Spain and carrying on an
unauthorized war of conquest against the
friendly Philippines. And though he for
malIy and impressiveIy described the con-
cession of free trade to Puerto Rico as
''plain duty yet he used the influence of
his Office and the power of its patronage to
protect the industries of his country from
the ravages of Puerto Rican imports. Mr..
Mckinley is nothing if he has not been self
pable of shrinking from the sacrifice even of
''long-settled convictions when the occa-
sion demands it.
A candidate for denomination he
suredly will not be. But if the body of the
party were to rise up and de-
mand his nomination the originator and
protector of American prosperity; if the
great modern chevaliers d'industrie who
furnish Mr.. Hanna with campaign funds
upon the basis of their confidence in Mr..
s'safe man. were to second
and foster this demand; and if in response
to these pressing mandates the Republican
were with virtual unanimity to
tender Mr.. Mckinley the unparalleled honor
of a third nomination., he would no doubt be
to sacrifice his ''long-settled
against third presidential
term. The sacrifice would be no greater
than the others he has made. 1t could cost
him no more pain than his abandonment of
the ''home MARKET theory for the project
Of forcible entry into foreign markets, or
his disinterested and patient shifting from
the platform of silver coinage to that of the
gold standard; it would cost him less than
his divergence from the path of s'plain duty
toward Puerto Rico, or his terminal ag-
gression'' in the Philippines. He may be
upon to do his part if his party
calls him. Aud that it will call him is
almost certain human prophecy can
possibly be. Should the present gaseous
survive Tic republican COLI
vention of 1904, and continue to deceive
the masses of the people with its elusive
promises, its association with Mr.. McKinley's
name will almost inevitably move the rank
and file OF his party to demand his retention
in Office as the only person of any party who
can prevent its collapse. In that event the
the demand will come with the spontanety
and resistless force of political avalanche.
It is not altogether improbable that Sen
ator Depew, whose advocacy of third term
eliminated in Mr.. Mckinley's
protest, and whose hopes and expectations
nave other aims than Mr.. Mckinley's re-
foresaw this contingency, and
started third term discussion thus prema-
urely with the shrewd design of forcing
Just such a disclaimer as Mr.. Mckinley has
made. But if Senator Depew thinks he
has ruled Mr.. Mckinley off the presidential
rack, BY causing him to proclaim .'long
;ett led' conviction against third term and
IN ardent personal desire and firm intention
% return to private citizenship, then SEN
ltor Depew misreads Mr.. Mckinley's
luctuating record and miscalculates his
Utility to make sacrifices of personal COM
ort and convictions.