The times., 1901-05-01
Circulation Statement.
A Presidential Warming.

Presidential warning.
Perhaps il is on the whole startling
of a clear day TO hear the watchmaI
on the high tower shout that while al
the face of Nature laughs with lush!
glee, IL would be as we'll for the neigh
bors To go home and get their camps
and mackintoshes. Such an admoni-
ton on a rainy day would be super
fiuous. On clear one IL is calculated
to excite wonder If not alarm. In his
short rear-end speech at Roanoke on
Monday President Mckinley piped a
note OF caution which certainly will not
fail to interest the American people. He
said:
what want 10 DO is 10 be prudent; in our
prospeTity-save while We can and De strong if
the storms should come, and they DO aud
then. Whatever comes, let be fortified by the
practice Of economy while We are - well en-
ployed."
Now, what can be the meaning of
these seemingly prophetic words? "Our
best business interests" are up TO their
eyes in activity. Our most eminent
spectators do not seem able to con-
ceive that the price Of railway shares
can soar high enough. Our own and
only Morgan, representing a coterle of
capitalists who together. own or con-
troll more money than any other in
divfdual, corporation, or combination in
the known world is reaching out for
the steamship lines of the Old World,
after taking in the entire anthracite
coal production, and the whole iron and
steel industry of his own country. In
none of these developments do we de-
tect signs of a revulsion. What is it
that Mr.. Mckinley fears?
This question offers such a large field
for conjecture that we shall make no
attempt to cover il. Probably, in the
carelessness of a passing extempo-
raneous utterance, he may not have
Intended that his words should convey
the meaning they appear TO in cold
type. Perhaps he was only thinking of
the news, just wired him from Wash
ington, that the Supreme Court had
held Porto Ricans to be citizens of the
United States. That, and not the pri-
yately known approach Of a financial
panic, may have been at the bottom of
his apparent pessimism.
We are aware, for example, that the
attitude Of the Supreme Court on the
question of colonial citizenship pro-
duced painful impression upon the
Department Of Justice, and the Ad-
ministration circle generally. It seemed
TO presage a decision in the constitu-
tional cases upholding the Constitution. .
Such an eventuality might well be re
garded as "a storm" from the White /
House point Of view. Ii would be 50
In the sense that the trusts would raise 1
one were Il 70 be decided that the q
creature Of the Constitution. the Flag. 4
is without Specification except as IL is 4
anywhere based upon the vigor and 4
force Of its creator. Such storms. in
deed. might come. and ia their wake 4
bring the blessing OF free domestic /
trade with our insular Territories 10 4
the American people. and possibly loss .
to some OF the trusts. But 70 such a
calamity the masses of the country
would be resigned. OF course the peO-
PIE have one interest. and the Admins
tration. representing the trust and
monopoly influence which guides its
policy AID course. another. The public .
cannot be expected TO look at things |
through the rich spectacles of Mr.. Nor
gan. Mr.. Rockefeller. OF Mr.. J. ]. Hill.
Hence matters which may be alarming
20 those magnates may be negligible by
the commonaity
II fear that great productive areas
are 20 be opened 10 development under
free trade and other constitutional CON
6itions is not the foundation for the
Presidents warning, what is? Perhaps
Nr. Mckinley will be good enough to
enlighten the country in another speech