The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-11-08
BY JAMES MORGAN

Events make sport of the schemes
of mice and men. Mckinley entered
The race for the presidency on the
tariff issue, was elected on the money
issue and the greatest
problems that confronted him in the
white house were the fate of chain
of islands off the coast of Asia and
the destiny of China,
Spain had been engaged for two
years in desolating struggle to hold
in subsection the revolving island OF
Cuba, and two happenings pushed Nc
Kinley into the conflict in spite of
himself. In private letter, the Span
ish minister at Washington scoffed at
the president as a "pOliticaSt O"-in
plain American, "a peanut politician
and plainly intimated that the fair
promises which the Spaniards were
giving him were only trick 10 fool
the administration and the American
people. Within the week of that eX-
posture, the battleship Maine was
blown up in Havana Harbor, with the
loss of 266 American lives.
,, After withstanding for nearly two
months the popular cutlery of "Remem-
her the Maine" the president yielded,
and war was declared. In 10 days
Dewey had smashed the enemy squad
ron in Manila Bay; in 10 weeks, an
other squadron was sunk or captured
off Santiago; in three months and
half, poor old Spain threw up the
sponge.
Our navy proved itself efficient and
quickly destroyed what small resist
ance the unmatched foe could hope
to offer. Our little army of 275,000
men proved to be its own worst en-
envy, losing only 345 killed in action or
dying of wounds, but sacrificing 1855
lives to disease-pitiful victims, for
the most part, OF unsanitary camps
here at home.
The small eXpeditionary force in
i Cuba easily whipped the armed foe
in front Of it, but was nearly COMPEL
ed to retreat by invisible foes in its
rear: plaques and hunger. Unframed
/ and incompeten line and staff offic-
ers-politicians and sons of some
! body"-were largely responsible for
the breakdown of camp hygiene, the
/ medical service and the service OF
supply.
1t took twice as long to make peace
as to make war. The Philippines
caused all the trouble. AS we had not
captured the islands in the war, many
| believed that We should let them alone.
But Mckinley decided to demand from
/ Spain the surrender of the Philippines.
| The members of the cabinet were di-
vided. Judge Day, the secretary OF
| state. who became the head OF our
peace commission, favoring the an,
| nexation of nothing more than naval
base At the end Of a long discussion
the secretary asked why his motion
was not put to a vote. Il was afraid
| it would be carried" the president re-
piled with smile.
McKinley's course was influenced by
fresh outbreak Of rivalry among the
European powers for ports and islands
and spheres of influence, particularly
in the Far East. and the president was
ambitious to open for the country a
new era in its relation to the world
'The currents of destiny are flowing
through the hearts of the American
people, he confidently announced as
he felt the public pulse on western
tour.
| A cry of imperialism was raised
against this plunge into Asia. The
'anti-imperialists included some dis
tinguished Republicans and virtually
all the Democrats. and the treaty OF
peace was ratified at last with only
! one vote to spare in the senate.
+; Without waiting for ratification, the
| president dispatched a military eXpedi-
ton to take over the Philippines, pro
claiming to the revolving Filipinos the
policy of benevolent assimilation.
| The resulting war dragged it's unpleaS
ant length for two years before the in
habitants unwillingly bowed to their
new master.
Not yet feeling the economic urge
| that drove Europe into the race for
| exploiting far-off lands, Americans
have continued to be indifferent to
commercial opportunities in the Philip
pines, and the archipelago remains a
liability rather than an asset on the
1 National ledger. Having all that WE