Let
the traitors whine and shiver,
Let the weaklings hide their heads;
Let
the cowards knife the victors,
If they wish to, in the night;
Let
the purple gore of Boston
Bite and snarl like quadrupeds,
We
re with you, Bill McKinley,
For we know that you are right.
Let
them turn against the savior
Of the country’s policy,
Whom
they worshipped like a Master
Only back in ninety-six;
Whom
they raised to save the nation
From a dire calamity –
We
are with you, Bill McKinley,
Both in war and politics.
O
this flimsy human nature,
When it goes against the grain,
O
the blindness of a mortal
When he will not see the light!
Keep
her steady, Mr. pilot,
There is sunshine thro’ the rain,
We
are with you, Bill McKinley
For we know that you are right.
July
16, ‘99
Letter of thanks etc,
rec’d from Pres. McKinley
July 19, 1899
purple
gore – blood, especially clotted or royal.
As the
Spanish American War was drawing to a close, there was an outcry of popular
opinion against the McKinley administration because of the perceived
mismanagement of the Army (as opposed to the Navy), specifically as it related to
the health and well-being of its personnel. A commission was appointed to
investigate.
“The final
report of the Dodge Commission criticized the War Department's overall lack of
efficient administration and discipline during the war, but pointed to
longstanding organizational problems in the U.S. military as the basic
culprit. Their findings helped secure passage of a military reform
bill. Secretary Alger and others were cleared of all corruption
charges. Nevertheless, McKinley had concluded the previous December
that Alger was a political albatross who had to go. Asking for the
secretary's resignation, however, would imply the administration's
guilt.
In June
1899, Alger, who hoped to be elected to the U.S. Senate from Michigan, publicly
voiced his support for the state's governor, who was a political enemy of the
president. An angry McKinley dispatched Vice President Garret Hobart to
inform the secretary of war that it was time to leave office. On July 19,
Alger submitted his letter of resignation to the president, and Elihu Root, a
lawyer from New York, replaced him.”
‘Heart and Home Ballads’
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