On war...........................

      He began with a brief rendition of the war and its aftermath, emphasizing the "universal and hearty commendation" that greeted the decisions and actions leading to victory.  But wars generate their own logic, often unforeseen and uncontrollable, and America's late war entrusted to the country the lands of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.  "It is a trust we have not sought," said the president.  "It is a trust from which we will not flinch."

-Robert W. Merry,  President McKinley:  Architect of the American Century