It was not easy for McKinley to spare troops for China. An insurrection was raging in the Philippines, and editorial writers at home argued that the United States, in sending an army to China to fight, was sinking to the level of Old Europe. But American business had made its position clear: it was America’s job to keep China open for trade, and so a military operation was required. With an election approaching in November, a probusiness presidency bowed to the interests of its favored constituency.
