The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-06-23
SPLRIT or TIE PRESS.
EDITORIAL OPINIONS OF THE LEADING JOURNALS
UPON CURRENT ToPIos-ooMPILED EVERY
DAY FOR THE EVENING TELEGRAPH.
DISGRAOEFUL REPUBLICAN DIPLo-
MACY
From the N. Y. World.

: TX
respeotably. the foreign affairs of the United
States it is furnished in a small volume of
sone sixty pages, Just published in London,
and containing copies of the correspondence
RESPECTING the Alabama claims between this
Government and that of Great Britain.
BY the Republican party, in this connec-
tion. we mean that party as organized and
expressed in the Federal Government-the
men il places in the executive and legislative
branches, in the Cabinet, and in the Senate,
to control foreign affairs, and the influences
which, as a political organization having the
responsibility of administration, it throws
around its representatives.
political party, soliciting and obtaining
the reins of power, is as much responsible
for the harmonious working of its common
agents in the Cabinet and Congress as it is
for the doctrines it fabricates and places upon
the statute book in the form of laws or trea-
ties. And if that party puts one of its mem
bers in the Department of State, for example,
and makes another to be Chairman of the
Committee on Foreign Affairs in the Senate,
and the two cannot, or will not, labor together
in harmony for the general good of the re-
public, it is evidence of the inability of the
party to wisely and successfully conduct that
branch of the public business.
The volume before us demonstrates that
the treaty repudiated by the Republican party,
through the Senate, contains the substantive
England by the Republican party through the
executive branch of the Government. There
is no possibility of dispute or misunderstand-
ing on this point. What Mr.. Seward, as
Secretary of State, and Mr.. Evarts, as Attor-
torney- -General-two among the more intelli-
gent of the Republican party, and two in the
Cabinet chiefly responsible for the conduct of
foreign affairs-invented, formulized, and
reformulized, as proper adjustment of our
English differences, and induced Great Bri-
tain to accept, upon the representation that it
would be satisfactory to the treaty-making
power of the United States, Messrs. Sum
ner, Fessenden, Anthony, Trum-
bull, and all their Republican asso-
-ciates in the Senate, Indignantly dis
owned and spit upon. The evidence
furnished by this volume is not only that Mr..
Seward caused the London Foreign Office to
be assured that the draft of the convention
signed in January, 1869, was acceptable to
the President and his Cabinet advisers, but
would be ratified by the Senate. This is clearly
to be implied from Mr.. Stewards conversation
with MIR. Thornton, which the latter trans
mitted to his own Government, under date of
November 80, 1868, as an inducement for
throwing overheard the treaty of the previous
November, and arranging new one on the
basis proposed by Seward and drafted Gas ru-
NOR in this country has it) by Mr. Evarts. 1t
was clearly the threatened rejection by the
promised ratification by the Senate of the
January convention, which obtained the latter
from Lord Clarendon.
It therefore becomes material to inquire by
whom and where Mr.. Seward was authorized
to make the representations he did to the
English Government in respect to the forth
coming action of the Senate. To what Sena-
tors did he submit the proposed notifications
of the November convention which Lord
Clarendon subsequently accepted? 1t is not
possible that he made the representations to
Mr.. Thornton without conference with his
Republican party associates in the Senate,
ttConsent to some notifications of the (No-
vember) convention which would render it
acceptable to the Senate !" That is the Ian
\ guage of Seward to Thornton.
This representation involves the whole
executive department, because Seward says
to Thornton not only that Mr.. ReverdY
johnson had, in concluding the November
convention, disobeyed his. instructions, but
that ''the President and his (Sewards) col
leagues" were of opinion that the November
treaty would not, but the proposed modifca-
tions would meet the approval of the Senate
And right here is touched very important
point In this business, and one that certain
r Republican journals have much exploited,
which is, that foreign government, in nego-
; tiating a treaty with our executive, is bound
to take warming of the constitutional control
Inc senate mas over treaCleS. LOru OlarenuOn
did take warning, and obtained assurances
that the work he was doing would be ratified
2 by the Senate. Could the London Foreign
Office go beyond or behind the statements of
the American Secretary of State in this mat
ter? Could he assume that he was dealing
with persons whose accuracy OF integrity
could not be relied upon, or who were not
trusted by their own government Could he
utilize the fact that the Republican party, in
full Federal power in the United States, was
then, as it is now, broken up into rowing
iquarrelling, pillaging bands of bandits, with
out conference, sense, or shame enough to
stand together in the face of foreign nation;
Does any one up to this hour know specif-
.cally what Grants administration wishes or
seeks from England in respect to the Ala
bama? What are Mr.. Motley's instructions?
Read the leading Republican journals in this
city, and decide if you can
We confess that the perusal of the volume
before us, together with the recent speech OF
Lord Clarendon-so calm and clear so precise
land sure in expression, firm and dignifed
and yet SO friendly, so indicative Of the
breeding of a statesman and gentleman, il
which respect it contrasts so sharply with the
bold language of Sumner-makes us doubt
if it be possible for the Republican party tc
safely, wisely and honorably adjust ou
pending differences with England.
Nothing could exceed the friendly disposi
tion of the British negotiators in their ar
Hrangements with Mr.. Reverdy Johnson. Il
fact, we had our own way throughout
vised it when made. Negotiations seriousl
L. 7