The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-08-07
Success. OF . Vigorous Foreign Policy.

than its predecessor number OF specula-
tors and adventures pricked up their ears
and began to hope for opportunities ana a
number of timid people began to protest
against war.
The HERALD remarked at the outset that
vigorous foreign policy, provided IT has
no afterthoughts, but is honestly deter
mined only to secure justice to its citizens,
is lust the reverse of warlike policy. 1t
is the best way to preserve the peace. Ma
tions almost always drift into war, and 1t is
timid. hesitating policy which oftenest
breeds war. The country had the assurance
in Mr.. Hayes Inaugural Message that he
was averse to war, and that he favored
settling all international questions by arbi-
tration. The administration OF General
Grant was hampered during the whole eight
years by general suspicion that some OF
its members and some persons near to
and influential with General Grant desired
to acquire foreign territory. This made
vigorous foreign policy an object OF suspicion
to the public, which is averse to more terri
torial acquisitions; and it may as well be
frankly said that Secretary Fish, in his
intercourse with foreign governments and
his reclamations upon such as had injured
our citizens or intertered with our rights,
had always this embarrassment, that every
body believed there were persons influential
in Washington who were ready to take adj
vantage of any foreign complications to pre-
cipitate war upon the country.
1t is the good fortune Of Secretary Evarts
that he is part of an administration not
subject to such influences or suspicious; and
the result is that, having the determination
to assert very positively the rights of Ameri-
cans in foreign countries, he has been able
to do 30 unhampered. Mr.. Evarts did not
mean war; he rightly thinks that war is
almost always a blunder; that to
maintain the honor OF a country and
the rights of its citizens it is not
necessary for powerful nation like the
United States to 60 to war, but only to con-
vince other nations and governments that,
while we have no dishonest or unjust inten-
tions toward them, we will tolerate no in
Justice md ''stand no nonsense" from them.
This he has done, and, rs he did it firmly,
he has so far been entirely and conspicu-
ously successful. 1t is interestingto review
the cases in which he has had to require
justice, and in every one of which he has at
once obtained it.
First, let us take the case of the Georgia,
an American vessel illegally seized by the
Peruvian authorities. Secretary Evarts,
when the facts were laid before him, at once
instructed the American Minister at Lima
to require her release. To reach Lima with
out delay the instructions had to be tele-
graphed by the roundabout way of London,
Lisbon, Rio Janeiro, and thence across the
continent Of South America. All this
caused some delay, and day was
lost, because on the day our Minister
in Lima received his instructions it so hap
pened that revolution was in progress
Peru being like that unfortunate Italian city
in which traveller asking what was the oc-
casion of the stir he noticed on the streets
was answered by native :-'Nothing, Ex-
cellency, nothing at all only revolution. Z"
Well, in spite of all delays, the Georgia was
released Just week from the day on which
Secretary Evarts took her case in hand. 1t
was only necessary to be firm in the demand
for Justice and the end was gained.
The cases Of the American schooners
Rising Sun and Ellen Rizpah, illegally
seized and detained by Spanish authorities
in Cuban waters. are in course of settle
ment, the Spanish government having at
once, on its attention being called to these
wrongs, taken measures to satisfy the re-
qurements of our own. We under
stand that the facts in these two
cases have not been ascertained Of
ficially, but it is known that 50
ready was Spain to make reparation that
secret agent was sent to Massachuset to
seek out the owners of the vessels and make
a private settlement Of damages. This offer
was rejected by the owners, who rightly, us
we think. left their interests in the hands of
the State Department.
Finally comes the more difficult case of
Mexico. There is no doubt that during
had been systematically carried on from the
Mexican States against our citizens. Presi-
dent Hayes and Secretary Evarts announced
in positive language that these must stop.
The whole country at once sustained
this demand. The Mexicans were at
first inclined to think that the de-
mand meant no more than others
they had often heard before but instruc-
tions were given to General Ord, command
ing on the border, to pursue the Mexican
robbers across the Rio Grande and punish
them wherever they were caught. There
was then violent outcry on the part Of
the Mexicans; several cxiles here each of
whom had hopes OF becoming President
fastened to send out foolish protests which
showed them TO be impracticables, and
which for the moment embarrassed Prcs-
dent Diaz, as Messrs. Lerdo and Iglesias
probably intended. But Diaz, who appears