The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-11-05
Last Nights Dispatches.
FOREIGN NEWS.


LONDON, Nov. 4.-The Pail Null Ga
zette, in leading editorial article, says:
That the United States should choose this
precise moment to publish what seems
FROM the telegraphic summary to be a
rather threatening dispatch addressed by
Secretary Evarts to American Minister
Welsh. All the world can see that we
have on our hands just now quite as much
as we can we'll do with, and really friend
ly power with grievance like that, while
holding to its position. would refrain from
casting the matter 10 an irritating way be-
fore the public until our affairs had
assumed more peaceful aspect. At any
rate this is what, according to the admir-
ers of the Alabama arbitration, We might
certainly have expected from America.
The truth Is, that while the very party
with which the bargain was made still
holds Office in the United States, the first
opportunity is seized to make a point
against US just when it is reckoned that
other difficulties may force US to give way.
Nothing else was to be expected and for
our own part We are inclined to thank
Evarts for teaching our countrymen that
pations generally are no more inclined to
forego their advantages over one another
in the nineteenth century than in the
eighteenth, seventeenth, sixteenth or first
Let sentimentalists blame Evarts, for he
has disappointed them. not US. American
newspapers of all shades of political
opinion, without giving a moments con-
sideration. let US hope. to the fact that a
: quarrel has nothing whatever to do with
the award of $5,500,000 made in favor of
/ Canada at Halifax, come forward at once
with the contention that the money due
and long over due tG US must not be paid
until and unless this difference is settled
in way they think right. Nine million
dollars of the Alabama indemnity still re-
main without any reasonable claimant and
hero are S., 100000 more to be retained.
We should have supposed that Americans
could scarcely afford to recall attention e
the various matters relating to thesW ash
ington treaty, and the manner in which
its provisions have been carried out. Bui
then, we too have little sentiment
about US, for in truth the whole story i!
one of a continuous attempt at evasion
and evasion of a somewhat shabby kind
and curiously enough advantage was taker
of the legal regulations of the state of New
York to avoid compliance with. one of th,
10 favor of Canadian shipping. ThereforI
Lord Salisbury has open to him some yer.
pertinent retorts, but two wrongs do no
make a right. and if it appears that tht
Newfoundlanders, who do not form a par
of the Dominion, had no right to take tn
law into their own hands, in view of th,
arrangements entered into OH their be
half, of course compensation will have L
be made. When, however, the Americ
ans argue that the whole fishery question
may have to be reopened, we are at liber
ty to disregard what they say, or W
might answer that if so some other point
would have to be reconsidered at the sam
time. Thus it would be at least arguabI
on tho part of the Canadians that yer,
! serious claims for monstrous injuries ia
f1icted by American citizens on BritisI
subjects during Fenian raids should agai
be put forward, since, according to ever
recognized principle eofinternational law th
, United States was liable to the fullest ex
tent possible for these outrages. We men
, ton that, however. only to show no,
troublesome 1t is to go too far back in sue
matters aud to mix up questions Whic
ought to be kept seperate 1t may be pos
sIble that Lord Salisbury has taken up
/, false position with respect to the local 0
other rights of Newfoundland, thougl
. since he had all the facts before him an
the knowledge that be was dealing with
very thorny question. we ma
fairly hope he has not done so. Bu
in any case we shall have the satisfactio
: of knowing that what ever discredit ther
+ may be in this talk of keeping none
8 back or in suddenly springing diplomat
mines at an awkward time, it is not our