St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-08-25
They Come Up Groggy and
Denounee 1t on General.
Principles.
National Committeeman Ey-
ans, of Minneapolis, Makes
Some Predictions.
Senator Blackburn Sizes Up
the Situation With a
Correct Eye.
Special to the Globe

w WASHINGTON, Aug. 2.-DlScuSS1On
OF the presidents message was the alb
sorbing topic in che senate to-day. The
message from the president on the sub
Ject of the rejection of the fisheries
treaty was laid before the senate, and
was read in full. Mr.. Sherman
moved that it be printed and
referred to the committee on for
eign relations. Mr.. Edmunds said:
IF had been five or six years younger
than am should have been surprised
at that message. But [ am not. The
popularity of the situation is that. hav-
Ing had statute providing for self
defense, approved by the president of
the United States and passed by the
substantially unanimous vote of both
houses Gf that made any difference to
his duty in faithfully executing the
laws) and after full consideration
of all its points and bearings, eighteen
months have gone by, and we are now
Informed by the president for take it
that that is what he means, although no
word of that kind is in the message),
that
NO STEP OF ANY KIND
has been taken to carry into execution
the plain provisions of that law. If, in
his opinion, there have been instances
of denial of just right to American citi-
Zens engaged in the business described
in the act of 1887, why is it that the
president has not taken any step
in the exercise of the powers which
the law imposed upon him and in
the exercise of the high power which
the constitution imposes upon him, of
taking CAFE that the laws are faithfully
executed? He tells us that in one in
stance, in 1856, an American fishing
vessel catching fish an the high seas,
outside of the ten and of the twenty-mile
delimitation, and sailing to port of
British North America for the pur-
pose of sending her cargo of fish by
rail to Boston, was by sweeping orders
denied that privilege and excluded.
Now the president says (and says JUSTLY
that that was great and most import
amt and grievous injury to American
interests and to American rights. And
less under the patriotic advice of the
gentlemen who compose his
cabinet, and doubtless with the
most patriotic motive that it
might be best to submit to what is now
declared to be a gross and grieyOuS
wrong. and to enter into discussion
with the wrong-doer to provide for a
new arrangement on broader basis of
British territoriality, and a new ar
rangement on broader basis of British
free trade. | must confess my aStoniSh-
ment at
SUCH A COURSE OF ACTION.
on the part of the president of the
United States. l must express my sur
prise and my regret, that for more than
a year, with the means in his hands to
redress it, he has failed to take any
step, and now sends to us a message
asking that additional powers bearing
las he SuppoSeS) on broader field of re-
taliation, and covering other topics.
be given him. Mr.. President, it is very
Odd-this business? Here we find in
this message discussion as to whether
the twenty-ninth article of the treaty of
1871 is in force or not. The Canadian
government has not refused to tranShip
fish on the ground that that article was
not in force. 1t has made no such pre-
tension. 1t has refused to tranship
fish on the ground that that article
did not override the convention of 1918,
by which an American fishing vessel
was not to come within three miles of
the land. After an extended discus
sion of the point as to whether the
twenty-ninth article of the treaty was
still in force, and as to the intent of
congress to limiting the retaliation law
to matters connected with the fishing
interests, Mr.. EdmundS said:
Now. it will be seen that one of the
very things about which the president
is now, for the first time. apparently So
licitous, was brought to the attention of
the two houses of congress pending the
passage of the law of 1887, and that the
senate was of the opinion that the pro-
visions contained i'll that law
as it was proposed, and as it
finally passed were entirely inadequate
to the protection of American rights
and interests in the respects in which
they had been intruded upon and as
sailed. The measure of the president
contains preference to some topics of
discomfort, which he has for the first
time communicated to congress, al
though they are very old ones.