Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-08-31
BLAIN E
THE REPUBLICAN,
SIDE or THE CANADIAN
CONTROVERSY.

HAVE INVARIABLY BEEN BhAlhN
BY THE ENGLISH.
LEWISTON, Me-, Aug. 25.-The
second public ad dress of Mr..
Blaine, on the political issues OF
the campaign, was delivered In
City Hall at Lewiston tonight be-
fore the largest audience ever as
sembled in that building and one
of the most enthusiastic political
gatherings ever known in this sec
ton of Maine.
Hon. John A. Casson, OF Iowa,
and Hon. Nelson Dingley. Jr., OF
Maine, also addressed the assem-
blage.
In the course OF his address, Mr..
Blaine said 81 did not happen to
have an opportunity of reading the
full text of President Cleveland's
message on the Fisheries subject
until this morning, and with all
due respect to the Chief Execu'
tive of the nation, | must say that
considering all circumstances it is
the most extraordinary document
that ever was sent from the White
House to the Capitol. Here are
the main facts of the Issue between
Canada and the United States, or
perhaps to speak more exactly be-
tween England AID the United
States, IN respect to the fisheries.
1t was our belief, and still is, that
after the articles of the treaty OF
Washington relating to the fish
erIes had expired, the Canadian gov
eminent behaved in an unnelgh-
borly, unseeming and unjust man.
ner towards our fishermen, in re.
fusing them rights which they had
enjoyed by long prescription, In
order to bring the government of
the Dominion to a just apprecia'
ton of the subject Congress au-
thorized the President IN the spring
of 1887 to adopt at his discretion a
policy of suitable retaliation, di-
recting, among other things, that
whenever and so long as American
vessels we're deprived of CONNER
cial privileges IN the ports of Cana
da, Canadian vessels should be de.
prived of like privileges in the
ports of the United States. This,
| if | may indulge in appropriate
slang, was a genuine tit-fortat pol
| icy, in which the punishment was
admirably fitted to the crime.--
President Cleveland declined to
enforce the policy, and allowed
outrage after outrage upon our
fishing vessels to 60 unredressed.
He was bent upon some form OF
negotiation with England, even
against the expressed wish and
will OF the United States Senate,
and in defiance of the large share
in the treaty making power, which
the Constitution assigns to the
Senate. Finally, without the con
sent of the Senate, and practically
against its protest, the President
organized a commission TO frame a
treaty that should settle all points
of dispute. He thus gave what
was never intended by the Consti-
tuition, a partisan side to an inter
national discussion. 1t was never
designed by the founders of our
Government that intercourse with
foreign nations should be conduct
ed by Republicans or by Demo
Gratis, or by Wings, or by Federal
lists. 1t should only be by the ma
ton as a whole. Why should the
railway of the United States, that
annually transport fifty millions of
Canadian goods in transit, be de-
prived of their business and endure
a large loss, on account of a sud
den whim of the PRESIDENT Why
should the transit from Detroit to
Buffalo and New York over both
American and Canadian lines Of
rail be suspended when it has no
relation whatever to the fishery
question Why should the large
traffic between Quebec and Mon
treal on the one hand, and Port
land on the other, by which Port
land becomes the winter port OF
Canada, be summarily stopped at
the caprice of the President be-
cause of his chagrin over the course
of an independent, but as he con.
siders. refractory Senate ! Is 1t the
design of the President to make
the fishing question odlous by en-
barrasslng commercial relations
and commercial exchange along
three thousand miles OF frontier,
and to in6ict upon American COM
munities needless, vexatious
and perilOus confusion of trade ?
If Congress will give him the en-
actments which he asks, he will
give them retaliation until they cry
"hold, enough !" and will allow him
TO settle the fisheries question in
the precise manner in which their
Senate now cOntemptuously re-
| iects, or after all, fellow CITIZENS, is
not the Presidents position mere
political device to divert the atten-
ton of the American people from
his free trade message and from the
Mills tariff billi Is not buster on
the fisheries to be the plan Of cam
paign for the Democratic party 7
Are not permits for bravado to be
issued by the political agents OF the
Administration, marked on the
back "GOod till after the first Tues
day of November :"
We have our partisan differences
at home and settle them on our
own soil in our own way, but to.
wards all foreign powers on the
globe we should present one united,
indivlsible American republic. But
this was not done. The treaty was
launched as a Democratic partisan
measure, rather than patriotic
American measure. And the Lon
don papers have been following
their usual vocation of eulogizing
the Democracy and abusing the
Republicans with great increased
vituperatlon against the Republi.
can party ever since it was found
that the Senate Was bent on main
tanning the National dignity. 1t is
plainly apparent from the text OF
the Constitution itself that the wise ,
men who framed 1t intended that