New-York tribune., 1888-08-27
THE PRESIDENTIAL "FLOP."
AN INCONSISTENT DEMAND FOR FURTHER
RETALIATORY POWERS.
CLEvELAND's LONG JOURNEY FROM CANADIAN
suBsERviENcY To HIS PRESENT POSITION
--THE MESSAGE To DISCUSSED IN
THE SENATE TODAY.
fDr TELEGRAPH To THE TRIBUNE. ]

THE SENATE TO-DAY.
rBr TELEGRAPH To THE rRIBuSEI
Washington, Aug. 26-1he hystericai Joy ana
perfunctory enthusiasm Of Democratic officeholdcrs
over the Presidents retaliation message seem 70
have died out completely within the last twenty
four hours. That extraordinary exhibition OF
cheap bluster and sham patriotism continues M
longer to be the absorbing topic OF the day. ln'
terest in it may be temporarily revived tomorrow
when the Senate takes up the debate again upon
the message and the motion refer it to the CONS
mittcc on Foreign Relations or when the HOUSE
Committee proceeds TO the consideration OF the
Wilson bill, but it will be OF short duration. ana
Democrats will derive but little comfort from it,
The question as to what the Senate will doe
whether it will acccde to the demands OF the PrcsA
dent for enlarged powers, or whether it will refes
him to those conferred upon him under the act of
March 3. 1887 does not excite half as much inter+
est as that Which everybody is asking himselfs
How can the present Administration CONSISTS
entity resort to retaliation means of settling
the fisheries troubles?'
An answer to this question must satisfy even
the most prejudiced partisan that the President IL
neither honest nor sincere in his demand upon Con.
gress for more power and that he really has nd
idea of committing his Administration TO policy
of vigorous and effective reprisals In his message
to the Senate of February 30, 1888. transmitting
the Bayard Chamberlain Treaty. the President said:
treaty meets my approval because believe thst u
supplies sfacory practical aud final adjustment
upon honorable and just boa parties, OF this
difficult and vexed question to which it relates
He conceded, in other words, that the position
Of Canada was a correct one in this matter thao
she was justified in seizing American fishing vessels
and that the United States had no commercal
rights in Canadian harbors which it must not en-
pect to gay for. Canada had no fault TO tni
with this view of the case, neither had Great
Britain In both these countries the treaty WAS
considered cminently PRACTICAL and "sats-
factory" Not single voice raised in op-
position to It.
But in the United States it was different Those
primarily interested in a solution of the difficult
and vexed question" denounced it with one ac-
cord The New-Engand fisherman to whom its
provisions appeared either honorable or salts
factory" has yet to be heard from. lie doesno
exist except in the imagination Of Secretary Bay
ard and few Administration Senators. Here,
then, was the President, backed by the Democratic
minority in the Senate, taking issue with Great
Britain and Canada against citizens Of the United
States lie tcld the latter, in fact, that they were
wrong and that Great Britain and Canada wcro
right In his retaliation message, however, hs
| turns a complete somersaut. lie says in sub
stance: You fishermen right, after all, and
Canada was wrong: we must bring her to terms,
and we can do it, by stringent measures
Now, it is evident that he cannot, without
stultifying himself or making his Administration
| ridiculous in the eyes of the world, turn on Canada
and say: know your case is q just one, and |
have admitted as much in an official communca-
tion to the Senate in February last, bat political
necessity has arisen which compels me to cat a
little dirt, and you must excuse ME il | threaten
to punish you, though you have really done no
wrong 49,
| The absurdity of the Presidents position is OBJ
viouS. Ii goes lar to prove that lie Is neither
honest sincere in his demands upon Congress,
and that he never intended, when pennng his
message to rcsort retaliation, but only regarded
| that document as a clever trick to retrieve the
criminal blunders OF his Administration
There Is another point which must not be over
drafted by Mr.. Bayard himself, and passed by
Congress without change, substantially IN ITS
original form. 1t was satisfactory TO the Ad-
minlstration then Why is it not so now? v hat
circumstances have arisen which justify the Pres-
dent IN asking for an enlargement OF his powers
| at the present time? No oitragcs of the KIND
which an q lsed the Indignation OF every patriotic
| American two years ago have happened oil lat';
| II is true that two fishing vessels were seized
| the other day. but they were seized for fishing
| or buying bait without license and in doing
this the President has declared that the Canadian
authorities were acting within the scope OF IT.
| taliate upon them for such outrages, and others
are not likely to be resorted to while his Admins
tratOn remains in power, because IL Is constantly
waxing in harmony with Canada TO secure Tor the
latter an unrestricted market for its fish products
! in the United Sta,es and is constantly on the
alert for an opportunity to break down the last
barriers which still sustain the fish industries oil
| this country.