The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1888-09-15

Ioundlanu was not worth consideration
in the national Congress, and that If they
kept annoying the country about ii they
would, in the end. drive Congress into
giving the free markets of the United
States to all fishermen OF the Dominion,
and applaud the presidents new move.
Perhaps the national administration of
the democratic party and its newspaper
organs think this dodge will put them in
heroic attitude but to the average
mind of the American citizen ID merely
places them in supremeiy ridiculous.
position. What possible sense IL tb
gentlemen, in disturbing the comp ~; al
relations between our country "a .ha
Dominion at remote westsrr .;,,.s na
cause there is disput g'S... na1;sa
and Gloucestor that sf oet"een haiiax
-. ~ se Wn.ss,an be easily settled
~ 49, s..,s ny should the railways
-. esn o. States, that annually trans
swa r 100 900 Of Canadian goods in
arS,. >, be deprived of their business and
a. .dre a large loss on account of a sud
. zen whip. of the presidentr Why should
the transit from Detroit to Buffalo and
New York over both American and Cana
dian lines of rail be suspended, when it
has no relation whatever to- the fisheries
question! Why should the large traffic
between Quebec and Montreal on the one
hand and Portland on the other, by which
Portland becomes the winter port of
Canada, be summarily stopped at the
caprice of the president, on chagrin over
the course of an independent, but as he
says, REFRACTORY senatef
1t is the design of the president to
make the fishery question odious by em
barrassing commercial relations and com
mercial exchange along the thousand
miles of a frontier, and intiict upon
American communities needless, vex-
atious, perilous confusion of trade?
Does he not practically say to his sup
porters that If the republicans will not
join him in surrendering our fishery
rights to England, he will give them some
medicine on the other, and if they will
give him the enactments which he asks
that he will give them retaliation until
they cry hold enough, and will allow him
to settle the fishery question in the pre-
else manner in which their Senate now
contemptuously rejects 1t. After all, fell
low citizens, is not the presidents po-
sition a mere political device to divert
the attention of the American from his
free trade message and from the Mills
tariff billl Is not this bluster on the
fisheries to be the plan of the campaign
for tie democratic party! Are not per
mits for bravado to be used by the poiiti-
cal agents of the administration, marked
on the back, "Good till after tine tirst
Tuesday of November?
My friends, history repeats itself. Let
me call your attention TO remarkable
parallel between the conrse of President
Cleveland and the course of President
Johnson, after he returned to the demo
cracy, in more weighty negotiation with
England than that relating to the fisheries
You will remember that under instruc-
tions from Andrew Johnson's administra-
tion, our minister to England, the late
Reverdy johnson, negotiated treaty
designed to settle the Alabama claim. 1t
was negotiated with Lord Clarendon, the
foreign secretary of England, and is
known as the Johnson-Clarendon treaty.
1t was communicated to the senate Just
before the expiration of Johnson's term,
and the senate had ii under consideration
when President Grant was inaugurated.
It was rejected with emphasis and indig
nation, Just as the senate has now elected
the fisheries treaty. A few months later,
President Grant sent TO the senate com
munication on the whole subject of Ala
bama claims. Referring to the Johnson
Clarendon treaty he used these hty
words, which beg to read to you: "Be-
lieving that treaty thus misconstrued
in its scope, and inadequate in its pro-
visions would have not produced the
hearty, cordial sentiments of pending
questions which alone is consistent with
the relations which desire to have firm
ly established between the United States
and Great Britain. ! regard the action
of the senate in rejecting the treaty, to
have been wisely taken in the interest of
peace, and as necessary step in the in
terest of perfect and cordial friendship
betwee the two countries"
In his next annual comm unication,
President Grant recommended 10 Con-
gress the appointment of commission
to take proof of the accounts and the
ownership of the several Alabama claims,
on motto. TO the representative OF her
majesty's government at Washington
anc that authority be given for settle
ment of these claims by the United
States and that the government
have the ownership of the private claims,
as well as the responsible control of all
the demands against Great Britain. The
government proposed a joint commits
sion to settle all claims between the coun-
tries that President Grant, unlike Presi-
Dent Clev eland, secured the assent of the
Senate before appointing commissioners
ia return, and that the joint commission
made settlement which, on the whole,
was satisfactory to both parties. This
was brought about 10 the honor of both
nations, in consequence of the firm presi-
sion assumed by President Grant. Why
would not like attitude of to day on the
part of the president produce q like re-
| suit, peacefully honorably and TO the last
ing advantage Of both nationsG
The truth is my friends, the democratic
| party has never been fortunate in con
Quoting diplomatic negotiations with
Great Britain. The English party love
for the democratic party is not difficult TO
explain. II is not solely because the
democracy is q free trade party, and is
now proposing TO open our home market
| for the benefit of the British manufactur
ers ut the expense of American working
men. But il Is true that in every neg Rotig-
/ tipp with tha Ypnarptie adm N = 4 rns ion.