The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-11-03
TRAPPED A LOhD.

President Cleveland has mao anotne
streak of his proverbial good luck. 4
scheme, even more deeply and cuanningl,
devised than the senate rejection o
the fisheries treaty, to trap Cleveland o
the "friend of the Britton," has just beef
turned into another boomerang even NOR
fatal to republican Vaccinations than th'
presidents famous retaliation message.
The scheme which seems shrewt
enough In conception to have originated
with Boss Quay, was like this: A man o
straw, under the name of T. J. Murchison
was set up In California as writing lette
to Sackvil)e- West, the British minister a
Washington, In the hope of eliciting thu
sort of reply desired by the schemers
The putative writer was made to say hi
was naturalized Englishman, and there
fore entitled to vote at the pending presi
dental election, but though naturalized, he
had lost no zeal for the honor of the moth
or country. He therefore desired OF Mr.
West an expression OF his views In regard
to certain unsettled diplomatic questions
between the United States and Great Brit
ain, In regard to which the president
seemed to occupy hostile attitude, and
whether the inclination of Mr.. Cleveland
with his free trade views, would not be
likely to prove advantageous to British
commerce.
To this the British minister replied that
"any political party which openly favored
the mother country at the present mo-
ment would lose popularity, and that the
party in power was fully aware of the fact; "
and that with respect to the questions with
Canada in regard to the fisheries, "the
presidents message, to which you allude,
must therefore be taken with all allow
ance for the political situation with regard
to the presidential election
MIR. West took no notice of the question
whether the election Of Cleveland would
not be advantageous to British commerce,
which no doubt WAS a great disappoint-
ment 10 the republican schemers, as an
affirmative answer would have been an
immense card TO "whoop her up" on; but
In regard TO the retaliation message he did
say that allowance" must be made for the
political situation at the time II was written,
leaving II 10 be inferred that the presidents
hostility therein manifested was largely
put on, and that no Englishman need
vote against him on that account. This
part, therefore, exactly met the object of
the schemers, for II bore the appearance,
at least, that Mr.. Sackville- West knew from
his private intercourse with the president
that whatever resentful feeling towards
Great Britain there might be In the retail
iation message was in reality but pretense,
or, In other words, hypocritical,
Though the "Murchison" letter to Mr..
West was marked private" and his answer
was also marked private" the reply had
no sooner got to California than tie whole
was bundled up and sent TO
New York (where nc douOt tia whole
scheme was concocted) for publication,
And out it duly came, on Saturday morn
Ing, not only in all the leading New York
papers, but also In all the leading papers of
the country, to which 1t was at once tele-
graphed.
And the howl that the republican editors
and stumpers at once set up! There's
your British lions tall twister for you /!
The British minister says he Is only sham
ming" "See, working men of America"
cries Blaine ct Albany, "the British minis
ter telling people here how to vote! Well,
when zoe get into power again, we will
take no instructions from the court of st.
James as to how We shall vote on protective
tariffs In American Mr.. Blaine, inveterste
liar as he is, wanting II inferred that Mr..
West had also answered the tariff inquiry
made Of him.
But when the matter came under the
BYE OF the president and Secretary Bsyard
L rapidly assumed shape decidedly less
Jolly to the republican schemers and howl
srs. sWhat right have you, Mr.. West'