Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-09-12
The Presidents Juggle.

When the Presidents fishery message
appeared the Press charged that it was a
mere olectioneering trick, designed to
drag a great eleetioneering canvass and
befogg voters with false issue, when on
the real issue of the canvass Free Trade
was defeated. Three days ago the Press
published the proof of this charge in a
Washington despatch, saying that:
simultaneously with the transmission of
the Presidents recent retaliation message to
Congress private communication was trans
mitted by the Go .ernment of the United
States to the British Government at London.
assuring it that it need have no anxiety as to
any official action that would be taken under
the authority that the President had asked of
Congress if it should be granted Assurance
Was given that the United States would fur
nish no casus belli in connection with these
matters.
Three days have passed since this grave
assertion was made over the signature of
the Washington correspondent of the Press
Mr.. Zebulon l.. White. 1t has not been
denied. 1t will not be denied 1t can not
be denied. Secretary Bayard is well
aware of its truth, however surprised he
may have been to see the
private and personal intimation he
conveyed to London on behalf
of the President published to all the world
He knows its truth, and denial would be
dangerous. Mr.. Whites name carried con-
viction of the accuracy of this despatch
to every reader familiar with his reputa
ton and to every journalist acquainted
with his accurate and painstaking work as
a correspondent. Early in his career as a
journalist Mr.. White published the pro
visions of famous treaty and spent days
in the basement of the Capitol for the feat
More than once since then he has shown
his ability to uncover the secret working
of the State Department, and while his
dispatches have often surprised the pub
lie, they have yet to be contradicted by
those in authority or questioned by those
familiar with all the facts.
The despatch from him published last
Tuesday will stand without contradiction
and will be accepted without question. 1t
fits all the facts of the case and il meets
all the necessities of the extraordinary
position in which President Cleveland has
placed himself His sudden change of pol
icy was surprise here. 1t must have
been greater shock abroad. His Ad-
ministration had conceded all Great Brit
ain, asked in the treaty; he rejected all
that her government had claimed in his
message. He had torn up all our past
policy in accepting the result Of the
hamberlain-Bayard conference; he tore
up the diplomatic record of his own Adj
ministration to write the message. From
such a sudden change England had a
right to expect everything and on it her
Government had the right to put the most
serious construction. A European power
ready for war would hardly have used
stronger language of a foreign nation in
an official and domestic communication
from the head of the state, and country
characterized as Great Britain was in the
message would have a right to ask and
undoubtedly would have energeticaily
asked for adequate explanation of this
astonishing change and unusual attitude.
Pail. Press.