The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1888-09-21

The Presidents Pro-British Course Thor
oughly Exposed t. View.

|
oughiy Exposed t. View.
Mr.. Blaine. in discussing the Mills tariff
bill and the presidents foreign policy. re-
Gently stated that he would be ashamed
of any Maine horse jockey who could not
do better for his country in trade with
other nations Any jockey could have
made better bargain for his country
than the president did. but there are
| jockeys who sometimes throw a race, "
| and allow their competitors to como In
| ahead. and that Is just what Grover Cleve-
land has done in his negotiations with
Great Britain. His administration has
! always given to England and Canada all
they wanted. President Cleveland had
not been In office three months when he
reversed the action of congress-, and put
| In operation the obnoxious clauses in the
fisheries treaty which President Arthur's
administration had abrogated. He thus
nullified an act of congress, and the late
Richard l.. Spofford, prominent lifelong
Democrat, declared that the president
merited impeachment for that one act
alone.
Later when the Canadian Pacific rail
! road asked for valuable privileges which
conficted with American l. ests the
president fastened to grant them. That
road had acquired control of q steamship
line on the Pacific coast and wanted to
ship freight from San Francisco In bond
to our eastern ports without the payment
of duty Secretary Dan Manning, who was
considerable of an American, promptly re-
jected this request and declared that con-
gress. by the abrogation of article 80 of the
treaty OF Washington. had expressed it's
determination to protect American COM
frAv 20 n..A
Mr. Manning's death this ruling was re-
versed. The administration gave to the
Canadian subsidized company full liberty
to compete with and to ruin the business
of American roads, the latter being at
great disadvantage owing to tho restric-
tions of the interstate commerce law,
which did not apply to the foreign mon
opoly. In this case any jockey could have
done better for his country than Mr..
Cleveland did, but our president did not
want to do well. He wanted Canada to
win, and he threw the race" If he is
not an English president, what is lie?
Again, when the fisheries troubles arose
and outrages were being committed upor.
hundreds Of American vessels, prompt,
decisive and courageous action was neces.
sary. But British interests were involved
and the president did not want to act.
He favored vacillating policy which
would aid Great Britain. He proposed
the appointment of commission to settle
the matter, but congress rejected this
proposition and passed an act, giving the
president full power to retaliate. Presi-
dent Cleveland in his recent remarkable
message to congress quotes this act as
follows:
1.-The congress has already passed q
law, which received executive assent on
the Sd day of March, 1887, providing that
in case American fishing vessels being or
visiting in the waters or at any of the
ports OF the British dominions of North
America, should be, or lately had been,
deprived of the rights to which they were
entitled by treaty or law, or If they were
denied certain other privileges therein
specified, or vexed and harassed in the en-
joymert of the same, tho president might
deny to vessels and their masters and
crews of the British Dominions of North
America any entrance into tho waters,
ports, or harbors of the United States,
and also deny entry into any port or place
of the United States of any product Of
said dominions, or other goods coming
from said dominions to the United
States"
Tho above is the language of the law,
cited by the president in his message, and
it proves that he had ample authority to
retaliate. This act refers not only to fish
ing vessels and fish, but to all sorts of
produce and merchandise carried in YES
sells belonging to the people of the British
dominions of North America It en-
powers the president to "deny entry into
any port or place CT the United States
to any railroad depot OF warehouse-''of
any product of said dominions or other
goods coming from said dominions"
What more authority could be asked
than is given in the aboveP Why did not
the president enforce it2 Solely, we be-
lieve. because he did not want to act
against the interests of Great Britain.
During the past eighteen months he has
had authority to resent the outrages per-
petrated against our fishermen, and now
he comes forward and asks for additional
power.
Only one Interpretation can be placed
upon the conduct of President Cleveland
in dealing with this question and the tariff,
and that is that his administration is con-
Quoted in the interests Of Great Britain.
Every great newspaper in England sup.
ports his administration and advocates
his reelection. IL they had tho choice Of
president they could not select man
more completely to their liking than Mr..
Cleveland. He did all In his power to
surrender to them all our fishery rights
and privileges in the treaty which the
senate recently rejected. In transmitting
that document to the senate he said:
The treaty meets my approval because
believe that its supplies satisfactory,
practical and final adjustment, upon a.
basislhonorable and just to both parties, Of
it relates"
The treaty suited Great Britain and
therefore 1t pleased Mr.. Cleveland. Any
jockey could have made better trade for
his country. Leader.
..Sntsn Rebuilding SIM