Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-08-25
SATURDAY. AUGUST %. 1888.
A Bomb.

dent had made it in the interest OF the
British Government. They professed to
deplore the want OF patriotism evidenced
by the negotiation of it. New England
prejudices were especially appealed to,
at the same time that the whole
country was called upon to con-
denim the negotiators of the treaty. In
vain did the Democrats show that the
President had performed his duty faith
fully, and that the treaty was just what
was needed by both England and the
United States. In vain were the New
England senators asked to discard party
considerations and vote to ratiiy the
treaty. The Republicans turned deaf
ear to oil entreaties, and few days ago
rejected the treaty. The Senate was
divided on party lines.
The Republicans chuckled over the
strategy which, as they vainly imagined,
had put the Democrats at disadvantage
before the country, and had rendered
their President liable to the charge of
being willing to sacrifice the interests OF
his New England fellow-citizens.
But GROVER CLEVELAND is worth O
dozen EDMUSDsEs, or HoARs, or HALEs,
in such a contest as the Republicans had
begun. On Thursday he sent to the two
houses of Congress message which
completely takes the wind out Of their
sails. Their petty scheme is stranded.
We would by no means charge the
President with having his eye upon the
presidential election when be threw
the bomb Of Thursday into the midst
of the Republican conspirators or would
be strategists. but if he had had in view
his reelection he could not have resorted
TO any kind of warfare that would have
been more effective. In fact, the Re-
publican Senate broke and ran. Mr..
EDMUNDs declared that "the message
could wait until tomorrow. And it
was decided thus to secure further
time for consideration. CHANDELIERS
,crazy utterances were utterly disregard
ed. The Republicans forgot that there
was any such thing as a bloody shirt,
and BLAINE, HARRISON, MORTON, and
everybody else, were consigned to at
least temporary obscurity. There was
no time to DO anything except initiate
FALsTAFF and say
"Had | known he Yves so cunning OF
fence / would have seen him damned ere
/ had fought with him. "
The Presidents sarcasm is tempered
with due proportion of dignity. He
declares that he is by no means disposed
10 abandon the rights and interests of
our people, nor to neglect the grievances
of which his New England fellow-citizens
and the Republican senators had com
planned, and so he proposes ga plan Of
retaliation -! This was the last thing
that the grumblers and fault-fnders of
Yankeeland either desired or expected
from our Democratic President. They
were non-plussed. Hence, We re-
peat, the adjournment of the Senate
without hearing the message read.
In the House of Representatives MIR.
WILSON, OF Minnesota, Democrat, saw
in a moment what the President was
after, and as soon as the message had
been read introduced bill to carry out
the Presidents suggestion. This bill was
referred to the proper committee.
eff you mean business" says the
President, "I'm your man." "If New
England desires to have her Canadian
trade entirely suspended, / am ready
and willing to help her." sit viii be
impossible to iniure our Canadian neigh
bors without inAicting damage upon our
own citizens" but that is consideration
which your true patriot will not enter
tain. And our plan OF retaliation, says
the President, must be thorough and
rigorous" How EDMUNDs and FRYE
and HALE and HoAR and the rest of the
New England conspirators must have
WINGED under this acceptance Of their
challenge to the President to clock
horns with England.
And with wha. becoming self-abnega-
ton the President offered his suggestions
He is "quite conscious that the Repub-
licans do not regard as of any Importance
his opinion OF "the motives" he bad in
negotiating the treaty. Seeing that no.
body else than himself could have known |
his motives, the President thus pours |
little verbal vitriol upon the sore which |
he had established upon the Republican !
cuticle.
But We forbear. Whoever failed yester-
day TO read the Presidents message |
should read it now. It's conclusion is so /
good that we reproduce il. He says:
'The course which / have outlined |
and the recommendations made relate to |
the honor and dignity OF our country
and the protection and preservation OF |
the rights and interests of all our people. /
The Government does but half its duty |,
when II protects its citizens at home and |
permits them to BIO imposed upon and
Inundated by an unfair and oyer-reach.
ing disposition OF other nations. II we
invite our people to rely upon arrange
ments made for their benefit abroad we
should zee TO it that they are not do
ceived and il We are generous and libe-
raj to the neighboring country our people
should reap. the advantage OF ii by re-
turn OF liberality and generosity. These
IRE subjects which partisanship should
not confirm or confuse. Let us survey
Me ground calmly and moderately. and
having put aside the other means Of set
|lemeni, il we enter upon the policy Of