Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-09-07
FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER Z. 1888.
The President and the Senate.

The President ana the oenaVe'
The Presidents recent message on the
fisheries question not only flushed the
birds but scattered them. He has shown
that there is no leader in the Republican
party whose voice all the Republicans
are willing to bear and heed.
At first the Presidents proposition to
retaliate WAS treated by the Republicans
as il il had been utterly inadmissible.
A dsy or two later SHERMAN and Ed
MrNps came ont and congratulated tho
country upon the conversion OF the
President into an advocate OF a Republi-
can measure. Next came the
lesding BLAISE organ-the New
York T}iJunc-and took the ground
that as the President was an
obstinate, pig-headed kind OF man, it
might be best for the Senate to give him
the power he asked for-nOt because he
needed it or would properly exercise it,
nor because it ought TO be given to him,
but because il would be good policy for
the Republican party as party to out
Herod HEBoD in making threats against
England and Canada.
About this time WILLIAM WALTER
PHELPS returned TO Washington from a
visit to New jersey, and, being interview
ell. minated that the Republican Senate
would give the President all the rope he
wanted, but it would be done only for
the purpose of enabling him to hang
himself
After all these had spoken. Mr. BLAINE
emphatically declared that the power
asked for by the President ought not to
loo granted him. "Where McGRrGoB
sits is the head Of the table" and
wherever BLAINE is there is the leader,
head, and dictator Of the Repub-
lican party. SO at least everybody
was disposed to think. But on We'd
nesday last, not "a fellow like
PaREPs of New Jersey" as Mr.. INGALLS,
phrased it, but PHELPS himself, declared
in the House of Representatives that he
would cheerfully concede TO the
President the additional power he asked
for -, but so and so. He dared not
antagonize the Presidents proposition.
He humbled himself go far as to preface
his attack upon the President with a
promise to support the Presidents pro
position. Surely this was an I'M
paralleled triumph for Mr.. CLEVELAND.
Mr.. BELMONT, Democrat, the chair
man of the Committee on Foreign Rela-
tions, followed MIR. PHELPS, and took
all the wind out of the sails of Mr..
PHKLPs's diminutive craft. Mr.. BILL
MONT made the following revelation. We
quote:
81 do not deem it improper for me to
say that at the time of the preparation
of the bill adopted by the House IN 1887
the President Was consulted In regard TO
the power to be vested III him, and |
now state 10 the House that at that time
he desired TO have the same measure Of
authority placed in his hands for which
he now asks in the message before us.
The Senate, however, was unwilling to
grant what the President and the House
considered sufficient power to carry out
the policy which we are now endeavor-
ing to establish.
Here is complete vindieation Of the
consistency of the President. In 1887
the President told the Committee on
Foreign Relations that he desired to have
the same measure of authority placed in
bis hands for which he asked in his late
message. But the Senate-the Repub-
lican Senate" aCdS I1pWitling TO grant"
IL! Mr.. PHELPS is and was in 1887 q
member of that committee, and was
acquainted with the fact revealed
to the House by Mr.. BRLMoST. Yet he
pretended to think that the Presidents
message was a mere electioneering docu-
ment, and that Mr.. CLEVELAND had
simply tried in it TO steal Republican
thuuaer. The Republican play is
tumped again. The mascot in the
White House brings good luck TO his
party whatever he does.