Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-08-28

Canadian gore" The democratic papers
were but a short tiala ago telling Mas
sachusetts and MAlno tuat their con.
temptble little question over few cod
fish on the banks of Newfoundland was
not worth consideration In the national
congress. and that if they kept annoy
ing the country about it they would in
the end drive congress into giving the
full markets of the United States
to all fishermen of the dominion. My.
friends, history repeats itself. Let me
call your attention to remarkable
parallel between the course of President
Cleveland and the course of President
Johnson after he returned to the demo.
cracy In more welghty negotiation
with England than relating to the fisher.
les. You will remember that, under in
structions from Andrew Johnson, our
minister to England, the late Reverdy
Johnson, negotiated treaty designed
to settle the Alabama claims It was
negotiated with Lord Clarendon, the
foreign secretary of England, and Is
known as the Johnson-C Clarendon treaty.
1t WAS communicated to the senate Just
before the expiration of Johnson's term,
and the senate had it under consideration
when President Grant was inaugurated.
1t was rejected with emphasis and in
dignatioD Just as the senate has now re-
jected the fisheries treaty. A few
months later President Grant sent to
congress communication on the whole
subject of the Alabama claims. Re.
ferr,ng to the johnson Clarendon treaty,
he used these weighty worde, which
beg to read to you: Believing that a
treaty thus misconstrued in its scope
and inadequate in its provisions would
not have produced the hearty, cordial
sentiment on pending questions which
alone is consistent with the relations
which desire to have firmly establis he'd
between the United States and Great
Britain, regard the action of the senate
IN rejecting the treaty to have been
wiRely taken in the interest of peace,
and as necessary step in the direction
OF perfect and cordial friendship be-
tween the two countries. A sensitive
people, conscious OF their power, are
more at ease under great wrong wholly
undeserved. than under the the restraint
OF settlement which satisfies neither
their ideas OF Justice nor the grave sense
OF the grievance which they have sus-
talned. In his next annual conmunI.
cation President Grant recommended
congress to authorize the appointment
OF commission to take proof of the
amounts and the ownership OF the sey.
eral Alabama claims, on notice to the
representative OF her majesty's govern
ment at Washington, and that authority
be given for the settlement of those
claims as we'll as the responsible control
OF all the demands against Great Britain
The result, You know. was that the Bri-
tIsh governments proposed joint COM
mission to settle all claims between the
countries; that President Grant, unlike
President Cleveland, secured the assent
OF the senate before appointing commits
sionefs IN return, and the Joint commits
sion made settlement, which, on the
whole. was satisfactory to both parties
This was brought about to the honor OF
both nations in consequence of the firm
rosition assumed by President Grant.
Why could not like attitude today on
the part OF the president produce Ike
result peacefully, honorably, and to the
lasting advantage of both nations? The
truth is, my friends, the democratic
party has never been fortunate in con-
ductlng diplomatic negotiations with
Great Britain, The English partiality
ior the democratic party is not difficult
10 explain. 1t is not solely because the
democracy is free trade party and is
now proposing to open our home market
Tor the benefit OF British manufacturers
ct the expense of American workingmen,
but 1t Is that In every negotiation with
the democratic administration England
has succeeded in attaining the precise
result which she desired. A great
historic case in point ib familiar to
ell who have studied onr history for the
sixty years since the democratic party
was hrst organized. From tho adminis-
trstion OF MIR. Jefferson, onward, there
was dispute between the two countries
as to the rights of each, bordering on
the Pacific ocean, and the question was
adjusted from time to time By our earlier
presidents, and lastly by treaty made
by Mr. CLAY when he was secretary OF
state under MIR. Adams, providing for
Joint occupation of the country for an
lnde finite period, neither party losing
theirriRhts ;but from pure demagoeueism
the democrats raised the cry in the ma.
tional election of 1874 that the whole OF
what now constitutee British Columbia
up to latitude Sd deg. 40 min. belonged
anquestionable to the United States.
The pretense wes put forth as blind in
order to show that they were as jealous
% secure northern territory as they
were bent on acquiring southern terri
tory. The democratic national conyen-
ton affirmed our right to 54-4O. Presi-
dent Polk made his campaign on it,
They were ready to do anything to secure
1t, and they pressed it 80 far that as soon
as MIR. Polk was inauRnrated the demo.
cratic congress- asked that notice be Civ
en- to England for terminating the treaty
OF joint occupation. The next thing the
country heard was that Mr. Polk's sd.
ministration was compelled to surrender
the whole territory to Great Britain
confessing that they had made pretepses g
which they we're unable to maintain or
defeat.
Had they not raised their demagoeic
cry and thus forced the question to q
settlement the joint occupation which
bad come down from Jefferson to that
hour would have peacefully continued,
and with our acquisition of California
| two years af'era de-, ard the Immediate
discovery OF gold, the thousands OF
American citizens who swarmed to the
Pacific coast would have occupied British
Columbia, and the final settlement
would doubtless have been In favor Of
those who were IN actual possession, end
but for the blundering diplomacy OF the
democratic party, which prematureIy
ana without any reason forced the issue,
we should today see our flag floating
over the Pacific front from the Gull Of
California to Behring's straits. Presi.
dent cleveland is exactly following the
precedents OF his party in his neeotia.
Vryttt h L..