Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-08-31
OLYMPIA. WASHINGTON TER.
OLYMPIA. FRIDAY EVENING, aug. 81, 1855.

AND NOT FOUND WANTING.

Weighed in the Balance
AND NOT FOUND WANTING.
Like thunderbolt from cloudless
sky fell the edict of the President that
American rights must be respected by
all foreign powers. Not only the Re-
publican Senate, but the leading men
Of our own as well as other nations
mistook the man when they construed
the patient, forbearing and conciliatory
policy OF the Administration into a
want of realization Of the magnitude of
the interests involved, or into timidity
in dealing with the question at issue,
involving primarily the rights of Ameri-
can fishermen. Unbiased judgment
accredits the Presidents policy with
being the prudent course Of a conscien-
tious man, who realized the import
ance of maintaining q cool head and
calm judgment amid the distracting de-
mands of Jealous partisan demagogues
and a factious opposition ever on the
alert to misjudge the best of motives
and lash popular sentiment into the
narrow lines which selfishness and
prejudice have defined as the limits of
party fealty. There il, however,
large proportion of American citizen
ship that is not bound by party ties
and there are still others whose patriot
ism is not circumscribed by doctrine
or creed, and these are ready to sustain
decisive action in any crisis which af-
fords a clear footing on the side of
right. This free and untrammeled ele-
ment at once responded to the i'm
pulse of their better natures, and the
howl which went up from the Senate
has only intensified their admiration
of an Executive who has shown that
he cannot be swerved from conscisn-
tons sense of duty.
A Washington report says that
there was q CHASTITY effort on the part
of Mr.. Edmunds and Mr.. Hoar, who
made the first speeches, to make
merry over what they called the Presi-
dents change Of position; but their
merriment was slammed, and it was
evident that they were hard hit.
Scarcely any Of the Republican ar
guments rose above the character OF
the merest pettifogging. The Presi.
dent was abused for not using the
Retaliation Act of 1887, instead OF
attempting the negotiation of treaty
and it was declared that the act gave
him all the power needed. Senator
Hoar went 90 fer as to call the mes
cage confession by the President that
he was wrong in attempting the ne
gotiation of treaty.
Senator Morgan took up the cudgel
in the Presidents behalf, and eloquent
~ and forcibly showed how consistent
~ and courageously he bad sought
first to remedy the existing ills by the
negotiations, and failing in that. by y
policy which would strike hard at
Canada without iniuring our own in
terests.
The Republican position, it is ad-
rnitted, is an awkward one, and the
tone of the party press indicates very
clearly that large amount of their
stock in trade has become utterly
valneless. They do not dare to say
too much against the doctrine of tn {
message for fear Of stultifying them
selves, and in spite of their declara
tons that no legislation is needed in
addition to that on the statute books
they probably will not dare to vote
against granting it.
The concluding sentence OF thu
Presidents message to Congress com
mends itself to everybody who is moi
bound to the servile dictation OF party
bosses, all who exercise the privil
eye of manhood to do their own think
ing and form their own conclusions
He says: These are subjects which
partisanship should not disturb OF
confuse. Let US survey the ground
calmly, and having put aside other
means Of settlement, if we enter upon
the policy of retaliation, let US pursue
it firmly with determination to sub
serve the interests of our people and
maintain the high standard and be-
coming pride Of American citizen
ship"