Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-08-25
THE NATIONS CAPITOL
tEdmuRdS Makes a CauStiC Re-
| view Of CleYeland'S Course
on The Fisheries
Question.
The President Neglects for Eish-
teen Months to Carry out
Plain Provisions Of
the Law.
In Spite Of Continued Insults to
American Citizens on the
Part Of Canada.
This the President Distinctly Acknowledges
In His Message to Congress
But GiVeS no Explanation for his Unpatri-
otic Inactivity and Silence for Near
ly two Years.
Hosr calls the Attention OF the
Senate to Some Inconsistencies
OF the: administration.
This the President Distinctly Acknowledges
In His Message TO Congress
But GiVeS no Explanation for his Unpatri-
otic Inactivity and Silence for Near
ly two Years.
Senator Hosr calls the Attention OF the
Senate to Some Inconsistencies
OF he..Admnistration.
WASHINGTON, Aug. "a.
Senate.

The message from the President on the
subject of the rejection of the fisheries trea-
ty, was read in full by the clerk.
When it came to a close Sherman moved
that it be printed and referred to the commit
tee on foreign relations.
Mr. Edmunds said: On that motion
would like to say a word, although l am in
favor of it. If had been five or six years
younger than | am | should have been sur
prised at that message. But am not, and
am not only very highly gratified at the pa
triotic expression of hopes, wishes, almost
intentions, of the President of the United
States in reference to the protection of Amer
can interests and rights, but the peculiarly
of the situation is that, having had statute
providing for self defence approved by the
President of the United States and passed
by a substantially unanimous vote of both
houses (if that made any difference to his
duty in faithfully executing the laws and
after due consideration of i its points and
bearings the extent to which it should go,
the objects to which it should be limited, and
the circumstances under which it should be
brought into play, eighteen months have
gone by and we are now informed by the
President of the United States (for take it
that is what he means, although no word of
that kind is in the message that no steps of
any kind have been taken to carry into exc
cution the plain provisions of that law. 1t is
true that the law did not require the Presi-
dent to put it into effect in the way of self
defence (as prefer to call it rather than re-
taliation) until case should have arisen of
wrong and injustice which should satisfy
him that American rights and interests were
being uujustly dealt with. Now what has
l.. a., thn nf hat
nothing has happened if there have been no
instances of injustice, of denial of American
rights, of unjust treatment to American citi-
zens in the provinces of the Dominion, then
of course the President has been entirely
right in taking no step in respect to the mat
ter. IT, however, in his opinion, as he now
states it. there is an instance of denial of the
Just rights to American citizens engaged in
the business described in the act of 1887,
why is it that the President has not taken
any step in the exercise of the high duty
which the constitution imposes upon him. of
taking care that the laws are faithfully exc
cuted? There was law which he was to
execute W ben the contingency should arise,
or on the existence of a particular fact, and
when he was satisfied that the fact existed,
then it was made his duty to take steps to
obtain redress in the method which the stat
ute pointed out, so that we have now the case
of period of nearly eighteen months during
which, as he states in his message, action has
been called for. He tells us that in one in
stance, in 1856, an American fishing vessel
was catching fish on the high seas, outside of
the ten and of the twenty mile delineation,
and sailing as a purely commercial enter
prise, to port of British North America for
the purpose of sending her cargo of fish by
rail to Boston, was by general orders, sweep
ing orders, denied that privilege.
Now the President says that
was the great and most important and
grievous injury to American interests. and
American rights. Why has he been silent
for lS months, with the whole power Of the
law in his hands, and why has he remained
inactive2 Doubtless under the patriotic ad-
vice of the gentlemen who compose his Cabinet
and doubtless with most patriotic motive,
that it.might be best to: ::submitto what now is
declared to be grevous wrong, with means
at hand to redress or defend against it, and
enter into discussion with a wrong doer to
provide la new arrangement on a
broader basis of British free trade, and so
must suppose that these important and
| urgent powers which Congress unanimously
put into his hands, could be exercised as
duty in case he found facts TO exist which
were described in the statutes had been sus
pended by executive authority, by prero
gative. as | think it is mentioned in some Of
| the minority reports, some committee a,
being one of a prerogative of the President
just as an English king in olden times woulc
undertake TO suspend an act of Parliament
and not carry it into effect. So long a,
you can talk with nation which was con
tinuing even while talking of the very wrong
now so fully aud we'll set forth in this mes
! sage, l must confess my astonishment at such
a course of action on the part of the Presi
dent of the United States, ant
l must express my surprise ant
regret not, (using the language o.
the message regret of partisan, but regre
of citizen that for the past year, witt
means in his hands to repress it, has failed t,
take any steps, and now sends 10 us, asking
additional power, bearing, (as he supposes,
on a broader field of relation, and covering
| other topics to be given him. | suppose tina
under the principle he has already acted
upon that until these powers, given him will
do nothing at all. This business is yer,
odd and we apparently don't know what wa,
the cause of the negotiation which lead {,
this treaty as regards sub-stipulation, en-
gagemeuts, understandings, protocols an,
gossip and | call special attention to a dis
cussion Of whether article 20 of the treaty O
1871 is in force or not. The Canadian gov
eminent doesn't refuse to tranship fish Of
the ground that it was not, but refuses on th
ground that the article did not override tn
Convention of 1878 relating to the three mil
limit Alas, Mr.. President, think it is Al
infinite pity that in SO simple a case an ade
quate and full statute force or the weakness
of which has never been tested by the frs