The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-08-25

SOUA IoS1 VI liIo upuse, lile selldtS was pre-
cipitated into debate, but he wished to say
to the senator from Vermont that his tactics
were not available. because there was no
debate that could put the friends of this
message of the President IL the slightest
discomfort. The President had laid before
the people in true and manly way the
actual situation in respect to our relations
with Canada, and no exhibition Of a caucus
carcass could lessen the effect Of that
message upon the honest American mind.
EDMUNDs' DISCLAIMER.
Mr. Edmunds disclaimed any intention
to be discourteous to the President, ying
that he found in the Record of this morning
that six messages were laid before the sem
ate Yesterday which had been received the
day before-the veto messages
Mr.. Morgan said that the senate did not
know what those messages referred to. but
in this case the senator from Vermont knew
what the message related to-; therefore it
was nothing less, he thought, than deter
mined effort on the part of that senator to
say to the President that he still entertained
very severe contempt for him. He be-
]ieved the President and the democratic
party could both stand that without the
slightest tremor. 1t now turns out,
as the evidence clearly established
that the purpose of all the opposition to the
these fisheries, had not been to get the gov
eminent or people into better shape. but
TO entrap the executive and put him into
side lines, into straight jacket; to put him
where he would do the bidding of the
minority of the people of the United States,
represented in this chamber by the major
ity and where he should have no option TO
do anything else than what they required
and commanded.
THREATENED WITH IMPEACHMENT.
They had even threated the President
with impeachment if he dared to sdisobey
their commands, and to countervail their
will
Mr.. Morgan quoted extracts from the
ma jority report on the fisheries treaty. The
language which he interpreted as embody-
ing distinct threat that the President of the
United States was to have the rod held over
him, and in tho event that he did not think
it proper to conform his constitutional
policy to suit the wishes of the majority In
this body or the committee on foreign re-
lations, that he might expect that this
abuse of his constitutional powers would be
brought in judgment against him.
He WAS very much gratlfied to know that
the President was not alarmed at this at all.
The retaliation law of March 3, 1887, Mr..
Morgan said, left it discretionary with the
best. Every senator, when he was consid-
ering the retaliation law, knew that the
only possible effect of it was to bring
Canada nearer to the line of what the
United States believed to be correct IN her
dealings with this country, and thereby es-
tablish basis or foundation for a new
treaty, upon which the senate had been
required to act.
FROM TWO sTANDPoINTs.
He had discussed the retaliation law as a
law looking to treaty as the result The
senator from Vermont had discussed it as
law which looked to war as a result.
He (Afr. Morgan) had not been for retail
iation for the purpose of destroying Canada,
much less for the purpose of injuring the
people of the United States. He had been
for putting it in the power of the President
to retaliate, and thereby convince Great
Britain and Canada that the United States
had armed its local authorities with power
enough to rectify whatever wrong they
might do, and tn 1T the United Stat es
meant to execute its purpose, unless they
came to some wise and just and honorable
agreement with it. If any senator had pro-
posed to do something else, let him avow it.
If any senator thought that it was the duty
of the President Immediately to proceed to
retaliate on Canadian commerce for injuries
United States previous to that time, let
him avow it.
NOT A LEVER FOR A TREATY.
Mr.. Edmunds said that lest by his silence
he might be taken to accede to what the
gentleman had said. he would state he was
very far from avowing that the President,
under the law, was to proceed to obtain
redress for what had occurred before the
passage of the law, unless it had occurred
recently, for the statute itself provided
that the occasion for the Presidents action
should be something that should then lately
have occurred. The senate was looking
chiefly to the future, undoubtedly; but he
might say also that he had had no expectation
land he had not known anybody that had,
that that was lever for treaty, and that
that was all it was.
EDMUNDS FULLY INFORMED.
Mr.. Morgan said that the senator from
Vermont had drawn the law, and if he had
known of cases then recently occurring that
violated the treaty of 1878, he ought to
have put them in and made them the basis
of legislation. Why had he not said to the
President: "These cases have occurred and
this treaty has been violated, and congress
declares in bill that retaliation shall take
place: that negotiations have ended and
that this Is not fit subject of negotiation.
Why had no not put that in Instead of
going to the Pres dent to make
him ascertain, at his own peril,
what cases there were that had then
"lately" occurred. If the object of that
legislation had been to compel the President
to put the commercial interests of the coun-
try in jeopardy by declaring an embargo
between the United States and Canada, why
had not the cases beel mentlonedl Why had
not the senator had the courage to como up
and say. Il will assume the responsibility
as a leg lsator, and | win declare not merely
that this treaty has been inten-
tionally aid wilfuhy violated, but that it
has been Violated IA these receTt cases: and
instead OF making it the duty Of the Presi-
dent to hunt some hing hid from him,
will declare what American duty is, and
congress shall back it up, and we will have
retaliation. If il had been the actual inten-
ton of the trainers Of that law to compel
retaliation for what occurred before its
enactment, Congress had abd1cated its duty
in way tnHt did it no credit, in attempt
ing to shiot toe responsibility upon the
shoulders OF the President.
THE VENEZUELAN CASE.
Referring to the joint resolution recently
reported by the foreign relations commit
tee, and now upon the calendar declaring
that Venezuela had committed injury 10
certain American vessels, that she should
speedily settle for it, and that oil the forces
OF the United States should be put at the
command Of the President TO enforce that
settlement, MIR. Morgan said that if such
language had been put into the retaliation
act the President would have had no diff
Guilty about its meaning. lnstead OF