Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-09-06
HIS LATEST TR1CK
PRESS OPINION or cLEvELANn's
RETAtJAToRY MESSAGE.

tho Bombastic Document, and a Third
Laughs mt TIT is "Bad Diplomacy
and Good Politics."
The New York Tribune says of Presi-
dent ClevelanG's message asking for
power to retaliate on Canada:
A direct answer ma be made to the
presidents message ON thereiected treaty.
He asked for enlarged retaliatory powers,
on the ground that those with which he
has already been armed are inadequate.
If he had enforced either of the retalia-
ton acts he would have been in o position
to decide whether they were or were not
adequate for the protection Of American
interests. If he had awaited himself of
the legislation already enacted and had
found it insufficient, he would have been
justified In recommending more stringent
measures. AS it is, he simply begs the
question. Having persisted in negotiat-
ing a treaty in opposition to the nd
vice given to him ut his request
by the senate in 1886, and having
Systematically neglected to make use of
the retaliation acts, he is not justified in
complaining that the powers conferred
upon him are insufficient. Having
abruptly decided to reverse his entire
policy in dealing with Great Britain and
Canadian corporations, it would have
been more becoming if his message to
congress had been less defiant and ag-
gressiye in tone. He has tried to have
his own way and has made a wretched
failure of diplomacy. In submitting to
the will of congress, as expressed in the
retaliation acts, meekness would have
been a graceful virtue on his part. Ac-
tual experience from the operation of
those acts ought to have preceded shril
demands for additional retaliatory powers.
The New York Press says: President
Cleveland's message upon the rejected
fisheries treaty is by long odds the fun.
niest of the many exhibitions of himself
which our Falstaffian chief magistrate
has ever given to the public. For months
he has been trying to scare the senate
into accepting his diplomatic added eggs
by referring to the trouble he could make
under the retaliation act of the last con-
gress. That scheme having failed, he
now, without using any of those powers,
steps up jauntily and asks for more
weapons with which to force England to
act justly by us.
This, of course, is o retaliation upon
the senate for rejecting his treaty. His
heart was set upon paying the stakes for
which Secretary Bayard played q game of
diplomacy with Mr.. Joseph Chamberlain.
But the people and the senate discovered
that the latter used marked cards, and
would not chime tn with his scheme.
Therefore, President Cleveland asks for
additional powers of retaliation which
may be SO used as to bring about a war.
The senate is not likely to be alarmed
by this thunder and lightning talk. The
presidential buffer already has his boots
and belt stuffed with rotaliatory revolyers
and sabers, and there Is a retaliatory
bowie knife down the back Of his neck.
He will not get into serious trouble If he
| gets q retaliatory cannon cracker besides.
If he wants retaliation acts, by all
means let him have them-not this alone,
but as many more as he asks for. Then
the country will see how quickly a law
can pass into ''innocnous desuetude"
under an unpatriotic president.
The Philadelphia Press, after remark
ing on the Presidents peculiar policy of
using messages as campaign documents,
says:
He is defeated on his free trade message.
Even he knows it and his party in every
doubtful state has seen it for q month.
He tries q new tack. He starts a new
issue. He appeals to national feeling,
and he ranks himself and his administra.
tion-where an American executive and
his cabinet should always stand-in de.
Tense of the rights and privileges of ali
Americans. But he does this on lines and
In @ way to get all the politics he can out
of it.
Continuing, The Press says: This is
bad diplomacy and shrewd politics" II
may not be worthy Of an American presi.
dent, but it shows O keen sense Of the
needs of the Democratic candidate. II
risks much for the nation, but it does al
1T can for the Democratic campaign. II
has been possible, as we have said ovel
and over again, at any time before ant
still more after the ~retaliatory act of 1SS'
was passed to put pressure o. Canad.
which she could not resist and agains
which Great Britain could make no effect
ual protest. iss..is could be done bysimply
altering the treasury regulations for tn,
transhipment of Canadian goods in bond
He has taken an international pose befor,
all the world. defying Canadian lightning
Suppose-which Is out of the question
he were able by this vigorous attitud
to get in a serious snar1 with Great Brit
ain in the next sixty days. What stool
In trade this would be for o presidential
candidate beaten In August on the gtoun,
be had chosen In December and shiftin,
the issue to o new field In the last tw
months Of his campaigni What a chanc
to befog the economic issue between FIRE
trade and protection, on which the doubt
full states are going ono way, and tn
wrong way, for President Cleveland, wit
Q this new appeal But this will not DE-
Mr.. Cleveland has taken his ground. Fl
will have to mako his fight on 1t.