The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-08-25
CLEVELAND'S MESSAGE.
EDMUNDs MAKES 1T A LOOPHOLE
FOR AN ATTACK.

Stocks Were Affected.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 24.-Immediately
after the reading of the journal this morn
ing the message from tho President on the
subject of the rejection of the fishery treaty
was laid before the senate and read in full
by the clerk, Mr.. Johnson. The reading
was listened to by the senators on both
sides of the chamber with close attention.
When it came to the close Mr.. Sherman
moved that it be printed and referred to
the committee on foreign relations.
Mr.. Edmunds-On that motion | would
like to say word. although am in favor
of it. If l 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
patriotic expression of hopes, wishes,
almost intentions of the President of the
United States III reference to the protection
of American interests and American rights,
but the popularity of the situation,
as it seems to ME, is that
having had a statute providing
for self defense, approved by the President
Of the United States and passed by sub
stantially the unanimous vote of both houses
in faithfully executing the laws, and after
full consideration OF all its points and bear
ings, the extent to which it should go, the
the objects to which it should be limited,
and the Circumstances under which it should
be brought into play, eighteen months lin
round numbers have gone by, and we are
now informed by the President of the
United States for take it that / see what
he means, although no word of that kind is
IL, cTo Nf ind o,
been taken to carry into execution the plain
provisions of that law.
REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW.
1T is true" said Mr.. Edmunds, "that the
law did not require the President to put it
into effect in the way Of self-defense las l
prefer to call it rather than retaliation)
until case should have arisen of wrong
and injustice which should satisfy him that
American rights and interests were being I'M
Justly dealt with. Now what has happened
since the passage of that act. Ifnothmg has
happened, if there have been no instances
OF injustice, of denial of American rights,
Of unjust treatment of American citizens
in the provinces of the Dominion, then of
course the President has been entirely right
in taking no steps in respect of the matter.
AN INsINUATIoN IN A QUERY.
"If, however, in his opinion las he now
states it) there have been instances of de-
NAL of just rights to American citizens
engaged in the business described III the act
Of 1887 why is it that the President has not
taken any step in the exercise of the powers
which the law imposed upon him, and in
the exercise of the high duty which the
constitution imposes on him Of taking care
that the laws are faithfully executed?
Here was law which he was to execute
when a contingency should arise, or o the
existence of particular fact, and when he
was satisfied that the fact existed then it was
made his duty to take steps to obtain the re-
dress which the statute pointed out. So that
we have now the case of a period of nearly
eighteen months, during which, as he states
in his statement, action has been called for.
SUSPENDED BY THE PRESIDENT.
II must suppose that these important and
urgent powers which congress unanimously
put into his hands, to be exercised as duty
in case he found facts to exist which were
described in the statute, have been sus
pended by executive authority by preroga-
tive, as think it is mentioned in some mi
nority reports of the same committee as
being one of the prerogatives of the Presi-
dent-just as an English king in some
old time would undertake to suspe d
an act of parliament, not to carry it into
effect. l must confess my establishment at
such course on the part of the President
Of the United States
SHAM SURPRISE.
81 must express my surprise and my
regret, not using the language of the mes
sage the regret of partisan, but the regret
OF a citizen, that for more than year,
with means in his hands to redress, he has
failed to take any step, and now sends to
us a message, asking that additional powers,
DpariDU "a hQ broader field
Of retaliation and covering other topics, be
given him, and | must suppose, under the
principle which he has already acted upon,
that until these powers are given to him he
will do nothing at all"
Mr.. Edmunds was followed by Mr.. Hoar,
who argued that the administration had
known all the time that it had the right to
retalate, and that this message was a repe-
tition of the policy pursued in regard to the
purchase OF bonds, the President having
asked the opinion of Congress as to his
power to purchase when the existing law
plainly declared that he had such power.
MORGAN TO THE DEFENSE.
Mr.. Morgan took the floor in defense of
the President and his message.
MIR. Morgan began by saying that the
message which came in yesterday after
noon and which had been read this morn
Ing seemed to have produced great shock
upon the senator's of the republican side.
us first effect was to cause the senator
from Vermont to interrupt the senator from
Iowa (Mr. Wilson, in his loved employ
ment of speaking upon the political sltua-
ton III the south, and asking him to give
way for an adjournment.
Mr.. Edmunds-May ] interrupt the sena-
TOR to say that he is entirely mistaken.
Mr.. Morgan-Then | am mistaken in
what my eyes have seen.
Mr.. Edmuuds--I had suggested, as the SEN
bte chamber was empty and knowing moth
iHgof the paper of which we are now speak
ing IT, my friend from Iowa that he had
Deter lot us adjourn. He said lie would
When he reached paragraph, and he did.
INFORMED OF IT'S IMPORTANCE.
Mr.. Morgan-Thereupon Mr.. President,
e9elng very greatly surprised that the Presi-
uent of the United States should be treated
with such discourtesy, l interrupted the
senator from Vermont 10 say that message
mad been brought into this body which
related to the fisheries treaty, and there
upon the senator from Vermont informed
me senate that the reading Of that message
could wait
Mr.. Edmunds-That is true.
Mr.. Hoar here asked leave to add one re-
mark to his speech, saying that for himself,
END he had no doubt for the republicans O,
me senate, he was in favor of giving the
resident any authority in regard to this
natter, If, on examination, it should be
round to be needed.
CALL FOR VOTE.
Mr.. Morgan. resuming, said that there
L..