The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-01-02
HE MIGHT LEARN SOMETHING.

Secretary BaTard might learn some
thing Of value from recent occurrences
in Hayti There Is a lesson 70 be
learned there. and the tuition Is al
ready paid.
Hayti is a little bit Of a republic,
regular baby among the nations, and
when il seized an American vessel and
refused to surrender il. Secretary Bay
ard thought he might safely bristle up.
Even II Hayti did prove TO he oelliger-
ent. IL could not harm the United
States. and therefore il was perfectly
safe 20 make the little nation dance TO
any music that Uncle Sam might
choose to play. So Secretary Bayard
bristled up and Secretary Whitney
bristled up with him, and two war yes
sells. with guns and marines and q rear
admiral and lots OF powder, were sent
10 Hayti with instructions to bring
back the seized vessel or be able to ex-
plain the reason Why.
" sAEaA Al4t NAE FN7-E41 oAAAf|& a.
Port-au- Prince, the capital Of Hayti,
and sailed into the haTbor with their
decks cleared for action, the president
Of Hayti was very much surprised.
lie had evidently tried the seized yes
sel. and liked her. for he was 3eierm-
ined not to give her up and be did not
hesitate to say 50. But when the rear
admiral got his guns pointed up the
streets OF Port-au- Prince and explained
20 the president how very likely they
were To 20 off. that individual promptly
changed his mind. A line was fast
ened 10 the seized vessel and she was
handed over TO the men-of-war rs soon
as her position could be shifted. Then
the presidents Of Hayti and his whole
army got drunk and everybody re-
garded the affair a the biggest joke of
the season. Ii is safe 10 say. however,
that no more American vessels viii be
seized By the government OF Hayti.
Secretary Bayard might learn from
this that there i. virtue in a firm, dig
nified and determined foreign policy.
1t was not necessary TO fire a gun at
the Haytian capital because everybody
understood that guns would be fired
If the American demands were not
com piled with. All OF our difficulties
with other nations could be settled
in an equally satisfactory man
ner. Germany would respect the
independence OF Samoa If her
rulers were made TO under
stand that the American government
was fully determined that she should
do so. In the same manner Great
Britain would soon find way 10 re-
strain Canadian officers from seizing
American schooners, IL her rulers
once thoroughly understood that the
United States meant 70. have the
seizures cease. There i not country
in the world that could or would go to
war with the United States. Germany
could not do it. for the first gun fred
in such a war would set the armies OF
France and Russia in motion. Great
Britain could not do it,
for she would have the
world 10 lose and nothing TO
gain. Any demand which the govern
ment Of the United States Is prepared
to enforce win be complied with with
ont the firing a shot or the loss Of n
single life. or course, though, it is
understood that the American govern
ment demands nothing that is not
right.
DO sure you're right. then 90
ahead Is an excellent motto, but
Secretary Blyard should learn that
the second part of it is as Important
as the first. No matter how sure we
may be that We are right, we vii, &c
complish nothing unless We go ahead