The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-15
A CHARAcTERIsT1C sCREED.


The remarks made by Professor Phelps,
the representative of this government
under Cleveland at the court of ST.
James, in lecture to the students Of
Yale Friday afternoon, are character
istic Of the administration with which
he was identified, of the party to which
he belongs, and Of his career as our
Minister to Great Britain. They grossly
misrepresent our government, and mani
fest a disposition to do in fact what is
falsely attributed to the government, only
that Phelps shows sympathy for England
in her contention with Ireland, while in-
sinuating that our country is interfering
in favor Of the other side.
The dispatch says that the ex-Minister
severely criticised the action of the
United States in supplying money for
carrying on the struggle between England
and Ireland" To the uninformed-which
would include a large majority of the
people-in Great Britain and elsewhere,
this from such source would convey the
idea, and would be deemed authoritative,
that our government is thus supplying
money for the purpose named. Which to
all right-thinking people would be
grossly dishonorable disregard, not only
to treaty obligations, but of the courtesies
between nations that are at peace and pro-
fessedly friendly.
All who are familiar with the facts
know this to be monstrously untrue. 1t
is an arrant falsiication of facts which
could have no other apparent object than
to bring our country into disrepute, and to
degrade the national character with all
honorable people who might accept the
statement as true. There can be no dis
putting the proposition that if our govern
ment were contributing money in aid of
any domestic struggle within the British
Empire, and against its authority. it would
be an unwarranted, o dishonest and q dis
graceful thing. But this is precisely what
our ex-Minister, in a carefully prepared
and grave address to body of learned
men, more than insinuates.
But the manifest object was not so much
| to create this false impression abroad, as
to suggest or appeal for governmental
action at home, which in effect would be
such interference by the government in be-
half of England as he hints has been exer-
cised against her. His palpable motive is
to excite feeling in favor of interference
| by our government to prevent its Irish
born and Irish American citizens from
| contributing money for the relief of dis
| tress in Ireland or to aid the struggle for
| Irish home rule. This is form of inter-
ference and repression which our govern
| ment has never presumed or attempted to
exercise in respect to the sympathies of its
citizens or their right to dispose of their
| own.
| Our government, as such, took no part
in Hungary's struggle for independence,
| but from its citizens Kossuth received
large sums and excited their sympathies,
which were freely and publicly expressed,
with never thought or suggestion of gov
ornamental interference. Italio- Americans
sent freely, of not only money, but men, to
assist Garibaldi in his struggle for the
liberty of the land of their birth or descent.
| Countless millions of money have been
sent by German-Americans to the father
land, some of which, doubtless, has fallen
| into the hands of Liberals or Socialists.
and some, perhaps, into the hands Of
| rabid revolutionists.
| In none of these cases did the govern
ment contribute or otherwise aid one side
| or the other, nor interfere in either behalf
| with the sympathies or voluntary con tri-
buttons of its citizens. None of the coun-
tries affected called it to account or took
/ offense. We as a country, never had rea-
son Ito rue the day we did So" as this ex-
| Minister predicts will be the result OF ad.
herring in the present case to what has
been our settled policy in all others.
But President Phelps, in his horror lest
individual contributions might relieve
| Irish distress and promote their struggle
for home rule, would have this settled
policy of country, and which has opera
| ted in ali countries that have contributed
| to our population, revised in this particu-
| lar instance. In q pretended protest
| against intervention he aims blow az our