New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-10-12
SETTLED POINTS.


racy were in power. On the threshold of Office
Mr.. Cleveland was confronted, among others,
with these pressing questions: the tariff sill
YER; shipping European restrictions on the sale
of American meat products German aggression
in Samoa the Behring Sea raids and the At
| lantic fisheries trouble. With each of these
questions he and his party undertook to DO some
thing They tried to settle the tariff question
| by the passage first of the Morrison bill and
then of the Mills bill. For two years they
| wrestled with the Morrison bill, rejecting it
twice by their own votes. The incubation of the
| Mills bill occupied two more years, and they
| finally got it to vote in the House OIL the eve
of adjournment, securing for it majority OF
| 10 votes 1t died in the Senate. Upon the
silver issue they were hopelessly divided Their
| National platform had declared for /" the gold
| and silver coinage of the Constitution" which,
| though a silly phrase, meant the free coinage OF
| both metals. Mr.. Cleveland and his Sec
retaries of the Treasury, however, urged
| the absolute cessation Of silver coinage.
| The Democratic leaders in Congress de-
manded unlimited coinage. Neither won, and
| they left the whole matter just where they found
| it. Their treatment of the shipping question
was demonstration of incapacity even more
striking The Administration began as vio-
lent foe of mail subsidy, its Postmaster-General
going so far as to defy the act of Congress APP
propriatng mail pay. Later, he was convert
| ed. and earnestly advocated the Ie-enactment
| of the very measure whose provisions he mad
refused to execute. On the other hand, the
Democratic House, which had passed that meas
| ure, turned front completely and refused to
| comply with the advice OF the Executive to pass
| it again. AS one Department Of the Govern
| ment became educated to the right policy the
other retrograded and the final result was fail
| ure.
The Fork question, the Samoan affair, the
Behring Sea ENHANCEMENT and the fisheries dis
pute were primarily matters of diplomacy. Not
one of them was settled, and only as to the
last was the slightest Roadway made. European
hostility to our meat products developed during
the last years of the Arthur Administration, and
| when Mr. Cleveland assumed office there was
scarcely single European port at which our
meats could enter without restrictions. For four
years Mr. Bayard labored to adjust the diff
| Guilty. but TO no purpose. He retned leaving
| our interests more than ever embarrassed. Ills
controversy with Germany about Samoa was
equally fruitless At every point he weakly
Welded to German aggression, and left Malietoa,
whom we had promised to protect, a transported
prisoner in Germany's hands and his kingdom
administered by German officials. The Behring
Sea negotiation, though more ably conducted
| than any other, ended in total collapse. Hay
ing brought Lord Salisbury to the point of sign
ing satisfactory treaty, Mr. Bayard allowed
him to escape and during the last year OF his
| term was unable to induce the British Premier
so much as to consider the question again. The
Atlantic fisheries dispute was absolutely the only
foreign issue concluded by the Cleveland Gov
eminent, and that was done only by the abject
| surrender of every interest which it was worth
our while to guard. 1t is fair 20 say OF Mr.
| Cleyelands Administration that it is TO be re-
membered for nothing except It's war on the
Union veterans its Pan-Electric scandal, Its
complete absorption of the Civil Service and Its
half Matched Mills bill
That was a Government OF negaton. To ii
succeeded Government of purpose and action
Each of the questions with which Mr.. Cleveland
and his party tinkered 50 desperately was finally
referred to President Harrison and the Repub-
Iican PARTY for settlement. In six months the
Samoan question was adjusted by treaty in
|
MaIietoa was restored to his throne, and Ameri-
can interests were safeguarded. The tariff
issue was resolved into an act which reduced
| the revenues, increased the volume OF foreign
trade and created new industries by the score
| At the SINE time the administration OF the
| customs laws was simpfed aad strengthened
The silver issue was met by the passage OF a
law that has given monetary use to the entire
| American product of silver, avoided all the dan
gers of free coinage, and provided form OF
paper circulation better secured than any paper
money ever issued by the Federal Government
| A long step has been taken toward the revival
| of the American merchant marine by the enact
ment of a law under which fair mail pay will
| be provided for American steamships engaged
| in the foreign trade. The Behring Sea trouble
has been, or soon will be, turned over to ar
bitrators. The whoesomeness Of American pork
has been indicated and Of all these difficult
problems not one remains except the Atlantic
fisheries. Our interest in them was SO cOmpro-
missed BY Mr. Bayard's ill-judged modus vivend
that the way to the settlement Of that difficulty
| seems TO be- for the present, effectually blocked
These facts well describe the two parties
The Republican party faces issues and
effectually deals with them and its capacity has
never been more clearly or better shown than
during the Presidency of General Harrison. The
| Democratic party has never done anything els
than furnish proof Of the truth of the charge
urged against it by George William Curtis in
1884, that it is without single definite prin-
ciple, without policy t at it dare ayow."
|
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