Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-04-30

How Many Can Uncle Sam Have
on the Great Lakes?
Is That arrangement" of 1917
Still in Force2

The Senate Recently Directed the Secre-
tary of State to Inquire Into the Mat
ter-The Famous Arrangement" Be-
lieved to Have Long Since Quilted
Its Usefulness.
WASHINGTON, April 80 1880 Thursday
was the seventy-fifth anniversary of
that arrangement as to the naval force
TO be respectively maintained on the
American lakes" by which Great Brit
ain acceded to the proposition of the
United States government to reduce the
naval force of the respective countries
upon the American lakes, and to restrict
each government to total Of four YES
sells, not exceeding one hundred tons
burden and armed with one eighteen
pound cannon, two of these vessels to
be on the upper lakes and one each on
Lake Ontario and Lake Champlain.
An erroneous impression prevails
quite generally that this international
arrangement" was something in the
nature Of a surrender by the United
States to England, and that we yielded
more than we gained by the operation.
But the facts, as shown in the public
history seem to be different; and this
will be further shown if all the infOrma-
ton relating to this subject shall be
given out by Secretary Blaine in his re-
spouse to the resolution adopted by the
senate q few days ago, on motion of
Senator Mcmillan, Of Michigan. The
Arrangement is believed to have out
lived its usefulness, and there is an in
creasing strong desire for its abrogation.
In anticipation of such desire the two
governments specifically agreed:
"Fhat if either party should hereafter
be DESTROYS of assaulting this stipulation
and should give notice to that effect to
the other party, it shall cease to be bind
ing after the expiration OF six months
after date of such notice"
How Long WIN it Last?
In the recent senate resolution the
secretary of state was directed to in
form the senate whether this agreement
of 1917, covering the question of the
naval force to be maintained by the two
governments on the great lakes of the
United States, is now held to be III force
by the department of state. Affirmative
response to that inquiry will be accom-
panied by correspondence and state
ments which, considered in connection
with existing circumstances will afford
interesting reading. First in order is
the fact that this agreement grew out of
and cOnsistsOf the proposition originated
and submitted by the United States
government during the Madison adj
ministration. 1t was held under con
sideration more than half year before
the British government acceded to the
proposal
The subject of the naval force to he
maintained ON the lakes had been dis
cussed nearly three years previously
by the commissioners at Client. No de-
termination was then reached, but soon
after peace between the two countries
was affected a correspondence began
which led up to the agreement of 1917
between his Britannia majesty and
President Monroe.
And besides, being the proposition of
of the government of the United States,
the agreement" of 1917 was approved
and consented to by the United States
senate, among its senatorial indorsers
having been such historic characters as
Rufus King and Nathan Sanford of
New York Harrison Gray Otis of Massa
chusetts, John G. Crittenden of Ken
lucky. John Gailland of South Caro-
lima, who was then president pro tenn
pore of the senate; Robert II. Colds
borough of Maryland Osterbridge Hor-
sey and Nicholas Nandyke Of Delaware,
Abner Lacock and Jonathan Roberts of
Pennsylvania, David l.. Morrill, and
Clement Storer of New Hampshire, Ben
jamin Ruggles and jeremiah Morrow of
Ohio, James Noble Of Indiana, David
Daggett of Connecticut, James Barbour
and John w. Eppes of Virginia, Mahlon
Dickerson and James j. Wilson of New
Jersey, James Burrill, Jr, and William
Hunter of Rhode Island, and Nathaniel
Macon of North Carolina.
Furthermore, the senate emphasized
its appreciation of the arrangement of
1917 by sending to the president of the
United States as an accompaniment Of
the announcement of the senate's ap-
prevail of his consent to ratification of
the arrangement an unusual resolution
recommending chat the same be carried
into effect by the president of the United
States"
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