St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-22

he was in duty bound to make known to
his government. A public official has
right to have confidential communica-
tons with his government, perhaps; but
Mr.. Stevens is hot wise in complaining
of the publicity his letter has received.
for If he has a memory that extends no
farther back than three weeks he will
remember that his own friends and de-
tenders were the ones who called for its
production. Senator Hoar'S resolution
calling oil the president for the pr0duc-
ton of all papers bearing on the matter
made no exception Of the ''confidential''
communication of Mr.. Stevens, and the
president could not have omitted it with
out violating the letter and spirit of the
senate's command. Mr.. Stevens should
have protited by the experience OF an
other statesman from his own state, and
avoided discriminating letters. or adj
vised the receivers to burn them. He
would have saved himself and the Har-
rison administration a good deal of
modification if he had done so.
MIR. Stevens is unfortunate also in the
precedent he cites in eXtenuation of his
own conduct in using United States
forces as he did. He calls attention to
the fact that Commander Woodward. in
1889, landed troops OIL the island at the
request of Minister Merrill. But the
two cases were not parallel. There was
actual danger to the lives and property
OF American citizens in the instance
cited, and the troops were employed to
protect them. In the case of Stevens
there was no menace to the rights of
any citizen of this country, and the
troops, when landed, were not SO sta
toned as to protect Americans. but only
in such position as to threaten the queen
and her supporters. The American res
ldence district was several miles from
the military depot established by Ste
vens, and the troops were no protection
whatever to 1t.
Mr.. Stevens attempt to discredit the
testimony upon which the president
based his structures on his official mis-
conduct comes with i'll grace from such
source. 1t does not refute single
statement made; it simply raises ques-
ton of veracity. from which man in his
position ought to shrink. He has been
already proved TO be bombastic and
brainless visionary, willing to lend his
personal and official influence to the
cause of lot of constituencies adventur-
erS; man who assumed it to be his duty
to exercise a censorship over the morals
OF nations rulers, and who thought it
no breach of faith or honesty to become
a conspirator, aiding and abetting the
enemies Of the friendly government to
which he was accredited; canting.
sniveling hypocrite. using the cloak of
religion to cover up deeds deserving the
eXecration of all decent men: and liar
and slanderer withal, deliberately and
maliciously misrepresenting the motives
and acts of men and women better far
than he; man who mistakes triekery
for diplomacy, intrigue for adroltness.
cunning for skill, and who seeks to
make rascality honorable by pandering
to greed aud desire for power.
This cOnSclenceleSS filibuSter, who
sets himself up as superior to the con-
stitution and laws of the country to
which he owes allegiance, and who. on
his own responsibility, committed an
act of war that has already involved the
nation in serious complications, would
do we'll to keep silence, thankful that
he has escaped just punishment for the
crime he has committed.