The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-12-28
elunpgRs OF GRESHAM.
Imbecile Conduct of the Department
Of

of state.
Some kind friend of the president in
congress might do Mr.. Cleveland a
great service and save his administra-
ton from much future humiliation by
instituting an official inquiry as to the
sanity of the present head of the state
department Wei make the suggestion
in all seriousness. In no other way
can the amazing and unprecedented
antics of Secretary Gresham be &C
counted for He had been in Office
scarcely day before he began to en-
tangle his too-confding chief in the
meshes of what has since been woven
into perfect web of deceit, trickery
and double dealing. The ink was not
dry on his commission when he secret
ly sent Paramount" Blount off post
haste to Hawaii with letter of intro
duction to Mr.. Cleveland's great and
good friend" President Dole, in one
pocket, and private instructions in the
other to enter into conspiracy with
a bluodthirsty and discredited mon
arch to stab that same friend" under
the fifth rib. The senate of the
United States was in session at
the time, and had sole and complete
| Jurisdiction over the Hawaiian nego-
tiations, as we'll as coordinate author
ity in the appointment of ambassadors
to friendly nations, but that did not
matter to Gresham. "Why," he prob
ably said to himself. should the con-
stitution be allowed to stand between
me and Lip" And it was not allowed
to. The news of the secret mission
leaked out at last, and the controversy
over it and it's developments waxed
hot, but Gresham was not abashed;
not he. He surrounded himself with
q halo of mystery, denied everything,
and acted generally as if he thought
the archives of the government were
his private property; and it was only
on the positive order of congress that
he made public the correspondence
and records which covered with dis
grace both himself and the admins
tration he had brought into contempt.
Nor has he yet relaxed his tenacious
grip, for even now there lies on his
desk in Washington a report from
Admiral Walker, made months ago,
and which congress is calling for, and
which, according to the best informa-
ton and belief, will add another chap
ter OF humiliation to a record of
foreign policy already black with dis
horor.
So much for the first evidence of in
sanity. There are many others.
When China and Japan got into dis
pute over Corea, the same man who
had vainly attempted to restore the
reactionary queen, Liliuokalani, to a
throne not hers by any legal or moral
right, sat down, and, in the face of his
own numerous and solemn warnings
against foreign entanglements of any
kind, calmly indicted dispatch to a
friendly nation, striving to protect its
citizens from Chinese aggression, ad-
monishing it not to levy unjust
war against weaker nation. Natur-
ally enough, his offensive interference
was spurned, as it should have been,
and the United States was once more
held up as the laughing stock of the
nations of the earth. The war did not
cease, and on November 20 the Amer
lean minister in Picking sent to the
state department an urgent appeal for
protection for the legation and the
American citizens resident in the
Chinese capital. Owing to Mr..
Gresham's capable Encouragement no
marines available for the purpose were
within one thousand miles of the
scene of danger; so, when knowledge
of Minister Denby's dispatch finally
came to the surface-the truth will
out, in spite of all attempts at con-
cealment-our dignified secretary OF
state tried, by quibbling which would
bring the blush of shame to the cheek
of third-rate pettifogging lawyer, to
convince the public that he never re-
ceived it.
Again, congress was in session in
August last when this remarkable
statesman entered into an agreement
with the representative of Canada to
pay an indemnity of 1926, 200 to alleged
Canadian sealers for damages which
they claimed they suffered in conse-
quence of our governments action in
driving them out of Behring sea
pending a settlement of the contro-
versy by arbitration. The Paris tri-
bunal had arranged judicial method
of settling all claims for damages, but
Gresham didn't choose to follow 1t.
Rumors got into circulation that
Gresham had agreed to pay the maxi
mum indemnity claimed without sub
mission to the court created for the
purpose, but that made no difference
to him, he denied everything; and
now the president confirms the truth
of the rumors in his message, and
once more convicts his secretary of
state of inability to tell the truth.
Is there any need to speak of the
imbecility manifested and the blum
ders made in dealing with Samoa,
Brazil and Nicaragua Is not the rec
ord sufficient as it stands to justify
some friend of the president in start
ing an investigation as to the state of
his secretary's mind? We think it due
to the president 1t certainly is due
to the people.-N. Y. Tribune.
MUCH TOO COMPLICATED.
Secretary Csrlisle's Plan for Currency
/ Reform.