The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-05-18
WHAT! SAMOA ALSO?

The intimation from London that the
Cleveland Administration has notified
the other contracting parties TO the
Berlin tri-partite agreement of the in
tention of this Government to with
draw" from Samoa is on a par with the
previous secret policy of the Cleveland
dynasty, and its methods OF informing
other Governments of its intention be-
fore taking the American people into
its confidence or consulting the Senate
as TO the proposed plans.
In the case Of Hawaii and the inten-
tion of Mr.. Cleveland to restore the
Queen, the London Foreign Office was
informed of the plan before the United
States Senate; tue dusby adherents to
the Queen were in possession OF
The information before the chairman OF
the Senate committee on foreign affairs
was notified or called into consultation.
So it would not be strange if the Cleve-
land-Gresham cabal had notified En-
,ell.d- aud Germany of their intention
to abandon important concessions, that
were obtained only after much pains
taking diplomacy by former Admin
istration, before informing the Senate.
As in the case Of Hawaii, the scheme
is to so compromise the United States
us to make our withdrawal from the
agreements of the President an ex-
tremely delicate matter, but Mr.. Cleve-
land should have profited by his Ha-
waiian experience and have learned that
he is not the government, and that some
thing beside his ipse dixit is necessary
TO void treaty or to abandon a conces-
sion that has been ratified by the United
States Senate.
Mr.. Cleveland had a strong impress
sion at one time that he alone constitu-
tod the government of the United States,
| but il was thought that even his thick
epidermis must have been penetrated by
the prods administered during the
Hawaiian sc ndal.
Cuckooisin has not been a marked
charac .eristic of the Senate, and this
President who is so willing to surrender
valuable concessions to the English will
learn in time that there are few
| Americans left who will resent any
such attempt. A United States coaling
station at an English or German depend.
ency would indeed be a valuable
possession in case of war be-
tween this country and the govern
ment controlling the islands. AS the
Boston Journal suggests it would be "as
valuable and accessible as a dockyard
at Halifax or an arsenal at Bermuda"
Bnt before the hold of the United
States is relinquished the Senate and the
people will have word or two to say.
AS the Springfield Union suggests, the
tripartite control of Samoa was the
invention of Secretary Bayard during
Cleveland's first administration. ant
for four years Mr.. Cleveland worked t,
establish the control. In January. 1889
he sent message TO Congress on TN,
subject of Samoa, in which he declared
that he had " insisted that the autonomy
and independence of Samoa should b
scrupulously preserved The situation
has not changed since then, except tina
the treaty he desired to make was con
summated under Harrison's administra
: tion. That may seem 10 Secretar
Gresham reason enough why the treat
should now be abrogated. but we shoul
hardly think it would satisfy Presider
a Cleveland or Bayard, who originate
the treaty, shli Cleveland's Hswaiis
policy justifes the charge that he no.
: desires to abandon Samoa because. I'll
Harrison administration ratified it.