The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1895-05-11
a BRITISH VIEW.

The Chicago Inter Ocean in review
ing the situation in Nicaragua says:
1.-THE attitude of Ambassador Bayard
as to the right of the United States to
construct the Nicaragua canal is
clearly stated in special dispatches
from Washington. 1t has been stated
time and again that Mr.. Bayard held
to the British view or Interpretation
of that clause in the Clayton-Bulwer
treaty referring to the construction of
a ship canal. When President Cleve-
land and his secretary of state came to
Chicago to open the worlds fair in
1893 a dinner was given for the pur-
pose of interesting business men OF
this city in the Nicaragua canal, and
Warner Miller and Mr.. Bayard were
among the guest. Mr.. Miller spoke at
length of the canal project, and then
Mr.. Bayard was called upon as mat
ter of courtesy, and those who heard
the speech will remember the sensa-
tion that it created. 1t was like wet
blanket thrown over all who favored
the American enterprise.
"While he recognized the canal as a
great enterprise that would rebound
to the glory and profit of the United
States, he insisted that this country
should try to keep inviolate its sacred
treaties with Great Britain. He en-
phasized the Importance of allowing
England to secure an interest in the
canal, arguing that with the great
commercial nation of the western
hemisphere and the great naval power
of Europe as owners the canal would
always be kept open. He announced
his disbelief in the ability of the
United States to protect the canal in
time of war, and asserted that it would
be much better to have the friendly
partnership of Great Britain.
"The dispatch printed on May I'd
shows that, as secretary of state, Mr..
Bayard withdrew the treaty with Mica
ragua which had been negotiated by
Secretary Frelinghuysen, of the
Arthur administration, ,and which gave
to the United States the absolute con-
troll of the canal across that country.
AS ambassador to Great Britain Mr..
Bayard seems to stand where he stood
as secretary of state, against the con-
troll of the canal by the United States
and in favor of its control by Great
Britain and the United States.
''The position taken by Secretary
Fredinghuysen was that the arrange
ment with Nicaragua related to q
governmental enterprise without polit-
ical control, intended to open water
communication between the two oceans
without discrimination in favor of any
nation. In fact, the proposed treaty
with Nicaragua was to open to all the
world such canal in effect as that
describedin article of the Clayton
Bulwer treaty, as 'one for the benefit
of mankind upon equal terms to ALL
"This whole question has been un-
der discussion for fifteen or twenty
years. There have been two views,
one distinctly American and the other
a British view. The majority of the
senate and house of representatives,
counting Democrats as we'll Republi-
cans, take the American view. Mr..
Bayard and a few others take the British
view, and as representative of the
United States at the British capital he
seems to hold fast to his old views and
to be in effect an ally or representative
of British opinion, rather than a rep
resentative of American opinion and
policy. People of this country are
now interested in knowing whether
the administration approves the posi-
tion taken by Ambassador Bayard or
not. Senator Morgan, one of the lead
ing Democrats in public life, inclines
to the opinion that the ADMINISTRATION
takes the British rather than the
American view. If such is the case it
is not strange that there have been
such blunders in the treatment of the
Nicaragua case. 1t is humiliating
enough to have our own people mis-
represented by Tory in England, but
it is more humiliating to have presi-
dent and cabinet dominated by British
views"