The Portland daily press., 1895-11-05

Continued From First Page.
| land retires; she is going to get part OF
| Alaska. But Canada is so small that she
| is like one of these black flies IN the
| woods. She can annoy a heap, and tna6
| has been her object upon every possible
occasion. 10 go,back in memory little
| bit. You recall that hundreds of fishing
vessels were seized without any authority
OF law. They insulted us in every pos
sible way. They even
HAULED DOWN THE AMERICAN
FLAG
from the peak of American ships. This
course was pursued day after day, and
| month after month, and these fishermen
sent in their claims to the President OF
the United States, and Mr.. Bayard filed
hundreds of those claims with the
British authorities. S trong and valid
reasons were given why they were sub
stantial claims and must be paid. We
had splendid minister at the Court of
St. James at that time, Mr.. Phelps. l
think he was the only man in the Demo-
cratic party at that tune who understood
thoroughly tho fishery question. Mr.
Phelps presented it to the State Depart
ment of Great Britain in an address, or
letter, of great power and with perfect
clearnesS. i have no doubt but that, if
fingers had been kept off, we would have
had our rights and our privileges in
those waters, and that we would have
| enjoyed from that time to this, every
| thing that we were entitled to enjoy I'M
der treaties and under usuage. But Mr..
! Cleveland and MI Bayard wanted to ne
gotiate a treaty. They did negotiate a
treaty, and in that treaty they surren-
dered every single right and privilege
that we ever had claimed, every one of
| them. The bottom dropped out in the
twinkling of an eye from under every
| the British department, and they have
not been heard from; not one of them,
| from that day to this. There is not a
| man here tonight who has heard from
| one of them The President sent that
treaty te the Senate with great flourish
Of trumpets, and a special message, in
which he called the attention of the
Senate to the magnificent treaty which
had been made and which was to settle
all difficulties between Canada and the
| United States, and called upon that body
to ratify it, The Senate promptly reject
| ed it, and the rejection was not confined
to the Republicans alone, let me tell
| you.
Again Great Britain was anxious for
wanted to catch our agents and cashiers
who ran to Canada, and Mr.. Cleveland
negotiated an eXtraditiOn treaty with
CIR, at Britain. He sent that treaty to the
Senate. 1t was such
A COMPLETE SURRENDER
of the rights of naturalized American
citizens that it was rejected in the
txyi pl,lino of an ova nc oapv Dop,oorat II,
voting for its rejection as Republicans.
Later on Blaine made treaty that was
accepted and ratified, without any trouble
about it at all.
To take another thing. There was
trouble about the Samoan Islands. There
is fine harbor in those Islands The
United States needs harbors in the Pa
ciflc ocean. 1t has one in Hawaii and
one in the Samoan Islands. Mantua, the
King OF Samoa, Was the fast friend of
the United States. Germany wanted
the Samoan Islands and England was
willing she should have them, provided
Germany should say nothing about her
| taking the Hawaiian Islands whenever
she got ready That was the agreement
between the two countries beyond any
manner of doubt But we have had
something to say about it, and in Wash
ington they had a conference. Mr.. Cleve-
land was President The British minis
ter, the German minister and Mr.. Bayard
were the conferees They conferred
abolt three months on some method of
preserving the autonomy of the Samoan
Islands They did not come to any con-
clusion, but took a recess. The moment
they took that recess Germany sent two
ships of war to the Samoan Islands.
Mind you. while this conference was
actually in progress, Germany sent two
ships of war and took possession of the
Samoan Islands, dethr oned Mantua, our
friend. and deported him from the coun-
try Great Britain didn't say anything.
Surprising Great Britain had not agreed
to that, how long would 1t haveEbeen be-
fore there would have been
A DECLARATION OF WAR
against Germanyf 1t wouldn't have
taken en- hour. Seven years ago we would
have declared war against Germany if
she bal insulted us that way. Nothing
was done, and not word said. I do not
think anything would have been done
if Harold Sewall HAD not come home at
| about that time, and being something of
fillibuster, as they say 1 am, we talked
it over in the Senate. An investigation
was ordered. MI. Bayard started Harold
Sewall off to Samoa, but a resolution
was put through the Senate instruoting
Mr. Bayard to bring him back. He was
| recalled aud brought before the commit
tee on foreign affairs to give his testimo-
| ny. 1t is proper to say that. having given
| his testimony, Mr.. Bayard Immediately
| dischai ged him for giving the testimony
that he was compelled to give. The
testimony came out to the country and
there was intense excitement in the Unit
ed States over the conduct of Germany.
Germany saw it just, as we'll as we did,
and Immediately she made the proposit-
ion to renew the conference. Mr.. Cleve-
land and Mr.. Bayard consented, but they
went out before anything was done. Con