Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1895-05-30

(IreS IA III 10 axe w OoI, y. j., WNCrc,
after consultation he rendered. him the
position Of premier of the cabinet he
was forming Judge Gresham as
sumed the duties OF secretary of state
March :, 1898.
During his term As poStma Ster zen
erai Gresham accomplished much. Let
ter postage IL Gnnada was reduced and
the postal convention with Mexico
signed. Another important service
that lie rendered was the rr-vStabliHh-
ment Of the fast nails, As SettrAry
Of state in the present adminiStrAtil IN.
Gresham has come 10 deal With pvr,
AapS more vcAatiouS intricate and del,
t,Htc diplomatic affairs than has fallen
70 the share of most SrcrrtarirS Of
state. His trNtmCnt of these has h,S,n
marked by a strong individuality
which was Il part Of the man. perh ups
from his long judicial experience he
WAS disposed IL view questions from
the standpoint Of justice. To hin, il
made httle difference how any lire Of
action promised to affect his own cpun-
try. lie could and did diSahuSe his
mind NJ amy personal feeling in deal
ihS with international questions, and
the ill;St considerable with him Wis
always absolute fairness. II his own
country occupied Il raise position in 4
matter ne Thought That II was his duty
to set ii right, even ut the sacrifice of
ilE''"Fiai interests as II might appear
~ 'He Tune
Secretary Gresham found murh ia
diSSalisfy him with The state Of orr
foreign relations when he assumed Of
flee HE last time ami in his characters
iStic fashion he SET 10 work to Shnnr
these to meet his own i,Inos without
delay. Such a course WAS certain IA
subject him to bitter criticism and no
fully realized this in advance. hut was
in no respect deferred from doing
what he thought was right This
brought him face to face with IN,
great question of Tho hnur =, th,t
time the annexation of Hawaii He
had decided wives upon This matter
even before he came into the cabinet
and ii was upou his recommendation
that President Cleveland performed
almost his first official action hy with.
drawing from the senate, where il WAS
pending. the annexation trcaty nryo-
tiatrl hy Secretary Foster Thrn hr
sent to the island republic a rrprrsru
tativc. to make original Investigation
and upon his report. the secretary
that the queen be restored in1Smuch
as she had been dcpuScd by thr
action of officers of the United state.
Congress finally made known its
views and the secretary accented
them for his government, but il can
not be discovered from any subsequent
utterancc of his that he ever changed
his view as originally announced ms
to the Justice of the action he had pro
posed While ne was dcrp I'm
Hawaiian negotiations. Gresham was
Obliged to give his immediate attrn-
ton to the Rcrns sea seal fisheries.
Here was another matter with which
he was not in harmony. He did not
believe that arbitration would no suc.
cessful in the object aimed nj hv the
United States, namely the protection
OF seals out regardless OF the outcome
he was forced to bring the british
government To a renewal OF the modllS
VlNendl III order to guard against the
annlhllHtlon Of the seals. The British
were unwilling To do the first of these
I,it 81, L. 4