Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1895-05-06
WASHINGTON LETTER
Washington, Apr. 90, 1895.

WASHINGTON, Apr. 20, 1895.
With all due respect to the position
held by Mr.. Cleveland and Mr.. Ores
ham-positions which have been hon
ored by, and which have honored {
long line of patriots from George
Washington to Benjamin Harrison
and from Thomas Jefferson to James
Blaine-there is only one word that
fittingly characterizes the policy OF
this administration in dealing with
the dispute between Nicaragua and
Great Britain, which has now reached
the point at which it's belief that
''might makes right" by the oc-
cupancy of the principal port of en-
try of Nicaragua by an armed force,
and that word is double dealing. Her
bert Spencer said: ''The affairs of the
universe are not carried on after a
system of benign double dealing"
but Spencer wrote before Mr.. Cleve-
land was President or Mr.. Gresham
Secretary of State.
ficially promulgated can be that the
administration has had an under
standing with Great Britain, which
included the acceptance by this gov
eminent of the British construction of
the meaning, or rather lack of mean
ing of the Monroe doctrine, which
friends of the administration have
been saying for weeks past was to be
applied to Great Britain's treatment
of Nicaragua, pointing out the fact
that there was strong fleet of U. S.
vessels in South Atlantic waters for
the express purpose of compelling
Great Britain to respect that doctrine.
Now, the fact has leaked out that the
administration, probably fearing that
the patriotism of Admiral Meade
would be stronger than his orders,
took good pains to have that fleet
away from Nicaraguan waters when
British sailors performed the brave
feat of occupying the territory of a
helpless and defenceless country,
which had made the mistake of ex-
pecting that the United States would
see that it was fairly treated.
The Nicaraguan minister to the
United States is SO placed that he can
not express his opinion, but it is an
open secret that he was led to believe
up to the last minute that this coun-
try would prevent Great Britain car
rying out it's threat of occupying Co
rinto, and that he in turn had caused
MS government to indulge in the
same belief. Had it not been for that |
belief there never would have been |
any controversy. Nicaragua would |
nave agreed to the demands of Great /
Britain as soon as they were made, |
knowing that without the protection
of the United States she would sooner |
or later have to do so. Owing to the |
mystery which sur
rounds everything done by the De-
partment of State it cannot be posi-
lively stated just what the nature of
the agreement with Great Britain is,
out enough is known to cause every
patriotic American to wish that the |
whole discreditable affair could be |
plotted out the history of the United
States.
The reception given that single gold
standard interview of Secretary Nor
toms which was published as feeler
Of the public pulse, has frightened Mr..
cleveland and caused him to 90 a |
little slower in making his campaign /
for the single gold standard. The Of
iciaI announcement that Secretary
Carlisle had accepted the invitation
10 deliver the principal address at
he "Sound Money Convention"
which is to be held May %, at Mem
ohis, Tenn, was accompanied by a
statement that the Secretary would
n that speech endeavor to point out
jhe danger to which the country
would be exposed should it attempt |
% establish the free and unlimited |
of silver Independently
Of other nations. The question is,
will he dare to follow the phraseology
Of Mr.. Cleveland's Chicago letter and
ak meaningless platitudes about
{ sound currency and " honest