Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1895-05-30

Duliitg MS term as postmaster gen
eral Gresham accomplished much. Lex
ter postage To Canada was reduced and
the postal convention with Mexico
signed. Another important service
that he rendered was the re-estahlish-
ment of the fast mails. As secretary
Of state IN the present administration,
Gresham has come TO deal with per-
hapS more ye&atiouS. intricate and del.
ica'a diplomatic affairs than has fallen
to the share of most secretaries Of
Estate. His treatment of these has been
marked bJ a strong individuality
which was Il part of the. man. Perh lpS
from his long judieia, experience he
was disposed to view questions from
the standpoint Of jus tice. To him 1t
made little difference how any line of
action promised to affect his own c1un-
try. He could and did Jisahusc bis
mind Of amy personal feeling in deal
ing with international questions. and
the fir consideration with him was
always absolute fairness. If his own
country occupied a false position in a
to set it right. even at the sacrifice Of
material interests as it might appear
az the time.
Secretary Gresham found much to
dissatiSfA him with the state of our
foreign relations when he assumed of
flee the last time and in his character
iStic fashion he set to work to shape
these to meet his own ideas without
delay. Such Il course was certain to
subject him to bitter criticism and he
fully realized this in advance, but was
in no respect deferred from doing
what he thought was right. This
brought him face to face with the
great question of the hour at that
time-the annexation of Hawaii. He
had decided wives upon this matter
even before he came into the cabinet
and it was upon his recommendation
that President Cleveland performed
almost his first official action by with
drawing from the senate where it was
pending, the annexation treaty nego-
ti;,ted hy Secretary Foster Then he
sent to the island republic Il represent
tative, to make original investigation
and upon his report, the secretary
made his celebrated recommendation
that the queen be restored, inasmuch
as she had been deposed by the
action of officers Of the United State.
Congress finally made known its
views. and the secretary accepted
them for his government, but it can
not be discovered from any subsequent
utteranee Of his that he ever changed
his view as originally announced as
to the justice of the action he had pro-
posed While he was deep IL
Hawaiian negotiations, Gresham was
obliged to give his immediate atten-
ton to the Boring sea seal fisheries.
Here was another matter with which
he was not in harmony. He did not
believe that arbitration would be sue.
ceSsful In the object aimed at by the
United States, namely the protection
of seals: Int regardless of the outcome
he was forced to bring the British
government to a renewal of the modus
vivendi in order to guard against the
anpihilaton of the seals. The British
were unwilling to do the first Of these
things and it was only by the exhibit
ton Of all the strength of his charac-
ter and purpose that he succeeded In
hurrying through the British parIia-
ment an act to give effect to the arbi-
tration and then by securing the adop
ton of the regulations to keep off the
poachers BY clause in the Wilson
tariff act congress had swept away in
a line all of the carefully constructed
reciprocity treaties negotiated by the
preceding administration. This caused
great anger among the nations with
which the United States had such
treaties. ana the storm fell upon Sec
rotary tireSham's head. 1t was
Gresham's task to placate European
powers aud how skillfully he did SO
his printed correspondence tells.
Then i'll the constructive side Of
diplomacy Gresham had much 20 his
credit. He did all that q foreign officer
could do properly to prevent the late
Chinese-JapaneSe war; and ultimately
when peace was restored, il was
through the good office of American
ministers in China and Japan acting
under Secretary Gresham's instrac-
lions that peace negotiations were M
itiated, and while he was doing this
Secretary Gresham was also using his
good offices to prevent war between
Mexico ana Guatemala, and in ibis
lie succeeded completely, But the
Amerioapisn Of Secretary Gresham
was shown in its brightest lights in
three incidents that occurr Il during
his administration and the fact that
IN two If the three he had to contend
with the great powers indicates that lie
made no distinction when the time
came to claim the rights for his own
country. Inc first ef these cases
while attracting little attention at the
time. was really of great Importance
for ii amounted 70 a declaration 10
Europe that the United States would
not permit private claims to be col
lected fem American republics where
our citizens hod peeuniary interests.