The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-28
GRESHAM AS PREMIER.


He Had to Contend With Unusually In
tricate and Delicate Diplomatic
Questions.
In 1888 General Gresham was made a
prominent candidate for the Republican
nomination for the Presidency at the Chi
cago convention. His liberal views on the
tariff created against him the antagonism
of the extreme protectionists at Chicago.
Judge Gresham openly dissented from
the Mckinley law, and in 1892, after
the nomination of Mr.. Cleveland by
the Democrats, he, once Republican,
renounced his allegiance to the Republican
party and advocated Mr.. Cleveland's cleo
ton. After Mr.. Cleveland was elected, in
February, 1898, he summoned Judge Gre
sham to Lakewood, n. j., where, after a
consultation, he rendered him the position
of Premier of the Cabinet he was forming.
Judge Gresham accepted the trust on
March Z.
AS Secretary of State in the present adj
ministration Mr.. Gresham has had to deal
with perhaps more vexatious, intricate
and delicate diplomatic affairs than has
fallen to the share of most Secretaries
of State. From his long judicial expert
ence he was disposed to view every ques-
ton from the standpoint of exact and
equal justice, and the first consideration
with him was absolute fairness. If his
own country occupied a false position in
the matter he thought it was his duty to
set it right, even at sacrifice of material
interests, as it might appear at the time.
Such course was certain to subject him
to public criticism and he fully realized
this in advance, but was in no respect de-
tered 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
views on this matter, even before he came
into the Cabinet, and it was upon his rec
ommendation that President Cleveland
performed almost his first official action
by Withdrawing from the Senate, in which
it was pending, the annexation treaty ne
gotiated by Secretary Foster. Then Mr..
Blount was sent to the islands to make
an original investigation, and upon his
report the Secretary made his now cele-
brated recommendation that the Queen be
restored, inasmuch as she had been de-
posed by the action of the officers of the
United States.
When Congress finally made known its
views, the Secretary accepted them for his
government but it cannot be discovered
that he ever changed his views as original
ly announced, as to the justice of the action
he had proposed.
While he was deep in the Hawaiian ne
gotiations. Secretary Gresham was obliged
to suddenly give immediate attention to
the Boring Sea seal fisheries. The arbitra-
ton arranged by his predecessor was in full
swing. Here was another matter
with which he was not in har-
mony. He did not believe that the
arbitration would be successful in
the object aimed at by the United States
namely, the protection of the seals--but
regardless of the outcome he was forced to
bring the British Government to a renewal
of the modus vivendi or quick action to
carry out the award when it was an
nounced, in order to guard against the
humiliation of the seals. The British
were unwilling to do the first of these
things, and it was only by an exhibition of
all the strength of his character and pur-
pose that he succeeded in hurrying through
the British Parliament an act to
give effect to the arbitration, and
then securing the adoption of regu-
lations to keep off the poachers. By
clause in the Wilson tariff act Congress
had swept in line all the carefully con-
structed reciprocity treaties negotiated by
the preceding administration. This caused
great anger among the nations with which
the United States had such treaties, and
Ii. FIJI
head. Immediately there was talk of re-
taliation and tariff wars, and in some cases
this was realized to certain extent.
Mr.. Gresham's task was to placate the
European powers, and how skillfully he
did SO the printed correspondence tells.
He fairly amazed the Germans and
Austrians, used as they were to the various
ways of diplomacy, by frankly admitting
that they were right in claiming re-
mission of the differential duties
upon beet sugars; that justice
seemed to require this remis-
sion, and he would do all that could be
done to make reparation, a promise which
he faithfully endeavored to redeem to the
last, and thereby strengthened his own
hands in the vexatious negotiations look
ing to the removal OF the unjust and oner-
Gus restrictions placed upon importation
of American cattle and meats.
Another legacy from his predecessor
which Mr.. Gresham found very little to his
liking was the necessity for caring for the
Samoan king, held imprisoned on the Sum-
day Island by the Germans. He wanted
to repudiate the whole arrangement by
which the United States assumed a part of
the tri-partite protectorate over Samoa,
and he worked hard to this end. and finally
succeeded in inducing President Cleveland
to recommend to Congress that the United
States withdraw from all further partici-
patton in Samoan affairs.
Then, in the constructive side of diplom-
acy, Mr.. Gresham had much to his credit.
He did all that foreign officer could do
properly to prevent the atrocities of the
japanese war, lost no opportunity at any
stage to bring it to an end and ultimately