The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-12-13

politics too seriously-not so tcriously 90
| the proceeding OF Gn impeachment must
comprehend. The nation must be high
strung with some great intense theme
for controversy 10 contemplate at It's full
value so serious thing as an impeach-
ment of a high official
II is proposed to impesch our ambas-
ssdor 10 England, Thomas FRANCIS
BAYARD. The grounds, therefor, are
such that serious action on the part OF
Congress, representing the people ire
spective Of political faith, and expressing
the indignation OF the nation that AM
hassador BAYARD represents ut the
Court of 81. James, is indicated. Am
bassador BAYARD has committed an
offense. 1t was surely an offepse against
good taste. Almost as surely it was far
more than that.
The tariff policy OF the United states,
as il chanoed, a Republican tariff policy,
had been in operation for thirty years,
The protection principle is established
so firmly asa factor i'm our system OF
government that even the Democratic
! PARTY. declaring II to he unconstitution-
al, could not bring itself, when il came
into power, to utterly destroy it and the
attempt that was made to accomplish
destruction resulted in such an uprising,
such a universal protest, as had never be-
fore been known in this country.
And yet il was this policy, this Ameri-
eau policy, firmly implanted as an Ameri
can institution, that A m bassador BAYARD
| attacked-not as a psrtizan addressing a
! political convention about to enter upon
q campaign i'm American politics, but ss a
diplomatist, representing the whole
country, and delivering himself to the
people OF nation whose commercial and
business policy must ever be opposed to
that OF these United States for the plain
and simple reason that Great Britain, in q
business sense, is an aggressive rival, a
competitor, Q business enemy of the
United States OF America.
This policy, this institution of his native
country, said Ambassador BAYARD, at q
public dinner, "has done more to cor
rupt public life, Danish men of inde-
pendent mind and character from public
councils, blunt public conscience and
place politics on the low level OF a msr.
csnary scramble than any other cause"
That was an infamous charge to make, an
astounding charge. Mr. BAyARD, apollo
gizing for the low condition
OF American politics, insulted
his countrymen and DETAINED American
politics and policy. What Congress or
Parliament OF any nation in the world
would not have expressed indignation at
such words from its representative to an
other country-snd that country a sworn
enemy, so far as business and commerce
go? What nation under such circum-
stances would not have risen in protest
to demand the recall OF such . represen-
tstive?
Ambassador BAYARD stopped over.
But an Am hssssdor has no right to slop
nxer.-Hn- haa no right to spaak without
due consideration and must be held ac-
countabls for his words and acts and
credited with having given them due
consideration. Impeachment is serious
business, but Ambassador BAYARD has
committed . serious ofense. X is we'll
to take things seriously, sometimes, even
in our politics.
-
OUR always esteemed contemporary,
the Pawtuxet Valley Daily Times looks