The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1895-06-01

from the Mckinley law. and IN 1917,
after the nomination OF Mr.. Cleveland.
he renounced his allegiance to the re-
publican party and advocated Mr..
Cleveland's election. After MIR. Cleve-
land was elected, in February, 1893. he
summoned Judge Gresham to Lake
wood, N. J.. where after a consultation
he rendered him the position of pre-
mier. Judge Gresham accepted the
trust.
AS secretary of state in the present
administration Mr.. Gresham has had
to deal with perhaps more vexatious.
intricate and delicate diplomatic af-
fairs than has fallen to the share of
most secretaries. 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 recon-
mendation that the president performed
almost his first official action by with
drawing from the senate the annexa-
ton treaty negotiated by Secretary
Foster. Then Mr.. Blount was sent to
the islands to make an original inveS-
tigation, and upon his report the Sec
rotary made his celebrated recon-
mendation that the queen be restored,
inasmuch as she had been deposed by
the action of the officers of the United
States. When congress finally made
known it's views the secretary accept
ed them for his government, but it can
not be discovered that he ever changed
his views as originally announced as
to the justice of the action he pro-
posed.
While he was deep in the Hawaiian
negotiations Secretary Gresham was
obliged to suddenly give immediate at
tentiOn to the Behring sea seal fisheries.
The arbitration arranged by his pred
ecessor was in full swing. lie did not
doubt but that the arbitration would
| be successful in the object aimed at by
! the United States, namely, the prOtec-
ton of the seals; but, regardless of the
outcome. he was forced to bring the
British government to q renewal of the
modus Vivendi in order to guard against
| the annihilation of the seals. BY a
clause in the Wilson tariff act, congress
had swept away in a line all the care
! fully constructed reciprocity treaties
negotiated by the preceding administra-
ton. This caused great anger among
! the nations with which the United
! States had such treaties, and the storm
| fell upon Secretary Gresham's head.
| Mr.. Gresham's task to please the Euro
pean powers, and how he did So the
printed correspondence tells. He fairly
amazed the Germans and Austrians by
frankly admitting that they were right
in claiming Il remission of differential
duties upon beet sugars. that justice
seemed to require this remission, 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
looking to the removal of unjust and
onerous restrictions placed upon the i'm
pOrtatiOn of American cattle and meats
Another legacy from his predecessor
which Mr.. Gresham found little to his
liking was the necessity for caring fOl
the Samoan king. held imprisoned or
the Sunday island by the Germans. He
wanted to repudiate the whole arrange
ment by which the United States as
sumed part Of a tripartite protectorat'
over Samoa, and he worked hard t
this end and finally succeeded in Undue
ing the president 10 recommend to con
gress that the United States withdraw
from all further participation in the Sa
moan affair.
do properly to prevent the atrocities 0
the Chinese-Japanese war. lost no op
portunity at any stage to bring it &
an end. and ultimately, when peace wa
restored. IL was through the good Office
of American ministers in China and ia
pan acting under Gresham's instruc
tions. And while he was doing this
Secretary Gresham was also using hi
, good offices to prevent war between
Mexico and Guatemala, and in this n
succeeded completely, although he wa
obliged to use very strong representa-
! tons TO do so.
Almost the last official action befor
he fell mortally i'll was TO ope
, correspondence with France intende
to secure justice for ex-United State
Consul Waller, whom he believed t
have been ill-treated by the summar
French court-martial in Madagascar.
His life is thus told in the congre.
= sional directory.
! Walter Quinton Gresham of Chicag,
secretary of state. was born near Lane:
vile, Harrison county, Indiana, Marc
= II, 1882. He received his education /
the common schools, and the state un
versity at Bloomington, Indiana. II
studied law at Corydon, Indiana, an
? was admitted to the bar in 1853. He wa
o elected to the state legislature in 1S6
! but resigned in August, 1861, to acceI
q the Internationally of the Thirt,
eighth Indiana regiment. He was pr,
. NOTED to colonel of the Fifty-third Ind
! ana regiment in December. 1863. and
a brigadier-general in the August follow
r ing.
After the fall OF vicksburg he con