The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-04-30
THE EXPRESS AND THE FACTS


1.-The position of Republican editor at
best is never an enviable one. He is con-
stantly forced to excuse and apologize as
an editor for things which as an Ameri-
can citizen he condemns For the last
two years. to say nothing of the time pre-
ceding, from the date of the attempted
buccaneering steal of the Hawaiian ISL
ands down to the Nicaraguan incident.
the aforesaid editor has been engaged in
trying to justify and vindicate acts and
policies violative OF the great principles
of sels-government that he affects to trea-
sure so much, or destructive of the
canons of that honesty that his party
claims such a superabupdance of. And
when this unfortunate and to-be- pitied
defender of wanton wrong and inexcusa-
truth of proposition he lapses into
state of hysteria and incoherency deserv-
ing of the commiseration of all humane
Democrats. Yesterday evenings Ex-
press, in the performance of the duty
that all unlucky partisan alliance imposes,
in a series OF rambling and ragged asser
tions attempted to answer three very per-
tinent queries CT The Herald relative to
the Central American difficulty. These as
sertions are like globules OF quicksilver;
they run all over everywhere. and the
limitations of life preclude the possibility
of ever gathering them up. Some men
can give forth more misleading and base
less assertions in a day than a college of
wise men can controvert in generation.
The Express opens it's varied assortment
of postulates with the intimation that
The Herald is apologizing for the admin
istration's course in this matter. If the
Express can discover any apology for Mr..
Clevelands very wise and honorable
handling of the subject, it will be be-
cause it has a private system of inter
preting English. The Herald is making
no apologies for the president; he needs
none. His vindication is already made
III viz hSaAbo "a
and genuinely patriotic Americans.
The Herald set forth the fact that the
present differences between England and
Nicaragua in no way involve the Monroe
doctrine because no attempt is being
made to extend European power or do
mnion to this continent; and it was
against the latter that the Monroe doc
trine was directed. Great Britain is sim
ply enforcing the collection of an indem-
nifty. AS to whether that indemnity be
too much or too little is question of
fact, not for the United States or even for
the editor of the Express to determine.
The most positive assurances have been
given this government that the English
have no designs whatever upon either the
autonomy or territory of Nicaragua. The
republic has made no clamorous appeals
for arbitration and has practically ad-
mitted the case against her by seeking to
evade or defer the issue. 1t is claim
for reparation, and we repeat what we
have substantially said before, that
claim for reparation is none the less
sacred because made by European
power; that the justice of claim does
not depend on the government making
it; and that this government was rot Or
gained for the purpose of enabling other
governments to evade their obligations
nor, for that matter, we might add, to
protect them even against unjust de-
mands. If the latter condition had been
suggested to the constitution founders it
would have been carefully referred to the
waste basket.
These are the unvarnished facts, and
no amount of vituperation directed
against Mr.. Cleveland and Secretary Ores
ham, or Misrepresentation of the issue at
stake can obscure them.