New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-06-24
THE PRESIDENTS ATTITUDE.


II President Cleveland actually contcmplates
another startling performance in foreign al
fairs. his friends should strongly advise him
that il is certain to be unfavOrably Interpreted,
here and in other countries 1t is inevitable
that every new and important step. with a
National Convention of his own party just at
hand. will he construed 10y multitrdeS n IN
tended to affect the action of that body. Be
cause good citizens Of all parties will feel that
any ENHANCEMENT Of foreign relations for such
Il purpose would be- n Migrant abuse OF trust,
and BETRAYAL Of grave. public interests, 1t could
not nj this time command the conidcnc" or sup
port which II might under other circumstances.
1t Is in the last degree important that Ancrl-
cans should br alb" untrdly io uphold the
Executive III any Mait.r affecting the public
interests or honor and nothing less than the
most evident and absolute Necessity could jus
tify any Important action in foreign affairs ut
juncture when great majority of the Pres
dcnts own party 10 say nothing OF his oppo-
ncnts. would find themselves unable 10 give
unresrrvcd and unsusplcous support 10 his
course
The thing evident nj this time is that no such
necessity exists. II is idl" 10 say that condi-
tons may exist of which the public has not
been Informed for prudential reasons. The
acts and statements of other Governments. the
keen wat,hlulnc>s Of the press Of other coun-
tries. the extreme care taken by the press Of
this country 10 run 10 earth every rumor That
might have serious bearing upon our foreign
relations render IL safe To assert that the pub
lie Is really better Informed than the State DE
parimcnt itself, for iis deliberate blindness To
light from ordinary sources is chronic. Nor
has the country forgotten the amazing official
misstatcmcnt about Hawaiian affairs. II is
hut the plain truth that sober American citizens
discovered. after the nccdlcsSly sensational
message Of the President on Venezuelan affairs.
that the state Of facts was not what the tone
Of that document led people TO suppose. More
over, It was so quickly followed by another
negotiation with international bankers for n
sale Of bonds. which the President strongly
desired for definite partisan reasons. that can
did and fair men experienced some difficulty
in believing the tone OF the message dictated
by anxiety about foreign interests alone.
President Cleveland must be aware that he
no longer has the confidence Of large proper
ton of his own party. He has laborcd without
ceaslng to deprive himself Of the confidence Of
those who dissent from his views regarding the
raising Of revenue. 1t would be grave public
offence II n President standing I'm such an
isolated position, without even n wcll-defned
faction to support him, should without the most
Imperative necessity attempt any essential
change Of the Nations foreign relations. II
In his belief reason existed for any step Of i'm
pOrtance, it would be his plain duty to call Con-
gress together. that its authorization might
first he given. The President cannot ut any
time declare war without authority from Con
gress nor should he assume power to take any
steps tending TO involve war, standing as Pres
dent Cleveland does, outside the confidence of
three-fourths Of the people. until the Repre-
sentatives Of the people have first been sum-
mOned to decide what should be done The no.
ton that the gravcst foreign interests can be
used as pawns on the chessboard to influence
partisan convention contest is one which
no President can afford to entertain for an
instant.