The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-01-24
THE ARBITRATION TREATY.

Seattle, Jan. 3. 1887.
To the Editor: Il Is curious 10 note 70
what small degree we mark the rela-
tive Importance OF contsmporarecus
events and we are exactly Ike our prede-
ceSSCrs IN this regard. Great things come
on so naturally and simply and are so
much Ike the little events that are occur
ring az the same time. that IL takes 3 GEN.
fury or two 70 put them in their proper
perspective. When the stout little monk.
Martin Luther. nailed. his ninety-five
propositions 10 the door OF the castle
cathedral az Wit;enburg. every one reeog-
nizsd il as 3 sturdy thing 70 do with high
~ probable interesting results 70 its au-
thor but no one suspected il Of the I'M
partanca which the perspective % four
centuries makes plain 10 Us. When ThoT-
as jefferson sent Lewis and Clarke 70
the Northwest early in this century, and
ever his own signature as president OF
the United States Pledged the faith OF
the government to pay any debts which
they might need 10 incur, people perhaps
thought that it was like firing a cannon
70 XII. a mosquito Even Jefferson, prob
ably, did not see that the step would
more than double the area OF the United
States.
So II is perhaps not surprising that We
sit quietly gossiping about whether or
not Dubois VIII De returned 10 the SEN
ate from Idaho and Mitchell from Oregon.
while the senate has before IL 3 proposal
which. IL adopted and carried out, may
begin the greatest revolution In Christian
history. Indeed. the senate itself does
not appear 70 realize the relative i'm
portance OF the matters which come be-
fore II. Yesterday. for instance, the time
seems TO have been expended on the high
ly important question OF the senate's dig
nifty and it's relations TO the state depart
ment. As IL the senate OF the United
States had TO constantly protest its dig
nifty IN order 70 have IL respected! some
OF us have long thought that the dignity
OF public body, as of a man, lay with
itself and not in it's treatment by others.
The real fact is that the arbitration
treaty initiates movement OF such mag
nitude in morals and money. in the hap
piness and prosperity OF mankind. that
it dwarfs the Cuban question, the Mica
ragua question, and even the return or
Dubois and Mitchell and the contest be-
tween Addicks and Dupont into absolute
insignificance. The issue is a plain one:
the significance of the movement is much
more evident than is usually the case
with causes OF great magnitude; the mat
ter has advanced until any one can make
a fair forecast of the nature OF the re-
suit. A hundred years from now this
treaty viii be considered as marking an
epoch OF so great Importance that the
names of many men now appearing i'm
portant will be saved from oblivion only
by the record of their relations TO Ii.
The treaty Is very important one to
this state. as any one can see who Will
reflect on our geographical relations to
British Columbia, especially II ha viii
look down the Sound to Esquimalt. Our
senators should be in the senate chamber
at Washington, doing all in their power 10
have the treaty ratified promptly by the
senate. and the purpose OF this letter Is
10 propose mass meeting or the citizens
OF Seattle. where our sentiments on this
subject can be fully expressed. | would
propose that some public body. like the
Chamber OF Commerce, take the matter
up and arrange for such a meeting in the
near future.
MARK " HARRIN(ITN1N.