The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-01-28
THE ADMIRATION TREATY.

1t is not surprising that the Senate
shows the most profound distrust of the
Arbitration Treaty, and insists upon an
exhaustive discussion Of every phase.
and every possible bearing of it. In
the first place, President Cleveland's
previous diplomacy has been OF the
most Objectionable and even alarming
character. No President of late years
has done so many things that he should
not have done, and left undone so many
things that he should have done. No
President was ever SO open to the
charge of un-Americanism. He has
seemed anxious to fly in the face of all
the best traditions of our diplomacy.
This in itself is enough to make every
one look askant at anything that he
proposes.
Then we have England's well-known
reputation for over-reaching diplomacy.
Our previous dealings with her have not
been such as to afford us subjects for
congratulation. Whatever we have
gotten from her has been by force OF
arms. Whenever we entered the diplo-
matte field we have lost the biggest end
of the bargain. Her greatest achieve
ment was in 1916, when she chiseled us
out of /" $40 or fight" and the Demo-
cratic Administration of Jas. X. Polk,
shamelessly violating all prediction
pledges, gave away to her all that is
now British Columbia and the North
west Territories. Had it not been for
Folks treachery we should have had all
the country from Washington to
Alaska. We then lost splendid en-
pire in area, and Folks Administration
rushed us into the Mexican War to
distract public attention from the igno.
miny of our defeat.
England threatened US with war il
we took Louisiana, Florida and Texas
and she beat us In the settlement of the
Maine boundary. We had to talk
stifiy of sghting in order to gel
what belonged to us on the Vancouver
frontier, and we actually had to fight
to get our proper boundary on the
frontier of the Great Lakes. We were
badly beaten in the Geneva Arbitration
| With these historical instances before us
| and familiar to every American, We arc
naturally suspicious of any proposition
emanating from England.
Then, the personality of the Prime
Minister of England is not reassuring
Lord Salisbury lacks the frankness ano
truth which are the Distinguishing
characteristics of Gladstone. He belong
to the opposite school of English poll
1
tics. He was the right-hand man ant
ant student of that Prince of Tricksters
the Machiavellian 'Disraeli, whose di
plomacy was fraudulent and deceptive t.
| the last degree. Disraeli never intend
ed or pretended to play fair with any
one. He always had cards up hi
sleeve. When, therefore, Lord Sails
bury offers ever so plain proposition,
is anxiously scanned to see what may b
read between the lines. The Senator
are justified in suspecting that Clevelan
has not been animated by the prope
J intentions, and if he were, that Olne
has been hoodwinked by the astui
Salisbury.
The clamor of the English-toadyin
, press of New York City in favor Of tt
treaty has been of itself sufficient
arouse profound distrust. 1t is alwa.
: safe to view with suspicion anythin
that the New York Euc,,ing Post, Il
New York Times, and similar pape
are ardently in favor Of They C:
t generally be relied on to advoca
e English interests in preference to Amel
+ can, and it is pretty safe to take t
opposite view from theirs of any dipl
matte question.
The examination Of Secretary Oln
;, before the Foreign Affairs Commit
has not helped the Treaty. His hop
beliefs and representations have L
been borne out at all by the actu