The age-herald., 1897-10-03
AMERICAN POLITICIANS.
Some of Whom Won Their Greatness With One
 Decisive Speech

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 been based on one speech or act or which have been gained by public service which is comparatively shors. "A little over a century ago England had statesman named William Gerard Hamilton, who made one speech in parliament which commanded the admiration of such ex- cellent authorities as Horace Walpoler Grattan, Burke and Chatham, and he never made another winch attrac-ed any attention, although he spoke often before and afterward Said Walpole in refer ring to this spjeech: "He brokeou- like the Irish rebellion, threescore thousand strong, when nobody was aware of 1t or in rhe least expected it." He had ex- flausted himself in that effort, was the surmise of De Quincey, so that he was neither physically or mentally capable I of making another speech which any body cared to read, although his ad- dresses on various subjects were pub lished before his reputation had van ished. ]. In Fisher -Anes the United States has a statesman whose fame rests on a single speech. Ames, though, was a far greater man incidentally than was William Ge- rard Hamilton; his speech was more elo- quent and, of course, it was far more effective, for 1t accomplished the purpc SC for which,it was irterded, while Hamil- ron's did not The British statesman's speech was in support of his measure to raise six regiments of Irish Roman Cath olics, 10 abe officered by their fellow religionists, to be put in the service of PcrtugalI Imh.eh country was an ally of England at the time, but the Pro. .estant membersaopposed it and 1t was aban- doned by. the ministry. Ames' speech, t1,. Inv the housa. of representatives of an ap- propriation to pr. the Jay treaty in op- eraton, tiirned the scale in favor of the treaty. Ames was etght years in the house, beginning with the first congress under the constitution, and had served in the lsgislature. He did some good work in ithat convention, but his repu- tation rests on one speech in the house of represen at .vss, that which carried the appropriation for the Jay treaty. The history of the affair is this:
 President Washington, in May, 1794, sent Chief Justice John Jay as special envoy to England to cooperate with the resident minister in negotiating treaty to remove certain American grievances against that country. In the treaty of peace with England, in 17SS, which recognized the independence of the Onlteu StdIeS, OTedl DIlldbl dSIeeu to evacuate this country's territory, and the United States government promised to recommend to the states the cessa- tion of the confiscation of the estates of tories and the payment of British debts. Congress appealed to the states in accordance with the agreement, but the states paid very little regard for the request, and, because of the failure of the states to comply, Great Britain re- fused to withdraw it's troops from cer- tain forts in the northwest. That coun- try's refusal, its authorization at the be- ginning of its war with France to pri- vateers to seize neutral vessels trading with the French West Indies, which se- riously injured American commerce, and it's search of American ships and Imprisonment of American seamen, cre- ated feeling of hostility to England that reflected itself in press and con- gress, particularly among the republ- cans, or Jefferson's party, which threat ened to lead the war with that country. It was to secure, if possible, settle ment of those and some other disturb ing questions and to avert war that Washington sent Jay on his mission in 1794. (
 The treaty, which was framed by Jay and Lord Grenville, the British oreign secretary, reaching President Wash ington March F, 1795, three days after the. third congress expired, he called the senate in special session. It met on June and ratified the treaty on June "A, but only by the bare two- thirds required by the constitution. De- spite theNpledge of secrecy enjoined on the senate, one of its members, Stevens Thomson tMason, Virginia republican, gave body of it to Benjamin Franklin Baches rabid republican paper, the Au- rora, which printed 1t, and soon 1t ap- peared ill nearly every paper in the country. It enraged the republicans, offended many federalists and aroused indignation among a large part of the moderate element which had not vet contracted hard and fast attachment to either party. Meetings condemning the treaty and telling the president not to sign it were held in many places. The treaty in its more important pro- visions, provided that England should evacuate the forts in the northwestern border of the United States in 1796, grant indemnity to American ctzens for recent unlawful captures by her yes- sels, and allow limited trade between the United States and the British West Indies. America, on the other hand was to reimburse England for vessels seized by privateers fitted out by the French minister, Genet, in American ports; was to discontinue the exporta- tion of molasses. sugar coffee, cocoa and cotton to Europe, in exchange for the concessions allowed by England in the West India trade, and was to pay England for the confiscated British debts during the revolution, so far as impediments since the treaty of peace had prevented their collection. The question of the impressment of Ameri can seamenswas left open, and was the chief cause of the war of 1S12 In rati- flying the treaty the senate excluded AiaIa