The San Francisco call., 1898-01-11
UNSAFE LEADERSHIP.

HE policy of following the lead of Senator
 Morgan in annexation any other serious
 matter has doubts cast upon it by the conse- quences which are upon the country through listen ing to him in the past.
 The United States had claimed exclusive owner ship of Boring Sea and all that swan therein. To make this claim good had forbidden other tons to take seals in those waters, and when ships went sealing there under the British flag we captured and sold them as prizes. Eng land disputed our claim of a closed sea and denied right make prizes of the property of her subjects Finally the dispute was left bitration and the nations were asked to sit in judg upon claim and its denial by Great Britain. Senator Morgan was appointed of the American counsel The tribunal in Paris and after patient and learned investigation found against the claim of closed and found us indebted to Great Britain Tn equal to the value of the ships taken under her flag as prizes. We had agreed before the arbitration to abide by the verdict Our Secretary of State Gresham and the British Minister at Wash ngton, after investigating the subject, agreed that under the verdict of Paris we owed Great Britain $424ooo for her ships taken as prizes. The Presi- dent sent to Congress a message apprisng 1t of the verdict and asking appropriation to pay it. Then was presented opportunity for statesmanship of the Morgan type. The Alabama Senator was chair
 
 been of American counsel at the Paris arbitration. He spoke by authority, and speaking proceeded to declare that in asking appropriation to pay this award the President was picking the pockets of the American people to curry favor with Great Britain. He declared that we did not England cent for these prizes and uttered much more bar room dip lomacy The appropriation refused and at Sen ator Morgan's nstigation supplementary court created subordinate the Paris tribunal, to traverse the subject again, take testimony and reach verdict as to whether anything was due Great Britain and how much
 This court has just finished the labor, which occu- pied 1t nearly years and involved sessions at Vic toria San Francisco and elsewhere, where numbers of witnesses to be had, and has reached unani nous verdict that owed Great Britain $424ooo, as found by Gresham and Pauncefote, and that sum with interest swelling it to S464ooo must be paid by US together with the costs of this supplementary court, the whole being s6oo,ooo. It has, there fore cost American taxpayers SI76ooo to follow the advice of Senator Morgan.
 That Is not the total cost. At the close of our Civil War claimed damages of Great Britain for destruction of merchant marine by Confederate privateers built, launched and armed the Clyde She denied responsibility and asked the nations to sit in judgment between That high court met in Geneva and found verdict for and against Great Britain in the sum of SIS 900 900. Britain without moments delay or word of complaint paid that enormous fine into our treasury.
 Is Senator Morgan capable of appreciating the contempt and dishonor into which he brought this country by inducing Congress to refuse to stand by the Paris arbitration when the sum stake was so pitifuly small in comparison to that which England paid to us?
 Do his admirers appreciate the loss of standing ,I oE I,rt, suffered by his leadership?
 After this dsgraceul incident should any fol- low him into further smrch of the country's honor by annexation Of Hawaii against the protest of its people7