The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-02-23

should cede Canada 10 Us. and withdraw its
flag from this hemisphere. General Grant
had looked with favor upon the PROPOSE
ton to receive Canada as restitution for
the Alabama claims. provided the Cana
dams favored the plan. But at that time
he was as earnestly in favor of an ADJUST
ment of the claims and differences by ar
bitration as was Secretary Fish. The sec
rotary saw in the note of Mr.. Sumner
purpose TO antagonize the proposition 10
arbitrate. Mr.. Adams says:
The natural indeed the only, inference
10 be drawn from the memorandum was
that the chairman Of the Senate committee
on foreign relations intended TO put an
immediate stop TO the proposed negotld-
ton, If in his power 10 do SO. Inc
issue presented was clear and not TO De
evaded. Was the executive 10 shape the
foreign policy OF the United States, or was
il 10 receive It's inspiration from the room
of the committee on foreign relations?
When Secretary Fish took the Sumner
note to President Grant he resented Mr..
Summers interference with the affairs of
the State Department and promptly in
structed Mr.. Fish to go to Sir John Rose
and advise him that the administration was
prepared TO accept the proposal for con-
ference involving a joint commission to
make a treaty which should prepare the
way to settle the differences existing be-
tween the two countries. To carry out
this policy it was necessary that the chair
man Of the Senate foreign committee
should be in accord with the administra-
ton instead of fighting ii. This representa-
ton was made to the Republican Senate,
and when the committees were revised,
March 9, 1870, Mr. Summers name was
dropped. May 10 following the treaty Of
Washington was presented to the Senate,
and on May "a was reported back without
amendment for ratification. If Mr.. Sum-
ner had been at the head of the committee
on foreign relations he would have held
back the treaty if he could not defeat it,
and thus prevent the carrying into effect
of it's provisions. If the differences between
the two countries involving the losses of
thousands of American citizens were to
be settled by arbitration it was essential
to the success of that plan that Mr.. Sumner
should be deposed. Mr.. Summers intolet-
ant autocracy had so long exasperated his
colleagues in the Senate that most of them
regardless of party affiliation, were pleased
to have him deposed. But Mr.. Summers
friends cried out that he was a martyr TO
principle and had been deposed because a
General-P President had a grudge against
him. AS Mr.. Summers friends made the
biographies of the time, the real cause of
his removal from the craftsmanship has
not been so generally presented. The facts
show that Mr.. Sumner was deposed because
he was determined to defeat the Presidents
and Mr.. Fishs policy of arbitration-the
first time that method was employed by
two great nations. The biographers are in
error General Grant was determined to
avert war with Great Britain; the Gen
eral-President was a man of peace. The
oratorical Sumner urged settlement which
would have involved the two nations in
war. He had so Influenced our minister
at ST. James with his ideas that he pre-
scented them as those of the President, thus
ignoring the President and his pacific poll
cy. for which he was removed. Enraged
with the President and determined to press
his own warlil1e policy, it was an absolute
necessity of the situation to depose Mr..
Sumner.
So many years after the event, when
war advocates were disposed to charge
General Grant with servility to Great Brit
ain, it now appears that his persistence in
securing the Geneva court of arbitration,
the first ever held, involved the highest
craftsmanship AS the years pass the vast
Importance of that service is more and
more recognized, so that many thoughtful
people will agree with the judgment ex-
pressed by General Black in his appre-
ciative review of the character and deeds
of General Grant before the Loyal Legion
Friday night-that in securing the arbitra-
ton of our differences with Great Britain
''he paved the way for the settlement of
the difficulties of the world, which was
the greatest achievement in the life of the
greatest soldier of his time