Untitled

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9145, 29 August 1888, Page 4

The position of the United States Government in respect of the Fisheries question reveals the weak point in free popular institutions. That point is the necessity which seems to exist for making use of the baser passions in our nature for the accomplishment of State or political objects. Nor is this necessity confined to purely democratic communities. Prince Bismarck finds it necessary to create a war scare when army estimates require to be passed ; the Frencli Government in return have availed themselves from time to time of

the fear of German designs, suddenly discovered or imagined, for obtaining power to get military supplies; even, descending from great things to small, political parties in New Zealand find it necessary, or deem it so, to vilify the position and credit of the colony in order to decry the policy of their opponents; and so it is that, everywhere under popular institutions, it seems necessary to inflame the ignorant passions of the community in order to carry the popular vote. It is saddening, and somewhat humiliating, that it should be so ; but it may be assumed that, so long as human nature is constituted as it is, the inflammable popular prejudices must be a potent factor in the solution of political questions. In America, in Presidential elections, the Irish vote counts for much, and at the proper time some fulmination against England, seeming to portend imminent war, is a necessary prelude to <i Presidential campaign. If foreign Governments were ignorant of these things complications between the Powers would be of incessant occurrence. But the French Government paid no attention to Prince Bismarck's menaces made for the occasion ; nor did the Iron Chancellor himself attach the least political significance to the assumed nervous tension of the Gallic Government when war supplies were being asked ; and the intelligent British capitalist, looking out for safe investment, doubtless treats with a smile the political declarations made by successive Ministries and parties against one another, of having brought the colony to the verge of bankruptcy. It is unpleasant that these things should be necessary, but they are necessary ; and when that is known no evil need necessarily result. Any one not taking knowledge of the nature of things would see in the message of President Cleveland to Congress the imminence of very strained relations, if not ultimate hostilities, between Canada—that is, Great Britain —and the United States. Nothing short o£ war itself could put an end to the dreadful reprisals that are indicated there as about to be made. Why a Bill has actually been introduced in the House of Representatives at Washington providing for the defence of American shipping, and we can almost hear in fancy the boom of the British ironclads bombarding New York. Nobody is misled by tins, but our wonder is that the American people do not themselves resent this humbug as a reflection on their intelligence. The rejection of the Fisheries Treaty, after the lengthened labours of the British and American Commissioners, was the work of the party in the Senate which is opposed to President Cleveland. The time for him to have shown his indignation was when an instrument of such dire injustice, the combined work of the representatives of the High contracting parties, first saw the light. Then was the appropriate time for the American eagle to scream and flop her wings in the face of all creation. But it is not till his opponents have rejected it by a very small majority that he rises to the majesty of tiie occasion, and outstrips them wholly and suddenly, taking the decision of the Senate as the mandate of the nation, flouts the stars and stripes in the face of the British lion, who lazily blinks and wonders what it is all about. The Presidential election will take place in November, and till then the eagle must be in a state of extreme nervous excitement, ruffling her feathers and sharpening her beak oiv the perch, and clutching with her talons, and furiously shrieking : but having laid the Presidential ogg, she will quietly subside, and rub her bill confidingly against the whiskers of the old lion, who will yawn and whisk his tail with acquiescence, and all will be friendly and nice between them till the next Presidential election is coming round. It is in the nature of American polities that these things should be, and much as we admire the freedom of democratic and popular institutions, we must make some allowance for their inevitable inconveniences.