282 THE GROWTH OF CANADA 



of the bill and the accession of the Marquis of 

 Salisbury to power appeared to denote a great 

 triumph of reaction. Lord Salisbury s reputa 

 tion in America was that of a case-hardened 

 aristocrat, with no faculty of aristocratic reserve 

 when the caustic delineation of his adversaries 

 was concerned. His opinions and expressions 

 concerning the United States had been noto 

 riously contemptuous. It was easy, therefore, 

 for those who were interested, to strengthen the 

 presumption that the British policy in the mat 

 ter of the fisheries was but a manifestation of 

 the unfriendly spirit which the prime minister 

 was disposed to promote. 



The same disturbing end was furthered by the 

 condition of party politics in the United States. 

 Control of the government was divided between 

 the two great parties. President Cleveland 

 was a Democrat; the Senate was by a small 

 majority controlled by the Republicans. In 

 the country at large the voters were very evenly 

 divided, and the struggle of the politicians for 

 the support of those whose preferences could 

 be influenced by anti-British prejudice was very 

 keen. As the campaign of 1888 approached, 

 President Cleveland, in a dramatic manner, 

 brought the tariff into the foreground as the 



