part05+-第34章

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Great　Britain。







The　statesmanship　of　Mr。　Cleveland　and　Mr。　Olney　finally



triumphed。　Most　fortunately　for　both　parties；　Great　Britain　had



at　Washington　a　most　eminent　diplomatist；　whose　acquaintance　I



then　made；　but　whom　I　afterward　came　to　know；　respect；　and　admire



even　more　during　the　Peace　Conference　at　The　HagueSir　Julian；



afterward　Lord；　Pauncefote。　His　wise　counsels　prevailed；　Lord



Salisbury　receded　from　his　position；　Great　Britain　agreed　to



arbitration；　and　the　question　entered　into　a　new　stage；　which　was



finally　ended　by　the　award　of　the　Arbitration　Tribunal　at　Paris；



presided　over　by　M。　de　Martens　of　St。　Petersburg；　and　having　on



its　bench　the　chief　justices　of　the　two　nations　and　two　of　the



most　eminent　judges　of　their　highest　courts。　It　is　with　pride　and



satisfaction　that　I　find　their　award　agreeing；　substantially；



with　the　line　which；　after　so　much　trouble；　our　own　commission



had　worked　out。　Arbitration　having　been　decided　upon；　our



commission　refrained　from　laying　down　a　frontier…line；　but



reported　a　mass　of　material；　some　fourteen　volumes　in　all；　with



an　atlas　containing　about　seventy…five　maps；　all　of　which　formed



a　most　valuable　contribution　to　the　material　laid　before　the



Court　of　Arbitration　at　Paris。







It　was　a　happy　solution　of　the　whole　question；　and　it　was　a



triumph　of　American　diplomacy　in　the　cause　of　right　and　justice。







I　may　mention；　in　passing；　one　little　matter　which　throws　light



upon　a　certain　disgraceful　system　to　which　I　have　had　occasion　to



refer　at　various　other　times　in　these　memoirs；　and　I　do　so　now　in



the　hope　of　keeping　people　thinking　upon　one　of　the　most　wretched



abuses　in　the　United　States。　I　have　said　above　that　we　were；　of



course；　obliged　to　maintain　the　strictest　secrecy。　To　have



allowed　our　conclusions　to　get　out　would　have　thwarted　the　whole



purpose　of　the　investigation；　but　a　person　who　claimed　to



represent　one　of　the　leading　presses　in　Washington　seemed　to



think　that　consideration　of　no　special　importance；　and　came　to



our　rooms；　virtually　insisting　on　receiving　information。　Having



been　told　that　it　could　not　be　given　him；　he　took　his　revenge　by



inserting　a　sensational　paragraph　in　the　papers　regarding　the



extravagance　of　the　commission。　He　informed　the　world　that　we



were　expending　large　sums　of　public　money　in　costly　furniture；　in



rich　carpets；　and　especially　in　splendid　silverware。　The　fact　was



that　the　rooms　were　furnished　very　simply；　with　plain　office



furniture；　with　cheap　carpets；　and　with　a　safe　for　locking　up　the



more　precious　documents　intrusted　to　us　and　such　papers　as　it　was



important　to　keep　secret。　The　〃silverware〃　consisted　of　two　very



plain　plated　jugs　for　ice…water；　and　I　may　add　that　after　our



adjournment　the　furniture　was　so　wisely　sold　that　very　nearly　the



whole　expenditure　for　it　was　returned　into　the　treasury。







These　details　would　be　utterly　trivial　were　it　not　that；　with



others　which　I　have　given　in　other　places；　they　indicate　that



prostitution　of　the　press　to　sensation…mongering　which　the



American　people　should　realize　and　reprove。







While　I　have　not　gone　into　minor　details　of　our　work；　I　have



thought　that　thus　much　might　be　interesting。　Of　course；　had　these



reminiscences　been　written　earlier；　this　sketch　of　the　interior



history　of　the　commission　would　have　been　omitted；　but　now；　the



award　of　the　Paris　tribunal　having　been　made；　there　is　no　reason



why　secrecy　should　be　longer　maintained。　Never；　before　that



award；　did　any　of　us；　I　am　sure；　indicate　to　any　person　what　our



view　as　to　the　line　between　the　possessions　of　Venezuela　and



Great　Britain　was；　but　now　we　may　do　so；　and　I　feel　that　all



concerned　may　be　congratulated　on　the　fact　that　two　tribunals；



each　seeking　to　do　justice；　united　on　the　same　line；　and　that



line　virtually　the　same　which　one　of　the　most　just　of　British



statesmen　had　approved　many　years　before。







During　this　Venezuela　work　in　Washington　I　made　acquaintance　with



many　leading　men　in　politics；　and　among　those　who　interested　me



most　was　Mr。　Carlisle　of　Kentucky；　Secretary　of　the　Treasury。　He



had　been　member　of　Congress；　Speaker　of　the　House　of



Representatives；　and　senator；　and　was　justly　respected　and



admired。　Perhaps　the　most　peculiar　tribute　that　I　ever　heard　paid



to　a　public　man　was　given　him　once　in　the　House　of



Representatives　by　my　friend　Mr。　Hiscock；　then　representative；



and　afterward　senator；　from　the　State　of　New　York。　Seated　by　his



side　in　the　House；　and　noting　the　rulings　of　Mr。　Carlisle　as



Speaker；　I　asked；　〃What　sort　of　man　is　this　Speaker　of　yours？〃



Mr。　Hiscock　answered；　〃As　you　know；　he　is　one　of　the　strongest　of



Democrats；　and　I　am　one　of　the　strongest　of　Republicans；　yet　I



will　say　this：　that　my　imagination　is　not　strong　enough　to



conceive　of　his　making　an　unfair　ruling　or　doing　an　unfair　thing



against　the　party　opposed　to　him　in　this　House。〃







Mr。　Carlisle's　talents　were　of　a　very　high　order。　His　speeches



carried　great　weight；　and　in　the　campaign　which　came　on　later



between　Mr。　McKinley　and　Mr。　Bryan；　he；　in　my　opinion；　and　indeed



in　the　opinion；　I　think；　of　every　leading　public　man；　did　a　most



honorable　thing　when　he　deliberately　broke　from　his　party；



sacrificed；　apparently；　all　hopes　of　political　preferment；　and



opposed　the　regular　Democratic　candidate。　His　speech　before　the



working…men　of　Chicago　on　the　issues　of　that　period　was　certainly



one　of　the　two　most　important　delivered　during　the　first　McKinley



campaign；　the　other　being　that　of　Carl　Schurz。







Another　man　whom　I　saw　from　time　to　time　during　this　period　was



the　Vice…President；　Mr。　Stevenson。　I　first　met　him　at　a　public



dinner　in　New　York；　where　we　sat　side　by　side；　but　we　merely



talked　on　generalities。　But　the　next　time　I　met　him　was　at　a



dinner　given　by　the　Secretary　of　War；　and　there　I　found　that　he



was　one　of　the　most　admirable　raconteurs　I　had　ever　met。　After　a



series　of　admirable　stories；　one　of　the　party　said　to　me：　〃He



could　tell　just　as　good　stories　as　those　for　three　weeks　running



and　never　repeat　himself。〃







One　of　these　stories　by　the　Vice…President；　if　true；　threw　a



curious　light　over　the　relations　of　President　Lincoln　with　three



men　very　distinguished　in　American　annals。　It　was　as　follows：　One



day；　shortly　before　the　issue　of　the　Emancipation　Proclamation；　a



visitor；　finding　Mr。　Lincoln　evidently　in　melancholy　mood；　said



to　him；　〃Mr。　President；　I　am　sorry　to　find　you　not　feeling　so



well　as　at　my　last　visit。〃　Mr。　Lincoln　replied：　〃Yes；　I　am



troubled。　One　day　the　best　of　our　friends　from　the　border　States



come　in　and　insist　that　I　shall　not　issue　an　Emancipation



Proclamation；　and　that；　if　I　do　so；　the　border　States　will



virtually　cast　in　their　lot　with　the　Southern　Confederacy。



Another　day；　Charles　Sumner；　Thad　Stevens；　and　Ben　Wade　come　in



and　insist　that　if　I　do　not　issue　such　a　proclamation　the　North



will　be　utterly　discouraged　and　the　Union　wrecked；and；　by　the



way；　these　three　men　are　coming　in　this　very　afternoon。〃　At　this



moment　his　expression　changed；　his　countenance　lighted　up；　and　he



said　to　the　visitor；　who　was　from　the　West；　〃Mr。　；　did　you



ever　go　to　a　prairie　school？〃　〃No；〃　said　the　visitor；　〃I　never



did。〃　〃Well；〃　said　Mr。　Lincoln；　〃I　did；　and　it　was　a　very　poor



school；　and　we　were　very　poor　folks；too　poor　to　have　regular



reading…books；　and　so　we　brought　our　Bibles　and　read　from　them。



One　morning　the　chapter　was　from　the　Book　of　Daniel；　and　a　little



boy　who　sat　next