part05+-第43章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





canal〃　to　cost；　running　through　the　whole　length　of　the　State；



encountering　enormous　difficulties　of　every　sort；　estimated　at



the　beginning　to　cost　one　hundred　millions　of　dollars；　but



including　no　estimate　for　〃land　damages；〃　〃water　damages；〃



〃personal　damages；〃　〃unprecedented　floods；〃　〃unforeseen



obstacles；〃　〃quicksands；〃　〃changes　of　plan；〃　etc。；　etc。；　which



have　played　such　a　costly　and　corrupting　part　in　the　past　history



of　our　existing　New　York　canals？　And　how　many　years　will　it　take



to　complete　it？　This　was　the　train　of　thought　and　this　was　its



resultant　query　forced　upon　me　whenever　I　looked　upon　the



Parliament　House　at　Berlin。















CHAPTER　XLI







AMERICA；　GERMANY；　AND　THE　SPANISH　WAR1897…1903







During　the　early　days　of　this　second　official　stay　of　mine　at



Berlin；　Russia　had；　in　one　way　and　another；　secured　an　entrance



into　China　for　her　trans…Siberian　railway；　and　seemed　to　have



taken　permanent　possession　of　the　vast　region　extending　from　her



own　territory　to　the　Pacific　at　Port　Arthur。　Germany　followed



this　example；　and；　in　avenging　the　murder　of　certain



missionaries；　took　possession　of　the　harbor　of　Kiao…Chau。　Thereby



other　nations　were　stirred　to　do　likewise；England；　France；　and



Italy　beginning　to　move　for　extensions　of　territory　or　commercial



advantages；　until　it　looked　much　as　if　China　was　to　be　parceled



out　among　the　greater　European　powers；　or　at　least　held　in



commercial　subjection；　to　the　exclusion　of　those　nations　which



had　pursued　a　more　dilatory　policy。







Seeing　this　danger；　our　government　instructed　its　representatives



at　the　courts　of　the　great　powers　to　request　them　to　join　in　a



declaration　in　favor　of　an　〃open…door　policy〃　in　China；　thus



establishing　virtually　an　international　agreement　that　none　of



the　powers　obtaining　concessions　or　controlling　〃spheres　of



influence〃　in　that　country　should　secure　privileges　infringing



upon　the　equality　of　all　nations　in　competing　for　Chinese　trade。



This　policy　was　pushed　with　vigor　by　the　Washington　cabinet；　and



I　was　instructed　to　secure；　if　possible；　the　assent　of　the　German



Government；　which；　after　various　conferences　at　the　Foreign



Office　and　communications　with　the　minister　of　foreign　affairs；



some　more；　some　less；　satisfactory；　I　was　at　last　able　to　do。　The



assent　was　given　very　guardedly；　but　not　the　less　effectively。



Its　terms　were　that　Germany；　having　been　from　the　first　in　favor



of　equal　rights　to　all　nations　in　the　trade　of　China；　would



gladly　acquiesce　in　the　proposed　declaration　if　the　other　powers



concerned　would　do　so。







The　Emperor　William　himself　was　even　more　open　and　direct　than



his　minister。　At　his　dinner　to　the　ambassadors　in　the　spring　of



1900；　he　spoke　to　me　very　fully　on　the　subject；　and；　in　a



conversation　which　I　have　referred　to　elsewhere；　assured　me　of



his　complete　and　hearty　concurrence　in　the　American　policy；



declaring；　〃We　must　stand　together　for　the　open　door。〃







Finally；　on　the　9th　of　April；　1900；　I　had　the　satisfaction　of



sending　to　the　German　Foreign　Office　the　proofs　that　all　the



other　powers　concerned；　including　Japan；　had　joined　in　the



American　declaration；　and　that　the　government　of　the　United



States　considered　this　acquiescence　to　be　full　and　final。







It　was　really　a　great　service　rendered　to　the　world　by　Mr。



McKinley　and　Secretary　Hay；　their　action　was　farseeing；　prompt；



bold；　and　successful。







Yet　another　subject　of　contention　was　the　exclusion　of　sundry



American　insurance　companies　from　Germany；　due　in　part　to　a



policy　of　〃protection；〃　but　also　to　that　same　distrust　of　certain



American　business　methods　which　had　given　me　much　trouble　in



dealing　with　the　same　question　at　St。　Petersburg。　The　discussions



were　long　and　tedious；　but　resulted　in　a　sort　of　modus　vivendi



likely　to　lead　to　something　better。







The　American　sugar　duties　were　also　a　sore　subject。　Various



writers　in　the　German　press　and　orators　in　public　bodies



continued　to　insist　that　America　had　violated　the　treaties；



America　insisted　that　she　had　not；　and　this　trouble；　becoming



chronic；　aggravated　all　others。　The　main　efforts　of　Count　von



Bulow　and　myself　were　given　to　allaying　inflammation　by　doses　of



common　sense　and　poultices　of　good…will　until　common　sense　could



assert　its　rights。







The　everlasting　meat　question　also　went　through　various　vexatious



phases；　giving　rise　to　bitter　articles　in　the　newspapers；



inflammatory　speeches　in　Parliament；　and　measures　in　various



parts　of　the　empire　which；　while　sometimes　honest；　were　always



injurious。　American　products　which　had　been　inspected　in　the



United　States　and　Hamburg　were　again　broken　into；　inspected；　and



reinspected　in　various　towns　to　which　they　were　taken　for　retail；



with　the　result　that　the　packages　were　damaged　or　spoiled；　and



the　costs　of　inspection　and　reinspection　ate　up　all　profits。　I



once　used　an　illustration　of　this　at　the　Foreign　Office　that



seemed　to　produce　some　effect。　It　was　the　story　of　the　Yankee



showman　who；　having　been　very　successful　in　our　Northern　and



Middle　States；　took　his　show　to　the　South；　but　when　he　returned



had　evidently　been　stripped　of　his　money。　Being　asked　regarding



it；　he　said　that　his　show　had　paid　him　well　at　first；　but　that　on



arriving　in　Texas　the　authorities　of　each　little　village　insisted



on　holding　an　inquest　over　his　Egyptian　mummy；　charging　him



coroner's　fees　for　it；　and　that　this　had　made　him　a　bankrupt。







Speeches；　bitter　and　long；　were　made　on　both　sides　of　the



Atlantic；　the　cable　brought　reports　of　drastic　reprisals



preparing　in　Washington；　but　finally　a　system　was　adopted　to



which　the　trade　between　the　two　countries　has　since　been　uneasily



trying　to　adjust　itself。







Then　there　was　sprung　upon　us　the　fruit　question。　One　morning



came　a　storm　of　telegrams　and　letters　stating　that　cargoes　of



American　fruits　had　been　stopped　in　the　German　harbors；　under　the



charge　that　they　contained　injurious　insects。　The　German



authorities　were　of　course　honest　in　this　procedure；　though　they



were　doubtless　stimulated　to　it　by　sundry　representatives　of　the



land…owning　class。　Our　beautiful　fruits；　especially　those　of



California；　had　come　to　be　very　extensively　used　throughout　the



empire；　and　the　German　consumers　had　been　growing　more　and　more



happy　and　the　German　producers　more　and　more　unhappy　over　this



fact；　when　suddenly　there　came　from　the　American　side　accounts　of



the　scale…insects　discovered　on　pears　in　California；　and　of



severe　measures　taken　by　sundry　other　States　of　our　Union　to



prohibit　their　importation。　The　result　was　a　prohibition　of　our



fruits　in　Germany；　and　this　was　carried　so　far　that　not　only



pears　from　California；　but　all　other　fruits；　from　all　other　parts



of　the　country；　were　at　first　put　under　the　ban；　and　not　only



fresh　but　dried　and　preserved　fruits。　As　a　matter　of　fact；　there



was　no　danger　whatever　from　the　scale…insect；　so　far　as　fruit　was



concerned。　The　creature　never　stirs　from　the　spot　on　the　pear　to



which　it　fastens　itself；　and　therefore　by　no　possibility　can　it



be　carried　from　the　house　where　the　fruit　is　consumed　to　the



nurseries　where　trees　are　grown。　We　took　pains　to　show　the　facts



in　the　case；　dealing　fairly　and　openly　with　the　German



Government；　allowing　that　the　importation　of　scale…infested　trees



and　shrubs　might　be　dangerous；　and　making　no　objection　to　any



fair　measures　regarding　these。　The　Foreign　Office　was　reasonable；



and　gradually　the　mo