part05+-第52章

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inclined　to　go　beyond　this；　and　a　speech　of　the　Emperor　to　his



troops　as　they　were　leaving　Germany　for　the　seat　of　war　was



hastily　construed　to　mean　that　they　were　to　carry　out　a　policy　of



extermination　and　confiscation。　Even　after　the　first　natural



outburst　of　indignation　against　the　Chinese；　it　looked　as　if　the



ultimatum　presented　by　the　powers　would　include　demands　which



could　never　be　met；　and　would　entangle　all　the　powers　in　a　long



and　tedious　war；　leading；　perhaps；　to　a　worse　catastrophe。



Quietly　but　vigorously；　from　first　to　last；　the　American　policy



was　urged　by　Mr。　Conger；　American　minister　at　Peking；　and　by



other　representatives　of　our　government　abroad；　and　it　was　a



happy　morning　for　me　when；　after　efforts　many　and　long　continued；



I　received　at　the　Berlin　Foreign　Office　the　assurance　that



Germany　would　not　consider　the　earlier　conditions　presented　by



the　powers　to　the　Chinese　Government　as　〃irrevocable。〃　My



constant　contention；　during　interviews　at　the　Foreign　Office；　had



been　that　the　United　States　desired　as　anxiously　to　see　the　main



miscreants　punished　as　did　any　other　nation；　but　that　it　was　of



no　use　to　demand；　upon　members　of　the　imperial　family；　and　upon



generals　in　command　of　great　armies；　extreme　penalties　which　the



Chinese　Government　was　not　strong　enough　to　inflict；　or



indemnities　which　it　was　not　rich　enough　to　pay；　that　our　aim　was



not　quixotic　but　practical；　and　that；　in　advocating　steadily　the



〃open　door〃　policy；　we　were　laboring　quite　as　much　for　all　other



powers　as　for　ourselves。　Of　course　we　were　charged　in　various



quarters　with　cold…bloodedness；　and　with　merely　seeking　to



promote　our　own　interest　in　trade；　but　the　Japanese；　who　could



understand　the　question　better　than　the　Western　powers；　steadily



adhered　to　our　policy；　and　more　and　more；　in　its　main　lines；　it



proved　to　be　correct。







On　the　Fourth　of　July；　1900；　came　the　celebration　of　our　national



independence　at　Leipsic；　and　being　asked　to　respond　to　the　first



regular　toast；　and；　having　at　my　former　visit　dwelt　especially



upon　the　Presidency；　my　theme　now　became　the　character　and



services　of　the　President　himself；　and　it　was　a　pleasure　to　find



that　my　statement　was　received　by　the　German　press　in　a　way　that



showed　a　reaction　from　previous　injustice。







During　August　and　September　preceding　the　political　campaign



which　resulted　in　Mr。　McKinley's　reelection　I　was　in　the　United



States。　It　was　the　hottest　summer　in　very　many　years；　and



certainly；　within　my　whole　experience；　there　had　been　no　torrid



heat　like　that　during　my　visits　to　Washington。　Nearly　every　one



seemed　prostrated　by　it。　Upon　arriving　at　the　Arlington　Hotel；　I



found　two　old　friends　unnerved　by　the　temperature；　one　of　them



not　daring　to　risk　a　sunstroke　by　going　to　the　train　which　would



take　him　to　his　home　in　Chicago　Retiring　to　one's　room　at　night；



even　in　the　best…situated　hotels；　was　like　entering　an　oven。　The



leading　official　persons　were　generally　absent；　and　those　who



remained　seemed　hardly　capable　of　doing　business。　But　there　was



one　exception。　Going　to　the　White　House　to　pay　my　respects　to　the



President；　I　found　him　the　one　man　in　Washington　perfectly　cool；



serene；　and　unaffected　by　the　burning　heat　or　by　the　pressure　of



public　affairs。　Although　matters　in　Cuba；　in　Porto　Rico；　in　the



Philippines　in　China；　and　in　the　political　campaign　then　going　on



must　have　been　constantly　in　his　mind；　he　had　plenty　of　time；



seemed　to　take　trouble　about　nothing；　and　kept　me　in　his　office



for　a　full　hour；　discussing　calmly　the　various　phases　of　the



situation　as　they　were　affected　by　matters　in　Germany。







His　discussion　of　public　affairs　showed　the　same　quiet　insight



and　strength　which　I　had　recognized　in　him　when　we　first　met；　in



1884；　as　delegates　at　the　Chicago　National　Convention。　One　thing



during　this　Washington　interview　struck　me　especially：　I　asked



him　if　he　was　to　make　any　addresses　during　the　campaign；　he



answered：　〃No；　several　of　my　friends　have　urged　me　to　do　so；　but



I　shall　not。　I　intend　to　return　to　what　seems　to　me　the　better



policy　of　the　earlier　Presidents：　the　American　people　have　my



administration　before　them；　they　have　ample　material　for　judging



it；　and　with　them　I　shall　silently　leave　the　whole　matter。〃　He



said　this　in　a　perfectly　simple；　quiet　way；　which　showed　that　he



meant　what　he　said。　At　the　time　I　regretted　his　decision；　but　it



soon　became　clear　that　he　was　right。







At　the　beginning　of　the　year　1901　came　the　two…hundredth



anniversary　of　the　founding　of　the　Prussian　kingdom。



Representatives　of　the　other　governments　of　the　world　appeared　at



court　in　full　force；　and；　under　instructions　from　the　President；



I　tendered　his　congratulations　and　best　wishes　to　the　monarch；　as



follows：







May　it　please　Your　Majesty：　I　am　instructed　by　the　President　to



present　his　hearty　congratulations　on　this　two…hundredth



anniversary　of　the　founding　of　the　Kingdom　of　Prussia；　and；　with



his　congratulations；　his　best　wishes　for　Your　Majesty's　health



and　happiness；　as　well　as　the　health　and　happiness　of　the　Royal



Family；　and　his　earnest　hopes　for　the　continued　prosperity　of



Your　Majesty's　Kingdom　and　Empire。







At　the　same　time　I　feel　fully　authorized　to　present　similar



congratulations　and　good　wishes　from　the　whole　people　of　the



United　States。　The　ties　between　the　two　nations；　instead　of　being



weakened　by　time；　have　constantly　grown　stronger。　As　regards



material　interests　they　are　bound　together　by　an　enormous



commerce；　growing　greatly　every　year：　as　regards　deeper



sentiments；　no　man　acquainted　with　American　History　forgets　that



the　House　of　Hohenzollern　was　one　of　the　first　European　powers　to



recognize　American　Independence；　and　that　it　was　Frederick　the



Great　who　made　that　first　treaty；a　landmark　in　the　history　of



International　Law；the　only　fault　of　which　was　that　the　world



was　not　far　enough　advanced　to　appreciate　it。　We　also　remember



that　Germany　was　the　only　foreign　country　which　showed　decided



sympathy　for　us　during　our　Civil　Warthe　second　struggle　for　our



national　existence。







I　also　feel　fully　authorized；　in　view　of　Your　Majesty's　interest



in　everything　that　ministers　to　the　highest　interests　of



civilization；　to　express　thanks　for　service　which　the　broad



policy　of　Germany　has　rendered　the　United　States　in　throwing　open



to　American　scholars　its　Universities；　its　Technical　Schools；　its



conservatories　of　Art；　its　Museums；　and　its　Libraries。　Every



University　and　advanced　school　of　learning　in　the　United　States



recognizes　the　fact　that　Germany　has　been　our　main　foreign



teacher；　as　regards　the　higher　ranges　of　Science；　Literature；　and



Art；　and　I　may　be　allowed　to　remind　Your　Majesty；　that　while



Great　Britain　is　justly　revered　by　us　as　our　mother　country



Germany　is　beginning　to　hold　to　us　a　similar　relation；　not　only



as　the　fatherland　of　a　vast　number　of　American　citizens；　but　as



one　of　the　main　sources　of　the　intellectual　culture　spread　by　our



universities　and　schools　for　advanced　learning。







Allow　me；　then；　sir；　to　renew　the　best　wishes　of　the　President



and　people　of　the　United　States；　with　their　hopes　that　ever



blessing　may　attend　Your　Majesty；　the　House　of　Hohenzollern　the



Kingdom　of　Prussia；　and　the　German　Empire。











The　Emperor　in　his　reply　spoke　very　cordially　of　the　President's



special　telegram；　which　he　had　received　that　morning；　and　then



gave　earnest　utterance　to　his　belief　that　the　time　is　coming　when