the path of empire-第7章

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Mexico。　Yet　he　nevertheless　retained　the　sentiment　he　had　expressed　in　1846：　〃I　would　not　give　one　human　life　for　all　the　continent　that　remains　to　be　annexed。〃　The　Civil　War　prevented　for　four　years　any　action　regarding　expansion；　and　the　same　conspiracy　which　resulted　in　the　assassination　of　Lincoln　brought　Seward　to　the　verge　of　the　grave。　He　recovered　rapidly；　however；　and　while　on　a　recuperating　trip　through　the　West　Indies　he　worked　for　the　peaceable　annexation　of　the　Danish　Islands　and　Santo　Domingo。　His　friend；　Charles　Sumner；　the　chairman　of　the　Senate　Committee　on　Foreign　Affairs；　was　framing　his　remarkable　project　for　the　annexation　of　Canada。　President　Johnson　and；　later；　President　Grant　endorsed　parts　of　these　plans。　Denmark　and　Santo　Domingo　were　willing　to　acquiesce　for　money；　and　Sumner　believed；　although　he　was　preposterously　wrong；　that　the　incorporation　of　Canada　in　our　Union　would　be　welcomed　by　the　best　sentiment　of　England　and　of　Canada。

To　willing　ears；　therefore；　came　in　1867　the　offer　of　the　Russian　Minister；　Baron　Stoeckl；　to　sell　Alaska。　The　proposal　did　not　raise　a　question　which　had　been　entirely　unthought　of。　Even　before　the　Civil　War；　numbers　of　people　on　the　Pacific　coast；　far　from　being　overawed　by　the　responsibility　of　developing　the　immense　territories　which　they　already　possessed；　had　petitioned　the　Government　to　obtain　Alaska；　and　even　the　proper　purchase　price　had　been　discussed。　The　reasons　for　Russia's　decision　to　sell；　however；　have　not　been　sufficiently　investigated。　It　is　apparent　from　the　conduct　of　the　negotiation　that　it　was　not　a　casual　proposal　but　one　in　which　Baron　Stoeckl；　at　least；　was　deeply　interested。　It　is　to　be　remembered　that　at　this　time　Russia's　ambitions　were　in　Asia；　and　that　her　chief　rival　was　Great　Britain。　Russia's　power　was　on　land；　the　seas　she　could　not　hope　to　control。　The　first　moment　of　war　would　put　Russian　rule　in；　Alaska　at　the　mercy　of　the　British　fleet。　In　those　days　when　a　Siberian　railroad　was　an　idle　dream；　this　icebound　region　in　America　was　so　remote　from　the　center　of　Russian　power　that　it　could　be　neither　enjoyed　nor　protected。　As　Napoleon　in　1803　preferred　to　see　Louisiana　in　the　hands　of　the　United　States　rather　than　in　those　of　his　rival　England；　so　Russia　preferred　Alaska　to　fall　to　the　United　States　rather　than　to　Canada；　especially　as　she　could　by　peaceful　cession　obtain　money　into　the　bargain。

Seward　was　delighted　with　the　opportunity；　but　diplomatically　concealed　his　satisfaction　and　bargained　closely。　Stoeckl　asked　ten　million　dollars；　Seward　offered　five。　Stoeckl　proposed　to　split　the　difference；　Seward　agreed；　if　Stoeckl　would　knock　off　the　odd　half　million。　Stoeckl　accepted；　on　condition　that　Seward　add　two　hundred　thousand　as　special　compensation　to　the　Russian　American　Company。　It　was　midnight　of　the　29th　of　March　when　7；200；000　was　made　the　price。　Seward　roused　Sumner　from　bed；　and　the　three　worked　upon　the　form　of　a　treaty　until　four　o'clock　in　the　morning。　No　captains　of　industry　could　show　greater　decision。

The　treaty；　however；　was　not　yet　a　fact。　The　Senate　must　approve；　and　its　approval　could　not　be　taken　for　granted。　The　temper　of　the　majority　of　Americans　toward　expansion　had　changed。　The　experiences　of　the　later　fifties　had　caused　many　to　look　upon　expansion　as　a　Southern　heresy。　Carl　Schurz　a　little　later　argued　that　we　had　already　taken　in　all　those　regions　the　climate　of　which　would　allow　healthy　self…government　and　that　we　should　annex　no　tropics。　Hamilton　Fish；　then　Secretary　of　State；　wrote　in　1873　that　popular　sentiment　was；　for　the　time　being；　against　all　expansion。　In　fact；　among　the　people　of　the　United　States　the　idea　was　developing　that　expansion　was　contrary　to　their　national　policy；　and　their　indisposition　to　expand　became　almost　a　passion。　They　rejected　Santo　Domingo　and　the　Danish　Islands　and　would　not　press　any　negotiations　for　Canada。

What　saved　the　Alaska　Treaty　from　a　similar　disapproval　was　not　any　conviction　that　Alaska　was　worth　seven　million　dollars；　although　Sumner　convinced　those　who　took　the　trouble　to　read；　that　the　financial　bargain　was　not　a　bad　one。　The　chief　factor　in　the　purchase　of　Alaska　was　almost　pure　sentiment。　Throughout　American　history　there　has　been　a　powerful　tradition　of　friendliness　between　Russia　and　the　United　States；　yet　surely　no　two　political　systems　have　been　in　the　past　more　diametrically　opposed。　The　chief　ground　for　friendship　has　doubtless　been　the　great　intervening　distance　which　has　reduced　intercourse　to　a　minimum。　Some　slight　basis　for　congeniality　existed　in　the　fact　that　the　interests　of　both　countries　favored　a　similar　policy　of　freedom　upon　the　high　seas。　What　chiefly　influenced　the　public　mind；　however；　was　the　attitude　which　Russia　had　taken　during　the　Civil　War。　When　the　Grand　Duke　Alexis　visited　the　United　States　in　1871；　Oliver　Wendell　Holmes　greeted　him　with　the　lines：

Bleak　are　our　coasts　with　the　blasts　of　December；　Thrilling　and　warm　are　the　hearts　that　remember　Who　was　our　friend　when　the　world　was　our　foe。

This　Russian　friendship　had　presented　itself　dramatically　to　the　public　at　a　time　when　American　relations　with　Great　Britain　were　strained；　for　Russian　fleets　had　in　1863　suddenly　appeared　in　the　harbors　of　New　York　and　San　Francisco。　These　visits　were　actually　made　with　a　sole　regard　for　Russian　interests　and　in　anticipation　of　the　outbreak　of　a　general　European　war；　which　the　Czar　then　feared。　The　appearance　of　the　fleets；　however；　was　for　many　years　popularly　supposed　to　signify　sympathy　with　the　Union　and　a　willingness　to　defend　it　from　attack　by　Great　Britain　and　France。　Many　conceived　the　ingenuous　idea　that　the　purchase　price　of　Alaska　was　really　the　American　half　of　a　secret　bargain　of　which　the　fleets　were　the　Russian　part。　Public　opinion；　therefore；　regarded　the　purchase　of　Alaska　in　the　light　of　a　favor　to　Russia　and　demanded　that　the　favor　be　granted。

Thus　of　all　the　schemes　of　expansion　in　the　fifty　years　between　the　Mexican　and　the　Spanish　wars；　for　the　Gadsden　Purchase　of　1853　was　really　only　a　rectification　of　boundary；　this　alone　came　to　fruition。　Seward　could　well　congratulate　himself　on　his　alertness　in　seizing　an　opportunity　and　on　his　management　of　the　delicate　political　aspects　of　the　purchase。　Without　his　promptness　the　golden　opportunity　might　have　passed　and　never　recurred。　Yet　he　could　never　have　saved　this　fragment　of　his　policy　had　not　the　American　people　cherished　for　Russia　a　sentimental　friendship　which　was　intensified　at　the　moment　by　anger　at　the　supposed　sympathy　of　Great　Britain　for　the　South。

If　Russia　hoped　by　ceding　Alaska　to　involve　the　United　States　in　difficulties　with　her　rival　Great　Britain；　her　desire　was　on　one　occasion　nearly　gratified。　The　only　profit　which　the　United　States　derived　from　this　new　possession　was　for　many　years　drawn　from　the　seal　fishery。　The　same　generation　of　Americans　which　allowed　the　extermination　of　the　buffalo　for　lap　robes　found　in　the　sealskin　sack　the　hall　mark　of　wealth　and　fashion。　While；　however；　the　killing　of　the　buffalo　was　allowed　to　go　on　without　official　check；　the　Government　in　1870　inaugurated　a　system　to　preserve　the　seal　herds　which　was　perhaps　the　earliest　step　in　a　national　conservation　policy。　The　sole　right　of　killing　was　given　to　the　Alaska　Commercial　Company　with　restrictions　under　which　it　was　believed　that　the　herds　would　remain　undiminished。　The　catch　was　limited　to　one　hundred　thousand　a　year；　it　was　to　include　only　male　seals；　and　it　was　to　be　limited　to　the　breeding　grounds　on　the　Pribilof　Islands。

The　seals；　however；　did　not　confine　themselves　to　American　territory。　During　the　breeding　season　they　ranged　far　and　wide　within　a　hundred　miles　of　their　islands；　and　during　a　great　part　of　the　year　they　were　to　be　found　far　out　in　the　Pacific。　The　value　of　their　skins　attracted　the　adventurous　of　many　lands；　but　particularly　Canadians；　and　Vancouver　became　the　greatest　center　for　deep…sea　sealing。　The　Americans　saw　the　development　of　the　industry　with　anger　and　alarm。　Considering　the　seals　as　their　own；　they　naturally　resented　this　unlimited　exploitation　by　outsiders　when　Americans　themselves　were　so　strictly　limited　by　law。　They　also　b