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book　which　had　gained　him　credit。　As　the　most　serious　questions



between　the　two　countries　were　commercial；　he　seemed　a　godsend；



and；　going　to　the　President；　I　stated　the　matter　fully。　Though



the　young　man　was　as　far　as　possible　from　having　any　〃pull〃　in



the　State　from　which　he　came；　was　not　at　all　known　either　to　the



President　or　the　Secretary　of　State　or　assistant　secretary　of



state；　all　of　whom　came　from　Ohio；　and　was　equally　unknown　to



either　of　the　Ohio　senators　or　to　any　representative；　and　though



nothing　whatever　was　known　of　his　party　affiliations；　the



President；　on　hearing　a　statement　of　the　case；　ignored　all



pressure　in　favor　of　rival　candidates；　sent　in　his　nomination　to



the　Senate；　and　it　was　duly　confirmed。







The　next　thing　was　the　appointment　of　a　military　attache。　The



position　is　by　no　means　a　sinecure。　Our　government　must　always



feel　the　importance　of　receiving　the　latest　information　as　to　the



armies　and　navies　of　the　great　powers　of　the　world；　and　therefore



it　is　that；　very　wisely；　it　has　attached　military　and　naval



experts　to　various　leading　embassies。　It　is　important　that　these



be　not　only　thoroughly　instructed　and　far…seeing；　but　gentlemen



in　the　truest　sense　of　the　word；　and　I　therefore　presented　a



graduate　of　West　Point　who；　having　conducted　an　expedition　in



Alaska　and　served　with　his　regiment　on　the　Western　plains　most



creditably；　had　done　duty　as　military　attache　with　me　during　my



mission　at　St。　Petersburg；　and　had　proved　himself；　in　every



respect；　admirable。　Though　he　had　no　other　supporter　at　the



national　capital；　the　Secretary　of　War；　Governor　Alger；　granted



my　request；　and　he　was　appointed。







These　matters；　to　many　people　apparently　trivial；　are　here



alluded　to　because　it　is　so　often　charged　that　political



considerations　outweigh　all　others　in　such　appointments；　and



because　this　charge　was　frequently　made　against　President



McKinley。　The　simple　fact　is　that；　with　the　multitude　of



nominations　to　be　made；　the　appointing　power　cannot　have　personal



knowledge　of　the　applicants；　and　must　ask　the　advice　of　persons



who　have　known　them　and　can；　to　some　extent；　be　held　responsible



for　them。　In　both　the　cases　above　referred　to；　political　pressure



of　the　strongest　in　favor　of　other　candidates　went　for　nothing



against　the　ascertained　interest　of　the　public　service







The　Secretary　of　State　at　this　time　was　Mr。　John　Sherman。　I　had



known　him　somewhat　during　his　career　as　senator　and　Secretary　of



the　Treasury；　and　had　for　his　character；　abilities；　and　services



the　most　profound　respect。　I　now　saw　him　often。　He　had　become



somewhat　infirm；　but　his　mind　seemed　still　clear；　whether　at　the



State　Department　or　in　social　circles　his　reminiscences　of　public



men　and　affairs　were　always　interesting；　and　one　of　these



confirmed　an　opinion　I　have　expressed　in　another　chapter。　One



night；　at　a　dinner…party；　the　discussion　having　fallen　upon



President　Andrew　Johnson；　and　some　slighting　remarks　having　been



made　regarding　him　by　one　of　our　company；　Mr。　Sherman；　who　had



been　one　of　President　Johnson's　strongest　opponents；　declared　him



a　man　of　patriotic　motives　as　well　as　of　great　ability；　and



insisted　that　the　Republican　party　had　made　a　great　mistake　in



attempting　to　impeach　him。　In　the　course　of　the　conversation　one



of　the　foremost　members　of　the　House　of　Representatives；　a　man　of



the　highest　standing　and　character；　stated　that　he　had　himself；



when　a　young　man；　aided　Mr。　Johnson　as　secretary；　and　that　he　was



convinced　that　the　ex…President　could　write　very　little　more　than



his　signature。　We　had　all　heard　the　old　story　that　after　he　had



become　of　age　his　newly　wedded　wife　had　taught　him　the　alphabet；



but　it　was　known　to　very　few　that　he　remained　to　the　last　so



imperfectly　equipped。







Of　conversations　with　many　other　leading　men　of　that　period　at



Washington　I　remember　that；　at　the　house　of　my　friend　Dr。　Hill；



afterward　assistant　secretary　of　state；　mention　being　made　of　the



Blaine　campaign；　an　eminent　justice　of　the　Supreme　Court　said



that　Mr。　Blaine　always　insisted　to　the　end　of　his　life　that　he



had　lost　the　Presidency　on　account　of　the　Rev。　Dr。　Burchard's



famous　alliteration；　〃Rum；　Romanism；　and　rebellion；〃　and　that　the



whole　was　really　a　Democratic　trick。　Neither　the　judge　nor　any



other　person　present　believed　that　Mr。　Blaine's　opinion　in　this



matter　was　well　founded。







An　important　part　of　my　business　during　this　visit　was　to　confer



with　the　proper　persons　at　Washington；　including　the　German



ambassador；　Baron　von　Thielmann；　regarding　sundry　troublesome



questions　between　the　United　States　and　Germany。　The　addition　to



the　American　tariff　of　a　duty　against　the　sugar　imports　from



every　other　country　equivalent　to　the　sugar　bounty　allowed



manufactures　in　that　country　had　led　to　special　difficulties。　It



had　been　claimed　by　Germany　that　this　additional　duty　was



contrary　to　the　most…favored…nation　clause　in　our　treaties；　and；



unfortunately；　the　decisions　on　our　side　had　been　conflicting；



Mr。　Gresham；　Secretary　of　State　under　Mr。　Cleveland；　having



allowed　that　the　German　contention　was　right；　and　his　successor；



Mr。　Olney；　having　presented　an　elaborate　argument　to　show　that　it



was　wrong。　On　this　point；　conversations；　not　only　with　the



Secretary　of　State　and　the　German　ambassador；　but　with　leading



members　of　the　committees　of　Congress　having　the　tariff　in



charge；　and　especially　with　Mr。　Allison　and　Mr。　Aldrich　of　the



Senate　and　Governor　Dingley　of　the　House；　showed　me　that　the　case



was　complicated；　the　various　interests　somewhat　excited　against



each　other；　and　that　my　work　in　dealing　with　them　was　to　be



trying。







There　were　also　several　other　questions　no　less　difficult；　those



relating　to　the　exportation　of　American　products　to　Germany　and



the　troubles　already　brewing　in　Samoa　being　especially　prominent；



so　that　it　was　with　anything　but　an　easy　feeling　that；　on　the



29th　of　May；　I　sailed　from　New　York。







On　the　12th　of　June　I　presented　the　President's　letter　of



credence　to　the　Emperor　William　II。　The　more　important　of　my　new



relations　to　the　sovereign　had　given　me　no　misgivings；　for　during



my　stay　in　Berlin　as　minister；　eighteen　years　before；　I　had　found



him　very　courteous；　he　being　then　the　heir　apparent；　but　with　the



ceremonial　part　it　was　otherwise；　and　to　that　I　looked　forward



almost　with　dismay。







For；　since　my　stay　in　Berlin；　the　legation　had　been　raised　to　an



embassy。　It　had　been　justly　thought　by　various　patriotic　members



of　Congress　that　it　was　incompatible；　either　with　the　dignity　or



the　interests　of　so　great　a　nation　as　ours；　to　be　represented



simply　by　a　minister　plenipotentiary；　who；　when　calling　at　the



Foreign　Office　to　transact　business；　might　be　obliged　to　wait　for



hours；　and　even　until　the　next　day；　while　representatives　from



much　less　important　countries　who　ranked　as　ambassadors　went　in



at　once。　The　change　was　good；　but　in　making　it　Congress　took　no



thought　of　some　things　which　ought　to　have　been　provided　for。　Of



these　I　shall　speak　later；　but　as　regards　the　presentation；　the



trying　feature　to　me　was　that　there　was　a　great　difference



between　this　and　any　ceremonial　which　I　had　previously



experienced；　whether　as　commissioner　at　Santo　Domingo　and　Paris；



or　as　minister　at　Berlin　and　St。　Petersburg。　At　the　presentation



of　a　minister　plenipotentiary　he　goes　in　his　own　carriage　to　the



palace　at　the　time　appointed；　is　ushered　into　the　presence　of　the



sovereign；　delivers　to　him；　with　some　simple　speech；　the



autograph　letter　from　the　President；　and　then；　after　a　kindly



answer；　all　is　finished。　But　an　ambassador　does　not　escape　so



easily。　Under　a　fiction　of　international　law　he　is　regarded　as



the　direct　representative　of　the　sovereign　power　of　his　country；



and　is　treated　in　some　sense　as　such。　Therefore　it　was　that；　at



the　time　appointed；　a　high　personage　of　the　court；　in　full



uniform；　appeared　at　my　hotel　accompanied　by　various　other



functionaries；　with　three　court　carriages；　attendants；　and



outriders；　deputed　to　conduct　me　to　the　palace。　Having　been



escorted　to　the　first　of　the　carriages；myself；　in　plain



citizen's　dress；　on　the　back　seat；　my　escort；　in　gorgeous



uniform；　facing　me；　and　my　secretaries　and　attaches　in　the　other



carriages；we　took　up　our　march　in　solemn　processioncarriages；



outriders；　and　allthrough　the　Wilhelmstrasse　and　Unter　den



Linden。　On　either　side　was　a　gaping　crowd；　at　the　various　corps



de　garde　bodies　of　troops　came　out　and　presented　arms；　and　on　our



arrival　at　the　palace　there　was　a　presentation　of　arms　and



beating　of　drums　which；　for　the　moment；　somewhat　abashed　me。　It



was　an　ordeal　more　picturesque　than　agreeable。







The　reception　by　the　Emperor　was　simple；　courteous；　and　kindly。



Neither　of　us　made　any　set　speech；　but　we　discussed　various



questions；　making　reference　to　our　former　meeting　and　the　changes



which　had　occurred　since。　Among　these　changes　I　referred　to　the



great　improvement　in　Berlin；　whereupon　he　said　that　he　could　not



think　the　enormous　growth　of　modern　cities　an　advantage。　My



answer　was　that　my　reference　was　to　the　happy　change　in　the



architecture　of　Berlin　rather　than　to　its　growth　in　population；



that；　during　my　first　stay　in　the　city；　over　forty　years　before；



nearly　all　the　main　buildings　were　of　brick　and　stucco；　whereas