part05+-第33部分

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fruitful　theme　for　the　exhortations　of　all　American　clergymen　to



their　flocks；　whether　Catholic；　Jewish；　or　Protestant。　May　we　not



hope；　also；　that　Mr。　Pulitzer's　new　College　of　Journalism　will



give　careful　attention　to　this　subject？







As　to　public　questions　then　demanding　attention；　the　first　which



I　now　recall　was　a　bit　of　international　comedy；　serving　as　a



prelude　to　more　important　matters；　and　worth　mentioning　here　only



as　showing　a　misconception　very　absurd；　yet　not　without　dangers。







One　morning；　as　I　had　just　sat　down　to　my　office　work；　there　was



ushered　in；　with　due　ceremony；　a　young　gentleman　of　light　color；



Parisian　to　the　tips　of　his　fingers；in　accent；　manner；　and



garb；who　was　announced　as　the　charge　d'affaires　of　Haiti。　He



was　evidently　under　deep　concern；　and　was　soon　in　the　midst　of　a



somewhat　impassioned　statement　of　his　business。







It　appeared　that　his　government；　like　so　many　which　had　preceded



it；　after　a　joyous　career　of　proclamations；　revolutions；



throat…cutting；　confiscation；　paper　money；　and　loans；　public　and



private；　had　at　last　met　a　check；　and　that　in　this　instance　the



check　had　come　in　the　shape　of　a　German　frigate　which　had　dropped



into　the　harbor　of　Port…au…Prince；　run　out　its　guns；　and　demanded



redress　of　injuries　and　payment　of　debts　to　Germany　and　German



subjects；　and　the　charge；　after　dwelling　upon　the　enormity　of



such　a　demand；　pointed　out　the　duty　of　the　United　States　to



oblige　Germany　to　desist；in　short；　to　assert　the　Monroe



Doctrine　as　he　understood　it。







The　young　diplomatist's　statement　interested　me　much；　it　brought



back　vividly　to　my　mind　the　days　when；　as　a　commissioner　from　the



United　States；　I　landed　at　Port…au…Prince；　observed　the　wreck　and



ruin　caused　by　a　recent　revolution；　experienced　the　beauties　of　a



paper…money　system　carried　out　so　logically　that　a　market…basket



full　of　currency　was　needed　to　buy　a　market…basket　full　of



vegetables；　visited　the　tombs　of　the　presidents　from　which　the



bodies　of　their　occupants　had　been　torn　and　scattered；　saw　the



ring　to　which　President　Salnave　had　recently　been　tied　when　the



supporters　of　his　successor　had　murdered　him；　and　mused　over　the



ruins　of　the　presidential　mansion；　which　had　been　torn　in　pieces



by　bombs　from　a　patriotic　vessel。　My　heart　naturally　warmed



toward　the　representative　of　so　much　glory；　and　it　seemed　sad　to



quench　his　oratorical　fire　and　fervor　with　a　cold　statement　of



fact。　But　my　duty　was　plain：　I　assured　him　that　neither　the



President　whose　name　the　famous　〃Doctrine〃　bears；　nor　the



Secretary　of　State　who　devised　it；　nor　the　American　people　behind



them；　had　any　idea　of　protecting　our　sister　republics　in　such



conduct　as　that　of　which　the　Germans　complained；　and　I　concluded



by　fervently　exhorting　him　to　advise　his　government　and　people



simply　topay　their　debts。







It　gave　me　pleasure　to　learn；　somewhat　later；　that　this　very



prosaic　solution　of　the　difficulty　had　been　adopted。







I　make　haste　to　add　that　nothing　which　may　be　said　here　or



elsewhere　in　these　recollections　regarding　sundry　equatorial



governments　has　any　reference　to　our　sister　republics　of　South



America　really　worthy　of　the　name。　No　countries　were　in　my　time



more　admirably　represented　at　Berlin　than　the　Argentine　Republic；



Chile；　and　Brazil。　The　first…named　sent　as　its　minister　the　most



eminent　living　authority　on　international　law；　the　second；　a



gentleman　deeply　respected　for　character　and　ability；　whose



household　was　one　of　the　most　beautiful　and　attractive　I　have



ever　known；　and　the　third；　a　statesman　and　scholar　worthy　of　the



best　traditions　of　his　country。







As　to　more　complicated　international　matters　with　which　my



embassy　had　to　deal；　the　first　to　assume　a　virulent　form　was　that



of　the　Samoan　Islands。







During　the　previous　twenty…five　years　the　United　States；　Germany；



and　Great　Britain　had　seemed　to　develop　equal　claims　in　Samoa。



There　had　been　clashes　from　time　to　time；　in　which　good　sense　had



generally　prevailed；　but　in　one　case　a　cyclone　which　destroyed



the　German　and　American　vessels　of　war　in　the　main　port　of　the



islands　seemed　providential　in　preventing　a　worse　form　of



trouble。







But　now　the　chronic　difficulties　became　acute。　In　the　consuls　of



the　three　powers　what　Bismarck　used　to　call　the　furor　consularis



was　developed　to　the　highest　degree。　Yet　this　was　not　the　worst。



Under　the　Berlin　agreement；　made　some　years　before；　there　was　a



German　president　of　the　municipality　of　Apia　with　ill…defined



powers；　and　an　American　chief　justice　with　powers　in　some



respects　enormous；　and　each　of　these　naturally　magnified　his



office　at　the　expense　of　the　other。　To　complete　the　elements　of



discord；　there　were　two　great　native　parties；　each　supporting　its



candidate　for　kingship；　and　behind　these；　little　spoken　of；　but



really　at　the　bottom　of　the　main　trouble；　were



missionaries；English　Wesleyans　on　one　side；　and　French　Roman



Catholics　on　the　other；each　desiring　to　save　the　souls　of　the



natives；　no　matter　at　what　sacrifice　of　their　bodies。







This　tea…pot　soon　began　to　boil　violently。　The　old　king　having



died；　the　question　arose　as　to　the　succession。　The　power　of



appointing　the　successor　having　been　in　the　most　clear　and



definite　terms　bestowed　by　the　treaty　upon　the　chief　justice；　he



named　for　the　position　Malietoa　Tanu；　a　young　chieftain　who　had



been　induced　to　call　himself　a　Protestant；　but　on　the　other　side



was　Mataafa；　an　old　chief　who　years　before　had　made　much　trouble；



had　been　especially　obnoxious　to　the　Germans；　and　had　been



banished；　but　had　been　recently　allowed　to　return　on　his　taking



oath　that　he　would　abstain　from　all　political　action；　and　would



be　true　to　his　allegiance　to　the　Malietoan　kings。　He　had　been



induced　to　call　himself　a　Catholic。







But　hardly　had　he　returned　when；　having　apparently　been　absolved



from　his　oath；　he　became　the　leader　of　a　political　party　and



insisted　on　his　right　to　the　kingship。







The　result　was　a　petty　civil　war　which　cost　many　lives。　Nor　was



this　all。　A　drunken　Swiss　having　one　day　amused　himself　by



breaking　the　windows　of　the　American　chief　justice's　court　and　no



effective　punishment　having　been　administered　by　the　German



president　of　Apia；　the　Yankee　chief　justice　took　the　matter　into



his　own　hands；　and　this　Little　Pedlington　business　set　in　motion



sensation…mongers　throughout　the　world。　They　exerted　themselves



to　persuade　the　universe　that　war　might；　and　indeed　ought　to；



result　between　the　three　great　nations　concerned。　On　the　arrival



of　the　American　Admiral　Kautz；　he　simply　and　naturally　supported



the　decree　which　the　chief　justice　had　made；　in　strict　accordance



with　the　treaty　of　Berlin；　and　was　finally　obliged　to　fire　upon



the　insurgents。　Now　came　a　newspaper　carnival：　screams　of　wrath



from　the　sensation　press　of　Germany　and　yells　of　defiance　from



the　sensation　press　of　the　United　States。







It　was　fortunate；　indeed；　that　at　this　period　the　American



Secretary　of　State　was　Mr。　John　Hay　and　the　German　minister　of



foreign　affairs　Count　von　Bulow。　Both　at　Washington　and　Berlin



the　light　of　plain　common　sense　was　gradually　let　into　this



jungle　of　half　truths　and　whole　falsehoods；　the　appointment　of　an



excellent　special　commission；　who　supplanted　all　the　officials　in



the　islands　by　new　men；　solved　various　preliminary　problems；　so



that　finally　a　treaty　was　made　between　the　three　nations



concerned　which　swept　away　the　old　vicious　system；　partitioned



the　islands　between　the　United　States　and　Germany；　giving　Great



Britain　indemnity　elsewhere；　and　settled　all　the　questions



involved；　as　we　may　hope；　forever。







Among　my　duties　and　pleasures　during　this　period　was　attendance



upon　important　debates　in　the　Imperial　Parliament。　That　body



presents　many　features　suggestive　of　thought。　The　arrangement



under　which　the　Senate；　representing　the　various　states　of　the



empire；　and　the　House；　representing　the　people　as　a　whole；　sit



face　to　face　in　joint　deliberation；　strikes　an　American　as



especially　curious；　but　it　seems　to　work　well；　and　has　one



advantage　in　bringing　the　most　eminent　servants　of　the　various



states　into　direct　personal　relations　with　the　rank　and　file　from



the　country　at　large。　The　German　Parliament　has　various　good



points。　Some　one　has　asserted　that　the　United　States　Senate　is　as



much　better　than　the　British　House　of　Lords　as　the　British　House



of　Commons　is　better　than　the　American　House　of　Representatives。



There　is　much　to　be　said　for　this　contention；　and　there　are　some



points　in　which　the　German　Parliament　also　struck　me　as　an



improvement　upon　our　Lower　House：　they　do　less　than　we　in



committee；　and　more　in　the　main　assemblage；　German　members　are



more　attentive　to　the　work　in　hand；　and　spread…eagleism　and



speeches　to　the　galleries　which　are　tolerated　at　Washington　are



not　tolerated　at　Berlin。　On　the　other　hand；　the　members　at



Berlin；　not　being　paid　for　their　services；　absent　themselves　in



such　numbers　that　the　lack　of　a　sufficient　deliberating　body　has



been　found；　at　times；　a　serious　evil。







As　to　men　prominent　in　debate；　allusion　has　already　been　made　to



the　chancellor；　and　various　ministers　of　the　crown　might　be



added；　of　whom　I　should　give　the　foremost　place　to　the　minister



of　the　interior；　Count　Posadowski。　His　discussio