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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　most　vexatious　of　these　prohibitions　were



removed。







But　the　war　with　Spain　drew　on；　and　animosities；　so　far　as　the



press　on　both　sides　of　the　water　was　concerned；　grew　worse。



Various　newspapers　in　Germany　charged　our　government　with　a



wonderful　assortment　of　high　crimes　and　misdemeanors；　but；



happily；　in　their　eagerness　to　cover　us　with　obloquy；　they



frequently　refuted　each　other。　Thus　they　one　day　charged　us　with



having　prepared　long　beforehand　to　crush　Spain　and　to　rob　her　of



her　West　Indian　possessions；　and　the　next　day　they　charged　us



with　plunging　into　war　suddenly；　recklessly；　utterly　careless　of



the　consequences。　One　moment　they　insisted　that　American　sailors



belonged　to　a　deteriorated　race　of　mongrels；　and　could　never



stand　against　pure…blooded　Spanish　sailors；　and　the　next　moment；



that　we　were　crushing　the　noble　navy　of　Spain　by　brute　force。



Various　presses　indulged　in　malignant　prophecies：　the　Americans



would　find　Spain　a　very　hard　nut　to　crack；　Spanish　soldiers　would



drive　the　American　mongrels　into　the　sea；　when　Cervera　got　out



with　his　fleet；　the　American　fleet　would　slink　away；　Spanish



ships；　being　built　under　the　safeguard　of　Spanish　honor；　must　win



the　victory；　American　ships；　built　under　a　regime　of　corruption；



would　be　found　furnished　with　sham　plating；　sham　guns；　and　sham



supplies　of　every　sort。　It　all　reminded　me　of　sundry　prophecies



we　used　to　hear　before　our　Civil　War　to　the　effect　that；　when　the



Northern　and　Southern　armies　came　into　the　presence　of　each



other；　the　Yankee　soldiers　would　trade　off　their　muskets　to　the



foe。







Against　President　McKinley　every　sort　of　iniquity　was　charged。



One　day　he　was　an　idiot；　another　day；　the　most　cunning　of



intriguers；　at　one　moment；　an　overbearing　tyrant　anxious　to　rush



into　war；　at　another；　a　coward　fearing　war。　It　must　be　confessed



that　this　was　mainly　drawn　from　the　American　partizan　press；　but



it　was；　none　the　less；　hard　to　bear。







In　the　meantime　President　McKinley；　his　cabinet；　and　the　American



diplomatic　corps　in　Europe　did　everything　in　their　power　to



prevent　the　war。　Just　as　long　as　possible　the　President　clearly



considered　that　his　main　claim　on　posterity　would　be　for



maintaining　peace　against　pressure　and　clamor。　Under　orders　from



the　State　Department　I　met　at　Paris　my　old　friend　General



Woodford；　who　was　on　his　way　to　Spain　as　minister　of　the　United



States；　and　General　Porter；　the　American　ambassador　to　France；



our　instructions　being　to　confer　regarding　the　best　means　of



maintaining　peace；　and　we　all　agreed　that　everything　possible　be



done　to　allay　the　excitement　in　Spain；　that　no　claims　of　a



special　sort；　whether　pecuniary　or　otherwise；　should　be　urged



until　after　the　tension　ceased；　that　every　concession　possible



should　be　made　to　Spanish　pride；　and　that；　just　as　far　as



possible；　everything　should　be　avoided　which　could　complicate　the



general　issue　with　personal　considerations。　All　of　us　knew　that



the　greatest　wish　of　the　administration　was　to　prevent　the　war；



or；　if　that　proved　impossible；　to　delay　it。







For　years；　in　common　with　the　great　majority　of　American



citizens；　I　had　believed　that　the　Spanish　West　Indies　must　break



loose　from　Spain　some　day；　but　had　hoped　that　the　question　might



be　adjourned　until　the　middle　or　end　of　the　twentieth　century。



For　I　knew　well　that　the　separation　of　Cuba　from　Spain　would　be



followed；　after　no　great　length　of　time；　by　efforts　for　her



annexation　to　the　United　States；　and　that　if　such　annexation　of



Cuba　should　ever　occur；　she　must　come　in　as　a　State；　that　there



is　no　use　in　considering　any　other　form　of　government　for　an



outlying　dominion　so　large　and　so　near；　that　there　is　no　other



way　of　annexing　a　dependency　so　fully　developed；　and　that；　even



if　there　were；　the　rivalry　of　political　parties　contending　for



electoral　votes　would　be　sure　to　insist　on　giving　her　statehood。



I　dreaded　the　addition　to　our　country　of　a　million　and　a　half　of



citizens　whose　ability　to　govern　themselves　was　exceedingly



doubtful；　to　say　nothing　of　helping　to　govern　our　Union　on　the



mainland。　The　thought　of　senators　and　representatives　to　be



chosen　by　such　a　constituency　to　reside　at　Washington　and　to



legislate　for　the　whole　country；　filled　me　with　dismay。



Especially　was　the　admission　of　Cuba　to　statehood　a　fearful



prospect　just　at　that　time；　when　we　had　so　many　difficult



questions　to　meet　in　the　exercise　of　the　suffrage。　I　never　could



understand　then；　and　cannot　understand　now；　what　Senator　Morgan



of　Alabama；　who　once　had　the　reputation　of　being　the　strongest



representative　from　the　South；　could　be　thinking　of　when　he　was



declaiming　in　the　Senate；　first　in　behalf　of　the　〃oppressed



Cubans；〃　and　next　in　favor　of　measures　which　tended　to　add　them



to　the　United　States；　and　so　to　create　a　vast　commonwealth



largely　made　up　of　negroes　and　mulattos　accustomed　to　equality



with　the　whites；　almost　within　musket…shot　of　the　negroes　and



mulattos　of　the　South；　from　whom　the　constituents　of　Mr。　Morgan



were　at　that　very　moment　withholding　the　right　of　suffrage。　I



could　not　see　then；　and　I　cannot　see　now；　how　he　could　possibly



be　blind　to　the　fact　that　if　Cuba　ever　becomes　a　State　of　our



Union；　she　will　soon　begin　to　look　with　sympathy　on　those　whom



she　will　consider　her　〃oppressed　colored　brethren〃　in　the　South；



and　that　she　will；　just　as　inevitably；　make　common　cause　with



them　at　Washington；　and　perhaps　in　some　other　places；　and



possibly　not　always　by　means　so　peaceful　as　orating　under　the



roof　of　the　Capitol。