part05+-第61部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！





regards　Germany；　the　main　one　being　that　he　does　not　love



parliamentary　government　and　has；　at　various　times；　infringed



upon　the　constitution　of　the　empire。







As　to　loving　parliamentary　government；　he　would　probably　say　that



he　cannot　regard　a　system　as　final　which；　while　attaching　to　the



front　of　the　chariot　of　progress　a　full　team　to　pull　it　forward；



attaches　another　team　to　the　rear　to　pull　it　backward。　But



whatever　his　theory；　he　has　in　practice　done　his　best　to　promote



the　efficiency　of　parliamentary　government；　and　to　increase



respect　for　it　in　his　kingdom　of　Prussia；　by　naming　as　life



members　of　the　Senate　sundry　men　of　the　highest　character　and　of



immense　value　in　the　discussion　of　the　most　important　questions。



Two　of　these；　appointed　during　my　stay；　I　knew　and　admired。　The



first；　Professor　Gustav　Schmoller；　formerly　rector　of　the



University　of　Berlin；　is　one　of　the　leading　economists　of　the



world；　who　has　shown　genius　in　studying　and　exhibiting　the



practical　needs　of　the　German　people；　and　in　discerning　the　best



solutions　of　similar　problems　throughout　the　worldprofound；



eloquent；　conciliatory；　sure　to　be　of　immense　value　as　a　senator。



The　second；　Professor　Slaby；　director　of　the　great　technical



institution　of　Germany　at　Charlottenburg；　is　one　of　the　leading



authorities　of　the　world　on　everything　that　pertains　to　the



applications　of　electricity；　a　great　administrator；　a　wise



counselor　on　questions　pertaining　to　the　German　educational



system。　Neither　of　these　men　orates；　but　both　are　admirable



speakers；　and　are　sure　to　be　of　incalculable　value。　I　name　them



simply　as　types：　others　were　appointed；　equally　distinguished　in



other　fields。　If；　then；　the　Emperor　is　blamed　for　not　liking



parliamentary　and　party　government；　it　is　only　fair　to　say　that



he　has　taken　the　surest　way　to　give　it　strength　and　credit。







As　to　the　alleged　violations　of　the　German　constitution；　the



same；　in　a　far　higher　degree；　were　charged　against　Kaiser　William



I　and　Bismarck；and　these　charges　were　true；but　it　is　also



true　that　thereby　those　men　saved　and　built　up　their　country。　As



a　matter　of　fact；　the　intuitive　sense　as　well　as　the　reflective



powers　of　Germans　seem　to　show　them　that　the　real　dangers　to



their　country　come　from　a　very　different　quarterfrom　men　who



promote　hatreds　of　race；　class；　and　religion　within　the　empire；



and　historic　international　hatreds　without　it。







So；　too；　various　charges　have　been　made　against　the　Emperor　as



regards　the　United　States。　From　time　to　time　there　came；　during



my　stay；　statements　in　sundry　American　newspapers；　some



belligerent；　some　lacrymose；　regarding　his　attitude　toward　our



country。　It　seemed　to　be　taken　for　granted　by　many　good　people



during　our　Spanish　War　that　the　Emperor　was　personally　against



us。　It　is　not　unlikely　that　he　may　have　felt　sympathy　for　that



forlorn；　widowed　Queen　Regent　of　Spain；　making　so　desperate　a



struggle　to　save　the　kingdom　for　her　young　son；　if　so；　he　but



shared　a　feeling　common　to　a　very　large　part　of　humanity；　for



certainly　there　have　been　few　more　pathetic　situations；　but　that



he　really　cared　anything　for　the　success　of　Spain　is　exceedingly



doubtful。　The　Hohenzollern　common　sense　in　him　must　have　been　for



years　vexed　at　the　folly　and　fatuity　of　Spanish　policy。　He



probably　inherits　the　feeling　of　his　father；　who；　when　visiting



the　late　Spanish　monarch　some　years　before　his　death；　showed　a



most　kindly　personal　feeling　toward　Spain　and　its　ruler；　and　an



intense　interest　in　various　phases　of　art　developed　in　the



Spanish　peninsula；　but；　in　his　diary；　let　fall　remarks　which　show



his　feeling　toward　the　whole　existing　Spanish　system。　One　of



these　I　recall　especially。　Passing　a　noted　Spanish　town；　he



remarks：　〃Here　are　ten　churches；　twenty　monasteries；　and　not　a



single　school。〃　No　Hohenzollern　is　likely　to　waste　much　sympathy



on　a　nation　which　brings　on　its　fate　by　preferring　monasticism　to



education；　and　never　during　the　Spanish　War　did　he　or　his



government；　to　my　knowledge；　show　the　slightest　leaning　toward



our　enemies。　Certain　it　is　that　when　sundry　hysterical　publicists



and　meddlesome　statesmen　of　the　Continent　proposed　measures



against　what　they　thought　the　dangerous　encroachments　of　our



Republic；　he　quietly；　but　resolutely　and　effectually；　put　his



foot　upon　them。







Another　complaint　sometimes　heard　in　America　really　amounts　to



this：　that　the　Emperor　is　pushing　German　interests　in　all　parts



of　the　world；　and　is　not　giving　himself　much　trouble　about　the



interests　of　other　countries。　There　is　truth　in　this；　but　the



complainants　evidently　never　stop　to　consider　that　every　thinking



man　in　every　nation　would　despise　him　were　it　otherwise。







Yet　another　grievance；　a　little　time　since；　was　that；　apparently



with　his　approval；　his　ships　of　war　handled　sundry　Venezuelans



with　decided　roughness。　This　was　true　enough　and　ought　to　warm



every　honest　man's　heart。







The　main　facts　in　the　case　were　these：　a　petty　equatorial



〃republic；〃　after　a　long　series　of　revolutions；one　hundred　and



four　in　seventy　years；　Lord　Lansdowne　tells　us；　was　enjoying



peace　and　the　beginnings　of　prosperity。　Thanks　to　the　United



States；　it　had　received　from　an　international　tribunal　the



territory　to　which　it　was　entitled；　was　free　from　disturbance　at



home　or　annoyance　abroad；　and　was　under　a　regular　government



sanctioned　by　its　people。　Suddenly；　an　individual　started　another



so…called　〃revolution。〃　He　was　the　champion　of　no　reform；



principle；　or　idea；　he　simply　represented　the　greed　of　himself



and　a　pack　of　confederates　whose　ideal　was　that　of　a　gang　of



burglars。　With　their　aid　he　killed；　plundered；　or　terrorized



until　he　got　control　of　the　governmentor；　rather；　became



himself　the　government。　Under　the　name　of　a　〃republic〃　he　erected



a　despotism　and　usurped　powers　such　as　no　Russian　autocrat　would



dare　claim。　Like　the　men　of　his　sort　who　so　often　afflict



republics　in　the　equatorial　regions　of　South　America；　he　had　no



hesitation　in　confiscating　the　property　and　taking　the　lives；　not



only　of　such　of　his　fellow…citizens　as　he　thought　dangerous　to



himself；　but　also　of　those　whom　he　thought　likely　to　become　so。



He　made　the　public　treasury　his　own；　and　doubtless　prepared　the



way；　as　so　many　other　patriots　of　his　sort　in　such　〃republics〃



have　done；　for　retirement　into　a　palace　at　Paris；　with　ample



funds　for　enjoying　the　pleasures　of　that　capital；　after　he；　like



so　many　others；　shall　have　been；　in　turn；　kicked　out　of　his



country　by　some　new　bandit　stronger　than　he。







So　far　so　good。　If　the　citizens　of　Venezuela　like　or　permit　that



sort　of　thing；　outside　nations　have　no　call　to　interfere；　but



this　petty　despot；　having　robbed；　maltreated；　and　even　murdered



citizens　of　his　own　country；　proceeded　to　maltreat　and　rob



citizens　of　other　countries　and；　among　them；　those　of　the　German



Empire。　He　was　at　first　asked　in　diplomatic　fashion　to　desist　and



to　make　amends；　but　for　such　appeals　he　simply　showed　contempt。



His　purpose　was　evidently　to　plunder　all　German　subjects　within



his　reach；　and　to　cheat　all　German　creditors　beyond　his　reach。　At



this　the　German　Government；　as　every　government　in　similar



circumstances　is　bound　to　do；　demanded　redress　and　sent　ships　to



enforce　the　demand。　This　was　perfectly　legitimate；　but



immediately　there　arose　in　the　United　States　an　outcry　against　a



〃violation　of　the　Monroe　Doctrine。〃　As　a　matter　of　fact；　the



Monroe　Doctrine　was　no　more　concerned　in　the　matter　than　was　the



doctrine　of　the　Perseverance　of　the　Saints；　but　there　was　enough



to　start　an　outcry　against　Germany；　and　so　it　began　to　spread。



The　Germans　were　careful　to　observe　the　best　precedents　in



international　law；　yet　every　step　they　took　was　exhibited　in



sundry　American　papers　as　a　menace　to　the　United　States。　There



was　no　more　menace　to　the　United　States　than　to　the　planet



Saturn。　The　conduct　of　the　German　Government　was　in　the　interest



of　the　United　States　as　well　as　of　every　other　decent　government。



Finally；　the　soldiers　in　a　Venezuelan　fort　wantonly　fired　upon　a



German　war　vesselwhereupon　the　commander　of　the　ship；　acting



entirely　in　accordance；　not　only　with　international　law；　but　with



natural　right；　defended　himself；　and　knocked　the　fort　about　the



ears　of　those　who　occupied　it；　thus　giving　the　creatures　who



directed　them　a　lesson　which　ought　to　rejoice　every　thinking



American。　At　this　the　storm　on　paper　against　Germany；　both　in



America　and　Great　Britain；　broke　out　with　renewed　violence；　and



there　was　more　talk　about　dangers　to　the　Monroe　Doctrine。　As　one



who；　at　The　Hague　Conference；　was　able　to　do　something　for



recognition　of　the　Monroe　Doctrine　by　European　powers；　and　who；



as　a　member　of　the　Venezuelan　Commission；　did　what　was　possible



to　secure　justice　to　Venezuela；　I　take　this　opportunity　to



express　the　opinion　that　the　time　has　come　for　plain　speaking　in



this　matter。　Even　with　those　of　us　who　believe　in　the　Monroe



Doctrine　there　begins　to　arise　a　question　as　to　which　are　nearest



the　interests　and　the　hearts　of　Americans；the　sort　of　〃dumb



driven　cattle〃　who　allow　themselves　to　be　governed　by　such　men　as



now　control　Venezuela；　or　the　people　of　Germany　and　other



civilized　parts　of　Europe；　as　well　as　those　of　the　better　South



American　republics；　like　Chile；　the　Argentine　Republic；　Brazil；