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diff --git a/39144.txt b/39144.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..132e3f9 --- /dev/null +++ b/39144.txt @@ -0,0 +1,17500 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Under Four Administrations, by Oscar S. Straus + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license + + +Title: Under Four Administrations + From Cleveland to Taft + +Author: Oscar S. Straus + +Release Date: March 14, 2012 [EBook #39144] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK UNDER FOUR ADMINISTRATIONS *** + + + + +Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Julia Neeufeld and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + + + + +Transcriber's note: + +Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). + +Small capital text has been replaced with all capitals. + +The carat character in Nov. 1^{st} indicates that the following letters +inside the curly brackets are superscripted. + + + * * * * * + + +[Illustration: Oscar S. Straus with signature] + + Under Four Administrations + + FROM CLEVELAND TO TAFT + + RECOLLECTIONS OF OSCAR S. STRAUS, LITT.D., LL.D. + + _Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague + Three Times Minister and Ambassador to Turkey + + Former Secretary of Commerce and Labor_ + + WITH ILLUSTRATIONS + + [Illustration: Publisher's Mark] + + Boston and New York + HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY + The Riverside Press Cambridge + + COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY OSCAR S. STRAUS + + ALL RIGHTS RESERVED + + SECOND IMPRESSION + + The Riverside Press + CAMBRIDGE.MASSACHUSETTS + PRINTED IN THE U.S.A + + + + + DEDICATED TO + MY GRANDCHILDREN + AND THEIR CONTEMPORARIES + OF EVERY RACE AND CREED + + + + +PREFACE + + +I am drawing these memories to a close in my log cabin in the primitive +Maine woods, where my wife and I have been coming for rest and for +fishing for the past twenty years. Here we renew our youth, and far from +tumult and crowds, near to nature, we realize anew how little is +required in order to be contented and happy. Here I am taken back to the +memories of my childhood in the little town in Georgia where too our +home was a log house, but for appearances had the luxurious outer and +inner dressing of clap-boarding painted white. The logs of the upper +story where we children played and slept had no covering, which pleased +us all the more. + +In a highly organized society, we are often attracted by pomp and +circumstance, rather than by qualities of heart and mind, which after +all are the true measure of enlightenment. Here in these woods, fair +dealings and human relations are not regulated by statutes, but by the +golden rule of conduct. We need not hide our possessions behind locked +doors, honesty is the accepted rule of life; there are no treasures to +hide and no bars to break. + +It has been permitted me to do useful work and to have interesting +experiences. Privileged opportunities have been afforded me for public +service. Of these I write. + +Perhaps in chronicling the experiences of a life which at many points +touched vital affairs and the most interesting personalities, I may be +able to add something to the record of men, movements, and events during +those decades still absorbing to us because they are so near. + +The story is one of service at home and abroad, of personal relations +with six of our Presidents, with diplomats, labor leaders, foreign +rulers, leaders of industry, and some plain unticketed citizens who were +the salt of the earth and certainly not the least of those whom it was a +pleasure to know. + +To write of one's self requires a certain amount of egotism. The +autobiographer usually tries to justify this vanity by explaining it as +a desire to gratify his children and kinsmen, or as a yielding to the +urgent request of his friends. Benjamin Franklin, whose autobiography, +incomplete though it be, is one of the most human in our language, +frankly conceded that he was prompted by the weakness of praise. He +says: "I may as well confess it, since my denial of it will be believed +by nobody, perhaps I shall a good deal gratify my own vanity." + +I do not wish to conceal from those who may from interest or curiosity +read what I write, that I am not entirely free from that vanity, even +though it be my chief aim and purpose to cast some additional light upon +our country's development and upon events in which, in public and +private life, I have been permitted to take part. Having held official +positions at home and abroad under four administrations, and having come +in close relationship with many of the statesmen and others of +distinction in this and foreign countries, perhaps my narrative will +serve to give more intimate knowledge and truer appreciation of their +personal traits and their exceptional qualities. + +I have also been influenced by a desire to bring a message of +encouragement to the youth of our country, especially to those who may +be conscious of handicaps in the race, not to lose heart, but to be +patient, considerate, and tactful, and not to withhold the saving extra +ounce of effort which often spells the difference between failure and +success. + +So long as our democracy remains true to its basic principles and +jealously guards the highways of opportunity, the golden age will not be +in the past, but ever in the future. In externals the age in which we +live has changed, but the qualities of effort, of industry, and the will +to succeed which were required when I was a boy, have not changed; they +lead to the same goals now as then, with this difference: that the boy +of to-day has greater advantages, better educational facilities, and +more avenues of advancement than the boy of two generations ago. There +never was a time in our history when more men of humble origin have +attained commanding positions in industry, in commerce, and in public +affairs than now. While our American system is not without fault, the +fact that an enlightened public is ever watchful to maintain our +democratic principles and to correct abuses is convincing proof of our +country's wholesome development in conformity with the changing +conditions of modern life. + +I desire to make acknowledgment to my long-time and esteemed friend, Mr. +Lawrence Abbott, the President of "The Outlook," who encouraged and +advised me to write these memoirs and even outlined the chapter plan +which I have largely followed. + + + + +CONTENTS + + + I. ANCESTRY AND EARLY YEARS 1 + + II. LAW, BUSINESS, AND LETTERS 30 + + III. ENTERING DIPLOMACY 50 + + IV. FIRST TURKISH MISSION 70 + + V. HARRISON, CLEVELAND, AND MCKINLEY 105 + + VI. MY SECOND MISSION TO TURKEY 130 + + VII. THEODORE ROOSEVELT 163 + + VIII. INDUSTRIAL DIPLOMACY 194 + + IX. IN THE CABINET 207 + + X. THE TAFT CAMPAIGN OF 1908 248 + + XI. MY THIRD MISSION TO TURKEY 271 + + XII. THE PROGRESSIVES 307 + + XIII. THREATENING CLOUDS OF WAR 327 + + XIV. PERSONAL VIGNETTES 343 + + XV. THE WORLD WAR 370 + + XVI. PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE 396 + + INDEX 431 + + + + +ILLUSTRATIONS + + + OSCAR S. STRAUS _Frontispiece_ + Photograph by the Campbell Studios, New York + + MOTHER AND FATHER OF OSCAR S. STRAUS 2 + + BIRTHPLACE OF OSCAR S. STRAUS, OTTERBERG, RHENISH + BAVARIA 8 + + CHAPEL AND SCHOOLHOUSE, COLLINSWORTH INSTITUTE, + TALBOTTON, GEORGIA 8 + + OSCAR S. STRAUS AT SIX 12 + + OSCAR S. STRAUS AT THE TIME OF HIS GRADUATION 28 + + LETTER OF HENRY WARD BEECHER TO PRESIDENT + CLEVELAND 46 + + MRS. STRAUS IN TURKEY 62 + + TESTIMONIAL GIVEN TO MR. STRAUS IN JERUSALEM IN + APPRECIATION OF THE RELEASE OF SEVERAL HUNDRED + PRISONERS 84 + + OSCAR S. STRAUS, CONSTANTINOPLE, 1888 96 + + PRESIDENT MCKINLEY SENDING THE AUTHOR TO TURKEY + ON HIS SECOND MISSION, 1898 124 + + MEMBERS OF THE RAILWAY BOARD OF ADMINISTRATION 200 + + THE ROOSEVELT CABINET 216 + + MRS. OSCAR S. STRAUS 246 + + NATHAN, OSCAR, AND ISIDOR STRAUS 312 + Photograph by Pirie MacDonald, New York, 1912 + + ROGER W. STRAUS 392 + + + + +Under Four Administrations + + + + +CHAPTER I + +ANCESTRY AND EARLY YEARS + + Napoleonic Era: the Sanhedrin--A forefather in Napoleon's + councils--My father and the German Revolution of 1848--My father + emigrates to America--My father starts business in Talbotton, + Georgia--My mother and her children arrive, 1854--We attend the + Baptist Church--My early schooling--Deacons duel with + knives--Household slaves--Life in a small Southern town--Frugal and + ingenious housekeeping--Outbreak of the Civil War--Our family moves + to Columbus, Georgia--First lessons in oratory--General Wilson's + capture of the city--The town is looted--Our family moves North + --My father surprises Northern creditor by insisting upon paying + his debts in full--I attend Columbia Grammar School in New York + City--My accidental schoolroom glory before Morse, the inventor--I + enter Columbia College in 1867 with Brander Matthews, Stuyvesant + Fish, and other distinguished classmates--My classroom debut in + diplomacy--Poetic ambitions--Military aspirations and an interview + with President Grant--Choosing law as a career. + + +My ancestors, on both my father's and my mother's side, were natives of +the Palatinate of Bavaria, of the town of Otterberg and immediate +vicinity. Up to the time of Napoleon's taking possession of that part of +the country the Jews of the Palatinate had not adopted family names. +This they did later, beginning in 1808, when, under Napoleon, the +Palatinate became the Department of Mont Tennerre and part of France. My +great-grandfather, for instance, before adopting the family name of +Straus, was known as Jacob Lazar, from Jacob ben Lazarus, or Jacob son +of Lazarus, as in biblical times. + +Jacob Lazar, afterwards Jacob Straus, had three sons: Jacob, Lazarus, +and Salomon. My father, Lazarus Straus, born April 25, 1809, was the son +of the eldest, Jacob; and my mother, Sara Straus, born January 14, +1823, was the daughter of the youngest, Salomon. My paternal grandfather +died when my father was a young man, but my grandfather Salomon Straus +and his brother Lazarus were known to us as children, particularly to my +eldest brother, Isidor, who knew them quite well. They were men of +culture and education, landowners who sent their crops--mainly wheat, +oats, clover and clover seed--and those of their neighbors to the +markets of Kaiserslautern and Mannheim, the chief commercial towns of +the section. They spoke German and French fluently, and had also, of +course, been thoroughly educated in the Hebrew language and literature. + +The name of Straus was well known among the Jews of Bavaria, and both my +great-grandfather and my father contributed to its prominence. During +1806 a spirit of reaction, political and religious, swept over France, +making itself especially troublesome in Alsace and in the German +departments of the upper and lower Rhine. Exceptionable and restrictive +laws were advocated to deprive the Jews there of rights they were +enjoying throughout France. As had happened often before, and not +unknown since, the reactionaries fanned the hatred against Jews, making +them the scapegoats in their campaign against the advancing spirit of +liberalism. Thus the cause of the Jews was linked with the cause of +liberty itself. + +[Illustration: MOTHER AND FATHER OF OSCAR S. STRAUS] + +Napoleon himself was at first prejudiced against the Jews, regarding +them as usurers and extortioners. He soon realized, however, that the +characteristics which confronted him could not be imputed to Judaism, +but were due rather to the restricted civil and industrial rights of the +Jews and to their general unhappy condition. It was made manifest to him +that in Bordeaux, Marseilles, and the Italian cities of France, as +well as in Holland, some of the most useful and patriotic citizens were +Jews. Napoleon always had an eye on his historical reputation, and +desiring to do nothing that would obscure his fame, he decided to +convene a council of representative Jews from the various provinces. +Accordingly, on May 30, 1806, he issued his decree, famous in the annals +of the Jews in modern times, summoning the Assembly of Notables of the +Jewish nation to meet in Paris the following July. The prefects in the +various provinces were required to aid in the selection of the most +distinguished men from among the rabbis and the laity. + +The deputies came to Paris from all parts of the French Empire. They +numbered one hundred and eleven in all, and spoke French, German, and +Italian. Many of them were themselves well known, others achieved a +posthumous glamour in the deeds of descendants who have since won +distinction in European history and in the annals of Jewry. There were +Joseph Sinzheim, first rabbi of Strasbourg, foremost Talmudist and +considered the most scholarly member of the Assembly, who was made +president of the Assembly and later chairman of the Great Sanhedrin; +Michel Berr, afterwards the first French Jew to practice at the bar; +Abraham Furtado, son of a marano or crypto-Jewish Portuguese family from +which was also descended the wife of the first Benjamin D'Israeli and +Sir John Simon; Isaac Samuel d'Avigdor of Nice, grandfather of Jules +d'Avigdor who was a member of the Piedmont Parliament; Israel +Ottolenghi, an ancestor of Italy's late Minister of War; Abraham de +Cologna, rabbi of Mantua, a great political leader and reformer; and +many others of equal rank and caliber. Their task was a monumental one, +for it was nothing less than to justify Judaism and Jewry to the world; +and they assembled with a full consciousness of their responsibility. + +At this Assembly my great-grandfather represented the Department of Mont +Tennerre. He evidently played an important part in the diplomacy which +this unprecedented council involved, for he was a member of the +sub-committee of fifteen delegated to meet the commissioners appointed +by Napoleon, also a member of the committee to which the Assembly gave +the delicate work of preparing the groundwork for discussion with the +commissioners. Subsequently he was appointed to the committee of nine of +the Great Sanhedrin which the following year presented to Napoleon's +committee the conclusions formulated and agreed upon by the Assembly, +and which helped to bring about their adoption. + + * * * * * + +My father, in turn, was active in the revolutionary movement in 1848. +This was an heroic effort on the part of the liberal forces of Europe to +achieve constitutional government, and when it failed many of those who +had borne a conspicuous part fled to other countries. Thus it was that +Generals Sigel, Schurz, Stahl, and others, who later were prominent in +our Civil War, came to America. These men and their immediate followers +constitute one of the most valuable groups of immigrants that have come +to these shores since our government was organized. In the land of their +birth they had already made sacrifices for constitutionalism and +democracy, and basically they had made them for American principles. +They were Americans in spirit, therefore, even before they arrived. + +Having been active only locally in the revolutionary movement, my father +was not prosecuted. He was made aware, however, of the suspicions of the +authorities and was subjected to all those petty annoyances and +discriminations which a reactionary government never fails to lay upon +people who have revolted, and revolted in vain. My father decided, in +consequence, to emigrate. This purpose he did not carry into effect +until the spring of 1852. He had many ties, which it was difficult to +break at once. He had been in comfortable circumstances, like his father +and grandfather a landowner and dealer on a large scale in farm +products, principally grains. The revolution left him reduced in +circumstances and even to some extent in debt. He had four children, of +whom I was the youngest, being then less than a year and a half old. +Therefore, like the prudent man he was, he waited, and then came to +America alone with the purpose of establishing himself in some small way +before allowing his family to exchange the comparative security of their +familiar surroundings for the insecurity of an unknown land. + +He landed at Philadelphia, where he met a number of former acquaintances +who had preceded him to America, some of whom were already established +in business. They advised him to go South. Acting on this suggestion he +went on to Oglethorpe, Georgia, where he met some more acquaintances +from the old country. Through them he made a connection with two +brothers Kaufman, who plied the peddler's trade. They owned a peddler's +wagon with which they dispensed through the several counties of the +State an assortment of dry goods and what was known as "Yankee notions." + +For my father this was indeed a pioneer business in a pioneer country, +yet it was not like the peddling of to-day. In the fifties the +population of the whole State of Georgia was only about nine hundred +thousand. Because of the existence of slavery there were on the large +plantations often more colored people than there were whites living in +the near-by villages. The itinerant merchant, therefore, filled a real +want, and his vocation was looked upon as quite dignified. Indeed, he +was treated by the owners of the plantations with a spirit of equality +that it is hard to appreciate to-day. Then, too, the existence of +slavery drew a distinct line of demarcation between the white and black +races. This gave to the white visitor a status of equality that probably +otherwise he would not have enjoyed to such a degree. + +Provided only, therefore, that the peddler proved himself an honorable, +upright man, who conscientiously treated his customers with fairness and +made no misrepresentations regarding his wares, he was treated as an +honored guest by the plantation owners--certainly a spirit of true +democracy. The visits were made periodically and were quite looked +forward to by the plantation owners. The peddler usually stayed one +night at the house of his customer and took his meals with the family. +Another ideally democratic feature about these sojourns was that spirit +of Southern hospitality which, even in the relationship between the +wealthiest, most aristocratic family and the humble peddler, permitted +no pay for board and lodging, and only a small charge for feed for the +horses. The peddler in turn usually made a gift to either the lady or +her daughter. Often he provided himself with articles for this purpose, +but usually on one visit he would find out what might be welcome and on +the next visit bring it. The bonds of friendship thus made are, I +venture to say, hardly understandable in our day. + + * * * * * + +In the course of these wanderings my father came to Talbotton, a town of +some eight or nine hundred inhabitants, the county seat of Talbot +County, and about forty miles east of the Alabama boundary. Talbotton +immediately impressed him so favorably that he selected it as the next +home for his family. It had an air of refinement that pleased him; there +were gardens with nicely cultivated flowers and shrubbery, and houses +that were neat, well kept, and properly painted. Upon inquiry he found +further that there were splendid schools for both boys and girls. + +There was another factor which doubtless caused father to be favorably +impressed with Talbotton; it was court week when he arrived, at which +time a town has a more or less festive appearance and is at its best so +far as activity is concerned. Then there was a third factor that +influenced him to settle there. Before doing business in any county, +peddlers were required to go to the county seat to buy a license. At +Talbotton this license was very high, and my father doubted that his +business in Talbot County would warrant the expense. The idea occurred +to him to utilize the presence of the many strangers in town to test the +possibilities of the place by unpacking and displaying his goods in a +store. An interview with Captain Curley, the only tailor in the town, +developed the fact that the store he occupied was too large for his +needs and he would be willing to share it with my father. So this +arrangement was promptly made, and at a cost less than the expense of +the county license for itinerant merchandising. + +The experiment proved most satisfactory. In a few weeks the stock was so +depleted that my father proposed to his partner that they rent a store +and settle in Talbotton. This they did. My father then prepared to go to +Philadelphia to get a stock of goods. His partner counseled against +this. There was a merchant in Oglethorpe who, up to this point, had +supplied them with all their merchandise; they would need to refer to +him for credit, and they were still indebted to him for the stock in +hand; also, he would probably not approve of their settling down in a +store instead of peddling. The new store offered large display space in +comparison with the wagon, and the partner doubted my father's ability +to get enough credit in Philadelphia to make a proper display. Still +another obstacle. The line of merchandise that was to constitute most of +their stock was what was then known as dry goods and domestics. This +business was entirely in the hands of the Yankees and the most difficult +one in which to gain a foothold, especially for a German immigrant +without capital. + +However, in the end my father did go to Philadelphia. He had found +several acquaintances in that city, as I have already said, who had been +resident in his neighborhood in the old country. These people were +established in several of the wholesale houses in the different lines of +merchandise he required, except the dry goods. And solely on the +strength of his character and the reputation he had had in Europe he was +able to establish with them the necessary credit, which neither his +capital nor his business experience in a new field and a strange country +warranted. In fact, their faith in him was so strong that one of them +gladly introduced him to the wholesale dry goods merchants, and he was +able to accomplish the full purpose of his mission, to the great +amazement of his partner. + + * * * * * + +[Illustration: BIRTHPLACE OF OSCAR S. STRAUS OTTERBERG, RHENISH BAVARIA] + +[Illustration: CHAPEL AND SCHOOLHOUSE COLLINSWORTH INSTITUTE, TALBOTTON, +GEORGIA] + +That was in 1853, and marked the beginning of my family's history in +this country. This bit of success encouraged my father to write home +that he might be able to have us join him the following year. +Accordingly, on August 24, 1854, our little party left Otterberg. It +was a journey that required no little courage and resourcefulness. My +mother had three years before suffered a paralytic stroke, and of her +four children the eldest, my brother Isidor, was only nine years old. My +sister Hermina was a year and a half younger, Nathan was six, and I was +only three and a half. My mother's father accompanied us from Otterberg +to Kaiserslautern, he on horseback and the rest of us with our nursemaid +in a carriage; we then took the train to Forbach, a French frontier +town, where we remained overnight. The next morning we left for Paris. +There we stayed until August 29th, when we started for Havre to board +the steamer St. Louis on her maiden voyage. As our boat was being docked +in New York on September 12th, my mother recognized my father +energetically pacing the wharf. Minutes seemed like hours. + +We did not go directly to Talbotton. Yellow fever was raging in +Savannah, and as we had to go through that port _en route_ to Talbotton, +we waited in Philadelphia for a few weeks, until the danger was +considered over. Even then we avoided entering the city until it was +time to board the train for Geneva, where we were to take the +stage-coach for the remaining seven miles to Talbotton. The boat docked +at Savannah in the morning, and we spent the day until evening in the +small shanty that was called the station. When finally we reached +Talbotton we found a very comfortable home ready for us. My precocious +brother Isidor immediately inspected the whole and thought it odd to be +in a house built on stilts, as he called it. The house, typical of that +locality, had no cellar, but was supported by an open foundation of +wooden pillars about twenty-five feet apart. + +Our family was received with kindness and hospitality, so that in a +very few years our parents were made to feel much at home. My mother, +who had considerable experience in the cultivation of flowers and +vegetables, soon had a garden which was very helpful and instructive to +her circle of neighbors and friends. My father, always a student and +well versed in biblical literature and the Bible, which he read in the +original, was much sought by the ministers of the various denominations, +several of whom habitually dined at our house when in Talbotton on their +circuit. At such times the discussion usually ran along theological +lines. One of my earliest recollections is hearing my father take +passages from the Old Testament and translate them literally for the +information of these ministers. + +We were the only Jewish family in the town. This at first aroused some +curiosity among those who had never met persons of our race or religion +before. I remember hearing some one doubt that we were Jews and +remarking to my father, who had very blond hair and blue eyes, that he +thought all Jews had black hair and dark complexion. + + * * * * * + +My brother Isidor and my sister were immediately sent to school, and my +second brother and I were sent as soon as we arrived at school age. I +was seven years old when I began learning my letters. + +My main religious instruction came from conversations with my father and +from the discussions the ministers of various denominations had with +him, which I always followed with great interest. When my brother Nathan +and I were respectively about eleven and eight and a half years old, we +were sent to the Baptist Sunday school upon the persuasion of the +Baptist minister, who had become an intimate friend of my father's. +There we heard the Bible read and were taught principally from the Old +Testament. Our teacher was a gunsmith who had more piety than knowledge, +and what he lacked in erudition he made up by good intentions which, +after all, had a cultural value. We continued our attendance some two +years. + +At eleven I entered Collinsworth Institute, a higher school for boys, +about a mile outside of Talbotton. Isidor had been there, and Nathan was +there then. It was not a large school, though it was the best of its +kind in our vicinity. The recitation hall or chapel was a little frame +building standing in a square, and around that were eight or ten +one-story frame houses where boys coming from a distance lived. The +pupils ranged in age from about ten to eighteen, and there were three +teachers. We were taught the three R's, and the advanced pupils studied +the classics. + +In our small town, being the county seat, we had gala days each month +when the court convened and people came from the surrounding districts +as for a holiday. There was much drinking of gin and whiskey by the +young country squires, which frequently ended up in some fighting where +pistols and knives were freely used. This all left a deep impression on +my young mind and made me a prohibitionist long before I knew the +meaning of the word. In the North when boys got to fighting they used +their fists; in the South they used, besides their fists, sticks and +stones, and consequently it was a more serious and dangerous affair. If +in the North one boy cursed another or called him a liar, it would not +necessarily lead to a fist fight; in fact, it usually stopped at +recrimination. In the South that kind of quarreling meant a serious +fight. I think because of these facts the Southern boys were much more +guarded and polite to each other in speech than was customary among +Northern boys. Perhaps much of the so-called Southern politeness had +its roots in the use, in boyhood, of milder terms in case of +disagreement. I recall one fight between two of the leading men of +Talbotton, both deacons in the same church. One took out his pocket +knife and cut the other's throat, and he died. After considerable delay +the murderer was tried, but because of his high standing in the +community he was acquitted, doubtless on the plea of self-defense, and +he got off scot-free. + +As a boy brought up in the South I never questioned the rights or wrongs +of slavery. Its existence I regarded as matter of course, as most other +customs or institutions. The grown people of the South, whatever they +thought about it, would not, except in rare instances, speak against it; +and even then in the most private and guarded manner. To do otherwise +would subject one to social ostracism. We heard it defended in the +pulpit and justified on biblical grounds by leading ministers. With my +father it was different. I frequently heard him discuss the subject with +the ministers who came to our house, and he would point out to them that +the Bible must be read with discrimination and in relation to the period +to which the chapters refer; and it must not be forgotten that it is the +history of a people covering more than a thousand years; and that even +then there had been no such thing as perpetual bondage, as all slaves +were declared free in the year of jubilee. + +[Illustration: OSCAR S. STRAUS AT SIX] + +Looking backward and making comparisons between my observations as a boy +in the South and later in the North, I find there was much more freedom +of expression in the North than in the South. Few people in the South +would venture to express themselves against the current of dominant +opinion upon matters of sectional importance. The institution of slavery +with all that it implied seemed to have had the effect of enslaving, +or, to use a milder term, checking, freedom of expression on the part of +the master class only in lesser degree than among the slaves themselves. + + * * * * * + +In our town, as in all Southern communities, the better families were +kind, especially to their household slaves, whom they regarded as +members of the family requiring guardianship and protection, in a degree +as if they were children. And the slaves addressed their masters by +their first names and their mistresses as "miss." My mother, for +instance, was "Miss Sara." I recall one of our servants pleading with my +mother: "Miss Sara, won't you buy me, I want to stay here. I love you +and the white folks here, and I am afraid my master will hire me out or +sell me to some one else." At that time we hired our servants from their +masters, whom we paid an agreed price. But as the result of such +constant pleadings my father purchased household slaves one by one from +their masters, although neither he nor my mother believed in slavery. If +we children spoke to the slaves harshly or disregarded their feelings, +we were promptly checked and reprimanded by our parents. My father also +saw to it that our two men servants learned a trade; the one learned +tailoring and the other how to make shoes, though it was regarded +disloyal, at any rate looked upon with suspicion, if a master permitted +a slave boy or girl to be taught even reading and writing. When later we +came North we took with us the two youngest servants, one a boy about my +age, and the other a girl a little older. They were too young to look +out for themselves, and so far as they knew they had no relatives. We +kept them with us until they grew up and could look out for themselves. + +The people throughout the South, with the exception of the richer +plantation owners, lived simply. In our household, for instance, we +always lived well, but economically. My mother was very systematic and +frugal. She had an allowance of twenty dollars a month, and my brother +Isidor has well said that she would have managed to save something even +if it had been smaller. It was her pleasure to be her own financier, and +small as her allowance sounds now, she was able in the course of two or +three years to save enough to buy a piano for my sister. This she felt +to be an expense with which my father's exchequer should not be taxed. + +We raised our own vegetables and chickens. Fresh meat, except pork, +might have been termed a luxury. Many of the families had their own +smokehouses, as we did, which were filled once a year, at the +hog-killing season. There was no such thing as a butcher in our little +town. When a farmer in the country round wanted to slaughter an ox or a +sheep, he would do so and bring it to town, exhibit it in the public +square in a shanty called the market (used for that particular occasion +and at other times empty), toll the bell that was there, and in that way +announce that some fresh meat was on sale. This procedure never occurred +oftener than once in two or three weeks during the cold weather. + +Ice was another luxury in that community. It had to be shipped many +miles and was therefore brought in only occasionally, mainly for a +confectioner who at times offered ice cream to the people. + +There was no gas lighting. Oil lamps were used, but to a larger extent +candles, which were manufactured in each household, of fat and bees' +wax. In that process we children all helped. + +Indeed, with a small business in a small town in those days it was +possible for a man to accumulate a surplus only through the practice of +the strictest economy by his family as well as by himself, an economy +almost bordering parsimony. There were no public or free schools in that +part of the South; every textbook had to be bought and tuition paid for; +and there were four of us. + + * * * * * + +When the war broke out new economies were called for. A simple life has +its advantages; it is conducive to self-help, also to the ability to do +without things and meet emergencies without unhappiness. My father's +partner joined the Fourth Georgia Regiment, and my brother Isidor, then +sixteen, was withdrawn from Collinsworth Institute to take up work with +my father. He had gained some experience in carrying on the business by +helping father evenings, for our store was open until nine-thirty. It +was closed during the supper hour, but reopened thereafter. + +In that part of the country coffee became unobtainable except when now +and then a few bags arrived on a ship that had run the blockade. Our +mothers learned to give us an acceptable substitute by cutting sweet +potatoes into little cubes, drying them in the sun, then roasting and +grinding them, together with grains of wheat, like the ordinary bean. +This made a hot and palatable drink having the color of coffee without +the harmful stimulus of its caffeine. + +Salt also became scarce. It was difficult and at times impossible to +obtain enough to cure our pork. Some one discovered that the earthen +floors of the smokehouses were impregnated with considerable salt from +previous curings, so a method was invented for recovering it from that +source. + +In the later years of the war, when railway transportation was very poor +and in many localities interrupted, we did not suffer for food, because, +as I have said, most households in the small towns and in the country +raised the major part of their food supplies; they had their own +chickens, eggs, milk, butter, garden provisions. Children of my age +lived largely on corn bread and molasses, of which there was an +ever-plentiful amount. + +During the second year of the war my father's partner was discharged +from his regiment for physical disability. My father, always insistent +upon the best possible education for us all, therefore urged my brother +Isidor to continue his studies. Most of the high schools and colleges, +however, had been suspended because the teachers, as well as many of the +senior scholars, had joined the army. On the other hand, the war had +fired the whole South with the military spirit, and as was natural for a +young man barely seventeen, my brother chose to attend the Georgia +Military Academy at Marietta, which was running full blast. Earlier in +the war, when the Fourth Georgia Regiment, taking practically all the +able-bodied men of the town, had left for the front, the boys of +Talbotton organized a company of which Isidor was elected first +lieutenant. They had offered their services to the governor of the +State, but he replied that there were not enough arms to equip all the +men, so that equipping boys was out of the question. All these incidents +had influenced my brother in his choice, and he left quite +enthusiastically for the Georgia Military Academy to take his entrance +examinations. When he returned, however, his mood was much different. +Upon his arrival at Marietta he had about an hour's waiting before he +could see the proper person. Some acquaintances whom he met on the +campus invited him to visit their living quarters meanwhile. As he +entered one of the rooms the door stood ajar. Without noticing this he +gave the door a push, resulting in his being drenched to the skin by a +bucket of water that had been balanced over the door and held there by +the position of the door when ajar. He had to return to the hotel to +change his entire apparel. He had not heard of hazing before, and the +incident disgusted him so that he never returned to the academy. He +embarked upon his career as a merchant the very next morning. + + * * * * * + +In 1863 our family moved to Columbus, Georgia. It was a much larger +place than Talbotton, having a population of about twelve thousand, +offered more opportunities, and, too, my brother Isidor had already +found employment there. With its broad main street and brick residences +it looked like a great city to me. + +As in Talbotton, there were no public schools in Columbus, so I was sent +to a private school kept by an Irish master named Flynn, who did not act +on the pedagogical principle, "Spare the rod and spoil the child." By +him I was taught the three R's and began Latin. I also experienced my +first stage-fright at Master Flynn's, when my turn came to speak a piece +before the entire school. In all Southern schools much emphasis was +placed upon elocution. I well remember practicing before a mirror and +reciting under the trees in stentorian voice with dramatic gesture the +great oration put into John Adams's mouth by Daniel Webster, beginning: +"Sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish, I give my hand and my +heart to this vote." + +After another year this school was discontinued and I was sent to one +kept by a Dr. Dews. He was a teacher trained in the classics and far +less severe than Flynn, more sympathetic and cultured. Under him I +began Virgil and afterwards Horace. It was not customary to teach +English grammar; we derived that from our laborious drilling in Latin +grammar. + +There were no public libraries, and few families, other than those of +professional men, had many books. The standard assortment consisted of +the Bible, Josephus, Burns; some had Shakespeare's works. I do not +recall at this period reading any book outside of those we had for study +at school. Boys of my age led an outdoor life, indulging in seasonable +sports which rotated from top-spinning to marbles, to ball-playing, +principally a game called town-ball. We all had shot-guns, so that in +season and out we went bird-hunting and rabbit-hunting. + +We went barefooted nine months of the year, both for comfort and +economy. As in Talbotton we lived most economically. We were not poor in +the sense of being needy; we never felt in any way dependent. Our home +was comfortable, wholesome, full of sunshine and good cheer, and always +hospitable to friends. Our wants were few and simple, so we had plenty, +and I felt as independent as any child of the rich. + +We were now in the midst of the Civil War, and money, measured in gold, +was worth about five cents per dollar. My brother Nathan seemed to be +affected by this into constant scheming for making pocket money. He was +fifteen years old, and out of school hours helped father in the store; +but he seemed to be in need of more pin-money. He finally hit on a plan +that proved quite lucrative. He collected or bought up pieces of hemp +rope and sold them to a manufacturer. Hemp was very scarce and much +needed. With the proceeds he bought a beautiful bay pony, which he and I +prized more than any possession we have ever had, before or since. + + * * * * * + +On the 16th of April, 1865, after a feeble skirmish on the part of the +citizen soldiers, mainly superannuated men and schoolboys, Columbus was +captured by General James H. Wilson at the head of a cavalry corps of +fifteen thousand men. The war had practically ended seven days before, +as Lee surrendered on the 9th at Appomattox Court House in Virginia; but +as telegraph and railroad communication had been disrupted, this fact +was not yet known in our part of Georgia. As soon as Wilson's army took +possession of our debilitated city general confusion reigned. Looting +began by the town rabble, led by several drunken Federal soldiers; +cotton warehouses were burned, the contents of which represented the +savings of many, including most of my father's; all horses were seized, +and among them our little pony, which I never saw again, though I still +retain a vivid picture of him in my mind's eye. Frequently since, when I +have met that fine and accomplished old veteran, General Wilson, who is +still among the living, hale and hearty, I have jestingly reproached him +for taking from me the most treasured possession I ever had. + +This incident and others served to give me a most vivid impression of +the closing years of the Civil War. Another very vivid impression that +occurred shortly before the beginning of the war clings to my memory. +Robert Toombs, one of Georgia's most conspicuous United States Senators, +was making a speech at the Masonic Temple in Columbus, Georgia. It was a +hot summer day. Toombs was a short, thick, heavy-set man of the +Websterian type, and one of the South's most picturesque orators. After +the election of Lincoln, however, Toombs advocated secession and +resigned from the Senate, was talked of for the Confederate presidency, +did become Confederate Secretary of State, and was later commissioned a +brigadier-general, and commanded with distinction in numerous battles of +the Civil War. During the speech I heard him make, he drew a large white +handkerchief from his pocket with a flourish, and pausing before mopping +his perspiring forehead, he exclaimed: + +"The Yankees will not and can not fight! I will guarantee to wipe up +with this handkerchief every drop of blood that is spilt." + +Neither he nor the audience foresaw what was coming. The Civil War was a +family affair, yet the hostility it engendered and the misconception it +brought in its train regarding the valor, and even the standards of +civilization, of the enemy, were as extreme and virulent as in a war +between nations of different continents and races. Such are the +brutalizing passions war arouses in banishing from the individual mind +the most elementary ideas of brotherhood. + +When the war ended my father had to begin life anew, and because of the +discouraging prospects and conditions of the South he decided to move +North. In the North, too, he could more readily dispose of the remainder +of his cotton, his chief asset, to pay off debts which he owed in New +York and Philadelphia for goods purchased before the war. With the few +thousand dollars remaining after paying these debts, and with good +credit, he thought he could begin some new business in a small way. + +Simultaneously with our arrival in Philadelphia my brother Isidor +arrived in New York from Europe, where he had gone two years before as +secretary of a commission to buy supplies for the State of Georgia. The +blockade of the Southern ports became so effective that ships could not +get through, so that he did not succeed in getting over the supplies; +but he made several thousand dollars in the sale of Confederate bonds. +Upon learning in New York that we were in Philadelphia, he immediately +came there to find out my father's plans. He persuaded father that New +York, as the chief market, was preferable to Philadelphia as a secondary +one. Consequently we moved to New York, and father and Isidor, together +with Nathan, planned to establish themselves in the wholesale crockery +business. Isidor, twenty years old, first used part of his fortune to +buy for my mother a high-stoop, three-story brick house at 220 West +Forty-Ninth Street, now long since torn down, but which we occupied for +over eighteen years. + +It was fully six months before the new business venture was launched. My +father depended for his part of the capital upon the sale of the +remainder of his cotton, which had been shipped to Liverpool, and this +was not effected until early in 1866. In the intervening months he +visited his creditors in New York to arrange for paying his debts. In +this connection I remember one significant incident: His principal New +York creditor was the dry goods house of George Bliss & Co., to whom he +owed an amount between four and five thousand dollars. (Bliss afterward +became a member of the banking firm of Morton, Bliss & Co.) When he +called regarding the payment of this, Mr. Bliss asked how old he was, +what family he had, and what he intended doing. My father answered that +he was fifty-seven, that he had a wife and four children, and that he +hoped to make a new start in the wholesale crockery business. "I don't +think you are fair to your family and yourself," said Mr. Bliss, "to +deprive yourself of the slender means you tell me you possess by paying +out your available resources. I will compromise with you for less than +the full amount in view of the hardships of the war and your family +obligations." + +My father had a very high sense of honor and was always more concerned +in maintaining it beyond possible reproach than in making money. Some +parents forget that they cannot successfully live by one standard +outside and another inside the home, and many never realize that +children are influenced not so much by the preaching as by the true and +real spirit of their parents. My father believed that "a good name is +better than riches," and within the home or without he lived up to that +standard. I clearly remember the impression I received of his integrity +at the time of this Bliss incident, and of a certain feeling of +compunction on the part of his creditor, as though he had expected +something different. Most Southern merchants regarded themselves morally +freed from paying Northern creditors because the Confederate government +had confiscated such debts and compelled the debtors to pay the amounts +to the government. But my father held true to his standard, and I well +remember his parting words to Bliss that day: "I propose to pay my debts +in full and leave to my children a good name even if I should leave them +nothing else." + + * * * * * + +My brother Isidor, always my guide, philosopher, and friend, now +arranged for my schooling. In my geography textbook was a picture of +Columbia College, and I had the fixed idea that when we came to New York +I wanted to go there. On inquiry we learned that I was too young, for I +was only fourteen and a half, and that I had not the requirements for +admission. So in the autumn of 1865 Isidor had me enter Columbia Grammar +School, then one of the best schools in the city. It was my first +experience in a really first-rate school, and the teaching was so much +more thorough and exact than my previous training had been that it +seemed to me I had to learn everything anew. The tuition fee and the +cost of books was considerable, in view of the modest income of the +family; but my father, economical in all other respects, was liberal +beyond his means where the education of his children was concerned. My +brother, moreover, was desirous that I should have the advantages of the +college training which circumstances, notably the war, had withheld from +him. + +I appreciated to the full the privileges I was permitted to enjoy and +studied with all my might. The school regulations required that parents +fill out a blank each week stating, among other things, the number of +hours we studied at home. The average number of hours daily reported +were three or four, and as my record was fully double that, I felt +rather ashamed to give the true number, so I always gave less. The +school was on Fourth Avenue and Twenty-Seventh Street, and our home on +Forty-Ninth Street was near Eighth Avenue. I invariably walked both +ways, saving car fares and at the same time conserving my health, for +aside from a half-hour of gymnastics twice a week in school I had +neither time nor opportunity otherwise to get the exercise my body +required. + +Owing to the careless preparation I had received at the schools in the +South, I made a poor showing in spite of my hard work now, though on one +occasion I shone with accidental glory. It was the custom for the +instructor to put the same question to pupil after pupil, and to elevate +the one who gave the correct answer to the head of the class. In this +instance, it so happened that I gave the fortunate answer and thus +qualified for the seat of scholastic eminence. As I sat there enjoying a +near view of the teacher's countenance, I wondered how long I should +remain thus distinguished, and was unable to resist the impulse to cast +an occasional backward glance at the rows of seats in the rear. + +At about this time, an elderly gentleman of distinguished appearance +entered the classroom. He was S. F. B. Morse, inventor of the telegraph. +Morse, whose grandson was in my class, knowing the custom and observing +me in the seat of honor, complimented me. He observed that I, like +himself, had a large head in comparison with the body, and remarked that +I must be a bright boy. But I felt embarrassed rather than gratified at +the praise, for I knew, and so did the rest, that I did not deserve it. +I still recall that scene, and see the venerable old man, then +seventy-five years old, with the long white beard that made him look +even older. + +When the time came, in the spring of 1867, for our class to go up for +college examination, the Rev. Dr. Bacon, successor as principal of the +school to Charles Anthon, the distinguished classical scholar and editor +of classical works, called the boys of our class before him and gave us +each a blessing with some encouraging words. When my turn came he was +very kind, telling me he knew I had tried hard, but because of my early +training, or lack of it, he feared I might not pass. I saw my chances of +a college education go glimmering. There were, however, still two weeks +before the examinations, and I determined to use those for all they were +worth. I worked night and day, cramming with a vengeance. I felt I could +not expect my father to keep me in school another year when after two +years of preparation I had shown myself so deficient. That thought was +my spur, though in point of fact I am sure both my brother Isidor and my +father, realizing I had done the best I could, would have insisted upon +my taking another year for preparation. + +The result of my entrance examinations was more favorable than I could +have hoped. It turned out that I was the only one from our grammar +school class to pass in all subjects without a single condition. It was +luck rather than brilliancy. The professor who examined my classmates in +ancient geography, being the author of the book upon which the +examination was held, was so meticulous that unless the student gave the +answer exactly as in the book he was marked deficient. By the time it +came my turn to be examined another and more generous-minded professor +had taken his place and passed me with the highest mark. The others, who +had all flunked, regarded me, in their own language, as "the lucky dog." + + * * * * * + +My college course began on October 7, 1867. Here I did not find the +studies hard. I had ample leisure for reading and took full advantage of +the college library, from which we were free to select and take home +whatever books we desired. Then, as now, I cared little for fiction. To +me the literature of facts was more interesting and therefore lighter +reading, and I read much biography and history. + +Our class matriculated fifty-two, but dwindled down to thirty-one by +graduation. In the class were Brander Matthews, now professor of +literature at Columbia as well as literary and dramatic critic; Robert +Fulton Cutting, financier and ideal citizen, descendant of an old and +famous New York family, as his name indicates; Stuyvesant Fish, banker, +also of a well-known New York family, whose father, Hamilton Fish, was +Secretary of State in the Grant Cabinet, and whose grandfather and +father both were among Columbia alumni; and Henry Van Rensselaer, who +became a Jesuit father and is now no longer among the living. + +At the commemoration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the +founding of the college three of us--Robert Fulton Cutting, Brander +Matthews, and myself--received the honorary degree of LL.D. At this +writing, fifty years after graduation, there are but ten of us +remaining. + +The most coveted honors in those days were to be had for literary +achievement and class rank. Among the few prizes was one known as the +Alumni Prize, awarded to the most deserving student in the graduating +class. The college board nominated for that honor William Henry Sage, +now our class historian, Joseph Fenelon Vermilye, and myself; and the +class elected Vermilye for the prize. + +Athletics had not attained the vogue it has in American universities +to-day, and was particularly absent in our college, confined then to a +city block. Doubtless due to this lack the boys of our class, on the +whole a spirited and boisterous lot, found self-expression in a +disregard for proper decorum in the lecture rooms. There was one period +where this was conspicuously the case. The subject was Evidences of +Christianity. It was compulsory and along denominational lines. It did +not interest many of the boys, and some of those who were not +Episcopalians even resented it; to boot, the professor, Rev. Dr. +McVickar, was a mild-mannered man, entirely unable to maintain +discipline. The result was frequent and various disturbances during the +sessions of his class, which often put the good-natured and +unsophisticated man at his wits' end. He complained to the college +board, and President Barnard took the matter up with some seriousness, +but no real appeasement. + +I felt great sympathy for Dr. McVickar, for he was earnest and gentle, +and took much to heart the conduct of the men in his class. Of course, +in common with most of my classmates I strongly favored that the +subject be elective instead of compulsory; yet I realized that, as +colleges were then constituted, the original Columbia being largely an +Episcopalian foundation, there was a legal right, as distinguished from +reason, for the requirement that the course in Evidences of Christianity +be compulsory. + +One day when the disturbances became most flagrant, and the poor +professor was really quite helpless, I ventured to point out to him how +he might bring about order. He received my suggestion most favorably, so +I asked him to let me take his chair for a few moments. I made a brief +appeal to the class, reminding them that we were now seniors, and that +there were some, especially those intending to study for the ministry, +who were interested in the subject and prevented from following it by +the boisterous behavior of the rest. I was jeeringly dubbed Professor +Straus, but I went right on. I said I knew there were a number who were +opposed to the study of Evidences of Christianity, and I proposed that +they rise. To those who got up I gave permission to leave the room, and +as I recall it, there were some eight or ten left. Then I turned to Dr. +McVickar and said, "Here is a class you can teach." And the session went +on smoothly enough. Subsequently a petition was drawn up and signed by a +large majority of the class, asking that we be excused from examinations +in this particular subject; but President Barnard replied that the +request could not be entertained. + + * * * * * + +On the whole my four years at college were full of serious effort and +not altogether free from anxiety. I had a restless ambition to have a +useful career and it seemed difficult to discover for what I was best +fitted. For a while, in those dreamy days, I even believed I might +achieve some measure of success as a poet. I recall with a smile that +the choice for class poet at commencement lay between Brander Matthews, +whom we then knew as James Brander Matthews, and myself. And for some +reason, which posterity will doubtless find even more difficult to +fathom than I have, I was chosen. Matthews had already given evidence of +his literary talents; he contributed much to the college papers, and +wrote humorous poems. However, at our graduation exercises held in the +Academy of Music, Fourteenth Street and Irving Place, the city's largest +auditorium then, my class poem was well received by a capacity audience +of proud parents and sympathetic friends. I had gravely entitled it +"Truth and Error." + +A more fervent aspiration held by me in those years was to devote my +life to the nation, and I could conceive no better way of doing so than +to enter the army. One day I saw an item in the press that President +Grant had several appointments to make to the United States Military +Academy. I consulted with Dr. F. A. P. Barnard, president of Columbia, +and he gave me a letter of introduction to Grant, highly commending me +for an appointment. When President Grant came to New York I called on +him. He received me very kindly, but informed me that he had only +something like eight appointments allowed him by law, and he had decided +to give them where possible to the sons of officers who had been killed +in the war; if, however, there were not enough such candidates he would +be glad to give me a chance. I told him I thoroughly agreed that his +decision was so appropriate that I would not even ask to be appointed +under the circumstances. + +[Illustration: OSCAR S. STRAUS + +At the time of his graduation] + +During the second half of my senior year I finally chose the law as +my vocation. I preferred it to a business career because I disliked the +idea of devoting my life to mere money-making, as business appeared to +me then. My outlook was idealistic rather than practical, and to +harmonize it with the workaday world caused me much mental anguish and +struggle, as it does many a young man, even where affluent fortune has +smiled. However, my father and brother had begun to prosper and had no +need for my cooperation unless on my own account I chose to join them. +Besides, I was the youngest and had the benefit of the brotherly +interest and economic protection of Isidor and Nathan, should I need it. +This gave me a feeling of security, and encouraged me to put forth my +best efforts not only to succeed for myself, but to show my appreciation +to them. Where, under moderate circumstances, a family puts forth +cooperative effort in making its way forward, closer family ties result, +with the advantages of stimulating unselfishness and common devotion, +which in turn promote a happiness that members of richer families often +miss because of their more independent relations. + +So I prepared to enter Columbia Law School in the fall of 1871. +Meanwhile that summer I took my first vacation since coming to New York. +I went to Wyoming Valley, near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where I had a +good time despite the farmer with whom I boarded. Perhaps I had no right +to expect much for the five dollars a week I paid him; but whatever I +expected I know I got less. However, there were fish in the brooks and I +do not recall that I starved. I had spent other summers assisting in +some branch of my father's business, not because I relished work unduly, +but because I regarded it less as labor than as diversion. It was +interesting and useful activity which gave me an understanding of +business that was valuable later in following my chosen profession. + + + + +CHAPTER II + +LAW, BUSINESS, AND LETTERS + + Columbia Law School--Impressions of the faculty--I begin law + practice--Early partnerships--A $10,000 fee--Founding of the Young + Men's Hebrew Association in 1874--The "dissipations" of a law + partner--The Hepburn Committee on railway rates; my partner Simon + Sterne represents the Chamber of Commerce--On the bridle-path with + Joseph H. Choate--I become a member of L. Straus & Sons, + manufacturers and importers--My marriage to Miss Sarah + Lavanburg--My debut in politics--The Cleveland-Blaine campaign--The + "rum, Romanism, and rebellion" episode--"Origin of the Republican + Form of Government," my first book--Recommended as minister to + Turkey; Henry Ward Beecher writes the President--Cleveland + nominates me minister to Turkey. + + +Columbia Law School in 1871 was at Lafayette Place. The course covered +two years, at the end of which a successful examination entitled a +student to admission to the bar without a further State examination, and +for those who gave serious attention to the course it was an easy matter +to pass this finishing examination. + +Particularly worthy of mention with regard to the school are Professors +Theodore W. Dwight and Francis Lieber. Professor Dwight, the able +director of the school at that time, well deserved his great reputation +as the most distinguished teacher of law in the country. He was not only +a master of his subject, but had a marvelous gift for imparting his +great knowledge. + +Professor Lieber, whose lectures we attended once a week, taught us +political science. He was a Prussian veteran who fought in the Battle of +Waterloo. At the close of the Napoleonic Wars he had returned to his +studies in Berlin, and thereafter was arrested several times for his +outspoken liberal views. After frequent persecution and even +imprisonment, he fled to England, and in 1827 came to America. + +He was author of many books on legal and political matters, among them +"Civil Liberty and Self-Government," which was adopted as a textbook in +several of our universities. In 1863 he prepared "Instructions for the +Government of Armies of the United States, in the Field," which Lincoln +promulgated as Order No. 100 of the War Department. It was a masterly +piece of work, embodying advanced humanitarian principles, and it later +formed the basis of several European codes. + +As a rule, egotism and real merit negate one another rather than +cooerdinate; Lieber was the exception. He had both, and combined them to +a marked degree, sometimes in a manner that afforded amusement to his +students. For instance, he referred continuously to "my Civil Liberty" +as a book of extraordinary erudition, new in its field and the last word +on the matter. He was so full of his subject that he was apt to lose +himself and stray off, with his distinctly German accent, into the vast +field of his profound philosophical and historical knowledge. A +veritable encyclopaedia of information, he was really more of an +expounder than a teacher. As his course was optional, those who came to +listen came to learn, and we received a larger view of the function of +law in civil society than we derived from all our studies of municipal +law. + + * * * * * + +I was graduated from law school in June, 1873, and immediately entered +the offices of Ward, Jones & Whitehead, one of New York's prominent +firms. John E. Ward, the senior member, who presided over the Democratic +National Convention that nominated Buchanan, and later served for two or +three years as Minister to China, was a friend of my brother's, and he +took me into his office largely out of friendship for Isidor. + +I remained with this firm only a few months. Later in 1873 I formed a +partnership with James A. Hudson, a man about ten years older than I, +who had also been associated with the Ward firm. As Hudson & Straus we +opened offices on the fourth floor of 59 Wall Street. + +On the same floor in this building was the office of Charles O'Conor, +then the acknowledged head of the American Bar. He had practically +retired, but retained a small office of one or two rooms, with one +clerk. He came in only two or three times a week. Often when he felt +fatigued he would rest on a lounge in a room set apart as library in our +office. For a young lawyer like myself it was an unusual privilege to +have such pleasant personal relations with so able and wise a leader in +the profession. Incidentally I think O'Conor was instrumental in sending +us our first important case, the collection of an old debt of +considerable size. We were so successful for our client that, of his own +accord, he sent us a check for ten thousand dollars, saying he would +make it larger if we regarded it insufficient. The fact was, the amount +was larger than we had thought of charging, and we frankly told him so. +With five thousand dollars in reserve I felt rich and independent. My +wants were naturally simple and our general practice was encouraging. + + * * * * * + +At about this time I first became active in public-spirited +undertakings. The Young Men's Christian Association a few years before +had opened its Twenty-Third Street Branch at the corner of Fourth Avenue +and Twenty-Third Street, and the movement on the whole was getting much +publicity and proving very successful in its work among young men. But +it was an institution for Christians, and it occurred to several of +us--as I remember it, there were two of my fellow members of the bar, +Meyer S. Isaacs and Isaac S. Isaacs; Dr. Simeon N. Leo, Solomon B. +Solomon, and myself--that it would be a useful undertaking if we +organized a Young Men's Hebrew Association for the cultural and +intellectual advancement of Jewish young men. After a few preliminary +meetings we launched our project early in 1874. We rented a house in the +vicinity of Nineteenth or Twentieth Street and began in a very modest +way. Our first entertainment was of a purely literary nature, and I +recollect on that occasion addressing the members of the infant +enterprise on the subject of literary clubs, ancient and modern, from +the time of Socrates and Plato to the days of the coffee houses of +Addison, Steele, and Goldsmith. The Y.M.H.A. subsequently had its years +of struggle for existence, but to-day its place in our cities as an +influence for the development of culture and patriotism is assured, as +well as that of its sister organization of later birth, the Young +Women's Hebrew Association. + +I had chosen the law as my profession, but I still wrote verse, and in +the decade following my graduation published several pieces. At one +memorable event I was invited to deliver an original poem. It was in +1875, at a large fair in Gilmore's Garden, the predecessor of the +present Madison Square Garden. The fair was held to raise funds toward +the erection of a new building for the Mount Sinai Hospital, and the +immense auditorium was crowded. Samuel J. Tilden, then Governor of New +York and also prospective Democratic nominee for President, made the +opening address. My poetic possibilities, however, rested more upon +aspiration than inspiration, and my craving for versification was but a +passing phase of my literary activities. + +About 1876 we removed our office to the New York Life Building, then, as +now, at 346 Broadway, corner of Leonard Street. Our clientele was +mostly commercial and this neighborhood seemed more convenient. Our +neighbors at the new location were Chamberlain, Carter & Eaton, a +prominent commercial law firm of which Charles E. Hughes subsequently +became a member. + +A few years later we took into our firm Simon Sterne, then one of the +brilliant younger members of the bar, and our firm became Sterne, Hudson +& Straus. But Hudson wanted to devote himself to patent law, in which he +had specialized somewhat, so the firm soon changed again to Sterne, +Straus & Thompson. Daniel G. Thompson had been our managing clerk. He +had an attractive personality and a philosophical temperament, but was +more a psychologist than a lawyer. He was author of several works on the +science and history of psychology which were favorably received and +commended by such men as Herbert Spencer and other high authorities in +both Europe and America. These qualities made him a target for the +sarcasm of Sterne, who, on the other hand, was thoroughly the lawyer. On +one occasion I remember Sterne asking me whether I knew Thompson was +dissipating. I expressed surprise, and Sterne went on: "Certainly he is, +for when he goes home he works till all hours of the night writing +psychology, and naturally next day he comes with an exhausted brain to +his legal work. He might better go on a spree, for one gets over that. +But when one buries one's self in such an exacting science he is lost +for the law, which is a jealous mistress and will not bear a rival." + + * * * * * + +Under the name of Sterne, Straus & Thompson we had a practice that +ranged all the way from the collection of debts to questions affecting +street railways and public utilities. Our old firm had a business like +that of most young lawyers, but Sterne's practice was much more +important, his field being mainly banking and railroads. Sterne, in +fact, was rapidly achieving a reputation as an authority in the State on +railways and railway legislation. At that time there was no Interstate +Commerce Commission. Many New York merchants were complaining, through +the New York Chamber of Commerce and the New York Board of Trade and +Transportation, that the railroads were discriminating and giving to +certain shippers much lower rates than to others, also giving preference +to some in the moving of freight. In 1879 the Legislature finally +appointed a committee of eight men to investigate these charges. A. +Barton Hepburn, member of the Assembly from St. Lawrence County, was +made chairman, causing the committee always thereafter to be referred to +as the Hepburn Committee. Sterne represented the Chamber of Commerce and +the Board of Trade in this investigation. + +The committee sat intermittently for about nine months. The railroads +had a brilliant array of legal talent, but Sterne elicited testimony +from them which proved the charges of the merchants. Sterne then drafted +the report of the committee, which included several recommendations for +legislation. It was the first impressive and well-directed attempt to +deal with the regulation of transportation companies, and resulted in +the passage, in 1880, of the bill creating the first Board of Railroad +Commissioners. Later, in 1887, the influence of this work was still +alive in connection with legislation for the creation of the Federal +Interstate Commerce Commission. The business of our firm did not exactly +benefit by this public service of Sterne. As a result of his public +activities and settlement of litigation, such railway clients as we had +were lost to us at about this time. + +At this point in my career I have the fond recollection of a dear and +intimate friendship, which continued for several years, with Joseph H. +Choate, of the firm of Evarts, Southmayd & Choate. We used to ride +horseback together in the park before breakfast. This intimacy naturally +was very valuable to me. We discussed all manner of topics, not only +affecting our profession, but touching many public matters and the +philosophy of life and living in general. In these morning hours, with +the exhilaration of our ride, Mr. Choate was always full of fun and good +humor. He was the most sought after person for addressing all important +public functions, and frequently he would outline the substance of his +addresses. Speaking one day of the many demands upon him as a speaker, +he remarked that he appeared to be in the fashion just then, but, like +wall-paper, fashions change, and it was not likely to last long. In his +case, however, the fashion lasted, even increased, until his death in +1917. + +My major law work was in the most exacting and nerve-racking branch, the +trying of cases. My general physical condition, though never robust, was +none the less good, but I had not learned what one is more apt to +acquire later in life: to conserve my energies. The result was that the +wear and tear of court work reduced my weight to one hundred and five +pounds. My physician strongly advised me to do less exacting work, and +especially to stop trying cases. As this branch of the law appealed to +me most, it was a grave disappointment to have to abandon it. Rather +than continue in the profession with such an inhibition, therefore, I +yielded to the advice of my father and brother to join their firm. + + * * * * * + +I took a vacation of several months, and upon my return early in 1881 I +became a member of L. Straus & Sons, who had become large manufacturers +and importers of china and glassware. On account of the growing business +they really needed my services, and my transition from professional to +business man was made as acceptable and agreeable as possible. As was to +be expected, I continued for some time to long for "the fleshpots of +Egypt," for I was much attached to my profession. As a compensation, and +to satisfy my intellectual longings, I devoted my evenings and spare +time to historical reading and study. + +Having embarked on a business career, I reversed a decision that I made +while practicing law. As a lawyer I had taken very seriously and +literally the saying that "the law is a jealous mistress." I was her +devoted slave, quite willingly so, and I determined never to marry. I +was economically independent as a single man and could devote my time to +the law for its own sake. This I preferred to do, as the idealist that I +was, rather than pursue the law for economic reasons first and for its +own sake as much as possible secondarily, which I felt would have to be +the case if I married. But as a business man things were different, and +I decided now to marry. + + * * * * * + +On January 22, 1882, I became engaged to Sarah, only daughter of Louis +and Hannah Seller Lavanburg, and we were married on the 19th of April +following, at the home of her parents on West Forty-Sixth Street, near +Fifth Avenue. At the wedding dinner, to which had come hosts of our +friends and acquaintances, Joaquin Miller, poet of the Sierras, as he +was called, read a poem which he composed for the event. The manuscript +I think is still in my possession. + +In the year of my marriage I also made my debut in politics. I was +secretary of the Executive Committee of an independent group organized +for the reelection of William R. Grace as mayor of New York. The +distinguished lawyer, Frederick R. Coudert, was chairman of that +committee. Grace had been a Tammany mayor and given the city a good +business administration--so good and so independent that Tammany refused +to nominate him for a second term. On the independent ticket Grace had a +large Republican as well as the independent Democratic support, and was +duly elected. + + * * * * * + +I next took part in the Cleveland-Blaine campaign. In 1884 we formed in +New York City the Cleveland and Hendricks Merchants' and Business Men's +Association, of which I was secretary of the executive committee, and we +cooperated with the Democratic National Committee, Senator Arthur P. +Gorman, chairman, whose headquarters were at the old Fifth Avenue Hotel, +corner of Fifth Avenue and Twenty-Third Street. We organized a parade +and marched forty thousand strong from lower Broadway to Thirty-Fourth +Street. It was the first time business men had ever been organized along +political lines. + +All who remember this campaign know what an exciting and close battle it +was. The dramatic event which doubtless put the balance in Cleveland's +favor was the speech of the Rev. Dr. Samuel D. Burchard, a Presbyterian +minister of New York, at Republican headquarters. A few days before the +election the Republican managers had called what they termed a +ministers' meeting, to which came some six hundred clergymen of all +denominations to meet Mr. Blaine. Dr. Burchard, noted as an orator, was +to speak, followed by Mr. Blaine. In concluding his address, Dr. +Burchard evidently lost control of his dignity, for he stigmatized the +Democratic Party as the party of "rum, Romanism, and rebellion." In the +face of the great efforts the Republican Party had made, with some +measure of success, to secure the Roman Catholic vote, this denunciation +gave a big opportunity to the Democrats. Furthermore, Blaine, keen a +politician as he was, failed immediately to repudiate the remark. + +I was present at Democratic headquarters when the reporter who had been +sent to this meeting returned. Senator Gorman asked him to read from his +shorthand notes, and when he came to the expression, "rum, Romanism, and +rebellion," Gorman at once said, "Write that out." The Democratic +managers saw their chance. Quickly the whole country was placarded with +posters headed "R.R.R.," with all sorts of variations and additions of +the original phrase. In the end it was the New York vote that determined +the victory for the Democrats, and doubtless because of the influence +the words of Dr. Burchard had had upon Roman Catholic voters. + +When the election returns were in, Cleveland had won by only 1047 votes. +Because of the closeness of the vote in New York the Republicans did not +at first concede the victory. Among the Democrats, on the other hand, +there was a great feeling of bitterness and nervous apprehension lest an +effort be made to make it a Republican victory, as was the case in 1876 +when the uncertain returns were decided by an electoral commission, +which, to the disappointment of many, made its decision on party lines. +Jay Gould, who controlled the telegraph lines, was accused by the +Democrats of holding back returns. + +The Merchants' and Business Men's Association promptly organized a large +meeting in the Academy of Music, to proclaim and celebrate Cleveland's +election. August Belmont, Sr., as chairman, presided, and I, as +secretary, presented the resolutions. We had invited the most prominent +speakers we could get, and there were Henry Ward Beecher, Daniel +Dougherty of Philadelphia, Algernon S. Sullivan, among others. I +distinctly recall a humorous and cryptic remark of Beecher's address +that day: "If the chair is too small, make it larger"--referring to +Cleveland's avoirdupois and the claim that he did not fit in the +presidential chair. The note of victory, and the determination to stand +by that victory at all costs, had a reassuring effect throughout the +country. + +When the campaign was over I was told by a member of the National +Committee that if there was any political office to which I aspired, the +Committee would be glad to further any ambition I might have; but I +replied my only wish was that Cleveland live up to the political +principles which had brought him the support of so many independent or +"mugwump" voters and so made possible his election. + + * * * * * + +During the winter of 1883-84 the Young Men's Hebrew Association invited +me to speak in their course of lectures. I was to choose my own subject. +They had hired Chickering Hall, at Fifth Avenue and Fifteenth Street, a +large lecture hall in those days, and as great importance was being +attached to the occasion I naturally put my best foot forward in the +preparation of my material. I chose as my theme "The Origin of the +Republican Form of Government." In it I traced the rise of democracy, in +contradistinction to monarchy, from the Hebrew Commonwealth as expounded +in the Old Testament and interpreted by the early Puritans of New +England, especially in their "election sermons," which were of a +politico-religious character and were delivered annually before the +legislatures of the various New England colonies. + +There was a huge audience, and the next morning the press gave very +generous reports of the address. It attracted the attention of various +ministers in Brooklyn, and subsequently I was asked to repeat it before +the Long Island Historical Society, in that city. There I had an amusing +experience. In the course of the talk I quoted ideas similar to mine +that had been advanced over a hundred years before by Thomas Paine in +his "Common Sense," and I referred to the high estimates of Paine held +by Washington, Monroe, Dr. Rush, and others of the time. I refrained +from expressing opinions of my own, contenting myself with a reference +to those of the fathers of the Republic. Suddenly, however, several +ministers left the hall, protesting that they had not come to hear a +eulogy on Paine. + +Later I developed this address, under its original title, and published +it in book form. The first edition came out in 1885. The appearance of a +first book is quite an event in one's life, especially when it is well +received among critics and by the press. At any rate, it seemed like a +landmark in my own life. Historical writers referred to it as a distinct +contribution to our historical literature, and I felt that so far as the +pen was concerned I had discovered this branch of writing to be my forte +rather than poetry. After all, historical writing is no less imaginative +than poetry. Without the use of imagination history is lifeless and a +dry record of facts instead of literature. + +A second impression of the book was issued in 1887, and in 1901 a second +and revised edition was published. A French edition had appeared +simultaneously in Paris and Brussels, 1890, translated by M. Emile de +Laveleye, eminent Belgian publicist and professor at the University of +Liege, and containing an introductory essay by him. This essay was +translated into English and embodied in the 1901 American edition. Since +then additional impressions of this revised edition have appeared. I +might mention that on the strength of this book I was admitted to +membership in the Authors' Club, in 1888. + + * * * * * + +In the fall of the year following the original publication of my first +book I chanced to meet Senator Gorman of Maryland in the Palmer House, +Chicago, where we both happened to be stopping--he on his return from a +trip to the Far West, and I on an important business errand. He told me +he and his son had read my book on their trip, and that he had not in a +long time read a book with so much valuable information in it and giving +such a clear view of the sources and early growth of our form of +government. We naturally talked of matters political, and he reminded me +of an earlier conversation he had had with me since Cleveland's +election, stating that Mr. Cox--S.S. Cox--our minister to Turkey, had or +was about to resign, and that he would like to recommend me to President +Cleveland for appointment in Cox's place. He thought at the same time it +might enable me to make further studies along the lines of my book. + +The idea was a complete surprise to me. As I have mentioned, I had no +thought of entering public life. My political activities had been +limited to the part I took in the re-election of Mayor Grace and the +Cleveland-Blaine, campaign. Even had I been ambitious for a political +position I should never have ventured application for a diplomatic post, +for I had never given much attention to our foreign relations. Besides, +I had been in business only a few years, I was married and had two small +daughters; everything considered, I felt I could not afford to leave my +affairs to go abroad. + +Upon returning to New York I conferred with my father and brothers, and +their attitude changed my views somewhat. They generously offered to see +that my interests should not suffer, and gave me every encouragement to +entertain Senator Gorman's suggestion. I could not possibly have further +considered the subject without this generosity on their part. My +obligations to my family did not permit the expenditure of several times +my salary, required in a position of this kind. The salary of minister +to Turkey had been reduced to seven thousand five hundred dollars, +though it was subsequently restored to ten thousand; and in order to +live properly he had to rent a winter house in the capital and a summer +house outside, or live in hotels as Mr. Cox, and his predecessor, +General Lew Wallace, did. General Wallace was restricted to his salary +and felt compelled to decline the invitations of his colleagues because +he was not in position to reciprocate. (His "Ben Hur," by the way, he +had written before his sojourn in the East, and not afterward as is +often supposed.) + +Senator Gorman was not finally able to make the recommendation he had +proposed. His relations with the President became strained, so that +recommendations for appointments coming from him were not regarded with +favor by Cleveland. Gorman told me as much when we met subsequently, but +advised me to use such influence as I might command in other directions. + +I presently spoke of it to an old friend of my days in the law, B. +Franklin Einstein, who was counsel for the "New York Times" and the +personal adviser of George Jones, its proprietor. Einstein suggested +that I speak with Jones about it, and this I did. Jones encouraged me +and said he would be glad to help. He said he had read my book and felt +sure I would give a good account of myself and be a credit to the +administration; that he had never asked any favor of the administration +and felt justified in asking Cleveland to make the appointment. The +"Times" had been an independent Republican paper, but in the campaign of +1884 it came out for Cleveland. + +I also conferred with Carl Schurz, with whom I stood on intimate terms, +and with John Foord, another friend. In the early eighties we used to +have a lunch club that met about once in two weeks at a little French +restaurant, August Sieghortner's, at 32 Lafayette Place, now Lafayette +Street, in a house that had been a former residence of one of the +Astors. We used to discuss various political and reform matters--the +"mugwump" movement, the Cleveland campaigns, or what not. There were ten +or twelve of us, and Carl Schurz was one; the late Charles R. Miller, +who was for many years the leading editorial writer of the "Times," was +another; and John Foord, whose death by accident occurred in Washington +only a few days ago as I write, was another. Foord was then +editor-in-chief of the "Times." He took up my appointment with both +President Cleveland and Secretary of State Bayard. Schurz encouraged me +and said he would speak to Oswald Ottendorfer about having me appointed. +Ottendorfer, proprietor of the "New Yorker Staatszeitung," was a client +of our law firm and knew me well. Subsequently I saw him and he wrote to +Cleveland strongly recommending the appointment. + +Cleveland was favorably enough impressed, but he hesitated. He said our +chief concern in Turkey was the protection of American missionary +interests, and he would not like to appoint any one to this particular +mission who might be objected to by the two principal missionary +bodies--the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions and the +Presbyterian Board of Missions. + +It happened that on a return trip from Washington about this time my +brother Isidor met A. S. Barnes, prominent textbook publisher and a +member of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, to +whom also I was quite well known. He had been in frequent consultation +with our law firm when we represented the City of Brooklyn in its suit +against the Atlantic Avenue Railroad to compel the road to sink its +tracks, in which suit, as one of Brooklyn's public-spirited citizens, he +was much interested. He was sympathetic toward me and brought the +subject of my appointment before his missionary board, with the result +that its Prudential Committee wrote a letter to the President expressing +fullest approval of my appointment, suggesting only that I be asked not +to hold receptions on the Sabbath, as one of my predecessors had done to +the great disapproval of the missionaries and all Protestant Christians +in Constantinople. Even without this intimation I would quite naturally +have refrained from offending the religious sensibilities of my +nationals at that post. + +The representatives of all the Protestant churches who had interests in +Turkey were most generous in favoring the appointment when they learned +that I was being considered for that mission. The most admired and best +beloved American preacher of his time, Henry Ward Beecher, of Plymouth +Church, Brooklyn, heard of it through Mr. O. A. Gager, one of the +trustees of his church; also that there was some diffidence about my +actual selection because of my religion. He immediately wrote the +President a beautiful and characteristic letter, urging my appointment. +The original of this letter, now in my possession, was given to me by +Governor Porter, first assistant Secretary of State. + +With my wife I had gone to Atlantic City for a few days, to recuperate +from a cold, when on March 24, 1887, I received telegrams from friends +all over the country congratulating me on my appointment as minister to +Turkey. The papers of the day announced it, and the "New York Times" +published the Beecher letter just referred to. + +To the press of the country my appointment was of added interest because +of the Keiley incident of two years before. A. M. Keiley, of Virginia, +was nominated by Cleveland as minister to Austria-Hungary, but objected +to by that country because Mrs. Keiley, being of Jewish parentage, was +_persona non grata_. As a matter of fact this excuse for the rejection +of Keiley was supposedly made because the Austro-Hungarian Government +thought it might be acceptable to us in lieu of the truth. + +The real reason lay much deeper. Keiley had earlier been nominated as +minister to Italy. The Italian Government, through its representative at +Washington, made known to our Department of State that Keiley would be +_persona non grata_ because it was remembered that in 1870 he had made a +public speech in Richmond violently denouncing King Victor Emmanuel for +his treatment of the Pope. The nomination was therefore withdrawn. And +when a few months later Keiley was appointed minister to +Austria-Hungary, that country, being a member with Italy in the Triple +Alliance, did not want to run the risk of displeasing Italy by accepting +a representative not satisfactory to her; but not wishing to admit this, +based its excuse on religious grounds. + +[Illustration: Hand written letter page 1] + +[Illustration: Hand written letter page 2] + +[Illustration: Hand written letter page 3] + +[Illustration: Hand written letter page 4] + +This so incensed our Administration that Secretary Bayard rebuked the +Austro-Hungarian Government with the statement: + + It is not within the power of the President nor of the Congress, + nor of any judicial tribunal in the United States, to take or even + hear testimony, or in any mode to inquire into or decide upon the + religious belief of any official, and the proposition to allow this + to be done by any foreign Government is necessarily and _a + fortiori_ inadmissible. + +And Mr. Cleveland made reference to the episode in his First Annual +Message to Congress: + + The reasons advanced were such as could not be acquiesced in, + without violation of my oath of office and the precepts of the + Constitution, since they necessarily involved a limitation in favor + of a foreign government upon the right of selection by the + Executive, and required such an application of a religious test as + a qualification for office under the United States as would have + resulted in the practical disfranchisement of a large class of our + citizens and the abandonment of a vital principle of our + Government. + +These statements contain a clear exposition of one of the fundamental +principles of our laws and system of government; they form one of the +most illuminating and inspiring chapters of our diplomatic literature. +Following the Keiley incident, my appointment was a silent but effective +protest against such illiberal views as those expressed by +Austria-Hungary; and to me personally it meant something to be sent as +the representative of my country to the power whose dominion extended +over the land that cradled my race, Palestine. + +Leaving Atlantic City, we soon proceeded to Washington, where I called +on Secretary Bayard, who received me with characteristic cordiality and +referred me to John Bassett Moore, now our famous authority on +international law, compiler of the International Law Digest, American +judge of the Court of International Justice by vote of the Council and +Assembly of the League of Nations. At the time I met him, thirty-five +years ago, he was third assistant Secretary of State, and I could not +have wished for a better instructor in the intricate matters that +involved our relations with the Ottoman Empire. + +Alvey A. Adee, veteran of our Foreign Office, then as now the second +assistant Secretary of State, was another man who gave me most helpful +advice. His encyclopaedic knowledge of our foreign relations for more +than forty years is remarkable, and our diplomatic appointees for years +have been indebted to him for much helpful guidance. + + * * * * * + +Later in the day we called on the President. Our conversation during +this call was purely of a general nature, and as I was leaving Mr. +Cleveland expressed pleasure at my promptness in calling and hoped that +I would start for Turkey as soon as personal convenience permitted. When +I told him I hoped to sail at the end of a week, he answered, "That is +businesslike; I like that," and he asked me to call again before leaving +Washington. + +Two days later, by appointment of Colonel Lamont, the President's +secretary, Mrs. Straus and I, accompanied by brother Isidor and E. G. +Dunnell, "New York Times" correspondent, called on Mrs. Cleveland in the +Green Room of the White House. I vividly recall this visit. Mrs. +Cleveland came into the room with a sprightly and unceremonious walk, +very friendly, with charm of manner and a sufficient familiarity to put +us entirely at our ease. She was a very handsome woman, with remarkable +sweetness of expression, and her appearance symbolized beauty and +simplicity. + +What most impressed me about the Clevelands, after these two visits, +was the simple, unassuming manner that was so in keeping with the spirit +of our laws and the democracy of our institutions. Verily, I thought in +the words of Cleveland himself, "a public office is a public trust," and +while administering office we are indeed servants of the people. + +Before leaving Washington we again called on the President as agreed. +His entire conversation and attitude showed satisfaction with my +appointment. He said he understood the missionaries were doing good +work, and he felt sure from what he had learned of me that they would +receive impartial and just treatment at my hands. He commented on the +fact that the press of the country had been so unanimously in favor of +my appointment. "I wished they would go for you a little; I have +something to give them," he said. From Mr. Dunnell later I learned the +meaning of this remark. He had received a letter from the Prudential +Committee of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, +highly approving of his appointing me as minister to Turkey and +endorsing me of their own accord in unqualified terms. This letter he +was holding to give to the press should any unfavorable comment be made +because a member of the Hebrew race was being sent to a post where the +Christian mission interests were so large. Mr. Cleveland's parting +remark to me was: "I know you will do well; I have no trepidation--none +at all." + +On Saturday, April 9th, at 6 A.M., we--my wife, Aline, the younger of +our little daughters, and myself--sailed out of the harbor on the S.S. +Aurania. My one prayer in bidding farewell to my home was that I might +find no vacant seat at my table upon my return, and that I might +discharge my high trust with credit and honor. For this no sacrifice +would be too great. + + + + +CHAPTER III + +ENTERING DIPLOMACY + + At sea--Our arrival in London--Concerning George Eliot and + Lewes--At the banking house of Baron de Rothschild--In + Paris--Boulanger's Napoleonic dreams; his suicide--Josef Hofmann as + a boy pianist--The artist who painted "Christ before Pilate"; an + extraordinary wife--Distinguished hosts and rich cooking--Vienna + and the Balkans--Thoughts on passing through the + Bosphorus--Constantinople, the city of picturesque dirt--Many + delays obstruct my audience with the Sultan--The fast of + Ramazan--Diplomatic garden parties--An ambassador's L300 Circassian + slave-wife--The Sultan says his prayers--Advice from a seasoned + diplomat--My address at Robert College commencement--In the + Sultan's Palace. + + +Our voyage was not altogether a light one. We had found it expedient to +leave Mildred, our elder daughter, then four years old, with her Grandma +Lavanburg; and while she was in excellent hands my wife was naturally +heavy-hearted at the thought of traveling so far and for so long without +her. The weather on board ship was for the most part stormy. Our little +Aline and her nurse were so seasick that the child resented being on +board with all the force of age three. "Mama, this ship is nobody's +home; why did you bring me here? I shall write sister Milly never to go +on the ocean," she declared rebelliously. + +Having reached London, however, things went more pleasantly. Our +minister there at the time--we did not yet appoint ambassadors--was +Edward J. Phelps, for many years Professor of International Law at Yale, +a scholarly gentleman. I called on him almost immediately on my arrival, +and subsequently Mrs. Straus and I dined at the legation to meet Rustem +Pasha, Turkish ambassador, veteran diplomat who had been in the service +for thirty-three years and was about twice as old. He was leading +Turkish representative at the Congress of Berlin in 1878, following the +Russo-Turkish War. He referred to the various questions pending between +his Government and mine--the interpretation of Article 4 of the Treaty +of 1830, signed only in Turkish; the proposed treaty of 1874, negotiated +by Minister Boker and not confirmed by the Senate, concerning +naturalized citizens of the United States returning to Turkey; +missionary matters; our refusal to negotiate a treaty for the +extradition of criminals. I had informed myself regarding all of these, +but I deemed it wise not to discuss them in detail; rather I chose to be +the listener and draw him out, assuring him that when I arrived at my +post all these subjects would have my very best attention. He was +particularly concerned with the treaty for the extradition of criminals, +but the so-called criminals that came to the United States at that +period, especially from Russia and Turkey, were with rare exception +political refugees, and it is provided in most of our extradition +treaties that political offenders are not to be delivered up. + +We remained in London about ten days, calling on a number of interesting +people. We spent one pleasant evening with Dr. and Mrs. John Chapman, of +the "Westminster Review." My article on "The Development of Religious +Liberty in America" was appearing in a current number of the "Review." +The Chapmans were good friends of George Eliot and Professor Lewes. In +fact, the novelist and the professor first met at the Chapman home. Dr. +Chapman also told me he was the one who first employed George Eliot in +literary work. He became editor of the "Review" in 1851 and engaged her +as associate editor. When George Eliot resigned, Mrs. Chapman became the +associate editor. With us that evening, too, was Harold Frederic, London +correspondent of the "New York Times" and a novelist of some promise. + +From Messrs. J. & W. Seligman of New York I had received a letter to the +Seligman banking house in London, at 3 Angel Court. Mr. Isaac Seligman +invited us to dine _en famille_, and arranged for me to call at Messrs. +N. M. Rothschild & Sons', where I was very pleasantly received by Baron +Alfred Charles de Rothschild, who showed me through his magnificent +banking establishment and offered to send me a letter to the Paris +Rothschild firm. The Baron was then about forty-four years old, very +agreeable, a polished gentleman of the best Jewish type. + + * * * * * + +In Paris, our next stopping-place, we also had a very interesting time. +Of course we called on our minister, Robert M. McLane, then seventy-four +years old, but looking sixty. He was distinctly of the old school, with +all the grace of manner, combined with ability and wide experience in +public service--an excellent representative who was esteemed by the +French people quite as highly as by our own citizens in France. I speak +of this especially because in capitals like Paris it is not an easy task +to please both elements. + +At dinner one evening in the home of my friend Adolphe Salmon, an +American merchant residing in Paris, we met Count Dillon and his wife, +most affable people to whom we felt ourselves immediately attracted. The +Count was a thorough Royalist, had been for many years in the army. At +this time he was managing director of the Mackay-Bennett Cable Company +and the leader of a movement, really anti-Republican intrigue, designed +to put General Boulanger, Minister of War, at the head of the State. The +Count was a close personal friend and schoolmate of Boulanger, then the +most extolled man in all France. The Count suggested that he arrange a +luncheon or dinner to have us meet the General, if that was agreeable to +us, for he felt sure the General would be pleased. + +Consequently a few days later we lunched at Count Dillon's beautiful +villa some thirty minutes outside of Paris. It was an intimate two-hour +luncheon party, just Mr. and Mrs. Adolphe Salmon, the Count and Countess +Dillon, General Boulanger, Mrs. Straus, and myself. Boulanger was a +young-looking man for his fifty years, of medium height and weight, +wearing a closely trimmed beard; rather Anglo-American than French in +appearance, unassuming, of pleasant expression, and probably at the +height of his power. Five years before he had been Director of Infantry +in the War Office and made himself very popular as a military reformer. +In 1886, under the aegis of Clemenceau and the Radical Party which +brought Freycinet into power, Boulanger was made Minister of War. He was +noted for his fire-eating attitude toward Germany in connection with the +Schnaebele frontier incident, and because of this was hailed as the man +destined to give France her revenge for the disasters of 1870. In fact, +the masses looked upon him as a second Napoleon, "the man on horseback," +and his picture on horseback was displayed in countless shop windows. + +At our luncheon party he entertained us with many an interesting +anecdote, and I particularly recall his telling of coming to the +Yorktown Centennial Celebration and traveling as far as the Pacific +Coast in company with General Sherman to see our fortifications. "I was +asked what I thought of your American fortifications ["You know what +antiquated and insignificant things they are," in an aside to Mrs. +Straus], and I praised them and said I thought they were splendid, that +I had never seen any better ones because"--and here his eyes +twinkled--"no country has such nice ditches in front of its +fortifications," He meant, of course, the Atlantic and the Pacific. + +When the champagne was being drunk and toasts were in order I turned to +the General, after drinking to the health of the company, and said: "May +you administer the War Department so successfully that posterity will +know you as the great preserver of peace." To this he responded that for +fifteen years France had always been on the defensive and permitted +insults rather than take offense, but that the time had come when she +could no longer do so and must be ready for the offensive. He evidently +had in mind that war was imminent. At a later meeting he asked me +whether, in case of war, I would be willing to take charge of French +interests in Turkey. I told him that while of course it would be +agreeable to me personally, such action could be taken only under the +authority of my government, which authority I would have to obtain +before giving an official answer. + +The subsequent meteoric career of Boulanger is a matter of history. For +two years more his personality was one of the dominating factors of +French politics. I remember writing from Constantinople early in 1889: +"The most menacing condition exists in France, where, I am of opinion, +Boulanger will gain the presidency before many months and from that time +perhaps try to tread in the footprints of his Napoleonic ideal. If +so--alas, poor France, and alas the peace of Europe!" He had become an +open menace to the republic; and when Constans was Minister of the +Interior a prosecution was instituted against Boulanger and a warrant +signed for his arrest. He fled from Paris and was afterward tried and +condemned _in absentia_ for treason. In 1891 he committed suicide on the +grave of his mistress in a cemetery at Brussels. + +We dined, on another evening in Paris, with Mr. and Mrs. William +Seligman, of the banking firm of Seligman Freres, the Paris branch of J. +& W. Seligman of New York and of the London Seligman establishment. This +dinner was a very large and elaborate affair, with many distinguished +guests present. After dinner we were entertained by the budding genius +of Josef Hofmann, then ten or eleven years old. + +The noted Hungarian, Munkacsy, painter of "Last Day of a Condemned Man," +"Christ before Pilate," "Christ on Calvary," and other celebrated works, +was also there with his wife. As a couple they presented a striking +contrast indeed. He was a silent man, talking very little and haltingly; +he impressed one as a refined artisan of some sort, perhaps a carpenter. +He was a large man of about five feet ten in height, with bushy hair +combed up, bushy beard and mustache, and small eyes which he screwed up +to almost nothing when observing something. His wife, on the other hand, +was as coarse-looking a woman as one might discover, with a loud, +raucous, almost masculine voice which, like a saw in action, rose above +every other sound. However, I have observed that these contraries in +personality in couples often make for happiness. + +The artist seemed to take a keen interest in Mrs. Straus. He quite +embarrassed her by his constant staring, and after dinner sought an +introduction and sat next to her. Her plain hair-dress, smoothly brushed +back and rolled in a coil behind, fascinated him. He remarked how +natural and becoming it was and wanted to know whether she always wore +it that way; he wondered whether it would be as becoming any other way. +He wanted to know how long we should remain in Paris and expressed +regret when told we were leaving in three or four days. Mrs. Straus +felt he had studied her head long enough to paint it from memory. And +who knows, perhaps he has used it in some painting that we have not yet +discovered! + +Another memorable dinner was at the home of Eli Lazard, of Lazard +Freres, bankers, where we met Judge Wilson and daughters, of Cincinnati. +All of these hospitalities were very pleasant, but personally I should +have been glad to escape them, for the late hours, together with the +rich cooking of Paris, were not in accord with my quiet habits and +simple tastes in food and drink. + +In Vienna I called on our consul-general, Edmund Jussen, whose wife was +the sister of my esteemed friend Carl Schurz, which fact really prompted +me to make the call. Jussen himself was not very admirable. He had much +of the arrogance of a German official, so out of place in an American +representative. However, during our sojourn in the city he and his wife +exchanged several visits with us. Mrs. Jussen did not much resemble her +distinguished brother, except for an expression about the eyes. She was +a very amiable woman with a good face. She told me much of her brother's +childhood and school years--how he had to struggle hard for his +education. Their father was a small shopkeeper, but no business man, and +was never able to make money. Carl did not earn money, but always +applied himself diligently. This and much more that has since been +published about Schurz interested me greatly, of course. + +We continued our journey to Varna on the Black Sea, there to take the +steamer for Constantinople. In those days there was no railway +connection with Constantinople. The Oriental Express went only to Varna, +by way of Bucharest. On that particular part of our journey we got our +first glimpses of the picturesque costumes of the Balkan district, +especially those of the men with their bare legs and flying shirts. + +The trip from Varna to Constantinople was beautiful and inspiring. We +boarded the boat at about four in the afternoon and retired early so as +to be up by five or six next morning, when we passed through the +Bosphorus, round which clusters so much of classical memory. I suddenly +realized how much of my Homer I had forgotten--the Homer on whom I had +spent years of hard study. However, most of us meet so many new subjects +that have a more direct relation to our surroundings that it is next to +impossible to get that "elegant leisure" necessary for a continued +interest in the classics. + +The effect of the trip through the Bosphorus is quite like a dream. The +high coast on both sides is covered with green, with here and there a +house or some large huts; on one side is Europe and on the other side +Asia, looking very much alike, bathed by the same sunshine, peaceful. + +We sailed past Buyukdereh, Therapia, the summer residence of most of the +diplomats, about twelve miles from Constantinople, where the English, +French, Austrian, and Russian embassies had magnificent palaces and the +Germans were engaged in building; on past the lovely old towers of +Roumeli-Hissar, built eight hundred years before, when first the Turks +set foot in Europe, and back of this the tower of Robert College. + +Suddenly my ever-smiling and happy wife spied a launch flying a large +United States flag at the stern. "It's our launch!" And sure enough, +when we waved our handkerchiefs we discovered the members of my official +family, who had come in the legation launch to meet us. There were +Pendleton King, acting charge d'affaires; Mr. Gargiulo, dragoman; J. +Lynch Pringle, consul-general; Mehmet, the _cavass_; and several clerks +of the consulate and legation. + +The _cavass_, by the way, is a sort of bodyguard. He walks before the +minister, or rides on the box beside the driver, and serves the purpose +of designating that the minister or ambassador follows. He carries two +huge pistols and a sword suspended from a gold belt, and his coat, +sometimes red and sometimes blue, is much bebraided and embroidered. The +natives know each minister or ambassador by his _cavass_. + +Our first impression from the windows of the Royal Hotel in +Constantinople was of picturesque dirt. As Mrs. Straus said at the time, +dirt not only on the hard earth roads and the people, but even on the +dogs. In time, however, one is less impressed by the dirt than by the +picturesqueness--the venders calling out their wares of fish, fruit, +meat, vegetables, all carried on the edges of baskets covered with +leaves; the water-carriers with their urns carried on yokes; and the +veiled women. + + * * * * * + +Immediately upon my arrival, of course, I communicated with His +Excellency, Said Pasha, Minister of Foreign Affairs, to present my +credentials and arrange for an audience with His Majesty the Sultan, +Abdul Hamid. The Pasha replied at once, appointing a time two days +later, and accordingly I went to the Sublime Porte, as the Turkish +Government seat is called, in company with the charge and the dragoman +or interpreter. That was about May 26th. Not until June 6th, however, +did I receive a communication from Munir Pasha, Grand Master of +Ceremonies, that His Majesty had named June 8th for my audience. The +next evening I received a telegram postponing the audience to the 10th. +On the 9th I received another communication, postponing it _sine die_. +On the 15th a new appointment was made for the 17th; then, between +midnight and one o'clock on the night of June 16th-17th, the personal +secretary of the Sultan came knocking at the door of my apartment, and, +after apologizing for his arrival at that untimely hour, informed me +that he had come at the Sultan's special request to say that word had +come from the Porte that June 17th was a most sacred day, a fact just +determined by the phases of the moon, and the Sultan therefore was +constrained to postpone the audience again. The date was later set for +July 1st, when I finally had my audience. + +It was a peculiarity of Abdul Hamid to delay audiences to new +representatives for weeks and sometimes months by these successive +appointments and postponements, to no other purpose than to impress the +agents of foreign governments with the importance of His Majesty. In my +case there was some added cause: it was the month of Ramazan, during +which only the most pressing official functions take place. + +Ramazan, ninth month of the Turkish calendar, is a period of fasting. +For twenty-nine days every Mussulman abstains from food and water, and +even smoking, from sunrise to sunset; which the rich arrange +conveniently by sleeping all day and eating all night, while the poor +who have to work all day eat at sundown, at midnight, and very early in +the morning. The first meal after the fasting, at sunset, is called +_iltar_. The fast is broken with Ramazan bread, a cakelike bread, +circular in shape, which we saw much in evidence at a bazaar in the +courtyard of a mosque at Stamboul, the more Oriental part of +Constantinople, where the costumes of Greeks, Armenians, Turks, and +Arabs form a strange mixture indeed. + +During Beiram, a three days' feasting following Ramazan, the mosques +are all illuminated at night, and the view over the water, with the +moving lights of boats in the foreground and the dimly lighted houses +beyond, interspersed with brightly illumined mosques, is quite like a +picture of some enchanted land. + + * * * * * + +Because of the Sultan's peculiarities in receiving foreign +representatives, the custom in regard to official calls at +Constantinople is different from that at most capitals. Elsewhere calls +on colleagues are not made until after a minister or ambassador has had +his audience; but here usage dictated calling on one's colleagues as +soon as possible. Therefore I called first on Baron de Calice, +ambassador from Austria-Hungary and _doyen_ of the diplomatic corps. He +received me with great cordiality and kindness, and advised me fully +regarding diplomatic practices at Constantinople. And we were welcomed +by each and all of my colleagues in turn, so that I found these calls +very much less disagreeable than I had anticipated; I even enjoyed many +of them. At each visit coffee or tea was served, and generally +cigarettes too, as is customary with the Turks, which is wonderfully +effective in taking off the chill of diplomatic formalities. One soon +gets to expect these refreshments; it is a delightful custom that might +be adopted in other places to advantage. + +Another reason why these formal calls were less formidable than they +might have been was that three days after our arrival at the capital we +were invited to a garden party given by Lady White, wife of the British +ambassador, Sir William A. White. This served to give us a prompt +introduction to all my colleagues. In fact, in the five weeks +intervening between our arrival and my audience, we had attended so many +garden parties and dinners given to us, that I found myself heartily +longing for respite. My natural inclination was to regard these social +gatherings in the light of idle frivolities, especially in the summer, +when one is supposed to be relatively free from functions of this kind; +and I was not alone among my colleagues in preferring more evenings at +home to the occasional headaches that it cost to continue the very late +hours these many engagements forced us to keep. Yet I could not +consistently decline invitations; such a course might have been +interpreted as a desire on my part to withdraw from the diplomatic +circle and would have interfered with the pleasant social relations it +was incumbent on me to cultivate. Attendance was really part of my duty, +and in time I found these functions distinctly advantageous. + +We looked forward with more than usual interest to the evening of our +dinner at the Persian embassy. The Persian ambassador's wife had been a +Circassian slave, whom he was said to have bought for L300 with a horse +thrown into the bargain. The ambassador's wife was, of course, typically +Circassian; chalky white skin, soft black eyes, small features, an +unattractive figure unattractively dressed, with whom conversation was +almost nil because she knew only Persian. + +The streets of Pera, the European part of Constantinople, are +exceedingly narrow and very hilly, for the city is built on several +hills, like ancient Rome; in addition they are poorly paved and dirty. +This makes driving dangerous and, as in mediaeval times, sedan chairs +were quite generally in use as a means of conveyance for the ladies of +the diplomatic corps and the wives of the higher Turkish officials, +especially at night to dinners and other official functions. Two sinewy +porters carry these chairs, one in front and the other behind, and they +shuffle along with considerable rapidity. Usually the lady is carried +while the gentleman, preceded by his _cavass_ in the case of a diplomat, +walks alongside, except in inclement weather when he follows also in a +chair. I am reminded of the wife of the German ambassador at the time, a +large, heavy woman, whom the porters quite justly charged double. She, +however, was entirely oblivious of her extra avoirdupois and always +complained of the injustice of these porters! The Austrian and Russian +embassies were particularly difficult of approach by conveyance other +than the sedan. + +We certainly were living in a new sphere of life, in a strange land +among strange people, with customs and habits that brought to mind the +age of the patriarchs. There was much to see where some thirty +nationalities lived and did business as if in their own homes--much to +wonder at, much to deplore, much to praise and admire. The natives are a +peculiar people, with many admirable characteristics; they are kind and +hospitable, comparatively honest and reliable, especially the lower +classes, and they manifest a most sincere devotion to their religion. +The lower classes are poor, very poor; yet they are content and +reasonably happy because their wants are few. Their poverty is not a +suffering condition and they seemed to be better off than the poor +elsewhere. Their religion strictly interdicts the use of alcoholic +drinks, and as they are true to it and live faithfully up to its +principles, they are spared all the evils that fall in the train of +drunkenness. + +[Illustration: MRS. STRAUS IN TURKEY] + +During the weeks that I waited for my audience with the Sultan I devoted +my time to studying in detail the various questions in regard to our +diplomatic relations, so that I might be better informed when they came +up. This study was very interesting from an historical point of view, +for some of the questions were related to capitulations that dated as +far back as the fall of Constantinople in 1453. My legal training also +proved valuable in enabling me to understand and handle matters. + + * * * * * + +On our first Friday in Constantinople we witnessed Selamlik, the +picturesque ceremony held with great pomp every Friday, attending the +Sultan's going to the mosque. The Sultan's mosque is on the top of a +hill commanding the most beautiful view of the city, from which can be +seen the Bosphorus and, farther on, the Sea of Marmora. On the roads +surrounding the mosque as far as the eye could see were ranged ten or +more regiments of infantry and cavalry, each dressed in glittering +uniforms according to the section of the empire from which they came, +the most resplendent being the Nubian and the Arabian. The Sultan +arrived in an open landau, and opposite him Osman Pasha, distinguished +soldier, hero of the Battle of Plevna in the Russo-Turkish War, and +Grand Marshal of the Palace. The coachman was magnificently dressed in +scarlet and gold, and following were the aides-de-camp, also beautifully +dressed, one, an Armenian, all in white and gold. As the Sultan entered +the mosque a priest chanted a call to prayer which sounded not unlike +the old Hebrew chants in some of our synagogues. The mosque was so +crowded that we could see many Moslems kneeling and salaaming on the +streets outside the doors. The service lasted about twenty minutes, +whereupon the bands played and the Sultan reviewed his troops from one +of the windows of the mosque. He then returned to the Palace in a +beautiful top phaeton drawn by two horses, which he drove himself, again +with Osman Pasha opposite, followed by his aides and the carriage that +had brought him. Usually several carriages, open and closed, also +several saddle horses, are brought from the royal stables to the +mosque, that the Sultan may take his choice for his return to the +Palace. + +It is expected as a display of good will that the ministers and +ambassadors occasionally attend this ceremony. It was practically the +only occasion on which Abdul Hamid appeared in public, for he constantly +feared assassination, and his expression showed his timidity. Following +Selamlik he quite frequently arranged to receive in audience. In the +kiosque or small house beside the mosque, there is a special suite of +rooms reserved for the diplomatic corps. An aide informs the Sultan what +diplomatic representatives or other persons of distinction are at the +kiosque, to each of whom His Majesty then sends some gracious message. +While prayers are being said in the mosque, the guests at the kiosque +are served coffee and cigarettes. + + * * * * * + +One of the persons whom I met shortly after my arrival in the city was +Sir Henry Drummond Wolff, who was in Constantinople as Britain's special +envoy to negotiate a convention regarding the withdrawal of British +troops from Egypt. He had a suite at our hotel where we saw each other +frequently and became very good friends. Drummond Wolff, as he was +usually spoken of to distinguish him from the several other prominent +Wolffs, was certainly a remarkable and clever man, and a great +_raconteur_. He was then in his late fifties, had had wide experience as +a diplomat, and was thoroughly familiar with the Turkish temperament. In +fact, he was at home in all that part of the world. He was born in +Malta, the son of the famous missionary, Rev. Joseph Wolff, a Jew who +became a convert first to Catholicism and then to Episcopalianism, being +ordained as priest in the Church of England. While in America he +received the degree of Doctor of Theology from the College of St. +John's, Annapolis, Maryland. + +Sir Henry advised me in dealing with the Turkish authorities always to +be patient, pleasant, persistent. He also impressed upon me the +importance of maintaining the most cordial relations with my colleagues +and of returning all hospitalities; that a well-disposed colleague can +often be of incalculable assistance in inducing the authorities to +accede to any proper demand one might have to make. However, his own +relations with the British ambassador, Sir William White, were not so +friendly. The estrangement between them was quite evident, caused no +doubt by personal jealousy, which is so likely to result between a +special envoy and the regularly accredited representative of the same +country in a given territory. + +We stayed at the Royal only about ten days, and then moved to summer +quarters in a hotel at Therapia, a name given to the district some three +thousand years ago by the Greeks because of its healthful and balmy +climate. Here, too, Drummond Wolff had a neighboring suite, and later, +when by reason of a longer stay than anticipated he was obliged to give +up his apartment before he was ready, we put a portion of ours at his +disposal, which he much appreciated. It was a very pleasant arrangement, +and diplomatically no less profitable. We dined together every evening, +and often in our party were also Prince Ghika, Roumanian charge, and the +Princess; Baron Van Tetz, Dutch minister, and the Baroness. The Baron +was later accredited to Berlin, and then made Minister of Foreign +Affairs in his own country. He has now retired and at this writing he +and the Baroness still live at The Hague. They are charming people. + +On June 21, 1887, the entire diplomatic corps was present in official +dress at services in the English chapel, in honor of the Queen's +Jubilee. The chaplain of the English embassy, the Reverend George +Washington, officiated. He said he was of the same family as our own +George Washington. + + * * * * * + +The day before my audience I presided at the commencement exercises of +Robert College at Roumeli-Hissar, by invitation of the venerable +president, Dr. George Washburn. The college in 1887 had about one +hundred and eighty students, mainly Bulgarians, Greeks, and Armenians, +with two or three Turks. The commencement was quite similar to those at +home, except that the orations were delivered in the various languages +of the East as well as in French and English. + +I took this first occasion to refer in a larger way to the aims and +purposes of Robert College and similar American institutions. The Turks +had not been able to understand the benevolence that prompted the +establishment of schools and colleges by Americans throughout the +empire. They were suspicious, and their attitude was founded on +experiences with various institutions and societies of several of the +other nations, notably the Greeks, who, under guise of scientific and +benevolent activity, had fostered political design. The Turks believed +that behind our institutions lay a purpose inimical to the sovereignty +of Turkey, a belief stimulated by Russia and by some of the French +Catholics, who were opposed to the extended use of the English language +and the influence of Protestant English and American ideas in the East. +This gave rise to many of the vexatious questions that the legation had +to solve. By way of throwing some oil upon these troubled waters, +therefore, I said, during my address: + + For centuries the tide of progress and civilization has been making + its way toward the West. Its course has been marked by blood and + carnage. The history of the Middle Ages and of modern times + chronicles the nations and empires that have sunk in this mighty + current, and the new life and new civilization that have sprung up + over the ruins of the old. That flood tide, pushing its + irresistible course onward, still swept on, until in our day it + mingled its waters with the Great Pacific Ocean. The Ultima Thule + having at last been reached, the great ebb-tide began to course its + way backward; and America, the youngest of nations, in gratitude + for all the past, as a token of her amity and her friendship, has + sent back on the advance current of this return tide not ships of + war nor armed troops, but her most cherished institutions, a fully + equipped American college. + + So that here, to-day, on the beautiful and picturesque shores of + the classic Bosphorus, on the very spot where the nations of the + East four and a half centuries ago erected and left the + well-preserved monument of their passage to the West, stands Robert + College. What a tale and what a history! Robert College here and + the Towers of Roumeli-Hissar there! The one the fortified remains + of bygone wars, the other the tranquil emblem of returning peace. + What a double tale do these two institutions speak to one another! + The tie that unites them is one of love and peace, a league more + puissant than army or navy for the welfare and happiness of + nations. When centuries shall have rolled by and another Gibbon + shall come to write of empires, may it be his privilege to record + no longer the decline and fall, but the rise and rejuvenation of + this Orient to which we look with affection. + +And now that I had been received and entertained by about everybody in +Constantinople, it was time for my audience with the Sultan, who came +last like the prima donna. Official functions at Yildis Palace, as the +Sultan's residence is called (Yildis meaning star), were always most +dignified and punctilious. Royal carriages were sent from the Palace +with escorts for myself and staff. At the entrance to the Palace we were +met by the Introducer of Ambassadors; then we proceeded to the salon of +the Grand Master of Ceremonies, where I was met by the Minister of +Foreign Affairs and conducted by Osman Pasha, Grand Marshal, into the +presence of His Majesty. + +The Sultan was standing ready to receive me. He was a small man, of +rather spare frame, sallow complexion, dark eyes that sparkled with a +furtive expression, prominent aquiline nose, and short full black beard +which later, when it turned gray, he dyed reddish with henna. He had on +a black frock coat that buttoned to the neck. + +According to custom I handed him the letters of recall of my +predecessor, then presented my credentials, and made a brief address, a +copy of which in writing I left with him. It read as follows: + + The President of the United States has been pleased to charge me + with the distinguished honor and agreeable duty of cultivating to + the fullest extent the friendship which has so happily subsisted + between the two Governments, and of conveying to Your Imperial + Majesty the assurances of his best wishes for the welfare of Your + Imperial Majesty and for the prosperity of Turkey. + + As the faithful representative of my Government, charged with the + duty of protecting the interests of her citizens, permit me to + express the hope that Your Imperial Majesty's Government will lend + me its kindly aid in the efforts I shall at all times make to + maintain and further cement a good understanding for the + development of the relations of amity and friendship between the + two Governments, and that the same courtesy and cordiality may be + shown me which were so generously accorded to my honored + predecessors. + + The time has at last come, through the progress of science, when + all nations by reason of the facility and rapidity of communication + have been brought nearer together, so that their mutual interests + and relations verily entitle them to be called one great family. + + In the spirit of that relationship I have come to dwell near the + Government of Your Imperial Majesty, and to greet you in behalf of + and in the words of our Chief Magistrate as his "Great and Good + Friend," with the hope "that God may have Your Imperial Majesty in + His wise keeping." + +Which is the customary language of such documents, with the exception of +the third paragraph. His Majesty replied in a brief address, expressing +his pleasure in receiving me. He then sat down and bade me do likewise, +whereupon we were served with cigarettes and Turkish coffee, the latter +in egg-shaped cups resting in jewel-studded holders. The Sultan speaks +only Turkish, and I spoke English, so we understood one another by means +of the dragoman, Mr. Gargiulo, who had been for twenty years the very +able Turkish adviser and interpreter of the legation and remained at +that post for ten years thereafter. + +The audience concluded, we returned to the legation in the same stately +fashion we had come, following which we gave a reception to the American +colony, composed almost exclusively of the missionaries resident in +Constantinople, together with the president and faculty of Robert +College and of the Home School for Girls, then located at Scutari, +across the Bosphorus. I was now ready for the official business of my +mission. + + + + +CHAPTER IV + +FIRST TURKISH MISSION + + Turkey's jealousy of foreigners--My protest against the closing of + American mission schools--Diplomacy prevents drastic regulations + proposed by Turkey--The schools are reopened--Defending the sale of + the Bible--A cargo of missionaries and rum--Robert College--A visit + to Cairo--"Bombe a la Lincoln"--Governmental reforms in Egypt--My + protest against persecution of Jews in flight from Russia and + Roumania--At Jerusalem--Huge delegation of Jews pleads with me for + release of imprisoned relatives--I make drastic demands, and + prisoners are promptly released--Their grateful memorial to + me--Rights of American citizens on Turkish soil--Disputes regarding + our Treaty of 1830--Uncle Sam gives $10,800 worth of presents to + Turkish officials, on conclusion of a treaty--Diplomatic tangles; + United States left without Treaty of Naturalization with + Turkey--Baron de Hirsch, international celebrity--I am invited to + arbitrate his dispute with the Sultan, and am offered an honorarium + of 1,000,000 francs--I decline honorarium, but offer to + mediate--Baroness de Hirsch's philanthropies--American capitalists + consider Turkish railway concessions--Sultan grants permission for + American excavation in Babylon--My resignation in 1888--The + Sultan's farewell. + + +For several years the Turks had been very jealous of foreigners, +especially in Asia Minor, and the result was many restrictions which +manifested themselves in a variety of relations. The growth of the +mission schools and their increase in number quite naturally enhanced +the suspicion of the authorities, with the help, as I have mentioned, of +those whose interests were served in helping the Turks to see danger in +this growth of our institutions. + +At the legation the interests of the American missionaries with regard +to their schools and their printed matter formed the major portion of +the affairs requiring my immediate attention. About four hundred schools +had been established in Turkey by the Presbyterian and Congregational +missionary boards. Beginning with the winter of 1885, upon one pretext +or another, thirty of these schools in Syria were closed, many of the +teachers arrested and forbidden ever to teach in the country again, +while the parents were threatened with fine and imprisonment if they +continued to send their children to American schools. With few +exceptions all the teachers and parents were natives and Turkish +subjects. The official reason given for the closing of these schools was +that their boards had not complied with the Turkish law requiring that +textbooks, curriculums, and certificates of the teachers be submitted to +the authorities for examination; although the missionary representatives +gave assurance that these requirements had been met. + +Soon after my audience with the Sultan I took up the subject of these +schools with the Grand Vizier, Kiamil Pasha, who was perhaps the most +enlightened statesman of the Turkish Empire. Mr. King, while acting +charge, had made an agreement with the Minister of Public Instruction +whereby the missionaries at these schools were to submit the textbooks +and other documentary equipment to the local authorities. I protested to +the Grand Vizier against the closing of the schools, and after some +weeks we reached an understanding: he was to telegraph the vali or +governor-general at Syria that the schools were to be allowed to reopen +upon their compliance with the law, according to an arrangement between +himself and myself. The outcome looked hopeful, though months dragged +along without further result. + +Meanwhile, and quite by accident, I learned that the Porte had +formulated proposed additional regulations concerning all foreign +schools, and that these regulations were about to be submitted to the +Council of Ministers to be made law. I immediately requested a copy from +the Grand Vizier. I found, to my surprise, that the regulations were +calculated to place insuperable obstacles in the way of every foreign +school in the empire. Among other things, in addition to the requirement +that textbooks, curriculums, and teachers' certificates be submitted for +examination, all schools were to obtain an irade or express sanction of +the Sultan in order to function. Failing to receive that irade within +six months from the date of the law embodying the new regulations, the +authorities in the several provinces were commanded to close such +schools. + +I communicated my discovery to those of my colleagues who were +interested with me in this dispute: Count de Montebello, French +ambassador; Baron Blanc, Italian ambassador; and Sir William White, +British ambassador. At the same time I submitted copies of the proposed +regulations to the Reverend Doctor Isaac Bliss and the Reverend Henry O. +Dwight, of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions in +Western Turkey. They all viewed the matter as I did. + +The following day I again called on the Grand Vizier, informing him that +I looked upon these regulations as seriously infringing upon the rights +of American citizens in Turkey, and pointing out my objections in +detail. The three colleagues just referred to did the same on behalf of +their respective subjects who had mission or other schools in the +empire. We succeeded in impressing the Grand Vizier with the force and +validity of our objections, for he requested us to put them in writing +and forward them to the Porte. With the aid of Drs. Bliss and Dwight I +prepared such a document, and I am glad to be able to say that our +protests came in time and were sufficiently forceful to prove effective +in preventing this new legislation. + +As I had now been negotiating for several months with reference to the +Syrian schools, I decided that the most efficient way of translating +into concrete result the repeated promises in regard to them was to +visit some of our missionary schools throughout the empire. I obtained +the necessary permission from Washington and took a journey to Cairo, +Jaffa, Jerusalem, Beirut, Mersina, and Smyrna, where I conferred with +our missionaries, with our several consuls, as well as with the +respective governors and governor-generals. I found the relations +between the local authorities and our consuls, and between the +authorities and the missionary representatives, quite friendly, in some +places indifferent, but nowhere hostile. + +I had instructed the missionaries to get ready for the opening of the +schools, and I planned the trip so as to be in Beirut about the time my +order for the reopening was to be put in force. My plan had the desired +effect. In anticipation of my arrival at Beirut, fifteen of the schools +were reopened; and while I was there five or six more. That was about as +many of the total thirty as the missionaries cared to or were in a +position to reopen then. For the time being I felt satisfied that I had +sufficiently reversed the Government policy to check the progressive +closing of the schools which, if continued, would seriously have +threatened the existence of all American schools in Turkey. + +I must here express my appreciation of the assistance given me by Erhard +Bissinger, our consul at Beirut. He was an earnest, sincere man, +formerly a New York merchant. Although his health was frail he worked +with unremitting zeal and efficiency, discharging his official duties +with rare judgment and tact. I could always rely on the correctness of +his reports respecting the many difficulties as they arose, and I could +always feel assured that in each instance he would apply every effort to +bring about an adjustment with the local authorities, by whom he was as +highly esteemed as by the missionaries. + + * * * * * + +Another expression of the Government's enmity toward the activities of +our missionaries was the treatment being accorded the colporteurs, or +persons who went about selling Bible tracts. The agents of the American +as well as the British Bible Society were constantly and arbitrarily +being arrested. They were charged with plying their trade without +license, yet when they made application they were never able to get +license. From time to time I protested against these arrests and secured +the release of one after another of the agents; but the thing to be done +was to prevent arrests. + +The fact was they were being made without real cause. Before these +tracts or any other material could be printed a permit had to be +obtained from the Ottoman Government. The material had to pass +censorship before it was allowed to be printed, so that the very fact of +its appearing in print was proof of the authorization of the censors. I +held that, once printed, to prohibit the sale of these tracts was in +restraint of commerce; that there was no reason why book hawkers should +be under different regulations from hawkers of any other wares. + +I prepared an argument along these lines, which I presented to the Grand +Vizier, and he agreed with my conclusions. He forthwith gave orders for +the release of all colporteurs and that no further arrests were to be +made. The British Bible Society, of course, benefited equally with our +own by these orders, and I received their grateful appreciation through +my colleague, Sir William White. + +All this hostility toward the missionaries and their work might be +construed to be founded upon an objection by the Government to having +its subjects converted to Christianity. But it was rather foreign +influence as a whole that was being fought, and religion was simply the +convenient peg. Conversions from Mohammedanism were few and far between, +and for the number of Mohammedans turned Christian in the course of a +year there were as many Christians turned Mohammedan. The Mohammedans +are intensely and sincerely devoted to their faith. On the whole they +are convinced that their religion is the only true one and that +Christianity is inferior and less rational. Such converts as the +missionaries do make come almost exclusively from among the Armenians, +Syrians, Greeks, Maronites, and other Christian sects whose form of +Christianity is of a mediaeval character. The chief missionary work in +Turkey is educational, carried forward in a religious spirit. At the +time of my visit to the various vilayets, the Presbyterian Board alone +had over one hundred schools throughout Syria, all located in places +where previously there had been no schools at all. + + * * * * * + +Many of the men who carried forward missionary work had consecrated +their whole lives to it. Chief among these were Rev. Henry H. Jessup, +venerable patriarch of the Presbyterian missionaries; Rev. Daniel Bliss, +president of the Syrian Protestant College; and Dr. George Washburn, +president of Robert College. + +Dr. Jessup and Dr. Bliss had started for the field together in 1856, +when, in bleak December, they both left Boston in the sailing vessel +Sultana, which, according to Dr. Jessup's autobiography, "Fifty-Three +Years in Syria," carried in addition to nine or ten missionaries a cargo +of New England rum to Smyrna--a cargo spirited no less than spiritual. + +Dr. Bliss was succeeded in 1902 by his distinguished son, Rev. Howard S. +Bliss, who conducted with renewed vigor the work of his father, +enlarging the scope and curriculum of the college so that through its +thousands of graduates in the arts, in science, and in medicine it +became a potent force throughout the whole Near East. During my +subsequent missions to Turkey I became very intimate with the younger +Bliss, and during the Peace Conference in 1919, when he was in Paris in +behalf of Syria, I was able to continue this intimacy. Unfortunately in +Paris he was already suffering from a serious malady which resulted in +his death in America the year following. He was honored, respected, and +beloved in both the old world and the new. + +Dr. Washburn was a man of statesmanship as well as erudition. His book +of recollections, "Fifty Years in Constantinople," is valuable for the +light it throws on political issues in Turkey no less than on questions +educational and religious. He was recognized as an authority on Turkish +and Balkan affairs, and the influence of the college was by no means +limited to the Turkish Empire; it was felt quite as much throughout the +Balkan States. Bulgaria at one period was largely governed by officials +who had been graduated from Robert College, and they looked to Dr. +Washburn as their chief adviser. The British ambassador at +Constantinople frequently consulted him and was swayed by his advice, +for Dr. Washburn understood the Turks and spoke their language. He was +the second president of the college, having succeeded his father-in-law, +the Reverend Cyrus Hamlin, D.D. + +On the faculty of Robert College were a number of other very able men: +Dr. Albert L. Long, Professor of Natural Science, distinguished as an +archaeologist as well, was a man of engaging personality. He had a large +acquaintance among the learned Turks, whose estimate of our country was +materially influenced for the good by their association with him. Then +there was Dr. Edwin A. Grosvenor, Professor of Latin and History, who +resigned shortly afterward to accept a professorship at Amherst. He was +then at work on his scholarly "History of Constantinople," which I +consider the best and most reliable work on that subject. + +In 1888 I secured for Robert College, after arduous negotiation, +permission for the erection of two new buildings, one a house for the +president and the other an addition to the college itself. When the +permits came through there was no mention of the addition to the +college, and as work on it meanwhile had been begun, no little anxiety +ensued. It developed that some one on the staff of the Grand Vizier had +been bribed by an enemy of the college to tamper with the permits. +However, because of the good relationship between Kiamil Pasha and +myself, he acknowledged this bit of chicanery and duly rectified it. + +I might add that in numerous instances I was able to arrange +unofficially with the Grand Vizier matters which threatened to become +more or less troublesome. This method of negotiating was peculiarly +advantageous at the Porte, where delays were proverbial and so +frequently defeated official action. Again, some of the difficulty +experienced by my colleagues in getting proper redress for violations, +even gross violations, was due to the fact that the Porte was not always +able to control the governor-generals of the provinces. + + * * * * * + +I have said that my trip among our missionary schools included a visit +to Cairo. At that time Egypt was still under Turkish sovereignty and +questions of larger importance had to be taken up with the Sublime +Porte. Thus American questions came under my jurisdiction as envoy +extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to the empire. Our +representative at Cairo, John Cardwell, had the title of consul-general +and diplomatic agent, and had to receive his exequatur from the Sublime +Porte. He was a conscientious and capable official who had been there +since the beginning of the first Cleveland Administration. + +On this trip also I saw much of Anthony M. Keiley and his charming wife; +I have spoken of him in a previous chapter as having been rejected for +the post of United States minister by Austria-Hungary. Keiley was +serving as one of the American judges of the Mixed or Reform Tribunal at +Cairo and was highly respected for his ability at this international +court. + +Mohammed Tewfik, son of the extravagant Ismail of Suez Canal fame, whom +he succeeded, was Khedive of Egypt and entertained us during our visit. +He was only thirty-six years old, and without his fez might have been +taken for an Englishman. He spoke fluent English and his conversation +showed him to be well informed regarding the governments and peoples of +Europe. Within an hour after my first call upon him he called with his +aide-de-camp upon me at the Hotel Shepheard. He wanted to decorate me, +but I informed his aide that under our system we did not permit +diplomatic representatives to accept such distinctions; so the next day +he sent a lesser decoration to the manager of the hotel, which, it was +said, he did in my honor. + +A few days later we were invited to lunch with him, and there were also +present a number of higher officials. The menu consisted of dishes with +such improvised names as "crevettes a l'Americaine," "bombe a la +Lincoln," etc. One dish that made a deep impression upon my +none-too-keen gastronomic memory was the delicious Egyptian quail, which +is larger and plumper than our own. In season the birds migrate from the +north and are trapped in great numbers. They could be bought in the +markets for a piaster, or less than five cents. + +I had frequent conferences with Nubar Pasha, Egypt's foremost statesman. +He was an Armenian educated by Jesuits in France. His knowledge was +extensive, and he combined the enlightened viewpoint of a European +statesman of the first rank with all the subtlety of an Oriental. It was +he who conceived the plan of introducing a legal system and good +government in Egypt, and creating the mixed tribunals or international +law courts. In the reorganization of Egypt he acted in sympathy with +Lord Dufferin's programme and consequently was highly regarded by the +British. + +With Sir Evelyn Baring, British agent and consul-general in Egypt, +afterwards Lord Cromer, I had a pleasant conversation. He was then at +the height of his power in the reconstruction of Egypt. Major-General +Sir Francis Grenfell, sirdar or commanding general of the Egyptian army, +is another memory in connection with that visit. + +I regretted that time did not permit my going up the Nile; but like +every one with an historical imagination I was immensely impressed with +the grandeur and massive beauty of the pyramids and the classic ruins of +ancient Egypt, which with their five thousand or more years of existence +have outdistanced all other relics in bringing the handiwork of man down +through ages of devastating time. + + * * * * * + +There was a matter pending at Jerusalem regarding which our Secretary of +State had instructed me, and which I thought best to look into +personally while on this trip. Foreign Jews were being expelled simply +because of their race, and American Jews were being discriminated +against along with those of other nations. In the background of this +action by Turkey were Russia and Roumania, for since the days of the +Spanish Inquisition the Ottoman authorities, with rare exceptions, had +been not only tolerant but hospitable to Jewish immigrants. Roumania, +contrary to express provisions of the Treaty of Berlin guaranteeing +equal political and civil rights to all subjects in this newly created +principality, placed restrictions upon her Jewish subjects, causing a +large number to emigrate. And from Russia, following the enforcement of +the Ignatieff laws of 1882 (some of them laws that had been on the +statute books unenforced for years), there was also a wholesale exodus +of persecuted Jews. Most of these people went to America, but some to +other countries, including Palestine. + +It was the irony of persecution that the Russians who came to Turkey +were claimed as subjects by Russia, which entered a protest at the Porte +against making them Ottoman subjects. On the other hand, the Russian +Patriarch in Turkey and the dignitaries of the Roman Church objected to +the settlement of foreign Jews in Palestine. This pressure from powers +that Turkey wished to please brought forth the promulgation of a law +interdicting all Jews from coming to Palestine for permanent residence. +Besides those from Russia and Roumania, there were a few Jews coming +from England and France. And there were a very few coming from +America--naturalized citizens. + +At the Porte I had taken this matter up with the Grand Vizier. He told +me that a regulation was communicated to the Imperial authorities at +Jerusalem limiting the stay of foreign Jews there to one month. Later he +told me that the Council of Ministers was about to change this limit to +three months. He gave as reasons for the existence of any such +regulations, first, that at certain times of the year, Easter, for +example, religious fanaticism was at so high a pitch that Jews had to +remain in their houses to escape attack and perhaps murder at the hands +of the Christians. In the second place, it had been reported that the +Jews of all the world were planning to strengthen themselves in and +around Jerusalem with a view to re-establishing their ancient kingdom at +some future time. + +I answered that of course the first reason could be done away with by a +strong force of police. As for the second, if the Porte would make +inquiry it could satisfy itself that there was no such plan among the +Jews of the world, that the immigration was caused by the persecution in +Russia and Roumania. (This was nine years before the publication of the +pamphlet, in 1896, by Dr. Hertzl, from which generated modern Zionism. I +shall speak of Dr. Hertzl later.) So far as the American Jews were +concerned, I informed the Grand Vizier that it was a fundamental +principle of our Government to make no distinction of race or creed +among our citizens, and that we had consistently denied to foreign +nations that right over our citizens, as the provisions in our treaties +with the Ottoman Empire showed. To all of this the Grand Vizier replied +simply that should any American be expelled he would carefully consider +my arguments and give instructions accordingly. + +On communicating with our consul-general at Jerusalem, Henry Gillman, I +learned that he had taken the same position, and that to date no +American citizen had been expelled; also that the American consulate was +the only one which had refused aid to the authorities in the expulsion +of foreign Jews, and our representative was not being made very +comfortable for this non-cooperation with the local government. Here the +matter stood when I left Constantinople. + +There were a number of other vexatious questions pending between the +vali at Jerusalem and Mr. Gillman, and I deemed it good policy to show +my resentment to the vali for his arbitrary methods. I declined the +courtesy of the official conveyance with which he sent one of his aides +to Jaffa to meet me and my family and take us to Jerusalem. We took a +Cook's conveyance, stopped overnight at Ramleh, and next day drove over +the hills of Judea to Jerusalem, where Mr. Gillman conducted us to +comfortable quarters at a hotel outside the walls. + + * * * * * + +Scarcely had I arrived at the hotel when a huge delegation of Jews, men +and women, some with infants in their arms, came to plead with me to +obtain the release of relatives and friends who had been put in prison +by the vali or governor because they had come to settle there. I had +known of the troubled conditions in Jerusalem because of the immigration +of the Jews; but until my arrival there I was not aware of the +imprisonment of these people. More than four hundred of them were being +held in prison awaiting deportation. + +Instead of calling on the vali as ordinarily would have been proper, I +sent a note to him through the consul demanding the immediate release of +the immigrants who, I claimed, were being imprisoned contrary to our +treaty as well as the treaties of Great Britain, France, and other +powers; I said that I should decline to call upon him until this +injustice was righted by such release; and that, further, unless my +request was promptly complied with I should appeal to the Sublime Porte +for his removal. + +I felt authorized to take so drastic a step by reason of the +negotiations I had had with the Grand Vizier and in view of our treaty +and the treaties of several of the powers I have referred to. I obtained +the desired result. The vali communicated my message to the Porte, and +the Grand Vizier instructed him to comply with my request. Within +twenty-four hours all the prisoners were released. + +The following morning there was a delegation of several thousand people +outside my hotel, who had come to express their gratitude. They +presented me with a beautifully embossed memorial, the text of which, +translated, reads: + + With delight of soul we bring to thee, O Sir, glory of our people, + the blessing of our community, the congregations of Israel dwelling + in Zion and in all the cities of the Holy Land, + + THE BLESSING OF MAZZOL TOV + (good fortune) + + because the Lord God of Israel has raised thee to fame and glory + and has given to thee a seat of honor among the mighty of the + earth. And we lift our hands to the Holy Sanctuary (praying) that + thy horn be exalted with honor and splendor, and that thou be given + the strength and the power to exalt the horn of Israel, thy people, + to speak in their favor before the throne of the Government--may + its glory increase!--and that thou continue in thy honored office + for many days, until he (the messiah) shall come unto Shiloh "and + unto him shall the obedience of the people be"--soon, in our days, + amen! + + Such is the blessing of those who respect and honor thee in + accordance with thy high and exalted station. + + The leaders of the Jews in Jerusalem--may it be built and + established in our days! + +It is signed with the seals and signatures of Rafail Meir Panisel (Haham +Bashi), chief rabbi of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews in Jerusalem, and +Samuel Salant, chief rabbi of the Ashkenazim, Perushim, and Hasidim in +Jerusalem. + +Now I called upon the vali, who received me very graciously and with +great courtesy. I thanked him for his prompt compliance with my request, +and expressed the hope that, inasmuch as I had an understanding with the +Porte that no discrimination was to be made against Jewish immigrants to +Jerusalem, I should not in future have to complain of any infringement +upon this understanding, otherwise I should again be compelled to take +drastic action. I called his attention to the treaties referred to, of +which he had had no previous knowledge. + +I stopped to make some official calls, accompanied by the consul and his +staff. As is customary when high officials go through the streets of the +Holy City, several halberdiers of the vali preceded, to give distinction +to the party as well as protection and a clear passage through the +crowds. I could remain in Jerusalem only three or four days, however, +for I had to catch the steamer that stopped at Alexandretta and Smyrna, +where I wanted to confer with our consuls. + +Upon my return to Constantinople my French and British colleagues were +much pleased at my having secured the release of the Jewish immigrants +in Palestine. They had received, through their foreign offices, +expressions of appreciation and grateful acknowledgment from such +organizations as the Anglo-Jewish Association of London, and the +Alliance Israelite of Paris. + + * * * * * + +[Illustration: TESTIMONIAL GIVEN TO MR. STRAUS IN JERUSALEM IN +APPRECIATION OF THE RELEASE OF SEVERAL HUNDRED PRISONERS] + +The next step in the development of this question was a communication +received by our State Department from Mavroyeni Bey, Turkish minister at +Washington, informing the Department of a change, indeed, of the time +limit from one month to three for the sojourn of Jews in Jerusalem, with +the proviso, however, "that they are going to Jerusalem in the +performance of a pilgrimage, and not for the purpose of engaging in +commerce or taking up their residence there." + +This communication was received while I was on my trip, and Secretary +Bayard forwarded it to me with the instruction that I take up the +subject with the Ottoman Government as follows: + + To require of applicants for passports, which under our laws are + issued to all citizens upon the sole evidence of their citizenship, + any announcement of their religious faith or declaration of their + personal motives in seeking such passports, would be utterly + repugnant to the spirit of our institutions and to the intent of + the solemn proscription forever by the Constitution of any + religious test as a qualification of the relations of the citizen + to the Government, and would, moreover, assume an inquisitorial + function in respect of the personal affairs of the individual, + which this Government can not exert for its own purposes, and could + still less assume to exercise with the object of aiding a foreign + Government in the enforcement of an objectionable and arbitrary + discrimination against certain of our citizens. + + Our adherence to these principles has been unwavering since the + foundation of our Government, and you will be at no loss to cite + pertinent examples of our consistent defense of religious liberty, + which, as I said in my note to Baron Schaeffer of May 18, 1885, in + relation to the Keiley episode at Vienna, "is the chief + corner-stone of the American system of Government, and provisions + for its security are embedded in the written charter and interwoven + in the moral fabric of its laws." + +I received this upon my return. Secretary Bayard asked me also to +ascertain the views of my colleagues respecting this irade, and I found +them willing and ready to take it up with the Porte in a manner similar +to the instructions I had received. + +I called on Said Pasha and left with him a note in accordance with my +instructions, and I sent a copy of this note to the French and British +ambassadors. They in turn each advised the Ministry that they could not +admit of regulations prejudicial to the existing rights of their +subjects as secured by treaties. And here for a time the matter rested. + +Several months later three American Jews were expelled from Jerusalem +because they had not left the city at the expiration of three months, +and again the question had to be taken up with the Porte. This time Said +Pasha replied that the restrictions with regard to the three Americans +had been ordered withdrawn, "the Sublime Porte having lately decided +that the measure concerning the Israelites going to Palestine shall not +be applied but to those who emigrate in number (_en nombre_), and that +no obstacle shall be opposed to the sojourn of those who are not in this +class." + +This, like most other questions that arose between the Ottoman +Government and our own, could not be settled for any length of time by +principle, law, or treaty. Such documents might be used as reminders of +agreements once reached, but in Turkey they do not of themselves direct +policies or action. Drummond Wolff had advised being "patient, pleasant, +persistent," to which I would add: eternally vigilant. + + * * * * * + +On the whole, the interests of the United States throughout the Ottoman +Empire were peculiar, in that the majority of the complaints related to +personal, as distinct from commercial, rights. I have said in an earlier +chapter that some of the questions at issue, especially those involving +extraterritoriality, grew out of capitulations dating back over four +hundred years, to the conquest of Constantinople by the Moslems in 1453. +The terms of these capitulations or "privileges" were made originally +between the Greeks and the various Italian city republics--Pisa, Genoa, +Venice. The Moslems later embodied them in revised capitulations with +France in 1535, 1604, 1673, and 1740; with England in 1583 and 1675; +with Holland in 1680; with Austria in 1718; and with Russia in 1783. On +these later European capitulations was based our own first treaty with +the Sublime Porte in 1830. Practically speaking, therefore, consular +jurisdiction in Turkey was then not very different from what it was in +the fifteenth century. + +When I took office one of the vexatious questions to be settled was the +interpretation of Clause IV of the Treaty of 1830. This treaty was +negotiated by Charles Rhind, as American commissioner, with Reis +Effendi, Turkish representative. Rhind had prepared it, with the help of +dragoman Navoni, in French and in Turkish, and when it was finally drawn +up, according to Rhind's own report, Reis Effendi "signed and sealed the +treaty in Turkish and I did the same with the French translation, and we +exchanged them." Thereupon the original Turkish version, together with a +copy of the French translation as signed by the American +commissioners--President Jackson had appointed Captain James Biddle and +David Offley together with Rhind--and several English translations were +transmitted to Washington. The treaty actually approved by the Senate +was one of the English versions. + +Before the ratifications were exchanged the American charge d'affaires +at Constantinople, David Porter, received word that the French version +was not exactly in agreement with the Turkish. Porter's simple method of +correcting this discrepancy was to sign a document, also in the Turkish +language, accepting the Turkish version of the treaty without reserve; +and when the translation of this document reached Washington nothing +further was said. + +Indeed, the treaty rested in peace until 1868, when the American +minister, acting according to the English version, clashed with the +Turkish authorities in the interpretation of Clause IV, regarding +jurisdiction over American citizens--in this case two who had been +arrested and imprisoned for alleged offenses against the Turkish +Government. The English version read: + + Citizens of the United States of America, quietly pursuing their + commerce, and not being charged or convicted of any crime or + offence, shall not be molested; and even when they may have + committed some offence they shall not be arrested and put in + prison, by the local authorities, but they shall be tried by their + Minister or Consul, and punished according to their offence, + following, in this respect, the usage observed towards other + Franks. + +When our Government proceeded to obtain exact translations of this +clause, it was found that the Turkish version did not contain the words +"arrested" or "tried," although the phraseology made clear that American +citizens were not to be imprisoned in Turkish prisons, but punished +through their minister or consul. Consequently, the Turkish authorities +could arrest but not imprison, could try but not inflict punishment. + +The Turkish Government would not recognize as accurate any of the +translations the United States presented. When asked to present a +translation of its own, however, the matter was gradually put in +abeyance. + + * * * * * + +In 1862 our minister, E. J. Morris, concluded another treaty with the +Porte, entitled, as was the first one, "A Treaty of Commerce and +Navigation," which, by its Article XX, was to remain in force +twenty-eight years unless either party saw fit to abrogate at the end of +fourteen or twenty-one years. In January, 1874, the Turkish Government +gave notice to our Department of State of its desire to terminate the +treaty, following this notice up with another communication to the same +effect in September, 1875. Although by the terms of the treaty such +notice was to be permissible not earlier than June, 1876, nothing was +said in Washington regarding the untimeliness of these communications, +and in his Annual Message of December, 1876, President Grant announced: +"Under this notice the treaty terminated upon the fifth day of June +1876." President Cleveland, on the other hand, in his first Annual +Message nine years later, questioned the official termination, but +added: "As the commercial rights of our citizens in Turkey come under +the favored-nation guarantee of the prior treaty of 1830 ... no +inconvenience can result" from our agreeing to the abrogation. Thus +questions of jurisdiction and commercial rights were thrown back for +settlement under the Treaty of 1830, the translation of which was and +has remained in dispute. + +Much of this confusion was due, again, to the slight actual regard, on +the part of the Ottoman Empire, for the terms of treaties. In this +attitude they had been encouraged by some of the European nations--most +of all Russia in its more powerful days--who, in return for other +advantages, were not insistent upon their claims under the +capitulations, especially the claims of jurisdiction over nationals. So +far as concerned the United States, this loose effectiveness of treaties +caused constant misunderstanding with regard to the handling of cases +arising under them. + +With every question that came up under the disputed Clause IV, for +instance, the Turks would controvert the right of our consuls to try, +and we would insist on that right. The battle then would be won after a +fashion by the side with the most persistence. During my administration +I happened to be the winner much of the time, although my winning merely +released a possibly innocent person; for while we argued about a trial +for the suspect he lingered in jail, and after I got his release the +Turks would refuse to acknowledge our jurisdiction and not prosecute. +Innocent and guilty alike were made to suffer in jail, and alike were +set scot-free upon release. Not only that, but whenever an American +citizen committed, or was alleged to have committed, a crime and was +arrested by the Turkish authorities, it created irritation and a strain +of our relationship. + + * * * * * + +The only other treaty then negotiated between the Ottoman Government and +our own--the Treaty of Naturalization and Extradition--had also been a +subject for discussion and dispute ever since it was signed by Minister +George H. Boker in 1874. When it was concluded, the Senate refused to +confirm it because under it American citizenship was forfeited _ipso +facto_ by the return of the naturalized citizen to his native land and +his remaining there two years; but the Senate amended this treaty by +changing the phraseology of the clause containing the two-year +reference. The Sublime Porte accepted the amendment by a declaration of +what it understood to be its intent and significance, which +interpretation our Government, in turn, would not accept. + +And there that treaty was hung in 1875, although our Government that +year made an appropriation of ten thousand eight hundred dollars for +presents to Turkish officials, which was then customary on concluding a +treaty with the Porte. + +As the conditions which had called forth the treaty continued to exist, +I was instructed to renew negotiations in the matter. A number of +Christian subjects of the Porte--some Greeks and some Syrians, but +principally Armenians--in order to free themselves from Turkish +jurisdiction had fled to the United States. Here they remained long +enough to become citizens, and from time to time they came back to +Turkey, where they were charged with being involved in alleged +conspiracies against the Turkish Government. Such cases arose +frequently, and it was felt that the Treaty of Naturalization and +Extradition with the two-year clause, similar to the one we have with +many other nations, would prevent citizens of the Porte from using +naturalization in America as a means of escaping liability as subjects +of Turkey upon their return there. + +I addressed myself to bringing about an adjustment of these +difficulties, either by securing a new treaty or having the one of 1874 +accepted as amended. A long and tedious exchange of notes on the subject +ensued. Finally the Porte agreed to accept the Treaty of 1874 as +amended. + +Of course I was elated, and the State Department was pleased. That the +treaty was one very much desired by our Government was clear. I received +a long, flattering cable of congratulation from Mr. Bayard, and a letter +in similar vein from Mr. Adee, saying in part: + + Whatever may be the outcome of these negotiations, you are to be + congratulated without stint on having achieved a decided diplomatic + success by causing the Government of the Porte to recede from the + position which it took in 1875, with respect to the Senate + amendments, and to which it has so pertinaciously adhered ever + since, until you wrought a change of heart and induced it to take a + more rational view of the subject. This makes it far easier for us + to deal with the question now as justice and equity and due respect + for the rights and privileges attaching to American nationality may + demand. + +Then the bubble burst! Under my instructions I had assured the Turkish +authorities that with their acceptance of the amendments of our Senate +the negotiations in the matter would be concluded, and all that would be +necessary to give effect to the treaty was the proclamation of the +President. Instead, however, it was thought best again to submit the +terms to the Senate, as fourteen years had elapsed since the negotiation +of the original treaty. Thereupon some of our leading missionaries, at +the instigation of prominent Armenians who had been naturalized in +America and returned to Turkey, opposed ratification, and no further +action was taken. It was a very discouraging situation, for many +annoying cases constantly came up, some of a rather serious nature. + +I might add that ten years later, when I was again minister to Turkey, I +was instructed to renew negotiations, but the Ottoman Government was now +unwilling to negotiate at all on this subject, and we were left without +any treaty of naturalization. + + * * * * * + +There were one or two interesting special matters that came up during +this mission. Toward the end of 1887 Baron Maurice de Hirsch came to +Constantinople to adjust some financial differences with the Turkish +Government. His railway, connecting Constantinople with European cities, +was about completed. The Turkish Government claimed that he owed it +132,000,000 francs, a claim growing out of kilometric guarantees and +other concessions. + +One day while I was calling on the Grand Vizier, Kiamil Pasha, he asked +to introduce some one to me, and forthwith I met a tall and slender man +in his fifties, dark eyes sparkling with spirit and energy, clean-shaven +except for a full black mustache, dressed rather dudishly in a cutaway +coat, white vest and white spats--Baron de Hirsch. I was glad of this +opportunity, for I had often heard of him and his great philanthropic +activities. We had a pleasant conversation about things in general. + +A few days later I took dinner with the Sultan. He spoke to me about +Baron de Hirsch and the claim of Turkey against him. The Turkish +Government was hard-pressed for funds--its chronic condition. The Sultan +explained that for some time efforts had been made to arrive at some +settlement, and that it was now proposed to arbitrate. The Baron had +suggested first the French and then the Austrian ambassador as +arbitrator, but neither was satisfactory to His Majesty; he, however, +had much confidence in my judgment and impartiality, so that he had +counter-suggested my name to the Baron, which was satisfactory to the +latter; and they had agreed to pay me an honorarium of one million +francs. + +I assured the Sultan that I was much complimented by his request, but I +would have to consult the Secretary of State. He told me he had already +requested the Turkish minister at Washington to inquire the views of the +Department, and that Mr. Bayard had said there was no objection to my +acting as arbitrator. But I said I would have to communicate with Mr. +Bayard personally and would let His Majesty hear from me in the course +of a few days. + +I cabled Mr. Bayard and learned, as the Sultan had said, that there was +no objection to my acceding to the latter's wishes and accepting the +honorarium if it appeared to me advisable. Upon giving the proposal +careful consideration, however, I felt it would not be wise for me to +comply with the Sultan's request, much as I should have liked to please +him. Any transaction with the Turkish Government involving money was +open to suspicion of improper methods and bribery. Had I as arbitrator +made a decision disappointing to the Turkish Government, I should +certainly have fallen under such suspicion, and I deemed it improper to +assume an obligation which might throw the American legation into a +false light. + +I advised Secretary Bayard accordingly and frankly told the Sultan I +could not accept. I added, however, that while I would not accept an +honorarium, I should be glad to act as mediator to see whether a +satisfactory adjustment could not be brought about between the Baron and +the Grand Vizier, which offer the Sultan accepted. + +As the negotiations went forward, the Baron and the Grand Vizier had +frequent disagreements and altercations. Each of them would come to me +with his grievance, and I would give my opinion and bring them together +again. Finally there arose a legal question, and this was submitted to +Professor Gneist, the famous German authority on international law. Upon +his decision the Baron finally paid the Turkish Government 22,000,000 +francs. + + * * * * * + +During these negotiations, which lasted several months, an intimate +friendship developed between the Baron and his wife and Mrs. Straus and +myself. They often took family dinner with us. They were declining +official invitations because of the recent death of their only child, +Lucien. The Baroness was an exceptionally fine woman, learned and able, +whose principal aim in life seemed to be to find ways of being most +helpful to others. In the quarters of the poor, both Jew and Gentile, +her short, trim figure, dressed in deep mourning, was familiar. Her face +had an attractively benign expression. A story regarding her activities +in connection with the construction of her husband's railroad was +characteristic of her. + +In a village near Constantinople a number of houses belonging to the +poor had to be torn down to make way for the railway station. The work +was to be done with the understanding that the Turkish Government would +compensate these people, but evidently no such consideration was +forthcoming. A number of those thus dispossessed came to the Baron to +complain, but he answered that it was the Government's responsibility, +not his. On hearing of this the Baroness informed her husband that she +did not propose to let the railroad cause unhappiness to people, that it +would probably be a long time before the Government paid the +compensation, if ever, and that she insisted on paying these people out +of her own private fortune so they could at once build new houses and be +happy. Then and there she carried out that programme. + + * * * * * + +The Baron spoke to me of his own benefactions and said he purposed +during his lifetime to devote his fortune to benevolent causes. His +philanthropy up to that time had been bestowed mainly in Russia, but he +was desirous of doing something for the Russians who, because of the +oppression resultant from the Ignatieff laws, were emigrating to +America. They had been persecuted and were poor, and he wanted to enable +them to reestablish themselves. + +I was familiar with the conditions of these Russian immigrants, because +prior to my coming to Turkey I had been in close relationship for +several years with Michael Heilprin, author of a number of scholarly +works and one of the chief editors of Appleton's Encyclopaedia. He worked +untiringly on behalf of these new arrivals, collecting money for them +and aiding them personally in numerous ways. I think his untimely death +was due primarily to his generous expenditure of energy in this way. I +mentioned Heilprin to the Baron and said I would write him for +suggestions how best the immigrants might be helped. + +When I heard from Heilprin I forwarded the letter to the Baron, together +with a list of men who had done most in the way of benevolent work for +the Jews of New York. Prominent on that list were Meyer S. Isaacs, +president of the United Hebrew Congregations; Jesse Seligman, president +of the Hebrew Orphan Asylum; Jacob H. Schiff, who was connected with a +number of our charitable enterprises; and my brother Isidor. The Baron +subsequently communicated with Mr. Isaacs and some others, and out of +their arrangements grew the Baron de Hirsch Fund and the Baron de Hirsch +Trade School. Later the Baroness, upon conferring with Mrs. Straus, +endowed the Clara de Hirsch Home for Working Girls. + +Neither my wife nor I wish to claim any credit for the founding of the +de Hirsch benevolent institutions. We were simply the medium through +which these came into being. We never even suggested the nature of them. +We only gave the requested information regarding the need for such +institutions. + + * * * * * + +[Illustration: OSCAR S. STRAUS + +Constantinople, 1888] + +But to come back to Constantinople and its railroads. During 1888 the +question of a railroad from Constantinople to the Persian Gulf was much +agitated, especially by the Germans. The Grand Vizier several times +brought up the subject in conversation with me, asking me to help him +get in communication with some reliable American railroad builders. He +assured me that the Turkish Government would give more favorable terms +to a group of Americans because the project would then be free from the +political complications that might ensue if a road through the heart +of the empire were controlled by Germany or any other European power. + +William K. Vanderbilt was in Constantinople at the time. He had arrived +in his yacht, which was larger than most yachts that came through the +Dardanelles, so it was stopped until I could procure for him a special +permit from the Sultan to proceed. At the Sultan's request, I spoke to +Vanderbilt about the railroad and introduced him to the Grand Vizier. +But he was on pleasure bent and not inclined to take up the cares and +burdens involved in such an undertaking. + +Of course it was apparent that if American capitalists and railroad +builders with their vast experience would take up the construction of +this road it would put tremendous power and prestige into American +hands. I suggested that Carl Schurz and Henry Villard might be the +proper persons to undertake this gigantic work. Villard's name had +figured prominently in the completion of the Northern Pacific; he was +close to Schurz, and they each enjoyed a high reputation. Soon +thereafter the Porte submitted the matter to a syndicate of German, +British, and French bankers, and the famous Bagdad Railroad was not +built by Americans. + +Early in 1888 I received a letter from an old friend, the Reverend +William Hayes Ward, eminent Assyriologist and scholarly editor of the +"Independent," respecting an expedition for excavating in Babylonia +which the Reverend John P. Peters, of the University of Pennsylvania, +contemplated. Under Dr. William Pepper, provost of the university, Dr. +Peters was organizing the Babylon Exploration Fund, which would base its +work on the recommendations made in 1884-85 by the Wolfe expedition +headed by Dr. Ward himself. The Wolfe expedition, financed by Miss +Catherine L. Wolfe, of New York City, had been limited to +reconnoissance and exploration. Shortly thereafter the subject was +brought to my attention officially by Mr. Adee, of the Department of +State, who wrote me: + + We find ourselves between two fires,--on one hand is the + Philadelphia organization under the lead of Dr. Peters, which has + the money, and on the other is the Johns Hopkins enterprise, which + has the most solid ballasting of Assyriological talent, but, + unfortunately, its dollars are limited. As the Johns Hopkins people + deposit all their collections in the National Museum, Professor + Langley feels kindly disposed towards them.... We shall probably + have to look to you as the _deus ex machina_ to prescribe a + solution. + +I conferred unofficially with Hamdy Bey, director of the Imperial Museum +at Stamboul, himself a very competent scientist and in charge of all +excavations in Turkey, who informed me fully regarding the Turkish law +governing excavations, among other things that a permit for making them +had to be obtained from the Ministry of Public Instruction (and these +permits were not easily obtained); and that all objects discovered were +the property of the Turkish Government, the excavator being permitted +only moulds or drawings thereof, except possibly in the case of certain +duplicates. + +To save time in the matter, I brought it before the Grand Vizier, who +promised support in laying the project before His Majesty the Sultan, +with the view possibly of getting an irade to export at least a portion, +if not half, of the objects discovered. I suggested to our State +Department that the University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins work +together and operate as one body, so that an irade, should it be +obtainable, might serve for the benefit of all concerned. + +While _en route_ to the United States on a short leave of absence I met +Dr. Peters in London. He handed me a letter of introduction from +President Cleveland asking my good offices. The proposed excavations +interested me very much, and I promised Dr. Peters I would give the +subject immediate attention upon returning to my post. Meanwhile I +instructed the charge, Mr. King, how to proceed in my absence. + +Early in November when I got back to Constantinople I asked for an +audience with the Sultan to explain the purposes of the exploration +fund, the interest of the various universities and scientific societies +in it, adding that I had received a personal letter from the President +in regard to it, and that if he would give the permit to excavate it +would meet with high appreciation in my country. + +It was the custom for ministers, as distinct from ambassadors, to +dismount at the Palace gate and proceed to the Palace on foot. For this +occasion, however, orders had been given for our coming in at the Palace +door. Here I was met by His Highness, the Grand Vizier; the Minister of +Foreign Affairs; and the Grand Master of Ceremonies. After some fifteen +minutes the Grand Vizier and the Grand Master of Ceremonies ushered me +into the presence of His Majesty. A private audience took place, wherein +the Sultan seemed very affable indeed. He said he was happy to welcome +me back to my post and hoped that Mrs. Straus and I had had a pleasant +trip. + +His Majesty then led the way to the brilliantly illuminated dining-hall, +where a military orchestra of about thirty members was playing. I was +seated at His Majesty's right, with the dragoman next to me, and the +Grand Vizier was at the left; down both sides sat the pashas, their +breasts sparkling with diamond orders. The dinner was served on gold and +silver plates, and the menu was excellent and not overburdened. The +Sultan conversed freely, cheerfully, and apparently without reserve. + +After dinner we went with him to a play in the little theater on the +Palace grounds. At an opportune moment between the acts, while His +Majesty questioned me regarding some matters in the United States, I +referred to the excavations, and to the fact that several +representatives of the universities were awaiting his decision. He +graciously stated that permission would be granted, and it was given a +very few days thereafter. + +Though we were all somewhat disappointed because the permit was more +restricted than we had been led to expect, it enabled Dr. Peters and his +party to go ahead with their work. Dr. Peters has left a full account of +the explorations and the objects discovered, some of them dating back +earlier than 4000 B.C., in his two volumes entitled "Nippur," which form +a lasting memorial to his services in the cause of archaeology. + +Unfavorable as we thought the permit was, I was accused by Theodore +Bent, British archaeologist, writing in the "Contemporary Review," of +bribing Hamdy Bey to obtain a favorable firman. He himself had dug at +Thasos the previous year and had run into difficulties with the Turkish +authorities, resulting in the seizure of his findings. He still felt +revengeful toward Hamdy Bey, and the knowledge of our negotiations for a +permit afforded him ground for a scurrilous attack on the director of +the museum, who was, nevertheless, a man of fine character and high +repute. + +The fact really was that the Sultan felt somewhat under obligations to +me because of my services in another matter. There were in the Ottoman +Empire a million or more Persians, mainly rug dealers. Many of them had +married Turkish women. The Sultan claimed that when a Persian in Turkey +married a Turkish subject his nationality followed that of his wife. The +controversy had gone so far that the Shah of Persia was about to recall +his ambassador, and they finally agreed to submit the matter to me for +decision. + +I took the subject under advisement and wrote an opinion in accordance +with the universally accepted doctrine of nationality under such +conditions, namely, that upon marriage nationality followed that of the +husband. But instead of rendering my decision, I advised the Sultan what +it would be and suggested that it would probably make for better +relationship if he would anticipate my decision by agreeing with the +Shah's contention. This he appreciated. At the same time it relieved me +from the necessity of deciding against the sovereign to whom I was +accredited. + +Of course the Shah's ambassador, Mohsin Khan, who was practically +viceroy in the Ottoman Empire, desired to confer upon me Persia's +decoration, the Lion and the Sun, set in costly brilliants, and once +more I had to explain our custom in regard to such things. It is indeed +a wise provision of our Constitution which prohibits American officials +from accepting "any present, emolument, office or title of any kind +whatever" without the consent of Congress. + + * * * * * + +The election of 1888 having resulted in a Republican victory, I tendered +my resignation to the new President upon his taking office, as is +customary for heads of missions when there has been a change in the +administration. I was unofficially informed that numerous letters and +memorials had been received in Washington from individuals and +missionary and church bodies, asking that I be retained at my post; Dr. +Pepper, of the University of Pennsylvania, and several other university +heads also joined in urging my retention. But I wrote Dr. Pepper not to +push the request, as I could no longer absent myself from my private +affairs. The main matters of difference between the two Governments had +been settled, and I felt justified in resigning, even had Cleveland been +reelected, for I could not afford to stay on except under pressure of +patriotic necessity. + +The salary at the Porte barely covered my house rent. I had secured the +best available house with facilities for entertaining and the returning +of hospitalities, and, as I have mentioned before, such functions are +essential for the proper relations with one's colleagues and the +government to which one is accredited. Besides, it is important to be +able to show to one's nationals the hospitality they expect from their +diplomatic representatives, especially in the case of prominent visitors +who bring letters from high officials at home. + +Again, "noblesse oblige" has its widest and most emphatic application in +diplomacy. Americans are supposed to be rich, and if an American +diplomat does not show the usual hospitalities he is charged with +penuriousness, for it is understood that a man who is not able to live +according to his station would not be chosen to head a mission. That his +pay may be inadequate for the discharge of his social duties is not +generally known. When I was in Washington during my leave of absence Mr. +Cleveland asked me how I got along on my salary, and I told him then +that I could have got along fairly well on four times the amount, for I +had spent between thirty-five and forty thousand dollars a year. + +A few days prior to leaving my post in June, 1889, I again dined with +the Sultan. I had often done so during my stay, but this time he was +especially gracious and unreserved. He expressed great regret at my +going, saying that at no time during his reign had the relations of our +countries been more agreeable, and that he and his minister had had +every confidence in my candor and fairness. What seemed to have +impressed him most was my handling of a large claim by an American which +was being urged through the legation. I carefully examined this claim +and found it to be justified neither in morals nor in law, and I +informed the Turkish Government accordingly that I had withdrawn it. The +Porte was not accustomed to such fair treatment! Of course, ever +afterward when I presented a matter it was believed to be justified. + + * * * * * + +The Sultan held the government pretty firmly in his own hands--too much +so in fact--and kept himself very well informed regarding all manner of +things. On this evening he said he had heard of the great disaster and +loss of lives caused by the Johnstown flood and he desired to transmit +through me two hundred pounds to be used for relief work. I cabled the +amount to the Secretary of State on the following day and communicated +to His Majesty our Government's acknowledgment: + + Express grateful appreciation of the President and the Government + of the United States for the Sultan's generous relief for flood + sufferers. + +When it became known that I was about to leave my post I received many +communications expressing regret. These were a great satisfaction, +especially one beautiful letter from the missionaries of Constantinople, +signed by Edwin E. Bliss, I. F. Pettibone, Joseph K. Greene, H. S. +Barnum, Charles A. S. Dwight, Henry O. Dwight, and William G. Bliss. + +After we had boarded the steamer to Varna, homeward bound, a royal +caique--a rowboat of the graceful lines of a Venetian gondola and manned +by six oarsmen--came alongside our ship and one of the Sultan's aides +came aboard to present to Mrs. Straus the highest order of the Shefekat +decoration, a star set in brilliants, with the special request of His +Majesty that she accept it as a token of his esteem and regard. As the +regulations prohibiting me from accepting such honors did not apply to +my wife, she graciously accepted this parting gift from Abdul Hamid. + +And so farewell to Pera and the beautiful Bosphorus! + + + + +CHAPTER V + +HARRISON, CLEVELAND, AND McKINLEY + + One function of ex-diplomats--Russian refugees in flight to + America--President Harrison remonstrates with Czar against + persecutions--"A decree to leave one country is an order to enter + another"--Grover Cleveland's fight for sound money--His letters to + me--"The Little White House"--Cleveland under fire for Van Alen + appointment--Cleveland's theatrical tastes--A midnight supper of + delicatessen and beer--Cleveland's first meeting with Charles F. + Murphy, of Tammany Hall--The final confidences of an + ex-President--A pilgrimage in England to the school attended by + Roger Williams--I join the fight for election reforms--President + McKinley summons me to Washington to discuss plan to avert war with + Spain--A proposal to "rattle the Sultan's windows"--McKinley urges + me to again accept the Turkish post--"Secretary of State for + Turkey." + + +Had diplomacy been a career, nothing would have pleased me more than to +continue in such service of my country. On the whole I cannot say that I +advocate changing our system as to a more permanent service for the +heads of missions. Our President is now unhampered to select men who are +best qualified to deal with the problems in hand at the various posts. +This is an advantage over a system that tends to keep in office +ministers and ambassadors who are ill equipped to bring statesmanlike +qualities to their work, though they may be past-masters in routine and +social requirements. But it would be well if, on a change of +administration, removals of heads of missions were the exception rather +than the rule. Of course, after four or eight years, the return of our +diplomatic chiefs from foreign fields to the various parts of our +country has the advantage of enabling these men, by reason of their +experience and standing, to inform and in a measure guide public opinion +on questions concerning international affairs. + +On my return to New York I reentered business, but continued to take a +deep and active interest in public affairs. I spent much of my spare +time lecturing on public questions and historical matters. + + * * * * * + +Waves of Russian-Jewish immigrants were pounding our shores in the +spring of 1891. In Russia, pogroms and other forms of mob persecution +had become so persistent that refugees were arriving in pitiful droves +at our ports. Sinister circumstance had hurled them from one country +into another. Many had been compelled to abandon their employment or +even their own established businesses in Russia, owing to the +enforcement of the Ignatieff laws and the consequent prohibitions, +restrictions, and persecutions. + +Determined to make a strenuous protest, a small committee was formed of +prominent Jews from New York, Cincinnati, and Chicago, to lay before +President Harrison the pitiable conditions day by day presented by the +arriving refugees, many of whom had been stripped of all their +possessions. + +Our committee was headed by Jesse Seligman, and among the others I +recall Jacob H. Schiff, of New York, and General Lewis Seasongood, of +Cincinnati, besides myself. The President listened to our story with +sympathetic interest, and then turned to me and asked what, in the light +of my international and diplomatic experience, I thought should be done. +I told him that we had a right to remonstrate with any nation with which +we were on friendly terms, as we were with Russia, for committing an +unfriendly act if that nation by special laws forced groups of its +people, in pitiable condition, to seek refuge in another country and +that country our own. + +The President agreed, but suggested that our Government ought to have +before it an official report or statement of facts. I replied that this +could easily be obtained by sending a competent commission to Russia to +make inquiry. Promptly Colonel John B. Weber, immigration commissioner +at Ellis Island, admirably qualified because of his experience in office +and his sympathetic interest, together with Dr. Walter Kempster, a +physician known for his studies of the pathology of insanity, were sent +abroad to make an investigation and report. Their investigation was +thorough, and they embodied their findings in a report that is a model +of its kind. It was the first authentic and official report on these +Russian restrictions and persecutions, and when published it aroused +great interest in all enlightened parts of Europe as well as at home. +The distinguished English historian, Lecky, refers to it in his own +work, "Democracy and Liberty." + +George Jones, of the "New York Times," also had an investigation and +report made by his London correspondent, Harold Frederic. These findings +the "Times" published as articles and syndicated them to several other +papers of the country, and later Frederic brought them out in book form +under the title "The New Exodus." + +President Harrison was much impressed with the report of the commission, +and through diplomatic channels brought the matter to the attention of +the Russian Government. His reference to this action in the Annual +Message of December, 1891, is such a clear and convincing recognition of +humanitarian diplomacy, that I quote it: + + This Government has found occasion to express, in a friendly + spirit, but with much earnestness, to the Government of the Czar, + its serious concern because of the harsh measures now being + enforced against the Hebrews in Russia.... It is estimated that + over one million will be forced from Russia within a few years.... + + The banishment, whether by direct decree or by not less certain + indirect methods, of so large a number of men and women is not a + local question. A decree to leave one country is, in the nature of + things, an order to enter another--some other. This consideration, + as well as the suggestions of humanity, furnishes ample ground for + the remonstrances which we have presented to Russia, while our + historic friendship for that Government can not fail to give the + assurance that our representations are those of a sincere + wellwisher. + +The President's Message was largely quoted and favorably commented upon +in this and many European countries. All of this had a reaction in +Russia itself. No matter how autocratic a government may be, as Russia +then was, it cannot free itself from "a decent respect to the opinions +of mankind." For the time being conditions in Russia for the Jews were +ameliorated. + + * * * * * + +In the fall of 1891 I was a delegate to the Democratic State Convention +at Saratoga and was a member of the platform committee. One of the +questions to be solved was: What should be our position regarding +silver? Cleveland's statement of his position during his first term had +lost him the Presidency. + +Quite purposely Cleveland had boldly accentuated, while in office, the +outstanding issues then before the country--the tariff and sound +money--without any regard to political consequences. His friend, Richard +Watson Gilder, has said of him in this connection:[1] + + [Footnote 1: _Grover Cleveland_, _A Record of Friendship_, p. 33.] + + Every once in a while Cleveland "threw away the Presidency," and I + never saw him so happy as when he had done it; as, for instance, + after the tariff message, and now again after the silver letter. + +Cleveland, while not a scholar, was ultra-conscientious and had an +honest and logical mind that dealt with fundamentals. He would "mull +over" (that is the very phrase I have heard him use) a question until +he got to the bottom, and there he would start to build up his premises +and arrive at his decisions. Because of the surplus accumulating in the +Treasury he had been impressed more and more with the fact that the +taxes and the tariff should be reduced. He realized, during the spring +and summer of 1887, that the rapid increase of this surplus was becoming +a menace to the stability of our financial system, and he felt it his +duty to provide some means for averting commercial disaster. At the +opening of Congress that year, instead of a message covering all of the +Government activities as was the invariable custom, he prepared one +devoted exclusively to the revenue system and to the necessity of +reducing the tariff. He gave much care and deliberation to this message, +but none to the political consequences. + +Again later, when the free coinage of silver became a topic of +prominence, the Reform Club of New York invited him to attend a banquet +at which this question was to be discussed. Many of his friends advised +that he remain silent on the subject, in order not to mar his chances +for reelection. Cleveland, however, accepted the invitation and boldly +announced his position regarding "the dangerous and reckless experiment +of free, unlimited and independent silver coinage." That was too much +for the machine men of the party; the note of Cleveland's doom was +sounded from one end of the country to the other. + +After his retirement partisan bitterness largely disappeared, and it +soon became a foregone conclusion that he would again have to stand for +the Presidency. Although he had occupied the President's chair only one +term, I doubt whether any ex-President of our time, with the exception +of Roosevelt, carried with him into private life a deeper interest or a +higher esteem on the part of the great body of the people. His rugged +honesty of purpose and determined stand for the best principles in our +public life were more and more appreciated and valued. During the entire +period between his defeat and his reelection he was the most +distinguished representative of his party. + +When the silver question came up in the State Convention at Saratoga, a +few others and myself contended for a sound money plank. We met with +opposition from a majority of the platform committee. Richard Croker, +boss of Tammany Hall, had not up to that time bothered much about the +subject. I laid before him the reasons underlying the question and got +him to throw his powerful influence and help on our side, and we +succeeded in the end in incorporating a strong sound money plank. + +Cleveland expressed his satisfaction with that accomplishment in the +following note to me: + + _Sept._ 27, 1891 + + MY DEAR MR. STRAUS: + + I have a suspicion that you had much to do with the formation of + the silver plank in the platform adopted at Saratoga. I am so well + satisfied indeed that you thus merit my thanks as a citizen who + loves the honor of his country and as a Democrat who loves the + integrity of his party, that I desire to tender them in this frank + informal manner. + + Yours very truly + GROVER CLEVELAND + + +I may add here that upon his retirement in 1889 Cleveland came to New +York to live, and the pleasant relations I had had with him in office +became close and intimate. + +Early in July, 1892, I wrote Cleveland regarding his position on the +tariff, and after the Chicago convention which nominated him for the +Presidency, I received the following communication from him: + + GRAY GABLES + BUZZARDS BAY, MASS. + _July_ 25, 1892 + + MY DEAR SIR: + + I wish to thank you for your letter of July 12, and to express my + disappointment that while in New York last week I did not have the + opportunity to converse with you on the suggestions which your + letter contained. You cannot fail to see by some expressions in my + address in reply to the notification committee, that thoughts quite + similar to yours have occupied my mind in regard to the tariff + plank in our platform. I am exceedingly anxious that there should + be no misrepresentation of our true position, and I regret + exceedingly that there should have been any form of expression + adopted which makes us liable to that danger. + + I shall continue to give the subject earnest thought and when I + write my letter of acceptance if it should then seem to be + necessary I shall not hesitate to pursue the subject further. I + have heard of your labors at Chicago and of your constant and + earnest devotion to my cause, and while your previous conduct and + our relations have been such as to lead me to expect such things of + you, I am none the less gratified and beg to thank you from the + bottom of my heart. + + With the kind remembrances of Mrs. Cleveland to you and Mrs. + Straus, in which I heartily join, I am + + Very truly yours + GROVER CLEVELAND + + +In 1888 his position on these two questions caused his defeat; in 1892, +his position still the same, these very issues were the dominant factors +that brought about his renomination and election. + + * * * * * + +During the winter before his second term of office, in order to get some +rest and be freer than was possible in New York from the constant stream +of visitors and place-hunters, he and his family accepted the invitation +of my brother Nathan to occupy a little frame house which my brother +had bought from a New Jersey farmer in connection with the property on +which stands the Lakewood Hotel. The little two-story house, surrounded +by pines, simple as could be, was renovated and painted white, and +became known as "the little White House." To it from time to time +Cleveland summoned the people with whom he wished to confer--the leaders +of his party with regard to policies and the make-up of his Cabinet, and +personal friends. He had no secretary and wrote all letters with his own +hand. + +During his stay at "the little White House" he sent for me several times +to talk over things with him. On one of these occasions he proposed +connecting me with the Administration in some way that might be +agreeable to me. While I appreciated highly his intention, I told him I +felt I owed it to my brothers to stick to business for the next few +years. He answered that he would have to have one of the brothers in his +Administration. I learned later that in his mind he had reserved the +ministership to Holland for Isidor. At about this time Isidor had been +nominated, and was subsequently elected, to fill a vacancy in Congress, +and Cleveland purposely did not fill the Dutch post until after that +special election. He afterwards remarked to a friend he and Isidor had +in common, William L. Wilson, of West Virginia, chairman of the Ways and +Means Committee and responsible for the Wilson Tariff Bill, that he much +preferred Isidor in Congress where he could have the benefit of his +wisdom and knowledge in financial and tariff matters. Indeed, my brother +was largely responsible for Cleveland's calling the extra session of +Congress for the repeal of the Sherman Silver Coinage Act. + +Among my letters from Cleveland at this period I have one concerning a +subject that caused a great deal of stir and unfavorable comment: the +appointment of James J. Van Alen, of Newport, Rhode Island, as +ambassador to Italy. Van Alen was a very rich man. He was the son-in-law +of William Astor and the personal friend of William C. Whitney, the real +manager of the Cleveland campaign, whose appointment as Secretary of the +Navy was not liked by the "mugwump" wing of the party, headed by Carl +Schurz and others. When Van Alen was appointed a hue and cry arose from +the idealists, and Cleveland's enemies alleged that the appointment was +nothing more than a reward for the very large contribution Van Alen had +made to Whitney for the campaign, for which Whitney had promised this +position. Schurz, as editor of "Harper's Weekly," wrote a savage +editorial against Cleveland on this subject, and in a letter to me he +stated that he felt Cleveland's prestige would never recover from the +blow he had struck against himself in making that appointment. I wrote +to Cleveland about the matter and how it was regarded by some of his +friends, mentioning Schurz among others. The President sent me the +following reply: + + EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON + _Oct._ 29, 1893 + + MY DEAR MR. STRAUS: + + Your letter was received to-day. + + I need not tell you how much I value your friendship; and I hardly + need confess how touched I am by the manifestation of affection + afforded by the solicitude you evince in the Van Alen matter. I am + amazed by the course pursued by some good people in dealing with + this subject. No one has yet presented to me a single charge of + unfitness or incompetency. They have chosen to eagerly act upon the + frivolous statements of a much mendacious and mischievous + newspaper, as an attempt to injure a man who in no way has been + guilty of wrong. I leave out of the account the allegation that his + nomination was in acknowledgment of a large campaign contribution. + No one will accuse me of such a trade and Mr. Whitney's and Mr. + Van Alen's denial that any such thing existed in the minds of any + one concerned, I believe to be the truth. I think it would be a + cowardly thing in me to disgrace a man because the New York World + had doomed him to disgrace. Since the nomination was sent in I have + left the matter entirely to the Senate, and I hear that the + nomination was confirmed to-day. This ends the matter. I am + entirely content to wait for a complete justification of my part in + the proceeding. + + I am sorry you regard this matter as so unfortunate, and if + anything could have induced me to turn away from a course which + seems to me so plainly just and right, it would be my desire to + satisfy just such good friends as you have always proved yourself + to be. + + I shall be glad to see you at all times. + + Yours very sincerely + GROVER CLEVELAND + + +Van Alen was confirmed by the Senate, but on November 20th he sent in +his resignation, which Cleveland reluctantly accepted, but urged Van +Alen to reconsider his decision, as his (the President's) preference was +emphatically that Van Alen accept the post and by the discharge of his +duties vindicate the wisdom and propriety of his selection. + + * * * * * + +During the second term I saw little of the President. I was very much +tied to business and went to Washington only when summoned there to +discuss a few international questions as they arose. But while I am +reminiscing about my relations with Mr. Cleveland, I shall jump ahead +about ten years and speak of a visit he paid me for three days during +March, 1903. He was to deliver an address at the Henry Ward Beecher +Memorial in the Brooklyn Academy of Music on Sunday evening, and he +arrived from Princeton on Saturday. He was like a boy out of school. + +We were going to the theater on Saturday evening and I suggested Justin +McCarthy's "If I Were King," played by Sothern. + +"I hope it is not sad," Cleveland said. "I want to see it from start to +finish"; and with a smirk he added, "for I am a hayseed." I discerned +afterward that he would rather have seen a comedy or vaudeville. + +When we arrived at the theater, many in the audience recognized +Cleveland and heads were constantly turning in the direction of our box. +I mentioned it to him, but he said: "Oh, no, they don't know me any +more." After the theater we had a supper of delicatessen and beer at +home, which I knew he would like, and he amused us with several funny +stories and mimicry. My wife remarked that he might have made a success +on the stage, and he replied that his friend Joe Jefferson had often +deplored his having missed that profession. + +Cleveland gave an imitation of the humorous Congressman Campbell, of New +York, who used to come to the White House and, pointing to the room +occupied by Cleveland, ask the clerk: "Is His Royal Nibs in?" And +sometimes Tim Campbell made requests that Cleveland had to deny as +unconstitutional; then Tim would come back with "Oh, I wouldn't let the +Constitution stand between friends!" + +At dinner on Sunday we were joined by Mr. and Mrs. John G. Carlisle, my +brother Isidor, his wife, and his business associate, Charles B. +Webster. Carlisle had been one of the most distinguished Senators in +Congress, former Secretary of the Treasury, and a close friend of +Cleveland. When the champagne was served my wife said to the +ex-President: + +"Does Mrs. Cleveland let you drink this? You know it is bad for your +rheumatism!" + +"No, but I won't tell her," answered Cleveland. + +They compromised on one glass. + +After dinner the conversation turned to the bond loans during +Cleveland's second Administration--the first made through J. P. Morgan & +Company and the subsequent popular loans--to keep the gold in the United +States Treasury. The ex-President referred to his fight against the +silver craze and said he had been compelled to abandon the fundamental +issue, the tariff reform, to combat that dangerous heresy. + +When the guests had gone, Cleveland wanted to know whether we would like +to hear the speech he was to deliver that evening, and of course we +assured him we should be delighted. This led to conversation about +Beecher, and I showed him the original letter that Beecher wrote him in +1887 recommending my appointment to Turkey. He said he remembered it +perfectly, and it was the thing that turned the scale while he was +considering whether or not he could properly appoint a person of my race +to a post largely concerned with the protection of Christian missions. I +made bold to request the manuscript of his Memorial Address to file with +my Beecher letter, and he kindly consented with the words: "Yes, +certainly; they are kind of cousins." + +After a light supper we drove to Brooklyn. Cleveland liked to be +punctual and I took care that we should arrive at the appointed hour, +7.45. It was pouring rain, and Cleveland anticipated that most people +would be kept away; but when we entered the hall it was packed from pit +to dome and several thousand persons were turned away. At the close of +the meeting hundreds crowded onto the stage to greet the ex-President, +showing that the love and admiration of the people had in no degree +waned. + +The next morning we prevailed upon him to stay another day. He said he +knew I had a speech to make at Brown University and that its preparation +would engage my time. But I assured him the speech was all prepared and +the subject was "Brown in Diplomacy." He asked me to read it to him, and +I did. He pronounced it appropriate and fine, which gave me some +confidence in the success of the occasion, for I knew he was not given +to flattery and would not have praised the speech without meaning it; +that was not his habit. + +He had to go to Rockwood, the photographer, at Thirty-Ninth Street and +Broadway, so I went with him. He said he had hundreds of requests for +pictures and wanted a new one taken so that when people wrote for them +he could refer such requests to Rockwood; similarly he had had some +pictures made by a Philadelphia photographer. These arrangements would +save him much trouble. I asked Rockwood to take a special, large picture +for me. He brought forward his larger camera and took one of the best +photographs of Cleveland I have ever seen. I had two finished: one for +Mrs. Cleveland and the other for myself, and it now hangs in my library. + +For luncheon we met Isidor at Delmonico's. At the next table sat Charles +F. Murphy, successor to Croker as boss of Tammany Hall, who requested me +to introduce him to Cleveland. They had quite a chat, after which +Cleveland remarked: "He looks like a pretty clean fellow." + +During the meal our guest told us, with language, voice, and manner +befitting the tale, how, when he was being spoken of for reelection +before his second term, he met a farmer who said to him: "Now if you +will go on sawin' wood and don't say nothin', they will give you back +that job in Washington." No actor could have given a more vivid +characterization of that farmer. + +That evening we went to Weber and Field's Music Hall, on Twenty-Ninth +Street near Broadway. Cleveland suggested this himself. He said he liked +to be amused at the theater and not saddened or instructed. + + * * * * * + +At about this period Cleveland from time to time showed evidences of +illness. He called them stomach attacks. Whether or not his personal +friend and physician, Dr. Joseph D. Bryant, had diagnosed the malady as +more serious I do not know; but at times I rather inferred that he had. +Dr. Bryant made it a point to accompany Cleveland on several of his +hunting and fishing expeditions, which were taken not alone for +pleasure, but as health measures, for a change of air and the outdoor +recreation. + +On and off during those years also, when the family wanted a little +change, they occupied "the little White House" at Lakewood. Cleveland +liked it for its simplicity and because it was not unlike the parsonage +at Caldwell, New Jersey, where he was born. Early in June, 1908, while +the Clevelands were at Lakewood, the ex-President sent for my brother +Isidor; he desired to have a talk with him. He seemed to wish to +unburden his mind. + +This proved to be the last time he spoke to any one outside of his +immediate family while still in the possession of all his faculties. +That very night he had another attack of his malady, after which, as I +was told, his faculties seemed to go under a cloud. Two weeks later, on +June 24th, the country was shocked, though it was not unprepared, to +learn that the ex-President had died that morning at his Princeton home. + +On June 26th Grover Cleveland was laid to rest. The funeral was private; +my brothers and I had received a note from Mrs. Cleveland asking us to +be present. At his home we met about one hundred of his personal +friends. It had been his express wish that there be no eulogy or funeral +oration, and his friend Dr. Henry van Dyke conducted a simple service at +which he read passages from Wordsworth's poem, "The Happy Warrior." In a +carriage with Chief Justice Fuller, Judge George Gray, of Delaware, and +Governor Fort, of New Jersey, I accompanied the body to the cemetery. + +For Grover Cleveland there were no longer enemies to traduce and vilify. +Perhaps no President had ever been so reviled by a hostile press +throughout the country as this great man, and, strong as he was, these +attacks quite naturally pained him. Public appreciation of men who +struggle against the tide for righteous things is often deferred, +sometimes until after death. In his case, happily, it came while he was +yet among us in the constantly increasing manifestations of admiration, +love, and esteem by the people of the country. + + * * * * * + +I have mentioned that during Cleveland's second Administration I seldom +went to Washington. At that time I was occupied also with the writing of +two books. I was not, of course, relying upon my pen for a living. I +should not have survived long if I had! Historical writing has fittingly +been called the aristocracy of literature; it requires long and patient +investigation and yields meager returns. For me it made a fascinating +avocation. My "Roger Williams, the Pioneer of Religious Liberty," was +published by the Century Company in 1894, and "The Development of +Religious Liberty in the United States" appeared in a limited edition, +published by Philip Cowen, New York, in 1896. + +The latter was a slim volume, an amplification of an address I had +delivered in New Haven before the Yale College Kent Club, and elsewhere; +the former grew out of studies I had made in preparing my first book, +"The Origin of Republican Form of Government." "Roger Williams" was well +received and had a generous circulation, being several times reprinted. +Brown University, under the presidency of that eminent historian and +scholar, E. Benjamin Andrews, conferred upon me the honorary degree of +Litt.D. + +When I was again in London in 1898 I carried out a purpose I had long +had, to visit Charterhouse School, earlier known as Sutton's Hospital +School, where Roger Williams received his early education. I met the +Reverend Doctor William Haig Brown, master, who showed me the register +of the school for 1624 containing the inscription of Roger Williams. +When he saw I was much interested in Roger Williams he told me of a +recent life of him that had been written, which he considered very fine +and with which he wanted to acquaint me. He went to his library on the +floor above, and when he returned he handed me my own work! (I had not +previously told him my name.) + +I observed in the main hall of the school a number of tablets +commemorating distinguished scholars who had attended there. There were +represented Thackeray, General Shakespeare, Archdeacon Hale, Sir Henry +Havelock, and several who were sacrificed in the Crimean War and the +Indian Mutiny. I asked Dr. Brown whether he did not think it fitting +that a tablet should be added in memory of Roger Williams, and said that +I should be glad to defray the expense thereof. He agreed, and I +authorized him to have the tablet made. He employed Howard Ince, a +well-known architect, to design the tablet, which contains the following +inscription: + + IN MEMORY OF ROGER WILLIAMS + + Formerly a Scholar of Charterhouse + Founder of the State of Rhode Island, and the + Pioneer of Religious Liberty in America. Placed here by + Oscar S. Straus, United States Minister to Turkey, 1899 + +I did not wish my name on it, but Dr. Brown quite definitely preferred +it so. + +Of all my books, the "Life of Roger Williams" contains the greatest +amount of work in the way of research and study; but the amount of +pleasure it gave me in the doing was commensurate. + + * * * * * + +In politics I had become more impressed year by year with the importance +of a reform in our electoral system, especially in our large cities. The +bosses in the two big parties were the "invisible powers" who dictated +the nominations. Primaries were primaries in name only, and were so +conducted as to strengthen the power of the bosses. In Chicago a +campaign to purify the primaries had been carried on by the political +committee of the Civic Federation. The Federation, of which its +organizer, Ralph M. Easley, was the secretary, now enlarged its scope in +the political field and issued a "Call for a National Conference on +Practical Primary Election Reform," in the name of some two hundred and +fifty of the leading men of New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and +thirty-five cities in between. Prominent in this list I remember Mayor +William L. Strong, of New York; ex-Mayor Abram S. Hewitt, of New York; +Darwin R. James, president of the New York Board of Trade; Andrew B. +Humphreys, of the Allied Political Clubs of New York; Mayor Josiah +Quincy, of Boston; Mayor James D. Phelan, of San Francisco; ex-Mayor +George W. Ochs, of Chattanooga; Albert Shaw; Nicholas Murray Butler; +Carl Schurz; Lyman Abbott; Lyman J. Gage; Melville E. Stone; Myron T. +Herrick; Albert J. Beveridge; Robert M. La Follette. + +The meeting was held in the rooms of the New York Board of Trade on +January 20, 1898, and we organized the National Primary Election League. +I was elected president; Josiah Quincy, first vice-president; Charles +Emory Smith, of Philadelphia, second vice-president; Walter C. Flower, +of New Orleans, third vice-president; Ralph M. Easley, secretary; and +Darwin R. James, treasurer. The conference gave a distinct impetus to +primary reform all over the country, and in many of the States led to +the passage of laws providing for such reforms. + + * * * * * + +In the presidential election of 1896 I voted for McKinley, despite my +former political affiliations. The outstanding issue between the +Republican and Democratic Parties was the money question, and I was an +advocate of sound money. + +Early in the new Administration our relations with Spain were rapidly +drifting to a crisis over conditions in Cuba. My friend General Stewart +L. Woodford was appointed minister to Spain. I gave him a letter of +introduction to Sir Henry Drummond Wolff, who was now British ambassador +at Madrid. Wolff was very sympathetic toward America. Woodford later +informed me that the letter had been very serviceable, especially as his +audience had been delayed for several weeks on account of the Queen's +absence from the capital. He very frankly laid before Wolff the American +position and attitude with regard to Cuba, which Wolff asked permission +to detail to his Government. Based on that information the British +diplomatic representatives were advised by Lord Salisbury: "The +American cause is absolutely impregnable; govern yourselves +accordingly." + +President McKinley frequently invited me to Washington and encouraged my +writing to him, especially on international matters; and my letters +always received prompt reply over his own signature. Accordingly on +March 12, 1898, I wrote him at length stating that perhaps the impending +war with Spain could be averted if we proposed to Spain a plan of +suzerainty. I quote from my letter: + + We have no need for Cuba; our destinies point to the Continent; to + leave it to make conquests will weaken our rights, ... and will + place us against our will on the world's chessboard, from which we + have happily kept clear. The Cuban insurgents are imbued with a + spirit of belligerency, but have neither past training nor the + knowledge to maintain freedom and to accord to each other + individual liberty. + + The great problems, I take it, are, first: to stop the war; + secondly, to find a solution which will bring independence to Cuba, + and at the same time preserve the _amour propre_ to Spain.... The + proposition to which I have given considerable thought ... is the + following: + + That we insist that Spain accord and Cuba accept the position of + suzerainty such as are the relations between Turkey and Egypt. This + will give Cuba self-government, and will at the same time preserve + the _amour propre_ of Spain by retaining a semblance of a claim of + sovereignty without power to interfere with self-government on the + part of the Cubans.... We could much better afford to help Cuba + with a number of millions which would after all be a small fraction + of what a war would cost us, ... especially when the end attained + is the independence of Cuba, and attained in such a way as not to + entail upon us unending responsibilities full of care and + entangling obligations. + +Immediately upon receipt of this the President asked me to come to +Washington for a conference. He was very much interested in the idea and +requested me to write out the plan in more detail. This I did. I +discussed with him the suzerainty plan as developed in Europe and as it +was working in Egypt. I expressed the opinion that as the leading +nations of Europe were familiar with the idea it was not likely to meet +with any serious objections. McKinley was impressed with the feasibility +of my proposal and was in favor of some such arrangement. He said he was +having difficulty because of the jingo agitation in Congress and the +storming for war of the American press. He felt when the report of the +Board of Inquiry on the destruction of the Maine was made public, as it +would be in a few days, nothing could hold back Congress and the press, +and the Cuban controversy would be pushed to an issue. + +However, he immediately communicated the plan to Minister Woodford, who +brought it to the attention of the Spanish Government. General Woodford +reported that he had every reason to believe it would be acceptable to +Spain. But meantime things moved with lightning speed and war was +declared. + + * * * * * + +[Illustration: PRESIDENT McKINLEY SENDING THE AUTHOR TO TURKEY ON HIS +SECOND MISSION, 1898] + +Matters in Turkey at this time were also not going very smoothly. At a +conference with McKinley one day he showed me a communication from Dr. +James B. Angell, minister at the Porte, suggesting that the only way to +bring Turkey to terms was to send warships up there and "rattle the +Sultan's windows." The President was much disturbed. He felt the sending +of warships might result in another incident like the blowing up of the +Maine. He said the situation had worried him so that it interfered with +his sleep, and he begged me to accept again the appointment of minister +to Turkey, declaring with conviction that he regarded me as the only man +who could adjust the situation. I explained to him frankly how I was +situated in regard to my business obligations and that it was very +difficult for me to drop them at this time; but under the circumstances +as he had stated them to me I felt I had no right to interpose my +personal affairs as a reason for refusing, for I certainly regarded no +sacrifice too great to make in the service of the country when it was +needed, as in this instance. I said I had been too young to shoulder a +gun in the Civil War as he had done, but with a full understanding of my +situation if he should feel it necessary to call upon me I should be at +his service. + +Dr. Angell was a distinguished scholar and not lacking in diplomatic +experience. He was president of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, +and had been special envoy to China. He was also an adviser and one of +the trustees of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign +Missions. However, in some public utterance he had criticized Turkey +unfavorably, and the Porte was having its revenge. Every request Dr. +Angell made was declined; exequaturs were refused to our consuls +appointed at Erzerum and Harpoot. Dr. Angell was discouraged and +incensed. He was about to resign. + +Finally one day I received a telegram: + + EXECUTIVE MANSION + WASHINGTON, D.C. + _May 27_, 1898 + + HONORABLE OSCAR S. STRAUS + New York + + Remembering our talk of a few months ago I would be glad to have + you accept the post of Minister to Turkey. Dr. Angell has resigned + to take effect 15 of August. I would be pleased to nominate you + before Senate adjourns. + + WILLIAM MCKINLEY + +And I telegraphed back that same day: + + PRESIDENT MCKINLEY + Executive Mansion + Washington + + Your request that I should accept the post of Minister to Turkey, + with which you honor me, I regard as a command, and deem it my + patriotic duty to you and to the country to accept. + + OSCAR S. STRAUS + +Among the telegrams and letters of congratulation I received was one +from William L. Wilson, then the president of Washington and Lee +University at Lexington, Virginia, reading: "Washington and Lee greets +you as Doctor of Laws." + +The National Civic Club of Brooklyn gave me a dinner and reception, +presided over by my friend and college mate, Frederic W. Hinrichs, at +which the leading speaker was Dr. St. Clair McKelway, editor of the +"Brooklyn Eagle." During the evening a letter was received from my +former chief and Secretary of State, Thomas F. Bayard, saying: + + It was my good fortune to be associated with Mr. Straus when he + first took up the tangled web of Turkish diplomacy, so that few + persons can so well attest as I, his possession of those talents + and high personal characteristics which give him weight everywhere. + +Ex-President Cleveland, who was prevented from being present by another +engagement, wrote: + + I would be glad to join those who will do honor to Mr. Straus ... + and thus show my appreciation of his usefulness and the worth of + his good example in recognizing the demands of good citizenship and + responding to the call of public duty. + +And there were also messages from many others, including President +McKinley. + +I did not leave for my post for several months. Meanwhile I had more +conferences with the President regarding the Spanish situation. Early +in August, in discussing pending Spanish peace negotiations, he wanted +my ideas regarding them and as to how much of the Philippines we should +take. I strongly advised that we take as little as possible--nothing +more than a naval and coaling station; otherwise to appropriate the +Philippines would in the long run entail endless obligations without +commensurate benefits. I told him I believed these to be the views also +of many of the more thoughtful citizens, and that I had spoken with a +number of prominent men, such as ex-Postmaster-General Wilson, +ex-Secretary of the Treasury Carlisle, and Clifton R. Breckinridge, +formerly of the Ways and Means Committee, all of whom were of like +opinion. The President seemed to appreciate my view, but again feared +the jingo spirit of Congress. He complained also of the attitude of the +Cuban insurgents, who were exaggerating their numbers as well as their +demands. + +Turning for a moment to my appointment, he said: "I don't know whether +you know it, but your nomination has been received with more praise by +all parties throughout the country than any nomination to office I have +made since I am President." I assured him I was gratified, but realized +the emphasis this put upon my responsibilities. + +Because I had been a Cleveland Democrat my appointment by a Republican +President had, of course, created a great sensation in the press; it was +heralded as a step toward the merit system in our foreign service. + +John Bassett Moore was now assistant Secretary of State, and with him I +spent several days in the preparation of my instructions. I considered +him even then the best equipped authority on international law in the +country, and I thought it was a pity his services could not be retained +in the Department of State; but his salary there was five hundred +dollars a year less than as professor, and he had a family to support. +He told me that the President and Secretary Day wished him to accompany +the Peace Commission to Paris, and subsequently he went as secretary and +counsel. + +While I was with the President for a final conference a week before +sailing, Attorney-General Griggs came in all aglow and announced with +much enthusiasm that he had just had a telephone message from Justice +White (Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, later Chief +Justice) that he would consent to be one of the members of the Spanish +American Peace Commission. That specially pleased the President because +White was a man of great ability, and because the fact that White was a +Catholic might make a more favorable impression upon Catholic Spain. The +President immediately directed that the names be given to the press. +Shortly thereafter, however, White reconsidered his acceptance, for +reasons which were not made public, and Senator George Gray, who was +serving as a member of the Quebec Commission, and who like White was a +Democrat, was prevailed upon by the President to accept in his stead. +The other members were all Republicans. The commission as finally +constituted was: Secretary of State William R. Day, Senator Cushman K. +Davis (chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Senate), +Senator William P. Frye, Senator George Gray, and Whitelaw Reid. + +There was considerable clamor, from missionaries and others, that we +send warships to Turkey. Of this I entirely disapproved and so told the +President. He answered me: "I shall be guided by you; I shall support +you; I have confidence in your ability and foresight. No vessels will +be sent to Turkey unless you demand them, and then, only then, will they +be sent. And when you get to London I wish you to see Ambassador +Hay"--Hay was about to return to take up the post of Secretary of +State--"and tell him that I have not only constituted you Minister to +Turkey, but Secretary of State for Turkey, and that both he and I will +be guided entirely by your judgment and advice." + + + + +CHAPTER VI + +MY SECOND MISSION TO TURKEY + + Conferences with Ambassador Hay and Dr. Angell in London regarding + Turkish matters--I make suggestions for cooerdinating work in our + diplomatic service--With Baroness de Hirsch in Vienna--Arrival at + Constantinople; audience with the Sultan--The visit of the Emperor + and Empress of Germany--Breaking Turkish passport regulations--The + Porte refuses to negotiate a treaty of naturalization--The + indemnities for missionaries at Harpoot and Marash; the Sultan + admits claim and promises to pay; I obtain irade for rebuilding + college at Harpoot--The Philippine Mohammedans; a diplomatic + romance--American flour cheapens bread in Turkey--Aid to the + British ambassador in the protection of Armenian orphanages--A + renegade Roman priest--Lord Rosebery--Dr. S. Weir Mitchell--The + Sultan entertains American tourists--His Majesty's only smile--A + visit to Athens--Happy days on the Bosphorus--The Sultan's gift of + vases--Dr. Theodor Hertzl--A visit to Rome--I return to Washington + and conduct negotiations from there--LL.D. from Pennsylvania + University--I end my mission. + + +In London I had several conferences with Ambassador John Hay, who was +shortly to return to Washington as Secretary of State in the place of +William R. Day, chosen to head the Spanish-American Peace Commission at +Paris. Mr. Day a few years afterward was made associate justice of the +United States Supreme Court, and the duties of that post he still +discharges with distinction. + +Mr. Hay and I went over in detail the questions at issue in Turkey and +the plans I proposed for their adjustment. I told him of the pressure +being brought upon the President to send warships to the Bosphorus, and +said I regarded such a course as mixing up in the Eastern question, that +traditional tinder box of Europe, aside from the possible danger of +another incident like the blowing-up of the Maine. Mr. Hay agreed and +promised to support me to the fullest extent in settling matters with +Turkey. + +I also met Dr. Angell in London on his way back from Constantinople, and +went over matters with him. He told me what a fruitless year and a half +he had had there and how he was made to feel he was _persona non grata_. +He had not been invited to dine at the Palace once during his entire +stay. + +Before I left London I had a call from William E. Dodge, of Phelps, +Dodge, & Company, New York, and president of the Evangelical Alliance of +America. He came to express his appreciation for my making the personal +and business sacrifice to go to Turkey again. He was one of our most +benevolent citizens, prominently connected with the missionary bodies +and therefore deeply interested in the American colleges and schools in +the Ottoman Empire. + +When I left for Constantinople this time, there were with me, besides my +wife, my daughters, Aline and Mildred, respectively fourteen and fifteen +years old; my little son Roger, six and a half years old, and his nurse; +my niece Sissy, daughter of my brother Nathan; and my nephew Percy, +second son of my brother Isidor, who was to be my private secretary. +Mildred we allowed to return from Paris to continue her studies at +Barnard, as we were unable to find a suitable school for her in either +England or France. We had sailed for Liverpool on the S.S. Lusitania on +September 3d. + + * * * * * + +My friend General Horace Porter had been appointed ambassador to France, +and while in Paris I dined with him several times. He was a man of means +and had located the embassy in a magnificent residence in one of the +most fashionable parts of Paris. There we met among others Ferdinand W. +Peck, United States Commissioner to the Paris Exposition, and Mrs. Peck; +also William F. Draper, ambassador to Italy, who with Mrs. Draper was +in Paris on a leave of absence. + +To Messrs. Porter and Draper I proposed what I had felt the need for +during my earlier mission: some sort of cooerdination and cooperation +among our various diplomatic representatives throughout Europe. I +suggested we might have conferences from time to time, or prevail upon +the State Department to keep each of us informed respecting negotiations +between the Department and all the others. Much of this material would +be of interest and value to us in connection with our respective +embassies or missions. It was being done by other foreign offices. The +British Foreign Office, for instance, issues confidential communications +in the form of blueprints, which are sent to the heads of all British +missions. During my previous sojourn at Constantinople my colleague, Sir +William White, frequently gave me the benefit of extracts from these +blueprints referring to American matters. They were very informing and +helpful. + +Porter and Draper said they would cooperate with me in urging the State +Department to adopt some such scheme, and when I wrote to our colleague +at Berlin, Andrew D. White, he gave similar support. However, when I +suggested the idea to the State Department nothing came of it. Since +then some further effort has been made in that direction, but I have not +learned to what extent this desired system has been effected. + + * * * * * + +We went on to Vienna to meet Baroness de Hirsch, who was coming from her +estate at Eichhorn. She had put her beautiful Paris residence on the rue +d'Elysee at our disposal, but unfortunately my appointments made it +impossible for us to avail ourselves of her hospitality. The Baroness +looked ill to me, and I warned her against allowing her intense +occupation with benevolent activities to wear upon her. She said she had +had the grippe, and later told my wife that her physicians feared her +ailment might be more serious. In spite of this, however, she went right +on, while at the Hotel Bristol in Vienna, with conferences with her +almoners, among others Ritter von Gutmann and Baron Guenzburg, who were +associated with her in her endowed enterprises in Austria and elsewhere. +Alas, her malady was more serious than grippe, for it was only a short +time after our reaching Constantinople that her family informed us of +her death. + +We met some of the leading Jewish scholars, artists, and literary men +while in Vienna: the architect, Wilhelm Stiassny; the actor, Adolf von +Sonnenthal; Dr. Adam Politzer; the Hungarian artists, Leopold Horowitz +and Isidor Kaufmann; Professor David Heinrich Miller, of the Vienna +University; and the attorney, Dr. Adolph Stein. Herr Stiassny was +president of the Jewish Historical Society, and at a meeting of that +body at which I was present he referred in glowing terms to my +appointment, saying that, amid the anti-Semitic spirit that was taking +hold of Austria and other European countries, America had shown by my +appointment that no race or religious distinction existed here, which +could not fail to have an influence in Austria and in several other +European states. + + * * * * * + +On arriving at Constantinople we were welcomed by the secretary of the +legation and acting charge, John W. Riddle, together with other members +of the legation and consulate and several of the missionaries. Mr. +Riddle, by the way, had conducted the affairs of the legation in the +interim with discretion and ability. He has since filled several other +posts most creditably; he was ambassador to Russia under Roosevelt, and +at the present writing is ambassador to Argentina. + +The Minister of Foreign Affairs at the Porte now was Tewfik Pasha, who +had been ambassador to Germany. He spoke German better than French, so I +conversed with him in the former language. As was customary, I left with +him the letters of recall of my predecessor and a copy of my +presentation address. I was informed that the Sultan and all the +officials at the Porte were pleased at my return, because they knew me +and had every confidence in me both personally and officially. Of +course, these remarks may have been diplomatic politeness, but events +seemed to show some sincerity in them. My audience, for instance, +instead of being delayed for weeks, was granted within one week of my +arrival; and instead of being accorded the lesser formalities of a +minister, I was received with all the ceremony accorded an ambassador: +four state carriages were placed at my disposal, preceded by four +postilions and outriders; a detachment of guards rendered military +honors as I arrived at the Palace; the Sultan was attended by Osman +Pasha, Fouad Pasha, general-in-chief of the Turkish armies, and some +thirty other high civil and military officers. + +After the formality of presenting my credentials and making my address, +the Sultan reiterated three times that he felt great pleasure in +welcoming me back, as my former mission had given him much satisfaction. +He said that he knew I was a "gentleman"; and that is the only English +word I had ever heard him use. + +President McKinley had authorized me to arrange for the elevation of the +mission at Constantinople to an embassy, as by the Act of March 3, 1893, +provision was made for the appointment of ambassadors. Up to that time, +based on the idea that ambassadors represented the person of a monarch +and that republics should not thus be represented, we had had only +ministers. The act reads: + + Whenever the President shall be advised that any foreign government + is represented, or is about to be represented, in the United States + by an ambassador, envoy extraordinary, minister plenipotentiary, + minister resident, special envoy, or charge d'affaires, he is + authorized, in his discretion, to direct that the representative of + the United States to such government shall bear the same + designation. + +The initiative for sending an ambassador, therefore, rested with the +foreign power, and we could not send an ambassador to Turkey until that +Government accredited an ambassador to us. + +During my audience I informed the Sultan that the President had said he +would be pleased to raise our mission to an embassy, but I observed that +His Majesty did not take kindly to the suggestion. He replied politely +that he would take it under consideration. + +Among my colleagues, Baron Calice still represented Austria-Hungary. +Germany was represented by Baron Marschall von Bieberstein, former +Prussian minister, a large man of the von Moltke physique; he died later +in London (1912) after a short service as ambassador to Britain. From +France there was Paul Cambon, brother of Jules Cambon, who was +ambassador at Washington at the time of the Spanish-American War and +continued the Spanish negotiations after our rupture with Spain; a +little while after my arrival in Constantinople Paul Cambon was +transferred to London. From Great Britain there was Nicholas R. O'Conor, +whom I met during my former mission when he was consul-general and +charge at Sophia; he had meanwhile been ambassador to Russia. And from +Italy there was Signor Pansa. Severally they informed me that since my +first mission, ten years before, the power of the Ottoman Government +had been more and more concentrated in the Palace, that the Sultan +himself was the "whole show" and very little power was left at the +Porte. + + * * * * * + +Constantinople was all agog with preparation and excitement, for the +Emperor and Empress of Germany were expected on October 17th! (As a +matter of fact, rough weather on the AEgean caused them to arrive a day +late.) The main streets of Pera were paved anew, and the walls +surrounding Yildis were newly whitewashed. All business at the Porte was +suspended. A Government official told me that the visit would probably +cost the Ottoman Empire not less than five hundred thousand pounds! One +of the residences at Yildis, near the Palace, was placed at the +Emperor's disposal. + +As is customary on such visits, all the heads of missions left their +cards at the German embassy and inscribed their names in the Emperor's +visiting register. Each visit was promptly returned the next day by von +Buelow, Minister of Foreign Affairs, who left his card. + +The Emperor and Empress drove through Pera in state, preceded by a +company of Turkish lancers and followed by numerous officers on horses +and in carriages. They rode in the royal victoria, drawn by four horses, +accompanied by numerous outriders in gala uniforms and on caparisoned +horses. The whole procession was gorgeous, and the royal pair bowed to +left and right as the crowds in the streets greeted them. + +Some time after midnight on October 20-21 the doorbell rang and my +portier brought me a communication, just received from the Grand Master +of Ceremonies at the Palace, inviting Mrs. Straus, myself, and our first +dragoman to the banquet to the German Emperor and Empress at 7.15 +o'clock on the evening of the 21st. The doyen of the diplomatic corps +had sent suggestions that the ladies wear high neck and long sleeves, as +the Sultan objected to the regulation European evening dress. The ladies +accordingly contrived to cover their necks and arms with chiffons, +laces, and long gloves. It proved unnecessary, however, because the +Empress and her ladies-in-waiting wore the usual decollete. + +In the recollection of the oldest diplomats present, this banquet was +the most brilliant in its appointments that had ever been given at the +Palace. More than one hundred persons were there, all the heads of +missions and the leading officials of the empire. The approach to the +Palace for quite a distance was illuminated and lined on both sides of +the way with rows of soldiers. At the Palace entrance, where we were met +by the court officials, we passed between rows of magnificently +uniformed Turkish and German officers, each wearing his full regalia of +numerous decorations. + +At the proper time we were ushered into the audience room, where the +diplomats and their wives were arranged in a circle, the ladies on one +side and the gentlemen on the other. When the Emperor and Empress with +the Sultan entered, every one made a court bow. The Sultan and the +Emperor then engaged in conversation through an interpreter in the +center of the circle, while the Empress greeted each lady individually. +Each person, as was the custom, bowed before and after being spoken to. +When the Empress had greeted all the ladies and started with the +gentlemen, the Emperor started with the ladies. + +When he came to Mrs. Straus, he made some mention of having seen her +queen lately and that she was as beautiful as ever. Mrs. Straus, by way +of indicating that she was from the United States, said, "I suppose Your +Majesty refers to Mrs. McKinley"; but the Emperor, evidently without +stopping to listen to what was being said, clicked his heels, made his +courtesy, and greeted the next person. It seems on being introduced he +had misunderstood "Roumanie" for "Etats-Unis," especially since Mrs. +Straus was next to the Serbian minister's wife. Count Eulenburg later +explained to Mrs. Straus that the Emperor's hearing was a little +defective. + +When the Emperor reached me, he at once expressed a keen desire that it +might be possible for him to visit my country, and especially our great +shipyards, such as those of Cramp, which he had heard were wonderful. He +then asked me whether I knew our ambassador at Berlin, Andrew D. White; +and when I informed him that Mr. White had been a friend of mine for a +number of years, he said a few complimentary words about him. + +The dinner service included gold plates and gold knives and forks. The +waiters wore brilliant red and gold uniforms. Between courses the Sultan +and the Emperor conversed by means of the interpreter who stood behind +them, and until they had finished talking the waiters were patiently +holding the next course up in the air for a cooling. + +After the dinner we again formed a circle, made more courtesies at the +proper time, while the Sultan himself went round and greeted and shook +hands with each one. That ended the royal dinner. + +During the meal I sat next to the Emperor's personal physician, Dr. +Lidhold. He had held the same position under the late Frederick III, +whom he characterized as a most lovable man. He said William II was +active and fond of amusing himself, and enjoyed constantly traveling +about, which was not so pleasant for his physician and other members of +his train. He admitted that the Emperor's left arm was quite lame, but +it did not interfere much with his movements because he had acquired +such dexterity with the other. He added that the magnificent attentions +of the Sultan could not fail to have a great influence upon Germany's +attitude toward the Ottoman Empire. + +The visit of the Emperor at this time, following as it did the dreadful +massacre of Armenians only a few years before at Harpoot and then at +Constantinople itself, was very much resented by the Christians +throughout Europe. It was interpreted as an effort on the part of the +Emperor, for his own gain, to reinstate the "bloody Sultan" in the +esteem of the world. It was stated that the Sultan presented the Empress +with a very costly string of pearls. + + * * * * * + +One of the four outstanding questions included in my instructions +concerned the right of our citizens to travel in the interior of Turkey. +Following the Armenian massacres of 1896 the Turkish Government made new +passport regulations, and all foreigners were required to get a +tezkirah, or special local passport, from the Sultan before traveling +into the interior. As usual in Turkey, asking for a permit of any kind +was one thing; getting it was quite another. This regulation proved most +obstructive to our missionaries and those of Great Britain who had +missions in the interior. They would go home or to Europe on a leave of +absence, and upon returning to Constantinople would be held up, +sometimes for weeks, on account of these tezkirahs, which were not +definitely refused, but not given, which practically amounted to the +same thing. + +When I arrived at Constantinople eight Americans, bound for Erzerum and +Harpoot, were being held up in this way. One of them was Dr. C. F. +Gates, president of the Euphrates College at Harpoot. After exhaustive +negotiations with the authorities, in which I pointed out the fact that +refusal of the tezkirah was in violation of treaty rights, I myself gave +Dr. Gates a permit, signed by me, with the seal of the legation on it. I +then informed the Porte of my action and said that if any injury befell +the party _en route_ I should hold the Turkish Government responsible. I +also sent an open cable to our State Department informing Secretary Hay +what I had done. My British colleague was a bit disturbed when he heard +of it, because there were several British missionaries in the party. + +That same night I got another of those Turkish midnight messages. After +apologizing for disturbing me, the messenger brought me the intelligence +that my cable had been held back, and that the Minister of Foreign +Affairs sent word that instructions had been given for the full +protection of the missionaries _en route_ to their posts. That broke +down the passport regulations, and a very few days thereafter I received +notice that the Council of Ministers had taken up the matter and ruled +that the regulations for traveling into the interior should be restored +to what they were before the Armenian troubles. + +At about the same time I was enabled to cable to our Department of State +that I had obtained the Sultan's irade granting the exequatur for our +consul at Erzerum. + + * * * * * + +The third item in my instructions, the Treaty of Naturalization, I had +to drop. The Porte refused to negotiate this question because of the +failure of our Government to accept the terms I had obtained during my +previous mission, and for this I could not blame them. As during my +earlier mission, when matters involving questions of naturalization +arose I succeeded in securing the rights of the persons concerned on the +merits of each individual case. + + * * * * * + +Lastly there was the question of indemnities due missionaries at Harpoot +and Marash for property, real and personal, plundered and destroyed +during the massacres. This was a delicate matter, because the Americans +were not alone in making claims for such damage; also the Government was +very poor. At first the Porte denied all liability and refused to pay. I +started the negotiations in November, 1898, and the process proved a +long and tedious one, lasting over a year. But step by step progress was +made. By December the Sultan admitted the claims and promised to pay as +soon as the amount was fixed. By February, with the amount still +unfixed, he had decided how payment was to be made: he would buy a +cruiser in America, to the cost of which the indemnities could be added, +enabling him to make payment "behind a screen," which he preferred. He +said arrangements were being made for loans through a bank in Paris to +begin installments on such a contract. By early September the irade for +the purchase of a ship from some American builder had been given, and +plans were being studied to determine the type of ship. By the end of +the month the Sultan again assured me that the subject was receiving his +attention and would be settled in a month or two. + +The state of the Turkish finances was, of course, deplorable, and the +Minister of Foreign Affairs told me that the Government was planning to +apply to the purchase of the ship, money coming due in two months upon +the conversion of some loans. And there were claims from England, +France, Germany, and Italy, none of which the Sultan had recognized or +promised to pay. + +Even so, I planned that if His Majesty showed a disposition to deny his +promise I should offer to arbitrate and thus bring matters to a head. +That would put him upon one of two horns of a dilemma: if he accepted, +it definitely and authoritatively exposed to all the world the horrible +details of the massacre; if he refused, it put him in the position of +having declined the only peaceful method of adjustment. Tewfik Pasha, +however, in the name of the Sultan continued to make promises of +payment, and the matter dragged along a few months more. + +Having settled all other problems that were irritating the relations of +the two Governments, I asked for leave to visit the United States. I +planned this trip so as to accentuate our displeasure at the +procrastination of the Ottoman Government in settling the indemnities, +and notified the Minister of Foreign Affairs that as my Government had +been patient for over a year I should now return home for consultation +regarding the delay. + +Upon my return to the United States I carried on the negotiations +through the Turkish minister at Washington and prepared the instructions +for our charge at Constantinople through the State Department. This +finally resulted in a contract with the Cramp Shipbuilding Corporation, +with an additional amount of ninety-five thousand dollars to pay the +indemnity claims, though actual payment was not made until June, 1901, +under the incumbency of John G. Leishman, my successor. + +During the course of the indemnity negotiations I succeeded in obtaining +the Sultan's irade for the rebuilding of college and missionary +buildings at Harpoot which had been injured or destroyed during the +massacres. + + * * * * * + +Among the interesting episodes during these fifteen months at +Constantinople was what might be termed a diplomatic romance. In the +spring of 1899 I received a letter from Secretary Hay enclosing a +communication from William E. Curtis, Washington correspondent of the +"Chicago Record," and one of the best-known syndicate writers of the +time, who was well informed regarding what was going on in both official +and unofficial circles at Washington. Curtis reported a conversation +with an important official of the Turkish legation wherein he learned +that since the Turko-Greek War the Sultan had regained authority and +respect among Mussulmans throughout the world, and his advisers thought +the time propitious for him, as the religious head of Islam, to make +known his authority to the Mohammedans of the Philippines, Java, and +neighboring islands. The official had gone on to say that our victories +over Spain had surprised the Sultan beyond description, and he was +anxious to cultivate the friendship of a government whose navy could +sink the enemy's fleet and go round the world without the loss of a man. + +Curtis thought that, in view of our present minister's influence and our +good relations with the Turkish Government, the Sultan under the +circumstances might be prevailed upon to instruct the Mohammedans of the +Philippines, who had always resisted Spain, to come willingly under our +control. Secretary Hay said he would give me no advice or instructions, +but would leave to my judgment what, if any, action I might deem it wise +to take; that if I could succeed in getting the Sultan of Turkey to send +a message to the Sultan of the Sulu Islands which would result in +peaceful and harmonious relations between the Sulu Sultan and our +officers, it would of course be a great accomplishment. The subject +interested me greatly. I saw the possibility of rendering an effective +service, and I was fascinated by the romance of the suggestion. + +When I went to Turkey on my first mission, my father placed his hands +upon my head, gave me his blessing, and a parting advice which sank deep +into my consciousness: "When you have an important matter coming before +you, don't act promptly, but sleep over it." My father's death in +January, 1898, accentuated this advice in my memory, and when I received +the Hay-Curtis letters I followed it. I knew very little about the +Philippines. I doubt that our State Department knew much more. The +library at Constantinople had nothing on the subject. I had a copy of +the testimony taken by our commissioners at the Paris peace +negotiations, but it contained only vaguest references. But one of my +colleagues had the works of Jean Jacques Reclus, the French geographer. +From this I learned that the Mohammedans of the Philippines were not +Shiites, like those of Persia, but Sunnites, and therefore recognized +the Sultan of Turkey as their spiritual head. + +I thought about the problem for a few days, and then I sent a note to +the Palace that I should like to have an audience with His Majesty, as I +had some private communication to make to him that I believed might +interest him, for it would enable him to render a great service to a +section of his co-religionists. The audience was promptly arranged, and +I gathered that the Sultan knew very little about the Sulu Mohammedans. +He asked regarding their sect. I told him they were Sunnites. He asked +whether they made pilgrimages to Mecca. I told him I thought they did, +the same as those of Borneo. + +Then a curious incident occurred. In order to be able to take up the +matter very fully with the Sultan, I had anticipated all kinds of +questions and armed myself with pertinent information. Among them I +thought he might seek some assurance as to our Government's attitude +toward Mohammedanism, and to reassure him I had come prepared with a +translation into Turkish of Article XI of an early treaty between the +United States and Tripoli, negotiated by Joel Barlow in 1796. It read: + + As the Government of the United States of America is not in any + sense founded on the Christian Religion; as it has in itself no + character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility of + Musselman; and as the said States never have entered into any war + or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by + the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall + ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the + two countries. + +When the Sultan had read this, his face lighted up. It would give him +pleasure, he said, to act in accordance with my suggestions, for two +reasons: for the sake of humanity, and to be helpful to the United +States. He added that he hoped his services would be appreciated, and +that when occasion presented itself a like friendly spirit would be +shown to him. He knew I was a "gentleman" and would make known to my +Government the spirit in which he met my suggestions. The Mohammedans in +question recognized him as khalif of the Moslems and he felt sure they +would follow his advice. + +We discussed means of conveying his message to them, and finally decided +to send a telegram to Mecca, where the Moslem pilgrims were then +gathered, to ascertain if any Sulu chiefs were there. Before +transmitting it, His Majesty's secretary read the telegram to me in +translation. + +Two days later the Sultan invited me to the Palace to inform me that he +had received a reply that two Sulu chiefs were at Mecca. Another +telegram was then formulated instructing the chiefs in the name of the +Sultan that a definite understanding had been reached with the American +Elchi Bey (American minister) that they would not be disturbed in the +practice of their religion if they would promptly place themselves under +the control of the American army; that because of the Sultan's deep +concern for their welfare he advised and instructed them to return at +once to their people to prevent any bloodshed. + +Immediately I cabled Secretary Hay, that he might be able to advise +General Bates, one of our commanders in the Philippines. The negotiation +proved to be very important and valuable to us. Some three months later +our Government received word from the Philippines that an +insurrectionist leader, Aguinaldo, had sent emissaries among these Sulu +Mohammedans, but they had refused to join the insurrectionists and had +placed themselves under the control of our army, thereby recognizing +American sovereignty. + +Lieutenant-Colonel John P. Finley, who had been governor of the District +of Zamboanga, Moro Province, of the Philippine Islands for ten years, +wrote an article for the April, 1915, issue of "The Journal of Race +Development" in which he refers to this incident: + + At the beginning of the war with Spain the United States Government + was not aware of the existence of any Mohammedans in the + Philippines. When this fact was discovered and communicated to our + ambassador in Turkey, Oscar S. Straus, of New York, he at once saw + the possibilities which lay before us of a holy war.... He sought + and gained an audience with the Sultan, Abdul Hamid, and requested + him as Caliph of the Moslem religion to act in behalf of the + followers of Islam in the Philippines.... A telegram to Mecca + elicited the fact that they not only visited Mecca in considerable + numbers, but that at that very time there were Moros from Sulu in + the Sacred City.... The Sultan as Caliph caused a message to be + sent to the Mohammedans of the Philippine Islands forbidding them + to enter into any hostilities against the Americans, inasmuch as no + interference with their religion would be allowed under American + rule. + + President McKinley sent a personal letter of thanks to Mr. Straus + for the excellent work he had done, and said its accomplishment had + saved the United States at least twenty thousand troops in the + field. If the reader will pause to consider what this means in men + and also the millions in money, he will appreciate this wonderful + piece of diplomacy in averting a holy war. + +There was one commercial trouble to be attended to, in the settlement of +which I nevertheless emphasized the human aspect. Bread was, of course, +one of the main staples of the people, and it was rising in price. There +was a shortage of flour, yet a shipment of twenty thousand bags from the +Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Company of Minneapolis had been rejected. The +reason given was that it did not contain a sufficient percentage of +gluten and elasticity. + +As a matter of fact, a shipment received six months before had had the +effect of reducing the retail price of bread about thirty-three per +cent. Such shipments competed with the local flour mills, whose owners, +chiefly Greeks, thereafter paid liberal baksheesh (tips, or bribe money) +to have the flour rejected. + +I secured expert testimony to show that the flour, instead of being +inferior, was far superior to the local flour. I made the issue urgent +and sent an open telegram to our State Department that the flour was +being refused admission in distinct violation of our treaty rights. This +had the effect I anticipated. The flour was admitted. + +The result of this negotiation was reflected in every household, and was +significant especially for the poorer people, who were grateful to the +American legation and the American people for further reducing the price +of their bread. After this, other large shipments of flour arrived from +time to time and were admitted without difficulty. + + * * * * * + +The British ambassador came to me one day to ask whether, in view of the +success I had had in opening and protecting American schools, I could +give him some assistance in the protection of the orphanages which +British benevolent societies had established following the Armenian +massacres. The Duke of Westminster had called the attention of Her +Majesty's Government to the Porte's ruthless closing of a number of +these orphanages. + +Although it was not a matter that came officially under my jurisdiction, +I told my colleague I should be glad to aid in every way possible. I +called on the Grand Vizier and explained to him that if the Government +persisted in destroying these institutions for the protection of orphan +children, it would have a prejudicial effect in aggravating the +justified horror produced in America as well as in England by those +massacres. I stated frankly that while this was not an American +question, it would, none the less, from a humanitarian standpoint, +create a disastrous impression to the further disadvantage of the +Turkish Government. + +We got the desired result. It so pleased my colleague that in reporting +to Lord Salisbury he expressed great appreciation for the valuable help +I had given him. This recognition was widely published, in the London +"Times" and other British papers, as well as throughout America. The +Germans also reaped some benefit, for several of the orphanages, as at +Palu and Diarbekir, were under the supervision of their nationals. + + * * * * * + +Occasionally in the City of the Sultan there arose strange and peculiar +incidents. I had a call one day from Monsignor Bonetti, the papal +delegate, who had a summer residence near mine. He said it had been +reported to him that a Roman priest named Brann, who had left his +position in America about a year before because of some moral +delinquencies, had arrived in Turkey within a few days. He was doubtless +under an assumed name, but Bonetti had heard that the renegade priest +was among our missionaries, and requested that I make inquiry. I asked +him what he proposed doing should the priest be found. He said he wanted +to counsel him to return to the church. The missionaries with whom I +spoke gave me every assistance, but the priest had evidently not come +among them, for he could not be found. + + * * * * * + +A number of distinguished people, European and American, visited +Constantinople during the winter of 1898-99. Lord Rosebery arrived in +his mother's yacht and was the guest of the British ambassador, Sir +Nicholas O'Conor. We had the pleasure of meeting him several times at +dinner. In a conversation I had with him he expressed great admiration +for America and said that at one time he was on the point of becoming an +American. I remember particularly his remark to the effect that he +believed America and England, by cooperating, would control the world +for the interests of the world, without having to fight a battle; that +the peace and welfare of the world were in their hands, and sooner or +later it must come. + +We talked about our respective forms of government, parliamentary and +congressional. He thought McKinley wise in referring all questions, +during and since the Spanish-American War, to Congress. To quote his own +words: "He is sailing on unknown seas, and it is wise to let the +representative body do the steering." + +He asked whether I was an ambassador or a minister. I explained to him +that the President desired to raise the mission to an embassy, but as +the law stood we were dependent upon the initiative of the Sultan. He +said that during his incumbency as prime minister he had much to do with +having the United States name an ambassador to London; he took special +care that Great Britain should be the first nation to send an ambassador +to Washington and to receive an American ambassador. + +He spoke in a complimentary manner of Secretary Hay and said he should +have remained in London, especially as it seemed to be his preference. +He spoke of the ambassadorship of Edward J. Phelps and said he had heard +him make some of the ablest public speeches he ever listened to; they +were effective not only in what they expressed, but in their reserve. He +thought public speaking in America was more finished than in England, of +a higher order or better grounded from the standpoint of oratory: "We +can't speak as you do." + +I replied that one had only to point to him as an example to disprove +that complimentary comparison. But he thought hardly anybody ever read +his speeches. + + * * * * * + +Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, of Philadelphia, and his wife, together with the +great-grandson of Alexander Hamilton, Philip Schuyler, and his wife, +came to Constantinople. We saw much of them. The Mitchells had just lost +their daughter. + +Dr. Mitchell, who was regarded as the leading authority on nervous +diseases--if I mistake not it was he who first introduced the rest cure, +at any rate so far as America is concerned--was very anxious to see +something of a Turkish household, which was not easily possible by +reason of the seclusion of Turkish women. It happened that Tewfik +Pasha, Minister of Foreign Affairs, had often spoken to me about the +illness of his wife, who seemed to be suffering from some nervous +ailment. She was a German-Swiss whom he had married while ambassador at +Berlin, but their _menage_ was kept purely Turkish. Here, then, was my +opportunity to kill two birds with one stone: I should satisfy Dr. +Mitchell's curiosity by rendering Tewfik Pasha a service. In speaking to +the Pasha I explained, of course, that Dr. Mitchell would accept no fee, +that he would give his services as a favor to me and an act of courtesy +to him. Dr. Mitchell was able to prescribe with excellent effect for +Mme. Tewfik, and the Pasha was very grateful indeed. + +Dr. Mitchell and I went to the museum one afternoon to see two famous +marble tombs that had recently been unearthed at Sidon, upon discovery +by Hamdy Bey, director of the museum. Both these tombs were supposed to +be of the best period of ancient Greece. One was known as the Alexander +tomb because it portrayed in high bas-relief the battle of Issus and +also a hunting scene, in each of which one of the figures was identified +as portraying Alexander. At first some scholars believed it to be the +tomb of the monarch himself, but that seemed not to be correct, and it +was doubtless the tomb of one of his generals. The other tomb was of +equal size and proportions, about five feet high and ten feet long. +Round its four sides it had a number of figures of a woman in various +phases of mourning, the same figure with varying expressions. This +ancient work of art appealed to the bereaved heart of Dr. Mitchell and +he sat before it for quite a while. Later he wrote an "Ode to a Lycian +Tomb," one of the best, if not the best, of his poems. He sent me a copy +when it was privately printed, and subsequently it appeared in the +"Century Magazine." + + * * * * * + +The inauguration of trips to the Orient by the Hamburg-American and the +North German Lloyd Steamship Companies frequently brought hundreds of +Americans to Constantinople at a time. In March the S.S. +Augusta-Victoria arrived with three hundred and fifty American visitors. +The Sultan was most gracious to them. Through one of his aides he asked +me to invite them to Selamlik, after which he arranged a luncheon for +them on the grounds of the ambassadorial kiosque, and had them visit the +royal stables. When they left, the Sultan's aide carried on board the +ship for them a large assortment of delicious Turkish candies and +cigarettes, which they appropriately acknowledged in a letter that I +transmitted to the Palace for them. + + * * * * * + +From time to time, especially when the weather was fine, I attended +Selamlik, as was customary among the diplomats. On one very beautiful +Friday I took with me my little son Roger, then seven years old. It was +the Sultan's birthday and the pageant was exceptionally fine. From the +window of the ambassadorial kiosque Roger leaned out as far as he +possibly could to get a good view of the Sultan as he passed beneath in +his victoria. The Sultan bowed in acknowledgment of our greeting, when +suddenly Roger realized that he had not taken off his cap and pulled it +off rather comically. This made the Sultan smile, and it was the only +time I ever saw his habitually sad face wreathed in a smile. + + * * * * * + +After a strenuous winter, replete with difficult and trying +negotiations, I took advantage of the invitation of M. Paul +Stefanovich-Schilizzi, a philanthropist of Greece, to visit him in +Athens in May. He was a man of great wealth and beloved throughout the +Near East by reason of his benevolence. It is his niece, who was a +frequent guest at our home, who recently married Eleutherios Venizelos, +the famous Greek statesman. + +_En route_ to Athens we stopped for several days at Smyrna, where we met +Kiamil Pasha, the Grand Vizier with whom I had so satisfactorily carried +on a number of important negotiations during my first mission. He was +now vali at Smyrna, highly regarded, and justly called the "grand old +man" of Turkey, being about seventy-five years old. Amid the corruption +of his time no one ever questioned his honesty. He had been grand vizier +several times. He spoke English fluently, doubtless acquired in his +youth at Cyprus, where he was born. + +He deplored the hopeless condition of affairs at Constantinople, where +all the power had gradually been concentrated at the Palace. Thus the +grand vizierate became a post without power, which, he explained, did +not interest him any longer. Besides, he did not agree with the Sultan's +methods, though he was thoroughly loyal to Turkey. His sympathies, as +between the contending powers, were with Great Britain; he believed good +relationship with her was the surest guarantee for the welfare of his +country. + +From Smyrna we took a ship for Piraeus, a sixteen-hour trip. There we +took a carriage, instead of the train, to Athens. We stayed at the Hotel +Grande Bretagne, which was owned by our friend Stefanovich. It was, and +doubtless still is, the leading hotel on the square near the King's +palace, and from the balcony of our rooms we had a clear view of the +Acropolis. + +This was our second visit to Athens. We had been there ten years before +as guests at the beautiful residence of Dmitri Stefanovich-Schilizzi, +brother of Paul, where we were sumptuously entertained; we dined at the +palace, attended several functions there, and met, at various social +gatherings, the leading people of the city. This time, however, we came +for rest and recreation; we made no official calls, but spent the six +days or so visiting places of interest, chiefly the excavations that +were being made, and the museum. + + * * * * * + +Returning we took a steamer direct for Constantinople. We had learned +that the Montenegrin portier in charge of our house at Pera had a slight +case of smallpox, so we went directly to our summer home at Yenikeui on +the Bosphorus, about a mile distant from Therapia where most of my +colleagues had their summer residences. We had succeeded in securing a +house that was a veritable palace and admirably arranged for +entertaining, so that we were well able to reciprocate the attentions of +our colleagues and extend proper hospitalities. A wealthy Greek had +constructed and owned this mansion, but on account of some questionable +dealings with the Palace involving large sums of money, he was a +fugitive from Turkey. + +The house was surrounded by a park of its own, fronting on the +Bosphorus. There were pomegranate and magnolia trees in bloom, under +which we took our lunch. We had a launch that I named the Franklin, and +it was one of the fastest on the Bosphorus, so that within an hour I +could readily be at the Porte to transact the business of the legation, +although things are more quiet during the summer. + +Altogether that summer was thoroughly delightful. My brother Isidor and +his devoted wife had both joined us. My brother had had an attack of +influenza and his health was not very good, so they had come to Europe +to consult a distinguished specialist, Professor Erb, at Heidelberg. +After completing the cure my brother came to Constantinople for rest and +quiet with us. The climate on the Bosphorus is ideal, never very hot +because of the constant cool breezes from the Black Sea. During that +summer there were only three days when the thermometer rose to ninety. + +Everything seemed to prosper with me. I had brought several important +issues to a successful termination; our whole immediate family was +together, for Mildred had come to spend her vacation with us; and I had +the pleasure of a visit from my dear brother and his wife. I recall no +period of my life that was such a happy one. + + * * * * * + +Toward the end of the year I telegraphed to Washington for leave to +return home. I had adjusted all the matters at issue between the two +Governments except the indemnity, so that I felt justified in leaving my +post. I knew that I could rely on Lloyd C. Griscom, the secretary who +would be in charge, for a tactful and efficient handling of the affairs +of the legation. The indemnity required only steady pressure and +patience. As I have already stated I timed my return so as to make it +effective in adding a little more pressure. + +When I was about to depart, the Sultan sent to my residence a pair of +beautiful vases, each several feet high, and artistically ornamented. +They were manufactured at the royal pottery which the Sultan had had +established on the Palace grounds, and the workmanship was French. As +the question of cost did not enter into the manufacture, some wonderful +productions were turned out at this pottery, and the vases sent to me +were exceptionally fine specimens. I was very much embarrassed, yet I +did not want to give offense by refusing them. I sent Mr. Gargiulo, our +veteran dragoman, to explain to the Sultan's secretary how much I +appreciated this attention, but as I was not permitted to accept the +vases for myself I would accept them for our National Museum at +Washington. That pleased the Sultan, and the vases now have a place in +our museum at the national capital. + + * * * * * + +As there was no need for hurrying home, we made a few stops on the way, +first at Vienna. The papers announced our arrival at the Austrian +capital, and I received a note from Dr. Theodor Hertzl asking for an +appointment. I was glad of the opportunity to meet him, for I had read +much about him. I found him a man of attractive appearance: a little +above medium height, coal-black beard and hair, very dark, expressive, +bright eyes. He was about forty years old, seemed full of energy, +beaming with idealism, but a man of the world. He did not at all impress +one as a religious fanatic. + +He said the idea of Zionism, or, rather, the colonization of oppressed +Jews, had been developing in his mind for ten or twelve years. I told +him I was not a Zionist, though I did not want him to understand that I +was in any way opposed to the movement, or disposed carelessly to ignore +the solemn aspirations which the deeply religious members of my race had +prayerfully nurtured in sorrow and suffering through the ages. In answer +to his question whether the Sultan had ever spoken with me about the +subject, I told him he had not, as he probably understood it was not an +American question and did not in any way come under my jurisdiction. But +I told Hertzl of my negotiations regarding the immigration of the Jews +to Palestine during my first mission to Turkey, when I visited +Jerusalem. + +We spoke of the condition brought about through the agitation of +Zionism, the immigration of hundreds of Jews without means into +Palestine, where there was as yet no industry to enable them to make a +livelihood. He said he appreciated that and was doing everything in his +power to prevent such immigration until a permit for a "chartered +company" with sufficient capital had been obtained from the Sultan, and +that he was in correspondence with an official of the Porte for the +securing of such a permit. I suggested that it might be best for him to +go to Constantinople and personally take up such negotiations; that I +had been shown a letter from him to Artin Effendi, the under-Secretary +of State, and this man was one of the biggest rogues in the empire, an +Armenian kept nominally in office by the Sultan to mislead and hold in +check his oppressed co-religionists. Dr. Hertzl thought he might take my +advice. + +He informed me that some months before, he had taken the matter up with +the German Emperor and was led to believe that the Emperor was not in +any way opposed to Zionism, nor to the returning of the Jews to +Palestine, but Dr. Hertzl feared the opposition of the Catholics. He +gathered also, from what he had heard, that Russia did not oppose the +plan. + +I mentioned Mesopotamia to him as a better place for the colonization of +the Jews than Palestine; it was the original home of Abraham and his +progenitors, was sparsely settled, and if the ancient canals were +reopened that country could support several million people. He said he +was somewhat familiar with this idea, as well as with Professor Haupt's +pamphlet, and a scheme for the colonization of Cyprus, and that it was +perhaps well to have more than one plan; if one did not serve as an +outlet for emigration another might. + +It seemed to me that Hertzl was one of those men who, having capacity +and idealism, attach themselves to a cause that appeals to their +intellect or their sympathies, and grow in spirit and effectiveness +through the intensity of their devotion. Such men often develop +extraordinary qualities of true greatness under conditions that impose +weighty responsibilities, to an extent which they themselves did not +realize. + + * * * * * + +We next went to Rome. All my life I had looked forward to visiting +"Imperial Rome" on her seven hills, the old Rome that inspired some of +the leading chapters of the world's history. And my imagination was +fired the more because in my mind's eye I carried for comparison a +picture of Athens, city of Pallas Athene, once proud intellectual +mistress of the world; Jerusalem, from whence emanated the spiritual +endowment of civilization; and the new Rome to which Constantine brought +the scepter of the world. + +While in Rome we were entertained by our ambassador and Mrs. Draper. +They were occupying Palazzo Piombino, one of the most magnificent of the +newer palaces, where they entertained in a manner befitting their +station. We met there several of my former colleagues at Constantinople +who were now representing their governments in Rome. Moses Ezekiel, our +distinguished American sculptor, was also in Rome at this time, and with +him and Mr. Bonney, in charge of the excavations of the Forum then in +process, we went through the recently excavated chambers of the vestal +virgins. + +Before leaving the city we were received by the beautiful and charming +Queen Margherita. She was a remarkably well-informed woman, even about +events in our country. She spoke about the American press, and said one +of our papers had a correspondent in Rome who was an ardent supporter of +papal rule and could see no virtue in the Italian Government. She +referred to the invention of the flying machine by Professor Langley, of +the Smithsonian Institution, which, if it proved a success, would +ultimately change the life of all peoples, which she hoped would bring +the nations nearer to one another and into closer spiritual contact. + +We visited Pompeii, and then went to Naples, where we boarded a steamer +for New York, arriving home on February 8, 1900. + + * * * * * + +Immediately I went to Washington for a conference with Secretary Hay and +to give him the details of the various negotiations. He was especially +interested in the communication of the Sultan to the Sulu Mohammedans, +for the friendly relations that this established between the Sulus and +our Government had already prevented the shedding of blood. + +I told Secretary Hay that I desired to resign. The matters for which I +had been sent to Turkey were adjusted, the payment of the indemnity +being only a question of time and patience; on the other hand, it was +important, so far as concerned my personal affairs, that I be relieved +from further duty abroad, especially as I could not in Turkey properly +give to my children the education I felt they should have. The secretary +thought my request reasonable and just, but he thought the President +would regret it and would have difficulty in replacing me. + +I took the subject up with the President next day. He said he realized I +had made sacrifices enough and was entitled to have my wishes respected; +he did not, however, wish me to send in my resignation just yet, but to +continue, for a time at least, to direct matters in Turkey in +consultation with Secretary Hay. He expressed great satisfaction with +the result of my mission and said if he hadn't sent me, some hostile +demonstration in Turkish waters would have been inevitable, with +possible serious complications as a result; but that the clamoring for a +warship to Turkey subsided with my going over because of the general +belief that I would succeed in handling matters. "No one else could have +done so well; you have done better than I thought it possible for any +one to do," he graciously added. + +He indicated that there might develop some important post in the United +States which he should like to feel free to ask me to accept should the +occasion arise, but he made no further explanation. I later learned from +St. Clair McKelway to what this had reference. McKelway was on intimate +terms with the President and at the same time was a close friend of +mine. The President mentioned to him that he feared Secretary Hay, whose +health was failing, might have to relinquish his post, in which event +McKinley had in mind to offer it to me. + +Within a week after my return I received a letter from Charles C. +Harrison, provost of the University of Pennsylvania, informing me that +the trustees had unanimously voted to confer upon me the honorary degree +of Doctor of Laws, and he would be glad if it were convenient for me to +receive the degree at a convocation of unusual importance on +Washington's Birthday. This ceremony took place at the Academy of Music, +Philadelphia, and similar degrees were conferred also upon Justice +Harlan, of the United States Supreme Court; Professor Ames, of the +Harvard Law School; Minister Wu, of China; President Diaz, of Mexico; +and two delegates from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. + +From time to time during the next few months I went to Washington both +to direct Turkish matters through the State Department and to confer +with the President on matters in general. On one of these occasions, in +August, he mentioned his forthcoming letter of acceptance of +renomination and spoke about the efforts of the Democrats to fasten the +charge of imperialism on the administration, but said he would make it +plain that we proposed to give as much freedom of government and +independence to the Philippines as they showed themselves able to +receive. I read to him from a memorandum I had drawn up regarding our +purpose to withdraw our troops as fast and in proportion as the +conditions of peace in the islands permitted. He said I had expressed +his ideas exactly, and as I was about to replace the memorandum in my +pocket he said he wished I would let him have it, which of course I did. + +He asked what I thought of conditions in China, and I told him I was +convinced our true course was to oppose the partition of that country +and to stand firm for the open-door policy; that if Germany, or any +other Power, endeavored to bring about a division, we could doubtless +prevent it by insisting upon the open door, especially as the nations +could not agree among themselves. + +Early in December I received a letter from Secretary Hay, asking whether +I still preferred to be relieved or whether for any reason I would +consent to continue as minister to Turkey. I definitely answered in the +negative and my second mission terminated with the following letter: + + + DEPARTMENT OF STATE + WASHINGTON, _December 18, 1900_ + + OSCAR S. STRAUS, ESQUIRE + 42 Warren Street + New York City + + MY DEAR MR. STRAUS: + + I have laid before the President your letter of the 12th instant, + in which you express your preference not to return to + Constantinople, and offer your resignation of the mission you have + honorably and faithfully filled for the past few years. + + Deferring to your wish, the President has accepted your + resignation. In charging me to inform you of this acceptance, the + President desires me to make known in fitting words his high + appreciation of the valuable services you have rendered to your + country, and his sense of the ability and intelligence you have + brought to bear in the performance of a task of more than usual + delicacy and difficulty. Called, as you were, a second time to the + Ottoman mission and confronted by the problems and entanglements + that seem to especially environ that post, you have shown rare + aptness in dealing with its perplexities and have notably + strengthened the hands of the government in leading the long + pending questions toward a settlement. While deeply regretting your + retirement and while averse to losing your helpful counsels, the + President has felt that he could not rightfully impose fresh + personal sacrifices upon you by disregarding your wish. You take + with you into honored private life the esteem of those who have + known and understood your conscientious worth in the paths of + official duty. + + I share the President's regrets and equally share his appreciation + of the good services you have rendered. My sincere regards and + personal friendship are with you always. + + Very cordially yours + JOHN HAY + + + + +CHAPTER VII + +THEODORE ROOSEVELT + + Roosevelt appoints me member of the Hague Tribunal--Trouble with + Philippine Mohammedans averted--Humanitarian diplomacy under + Roosevelt; Hay's Roumanian note; Roosevelt's Russian cable--The + Alaska boundary--Panama and the "covenant running with the + land"--White House luncheons; Carnegie suggests to Roosevelt a + legacy for my grandchildren--Roosevelt and organized + labor--Roosevelt's definition of Americanism--Overnight at the + White House; conference regarding the President's + Message--Roosevelt and the Portsmouth peace negotiations; Count + Witte invites a committee to discuss the Russian Jewish question; + Roosevelt writes to Witte--Roosevelt's prophetic characterization + of Germany--Some essential qualities of Roosevelt. + + +I began the year 1901 as a private citizen once more. I devoted much of +my time, however, to public activities, giving close attention +particularly to the international questions that arose. + +The doctrine of citizenship and the rights of naturalized American +citizens in foreign countries had for many years formed the major +subject in our foreign relations, and it had been one for constant +controversy between our own and foreign countries, especially Germany, +Austria, and Turkey. In the spring I read a paper at a meeting of the +American Social Science Association, of which I was the president, +entitled "The United States Doctrine of Citizenship and Expatriation." +Later in the year I received, in consequence, a letter from Senator S. +M. Cullom of Illinois, chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign +Relations, asking me to prepare material for amendments to legislation +on this subject, which I did. + +When Theodore Roosevelt became President of the United States through +the lamentable death of William McKinley, one of my earliest relations +with him was my being appointed by him as a member of the Permanent +Court of Arbitration at The Hague. Whether or not he acted herein in +conformity with McKinley's intention, I cannot say. When McKinley was +selecting the original members, he conferred with me and indicated that +if agreeable to me, he would be pleased to appoint me as a member. +Shortly afterward when the appointments were announced, my name was not +among them. It was some time before I saw him again, and while I should +never have mentioned it, he did. He said he was very sorry that through +the pressure of duties he had quite forgotten his intention to name me +when the time came to announce the appointments. I told him I thought +perhaps I had been mistaken in understanding that he had offered me one +of the appointments. He said I had not misunderstood, but that he would +make amends should a vacancy occur while he was still President; he had +wanted me as a member of the Court, not alone in recognition of the +great services I had rendered, but because he regarded me exceptionally +qualified. He added that when he became ex-President he would like to be +a member of that Court himself; it appealed to him more than any other +office he could think of. + +The vacancy in the membership of the Court occurred sooner than any one +anticipated, by the death, in March, 1901, of ex-President Harrison; but +by the decree of the gods McKinley himself was no longer with us when +the time came to fill President Harrison's place. In fact I think the +day we talked about the Court marked my last conference with him. He was +always simple in manner and of charming personality. Together we enjoyed +a good smoke that afternoon; he was fond of smoking and knew I enjoyed a +good cigar, and he was wont to have me take one of his brand. I begged +him not to concern himself further with the omission of my appointment +at The Hague, that I was satisfied to know he thought me worthy of the +selection. + +It is possible that Roosevelt knew the circumstance and McKinley's +intention, for he was Vice-President at the time it happened. At any +rate, when the successor to President Harrison was chosen, I received +the following appointment, somewhat different in form from most +documents of the kind: + + + WHITE HOUSE + WASHINGTON, _January 8, 1902_ + + MY DEAR SIR: + + Article XX of the Convention for the Pacific Settlement of + International Disputes, signed July 29, 1899, by the + Plenipotentiaries to the Hague Peace Conference, provides for the + organization of a permanent Court of Arbitration, and Article XXIII + of the same Convention provides for the selection by each of the + signatory Powers of four persons at the most, as members of the + Court, who are to be appointed for a term of six years. + + It will give me pleasure to designate you as one of the four United + States members if you will advise me that such action is agreeable + to you. + + Very Truly Yours, + THEODORE ROOSEVELT + + HONORABLE OSCAR S. STRAUS + New York, N.Y. + + +Since then I have been reappointed three times: in 1908, again by +Roosevelt, in 1912 and 1920, by Wilson. + +In April, 1902, there appeared in the press a dispatch to the effect +that an expedition of twelve hundred men was to be sent to the southern +Philippines to punish the Mohammedans there for killing one of our +soldiers and wounding several others. I immediately wrote the President +that I believed such a step would be unwise and would probably bring on +a general uprising in that province. I called his attention to the +negotiation I had had with the Sultan of Turkey regarding these people, +and suggested that instead of the expedition a commission be sent to +treat with them. The President asked me to come to Washington to confer +with him in the matter, and after the Cabinet meeting I met him in his +study. There were present also Mr. Taft, who had been appointed governor +of the Philippines, Adjutant-General Corbin, and Mr. Sanger, acting +Secretary of War. I presented my arguments more fully. The President had +already telegraphed General Chaffee regarding the sending of a +diplomatic mission, in accordance with my letter. + +The result of our conference was that General Corbin was directed to +advise General Chaffee to use the office of the friendly datos to obtain +the desired redress. It developed later that the soldier killed was +laying a telegraph line, which procedure, not being understood by the +Moros, was regarded by them as a device for their destruction. The +slayers were surrendered and punished and the incident was +satisfactorily adjusted. + + * * * * * + +At about this time disturbances in Roumania were being reflected in our +country. Eleven years before, a committee of prominent Jews had brought +before President Harrison the pitiable condition of the large number of +Jews arriving in New York from Russia, and it was now necessary to take +similar steps with regard to the Jews from Roumania. + +In Chapter IV I mentioned that Roumania disregarded the provisions of +the Treaty of Berlin and placed restrictions upon her Jewish subjects. +Into that treaty, by which Roumania was made an independent kingdom +following the Russo-Turkish War, Article XLIV was inserted specially for +the protection of the Jews, of whom there were about four hundred +thousand in the new state. It provided that difference of religion +should not be ground for exclusion in the participation of civil, +political, or economic rights. In spite of this, however, the Jews in +Roumania were being oppressed and discriminated against on the specious +claim that they were foreigners, though they and their ancestors had +been living in the land for generations. They were compelled to serve in +the army, but not permitted to become officers; they were made subject +to exceptional taxes; they were excluded from the professions and from +owning and cultivating land. In every direction they were being +throttled, and new laws were being promulgated to shut off every avenue +of self-support. + +The result was what had doubtless been the intention in putting into +force these drastic measures: the Jews who could emigrated, and they +left Roumania _en masse_. The obstacles in the way of their gaining +admission into the countries of Western Europe were so great that few of +them could settle there. The leading Jewish organizations of Great +Britain and France, namely, the Jewish Colonization Association in +London and the Alliance Israelite Universelle in Paris, laid the matter +before their respective governments, but, on account of the disturbed +conditions in the Balkans and the cross-currents of European politics, +no pressure could be exerted through these governments. + +The main stream of the Roumanian exodus was thus directed to America, +and they arrived here in increasing numbers. The leading Jewish agencies +of the country, particularly the B'nai B'rith Order under the presidency +of Leo N. Levi, used their best efforts to distribute the immigrants +over the country and to places where they were most likely to find +employment. Later our very able commissioner of immigration at Ellis +Island, Robert Watchorn, went over to Roumania for the special purpose +of studying the situation and made a graphic report of what he learned. +But to alleviate the situation action of a more official character was +needed. + +Jacob H. Schiff and I prepared a careful brief on conditions and +presented it to President Roosevelt. The President said he was willing +to take the matter in hand provided something could be done by our +Government. Congressman Lucius N. Littauer also extended helpful +cooperation. He had recently returned from Roumania and had first-hand +knowledge of the question, which he took up in conferences with the +President and with Secretary Hay. + +Finally, in September, 1902, the President directed Secretary Hay to +prepare his now famous Roumanian Note to the Powers signatory to the +Treaty of Berlin. The note was sent to our diplomatic representatives in +those countries with instructions to present it to the governments to +which they were accredited. The occasion for sending it was found in +connection with negotiations initiated by Roumania for the concluding of +a naturalization treaty with our country. The note gave the reasons why, +under the circumstances, we were unwilling to conclude such a treaty. +After referring to the Treaty of Berlin and the obligations assumed by +Roumania under it regarding the treatment of subject nationalities, the +Secretary said: + + The United States offers asylum to the oppressed of all lands. But + its sympathy with them in no wise impairs its just liberty and + right to weigh the acts of the oppressor in the light of their + effects upon this country, and to judge accordingly. + + Putting together the facts, now painfully brought home to this + Government, during the past few years, that many of the + inhabitants of Roumania are being forced by artificially adverse + discriminations to quit their native country; that the hospitable + asylum offered by this country is almost the only refuge left to + them; that they come hither unfitted by the conditions of their + exile to take part in the new life of this land under circumstances + either profitable to themselves or beneficial to the community, and + that they are objects of charity from the outset and for a long + time--the right of remonstrance against the acts of the Roumanian + Government is clearly established in favor of this Government. + Whether consciously and of purpose or not, these helpless people, + burdened and spurned by their native land, are forced by the + sovereign power of Roumania upon the charity of the United States. + This Government can not be a tacit party to such an international + wrong. It is constrained to protest against the treatment to which + the Jews of Roumania are subjected, not alone because it has + unimpeachable ground to remonstrate against the resultant injury to + itself, but in the name of humanity. The United States may not + authoritatively appeal to the stipulations of the treaty of Berlin, + to which it was not and can not become a signatory, but it does + earnestly appeal to the principles consigned therein, because they + are the principles of international law and eternal justice, + advocating the broad toleration which that solemn compact enjoins + and standing ready to lend its moral support to the fulfillment + thereof by its cosignatories, for the act of Roumania itself has + effectively joined the United States to them as an interested party + in this regard. + +One of the most valuable by-products of the Congress of Berlin was to +bring into closer relations the autocratic with the liberal governments +of Europe and cause the former to become more amenable to the +enlightened conscience of the world. Hay's dispatch, while not pleasing +to the Government of Roumania, yet, because of the world-wide publicity +it received, had a measure of influence in modifying Roumania's +indefensible proscriptions. + + * * * * * + +Another need for humanitarian diplomacy arose the following year. The +attitude and proscriptions of the Roumanian authorities had doubtless +encouraged anti-Semitic activity in Russia, and the latter Government, +no longer contenting itself with the application of restrictions in the +book of laws which compelled Jews to live in the Pale settlements, +officially encouraged mobs to massacre and loot, culminating on April +19-20, 1903, with the outbreak in Kishineff, where forty-seven Jews were +killed, ninety-two severely wounded, and some five hundred more slightly +injured. In addition great material losses were inflicted: seven hundred +houses were destroyed, six hundred stores pillaged, and thousands of +families utterly ruined. + +When these facts became known, they called forth an expression of +indignation throughout the civilized world. In New York a mass meeting +was called at Carnegie Hall by hundreds of the foremost New York +Christians, in protest against the outrages upon the Jews in Russia and +particularly against the Kishineff affair. The meeting was presided over +by Paul D. Cravath, eminent lawyer, and the speakers were ex-President +Cleveland, Mayor Seth Low, Jacob G. Schurman, president of Cornell, and +Edward M. Shepard, well known for his unselfish devotion to the +interests of the public. I have in my possession the manuscript of +Cleveland's address on this occasion, which concludes: + + In the meantime, let the people of the United States, gathered + together in such assemblages as this in every part of the land, + fearlessly speak to the civilized world--protesting against every + pretence of civilization that permits mediaeval persecution, against + every bigoted creed that forbids religious toleration and freedom + of conscience, against all false enlightenment that excuses hatred + and cruelty towards any race of men, and against all spurious forms + of government protection, that withhold from any human being the + right to live in safety, and toil in peace. + + +I will also quote part of the resolutions adopted that evening: + + Resolved, that the people of the United States should exercise such + influence with the Government of Russia as the ancient and unbroken + friendship between the two nations may justify to stay the spirit + of persecution, to redress the injuries inflicted upon the Jews of + Kishineff, and to prevent the recurrence of outbreaks such as have + amazed the civilized world. + +A few weeks later a committee from the B'nai B'rith Order, consisting of +Simon Wolf, Adolf Moses, Julius Bien, Jacob Furth, Solomon Sulzberger, +and Joseph D. Coons, and headed by their president, Leo N. Levi, called +upon Secretary Hay and presented to him a statement regarding the +massacres in Russia together with a proposed petition which they wished +forwarded to the Government of the Czar. The Secretary expressed great +sympathy and the desire to do what might be possible in the matter. His +reply to the committee, taken down in shorthand at the time, was +published in full in the press, and from it I quote the concluding +sentence: + + All we know of the state of things in Russia tends to justify the + hope that even out of the present terrible situation some good + results may come; that He who watches over Israel does not slumber, + and that the wrath of man now, as so often in the past, shall be + made to praise Him. + +The Secretary then accompanied the committee to the White House, where +they met the President and presented to him an outline of the oppression +of their co-religionists in Russia. + +Early in July I received a telegram from the President's secretary to +the effect that the President would like to have me lunch with him the +day following at Oyster Bay, and that Simon Wolf of Washington, and Leo +N. Levi also had been invited. When I arrived at Sagamore Hill there +were present besides those named Dr. Albert Shaw of the "Review of +Reviews," and an English friend of his, Mr. Morris Sheldon Amos. + +We discussed the Russian situation throughout lunch. The President +suggested that a note be sent by the Secretary of State to John W. +Riddle, our charge at St. Petersburg, and that this note should embody +the entire petition which Mr. Levi and his committee had drafted. Dr. +Shaw observed that the embodying of the petition to the Czar and giving +publicity to the note would have all the effects of a presentation even +if the Czar should refuse to receive it, which was exactly what the +President had in mind. + +After luncheon we adjourned to the study, and Roosevelt said: "Now let's +finish this thing up." Hay had been to see him the day before and had +left a memorandum. Roosevelt at once drafted the note with his own pen, +using part of Hay's memorandum. The note was to be sent as an open +cable. It read as follows: + + RIDDLE + + St. Petersburg + + You are instructed to ask an audience of the Minister of Foreign + Affairs and to make to him the following communication: + + _Excellency_: The Secretary of State instructs me to inform you + that the President has received from a large number of prominent + citizens of the United States of all religious affiliations, and + occupying the highest positions in both public and private life, a + respectful petition addressed to his Majesty the Emperor relating + to the condition of the Jews in Russia and running as follows: + + [Here is set out the petition.] + + I am instructed to ask whether the petition will be received by + your Excellency to be submitted to the gracious consideration of + his Majesty. In that case the petition will be at once forwarded to + St. Petersburg. + +Roosevelt wanted the cable to be sent at once and was in a hurry to get +it to Washington. One of his reasons was that the late Russian +ambassador, Cassini, had been dismissed and was on his way back to +Russia, and he wanted the note to reach the Russian Government before +Cassini arrived in St. Petersburg. Mr. Wolf, who lived in Washington, +was to take the drafted cable to Secretary Hay; but as he could not +return that night the President asked whether I could take it so that it +might be dispatched next morning. By ten o'clock the following morning I +placed the draft in the Secretary's hands and it was immediately put on +the wire. + +In planning the cable as he did, the President was right in his +anticipation. Duly the American charge at St. Petersburg informed the +State Department that the Russian Government, through its Minister of +Foreign Affairs, had declined to receive or consider the petition. +Nevertheless, its purpose was accomplished. Official Russia was made to +realize the aroused indignation and the public protests of the civilized +world. This in turn had a decided influence in checking, for the time +being at least, similar outbreaks threatened throughout the empire, +besides bringing to trial and punishment some of the leaders of the +massacres. + + * * * * * + +That afternoon at Sagamore Hill, after the Russian matter had been +disposed of, the President was talking to Dr. Shaw and me about the +Alaskan boundary question. He pulled out a map showing the disputed +boundary, and explained that three commissioners from the United States +and three from Great Britain and Canada would take up the dispute for +investigation. He argued that they were not arbiters and he refused to +sign an arbitral agreement; if they did not agree, he would take the +matter into his own hands; that the whole trouble arose from the fact +that the Canadians had shoved down the boundary line after the discovery +of gold. "Suppose a man pitches a tent on my grounds and claims them, +and I want him to get off; and he says he won't get off, but will +arbitrate the matter!" Roosevelt exclaimed. Then, turning to me, he +added: "Straus, you are a member of the Hague Tribunal; don't you think +I'm right?" + +I calmly replied that as a member of the Hague Tribunal I should first +have to hear what the other side had to say and therefore must reserve +my judgment. And we all had a good laugh. + + * * * * * + +During the Venezuela controversy in 1902, Venezuela on the one side and +Great Britain and Germany on the other, Roosevelt was very much incensed +that Germany, with the feeble backing of England, should undertake a +blockade against Venezuela to make the latter carry out certain +agreements, and he promptly took steps to prevent it. Thereupon there +was a disposition on the part of Germany to ask Roosevelt to arbitrate. +Secretary Hay, it seems, favored such a course, but I strongly advised +against it. + +At a luncheon to which I was invited by the President early in November, +1903, the conditions in Panama came up as the principal topic of +conversation. There were present on this occasion, besides Mr. and Mrs. +Roosevelt, Cornelius N. Bliss, former Secretary of the Interior; John +Clark Davis, of the "Philadelphia Ledger"; H. H. Kohlsaat, of Chicago; +Lawrence F. Abbott, of "The Outlook"; and the President's +brother-in-law, Lieutenant-Commander Cowles, of the Navy. News had been +received that Panama had separated from Colombia and we were about to +recognize Panama. In his informal way, as was his custom at luncheons, +the President began to discuss the situation, referring to the fact that +our treaty of 1846 was with New Granada, which afterwards became the +United States of Colombia and then the Republic of Colombia, and that in +that treaty we had guaranteed to protect the transit route. One of the +questions raised was whether the treaty still held us to that +obligation, notwithstanding these several changes of sovereignty. + +The President was directing his remarks toward me, which was his way of +signifying the particular person from whom he wanted to draw comment. I +answered that it seemed to me, as I recollected the terms of the treaty, +which I had recently read, that the change of sovereignty did not affect +either our obligations or our rights; that I regarded them in the nature +of a "covenant running with the land." + +"That's fine! Just the idea!" Roosevelt replied, and as soon as luncheon +was over, he requested me to express that idea to Hay. He scratched a +few lines on a correspondence card asking Secretary Hay to go over with +me the suggestion I had made and to work into the treaty the "covenant +running with the land" idea. + +That evening I called on the Secretary. He seized the idea at once and +said he would make use of it in a statement he was just preparing for +the press detailing the whole situation. The following day there was +reported in the papers of the country the fact that the President, +following a meeting of the Cabinet, had decided to recognize the _de +facto_ government of Panama; and then the detailed statement by +Secretary Hay regarding the terms of the treaty, the history of the +negotiations, and the subsequent development, covered several newspaper +columns. It contained this paragraph: + + It must not be lost sight of that this treaty is not dependent for + its efficacy on the personnel of the signers or the name of the + territory it affects. It is a covenant, as lawyers say, that runs + with the land. The name of New Granada has passed away; its + territory has been divided. But as long as the isthmus endures, the + great geographical fact keeps alive the solemn compact which binds + the holders of the territory to grant us freedom of transit, and + binds us in return to safeguard for the isthmus and the world the + exercise of that inestimable privilege. + +A few days thereafter I received a short note from the President +reading: "Your 'covenant running with the land' idea worked admirably. I +congratulate you on it." And from my friend John Bassett Moore I +received an amusing letter: + + So you had a finger in the pie! I find a good deal of amusement in + reflecting on the end reached from the premise of my memorandum; + and almost as much on the conclusion reached from your suggestion. + Perhaps, however, it is only a question of words--that is to say, + it is, indifferently, a question of the "covenant running with the + land" or a question of the "covenant running (_away!_) with the + land"!! + +Those luncheons at the White House were always pleasant and interesting +occasions. One met there all kinds of people, of every station in life, +but always people who stood for something and who interested the +President. At the table Roosevelt would speak without apparent reserve +and free from all official restraint, and I doubt whether these +confidences were ever abused. By this means, too, he received the frank, +unreserved statements and criticisms of his guests. + +As an illustration of the range of personalities one would meet at the +Roosevelt luncheons, I remember one day when Seth Bullock, a former +sheriff of the Black Hills district and an intimate friend of Roosevelt +during his cowboy days, sat next to Seth Low at the table. And in his +"Autobiography" Roosevelt himself says: + + No guests were ever more welcome at the White House than these old + friends of the cattle ranches and the cow camps--the men with whom + I had ridden the long circle and eaten at the tail-board of a + chuck-wagon--whenever they turned up at Washington during my + Presidency. I remember one of them who appeared at Washington one + day just before lunch, a huge, powerful man who, when I knew him, + had been distinctly a fighting character. It happened that on that + day another old friend, the British Ambassador, Mr. Bryce, was + among those coming to lunch. Just before we went in I turned to my + cow-puncher friend and said to him with great solemnity, "Remember, + Jim, that if you shot at the feet of the British Ambassador to make + him dance, it would be likely to cause international + complications"; to which Jim responded, with unaffected horror, + "Why, Colonel, I shouldn't think of it, I shouldn't think of it!" + +Mrs. Roosevelt is a most charming and cultured woman, typically the wife +and mother. Literary and intellectual matters appeal to her, though her +dominant note is the domestic one. I am sure she would have been just as +happy as the mistress of a private household as the leading lady of the +land in the White House, despite her great tact, sweetness, and simple +dignity in filling the latter position. + +The President was an omnivorous reader. He could read faster and +remember better than any one I have ever known. On one occasion he +recommended to me Ferrero's "Greatness and Decline of Rome," which he +had just finished in the original Italian, and which had been brought +out in English by the Putnam house. Subsequently, too, I met this author +at the White House, where he and his wife were the guests of the +President for several days. + +In January, 1904, a large conference was held in Washington of +representatives of the various peace societies and other persons +prominently interested in the calling of an international peace +congress. George F. Seward, of New York, was chairman, and others +connected with it were the Reverend Edward Everett Hale and Robert Treat +Paine, of Boston; Henry St. George Tucker, of Virginia, Andrew Carnegie, +and myself. Resolutions were adopted recommending the negotiation of a +treaty with Great Britain whereby all differences between us which might +fail of adjustment through diplomatic channels were to be submitted for +arbitration to the Permanent Court at The Hague. It was further +recommended that we enter into like treaties with other powers as soon +as practicable. We called on the President and the resolutions were +presented by Mr. Tucker; Mr. Carnegie and I each made a few remarks, +which the President in turn answered with a brief address. When he had +finished and we were all standing around him, Mr. Carnegie said to him, +"I have just been congratulating Mr. Straus on the compliments you paid +him, and suggested that he get a copy of that portion of your remarks to +preserve for his children and grandchildren." Roosevelt immediately +turned to Mr. Loeb, his secretary, and instructed him to send to me that +portion of his remarks, adding: "And I meant every word I said." I trust +I may be pardoned for the egotism which prompts me to incorporate it in +these memoirs: + + I have had from Mr. Straus aid that I can not over-estimate, for + which I can not too much express my gratitude, in so much of the + diplomatic work that has arisen in this administration--aid by + suggestion, aid by actual work in helping me to carry out the + suggestions; and Mr. Straus was one of the two or three men who + first set my mind, after I came in as President, in the direction + of doing everything that could be done for the Hague Tribunal, as + that seemed to be the best way to turn for arbitration. + +At another pleasant luncheon there was present Alice, now the wife of +Congressman Longworth, of Ohio, Roosevelt's daughter by his first wife. +In the course of our discussion about the reciprocity treaty with Cuba +and the making of more favorable tariff arrangements, I said: "We went +to war with Spain for the liberation of Cuba, and now if we treat her +step-motherly and starve her to death, what would the world say?" There +was hearty laughter all round the table, and Miss Alice turned to me and +said, in her naive way and with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes: "Do I +look starved?" The President had fairly exploded with laughter, and when +I remarked that I had "put my foot into it," he added, amid another +outburst, "Yes, both of them!" + +The President did not smoke, but always served cigars and cigarettes to +his guests. When I did not take one, he said, "Straus, you smoke." + +"Yes," I answered, "but I certainly want to pay as much respect to you +as I always did to the Sultan of Turkey. He did not drink, and I never +took any when it was served." + +"You go right ahead and smoke. If Root were here he would smoke and +always does," replied Roosevelt. + +After lunch that day, when the other guests had gone, he and I went into +an adjoining room and had a general discussion--labor matters, the +National Civic Federation, the Republican Party, etc., etc. He said he +had received a number of requests to put into the Republican platform a +plank protesting against the discrimination made by Russia against +Americans of the Jewish faith. "You know," he said, "I am prepared to do +anything that I can for all of our citizens regardless of race or +creed, but unless we mean to do something further than simply protest it +would look like an effort to catch votes, for such statements in the +platform could not be regarded for any other purpose." He added he had +in mind a different and more effective way of handling the subject when +the time came. He said he remembered that I had never asked him to take +action in this or any other question that was not justified on broad +American principles, but that if anything arose which specially +reflected upon the Jews he looked to me to bring it to his attention, +and I was to regard that just as much my duty as the protection of +American Christian interests in Turkey. + +We spoke about the Russo-Japanese War, and I told him that some one had +said that the Japs were yellow-skinned, but the Russians were yellow all +the way through. This called forth a hearty laugh. Humor of any kind, +provided it was clean, he always appreciated, and his own sense of it +continually served, as it did for Lincoln, to lighten the seriousness of +his duties. + + * * * * * + +Like Lincoln, too, Roosevelt combined with that balancing sense of humor +an innate and always active sense of justice. Time and again in my +relationship with him I have observed and admired it. I recall in this +regard the case of an employee named Miller in the Government Printing +Office, who was discharged because he did not belong to the union, and +Roosevelt reinstated him. Mr. Gompers and several members of the +Executive Committee of the American Federation of Labor thereupon called +upon the President to protest against this reinstatement. They said his +discharge was based on two points: that he was a non-union man, and also +that he was an incapable worker. Roosevelt's answer was: "The question +of his personal fitness is one to be settled in the routine of +administrative detail, and cannot be allowed to conflict with or to +complicate the larger question of governmental discrimination for or +against him or any other man because he is or is not a member of a +union. This is the only question now before me for decision; and as to +this my decision is final." + +As I was in constant touch with the President by correspondence and +conferences, I wrote him telling of my gratification to find in his +decision anent the Miller case such consonance in principle with his +position regarding the anthracite coal strike, to which I received the +following reply that brings out the point I have just made about his +sense of justice: + + + WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON + _October 1, 1903_ + + MY DEAR MR. STRAUS: + + I thank you heartily for your letter. When you can get on here I + should like to tell you for your own information some of my + experiences in connection with this Miller case. I feel exactly as + you do--that my action was a complement to my action, for instance, + in the anthracite coal strike, and that I could no more hesitate in + the teeth of opposition from the labor unions in one case, than I + could when the opposition came from the big monied men in the other + case. + + Sincerely yours + THEODORE ROOSEVELT + + +Perhaps no President has had a policy, with regard to labor, so wise and +far-seeing as that of Roosevelt. Invariably he sought the counsel of +labor leaders in matters affecting their interests, and always they were +made to feel that redress for their just grievances, and their rights +generally, were as much a concern of his and of his administration as +any rights of the rich. In this connection I recall a remark of P. H. +Morrissey, then head of the railroad train-men. We were seated in the +Red Room of the White House for conference after dinner. There were +present some thirty or more men prominently identified with labor, whom +the President had invited to discuss labor legislation. Morrissey +recalled one time several years before when he sat in front of the great +fireplace in the Red Room waiting for the President; and he said he +could not help reflecting what a long way it was from the cab of the +locomotive engine to this stately room in the official residence of the +President of the United States, an honor and a privilege that Roosevelt +was the first President to give to men of labor. + +On the same evening I saw in clear relief Roosevelt's wonderful tact, +judgment, and understanding of men as I had never seen it displayed +before. One or two of the labor leaders showed some bitterness in their +criticism of certain legislation. Roosevelt showed frank approval of +just complaints and allayed irritation in a most tactful way where the +demand was unjust or unreasonable. + + * * * * * + +In the election of 1904 I took an active part and kept in close touch +with Roosevelt. An unusual amount of bitterness characterized this +campaign, though it was foreseen that Roosevelt would win by a large +majority. In this connection I received a characteristic letter from +him, dated at the White House October 15th: + + I notice that various Democratic papers, including the Evening + Post, have endeavored to show that I have appealed to the Jew vote, + the Catholic vote, etc. Now the fact is that I have not appealed to + any man as Jew, as Protestant, or as Catholic, but that I have as + strongly as in me lies endeavored to make it evident that each is + to have a square deal, no more and no less, without regard to his + creed. I hope that this country will continue in substantially its + present form of government for many centuries. If this is so it is + reasonable to suppose that during that time there will be + Presidents of Jewish faith, Presidents of Catholic faith. Now, my + aim as President is to behave toward the Jew and the Catholic just + as I should wish a Jewish or Catholic President to behave towards + Protestants--in other words, to behave as a good American should + behave toward all his fellow Americans, without regard to the + several creeds they profess or the several lands from which their + ancestors have sprung. Moreover, I am pleased at what Lebowich says + at my not having a spirit of condescension or patronizing. I have + enough of the old Adam in me to object almost as strongly to being + patronized as to being wronged; and I do not intend knowingly to + behave toward others in a manner which I should resent if it were + adopted toward me. + +These sentences bring to mind another and public statement of +Roosevelt's in which he characterized Americanism; the occasion was an +address at the unveiling of the Sheridan equestrian statue in +Washington: + + We should keep steadily before our minds the fact that Americanism + is a question of principle, of purpose, of idealism, of character; + that it is not a matter of birthplace, or creed, or line of + descent. + + Here in this country the representatives of many old-world races + are being fused together into a new type, a type the main features + of which are already determined, and were determined at the time of + the Revolutionary War; for the crucible in which all the new types + are melted into one was shaped from 1776 to 1789, and our + nationality was definitely fixed in all its essentials by the men + of Washington's day. + +Soon after the election he invited me to come to the White House for +dinner one evening and to spend the night; there were a number of things +he wanted to talk over with me. When I arrived I found Dr. Lyman Abbott +and his son Ernest had been similarly invited, and there were additional +guests for dinner: Attorney-General Moody, Senator Knox, Secretary of +War Taft, and James R. Garfield, chief of the Bureau of Corporations in +the Department of Commerce and Labor. + +At dinner the President announced that we had come together to do some +business, and he produced from his pocket a slip of paper on which were +noted the several subjects he wished to consider with us, mainly things +to be incorporated in his forthcoming Message to Congress. First there +was the negro question. The South had vilified him because he +entertained Booker Washington and appointed Crum Collector of the Port +at Charleston. When Congress assembled, one of the things he intended +doing was to send in again the name of Crum for confirmation. "The +Southerners either do not or do not wish to understand it," he said; +adding that his position plainly was that he would do everything in his +power for the white man South without, however, doing a wrong or an +injustice to the colored man. He was sympathetic with the South, for he +was half Southerner himself, his mother having come from Roswell, +Georgia. His remarks on this topic were directed mainly to Dr. Abbott. + +The conversation then turned to the recent election and became very +general, every one joining and relating instances or experiences in +connection with it. Mr. Taft, who had waged a vigorous campaign for the +Administration, told a joke on himself: he had received a letter from +Wayne MacVeagh saying that so far as he (MacVeagh) could see, Taft's +speeches did not do any harm. + +When the talk had gone along these general lines for a while, Roosevelt +interjected with "Now we must get back to business," and proceeded to +discuss the diplomatic service in relation to his Message. He thought +civil service too strictly applied would be detrimental, as we had a +great deal of old timber there that should be gotten rid of. + +Next he took up a discussion of Panama. Mr. Taft with several others was +to leave next day on a mission there to look into the difficulties +between the native army and the President of Panama, and some one +humorously suggested that he had better go down and take away the +weapons from the army and let them muster as much as they wanted to +without weapons. + +After dinner we adjourned to the President's study on the floor above. +He sat down at his desk and pulled open a drawer as he said: "I want to +read to you incomplete drafts of portions of my Message which I should +like to have you criticize, as on some of the subjects I have not yet +fully made up my mind." The Message was in separate parts, each dealing +with an important subject. He took up the part dealing with our foreign +relations, in regard to Russia and Roumania, and addressed me, saying he +would like me to pay special attention to that as he had consulted me +all along concerning the action to be taken. He said our Government had +been criticized as interfering with the internal affairs of other +nations, and the statement had been repeatedly made that we should not +like it if other nations took us to task for our negro lynchings in the +South; but he argued that the lynchings were comparatively few, and, +though bad enough, were nothing compared to the wholesale murder in cold +blood under official sanction and perhaps instigation, as in Kishineff. +"My answer to all these criticisms is this," he said; "only a short time +ago I received a remonstrance or petition from a society in Great +Britain regarding the lynchings in this country. I did not reject it; on +the contrary, I answered it most politely and expressed my great regret +for these unlawful, unjustifiable acts, with which neither I nor the +Government had any sympathy. On the contrary the Government does +everything in its power to prevent these outrages and unlawful acts. +And I authorize any one to make use of this information whenever the +occasion presents itself." + +To the labor question also he wanted me to pay special attention because +of my experience with such matters and in the arbitration of labor +disputes. He began with the statement that he was in favor of organized +capital and organized labor. I asked him whether right at that point I +might make a suggestion, which was that he begin with the general +subject of capital and labor, because organized labor did not comprise +more than fifteen per cent of the wage-earners of the country. This +suggestion he accepted. + +Roosevelt then expressed himself in favor of the eight-hour law. Messrs. +Moody, Knox, Taft, and myself did not agree with his statement in the +form he had it. We explained that there were several bills before +Congress on the subject, some of which had passed the lower house, but +were defeated in the Senate; that it was all right for the Government in +its own yards to adopt an eight-hour day, but when it gave out contracts +to other shops, while it had a right to say that the work upon that +contract should be done by eight-hour days, it had no right to require +work on other contracts to be done in eight-hour days. When we had +discussed the subject quite thoroughly, it was agreed to omit it from +the Message. + +Next he took up the trust question. He said Mr. Garfield had several +suggestions to offer for making the interstate commerce law effective. +It was generally agreed that the law as originally passed fully provided +the remedy that was intended, but it had been emasculated by the +decisions of the Supreme Court. Messrs. Knox, Taft, and Moody referred +to several of these decisions and pointed out that the railroads, under +subterfuge of switches and free cars--cars that were furnished by such +shippers as the beef trust--got completely around the law. They allowed +a mileage charge for the supply of these cars in excess of what should +be allowed, and under such cover it amounted to a rebate to those +shippers and was a complete circumvention of the law. Garfield's +suggestion was that the interstate commerce corporations be compelled to +obtain a license or charter from the National Government to do business. +We thoroughly discussed this, but it was disapproved as being an +interference with the legal rights of States, and that therefore no such +law could be passed by Congress. The President then turned to the legal +members of our group and said, "Now here is a great wrong and you +lawyers have always got a way of preventing us from reaching a remedy." + +Knox created a laugh by replying, "The President wants us as usual to +jump over the Supreme Court." + +The work on the Message done, Roosevelt said it was his intention to go +South and make a few speeches. He would begin at San Antonio and would +visit Tuskegee and Sewanee Colleges, for he wanted his views in regard +to the South and the negro question fully understood. He read us a draft +along the lines of thought he wanted to present, quoting much from +Lincoln, which seemed highly to the point. When some one mentioned the +curtailing of suffrage so as to have it based upon educational +qualifications and property ownership, the President said it would not +be wise to agitate that subject, and that herein Booker Washington +agreed with him; but, he added, "There is something inherently wrong +about a Southern member representing in some instances only a quarter of +the number of votes that an Eastern member represents, and having an +equal vote with him in Congress." + +It was half after midnight when our little company separated. The +President then suggested to Dr. Abbott and me that we meet at 8.15 +breakfast, if we did not object to having this meal with him and the +children. In the absence of Mrs. Roosevelt, who had gone to New York, +the President next morning took the head of the table, and with the +coffee urn before him served us each with our coffee, cream, and sugar. +There were Teddy, Ethel, Kermit, Archie, and Quentin, the governess, the +tutor, besides Dr. Abbott, his son, and myself. After the meal we +strolled in the park back of the White House until 9.30, when the +President left for his work-room in the new office building west of the +White House. + + * * * * * + +I did not see Roosevelt again for several months. One day in May I took +lunch with him upon his return from Chicago where he had had a +conference with the representatives of the labor unions who were +carrying on the teamster's strike that paralyzed the commerce of the +city. He said he had received through his secretary my memorandum +regarding an adjustment of the trouble, and that it was of great +assistance to him in discussing the situation and coming to some +equitable arrangement. He was preparing a Message for an extra session +of Congress in October, and said he would send me parts of it, +especially those referring to immigration and the Far East, for my +advice and suggestion. + + * * * * * + +In 1905, when Roosevelt was busy with negotiations to bring peace +between Russia and Japan, I received a letter from him stating that he +had endeavored to get these two nations to go to The Hague, but Russia +was most reluctant and Japan positively refused; nor would they go to +either Paris or Chefoo, but they were both willing to come to +Washington. In his own "Autobiography," which I never tire of reading, +Roosevelt gives an interesting sketch of his mediation between these two +countries which finally brought about the conference and treaty at +Portsmouth, New Hampshire. + +Count Sergius Witte, head of the Russian mission to Portsmouth, was +desirous of meeting some of the representative Jews of our country with +a view to seeking what might practicably be done to improve the +condition of the Jews in the Russian Empire. While it was said that his +wife was a Jewess, his interest in the Jewish question was perhaps +primarily to improve the relations between Russia and the United States. +The Russian massacres, with the resultant enforced emigration, the +public meetings of protest in this country and the press comments, had +seriously prejudiced public opinion here against Russia. + +The Count therefore invited a committee to confer with him and Baron +Rosen at Portsmouth. There were Jacob H. Schiff, Isaac N. Seligman, +Adolph Kraus, Adolf Lewisohn, and myself. The Count admitted with much +frankness the condition of the Jewish population of Russia, and that it +was an injustice. He expressed his purpose to exert his best influence +to remedy the just grievances of the oppressed Jews. We assured him that +we asked for no special privileges for our co-religionists, but the +same, and no greater, rights for them than were accorded other Russian +subjects; that the granting of such rights would relieve Russia of the +Jewish question and of the international ill-will to which this question +naturally and rightly gave rise. Both the Count and Baron Rosen agreed +with us, but argued that it was not practicable to grant such complete +emancipation, but that it should come about gradually. We told them, of +course, that with that premise we could not and would not agree. + +The Count was very much impressed with our presentation of the subject, +and our statements were corroborated by his own observations later when +he made a visit to the lower East Side of New York where he spoke with a +number of the Russian-Jewish immigrants. He said that upon his return to +Russia he would at once take up the problem with a view ultimately to +secure equal rights for the Jewish subjects, that he realized the +necessity for this not only from a humanitarian standpoint, but from the +standpoint of Russia's best interests and of her relations with the +leading nations of the world, particularly with the United States. + +Before going to Portsmouth on Count Witte's invitation, I conferred with +Roosevelt. He wanted me in an unofficial capacity to observe carefully +the progress of the negotiations and keep him advised. Just at that time +it looked as if the conference might break up, and before that stage was +actually reached he wanted to be notified, for he would probably have a +communication to make to the commissioners. On arriving at Portsmouth I +had a confidential talk with Fedor Fedorovich Martens, the great Russian +international jurist, who was one of my fellow members at the Hague +Tribunal, and with whom I had been in personal touch on several previous +occasions. He was legal adviser to the Russian delegation. I apprised +him of what I knew to be the desire of the President, and he agreed that +if a break became imminent, a communication such as the President would +send would be likely to have the right influence, and he would see to it +that, should the necessity arise for such a message, Roosevelt should be +promptly informed. I advised the President of my understanding with +Martens, but fortunately no rupture occurred and the terms of peace were +agreed upon. + +In his "Autobiography" Roosevelt says, with regard to these Portsmouth +negotiations: "I had certainly tried my best to be the friend not only +of the Japanese people but of the Russian people, and I believe that +what I did was for the best interests of both and of the world at +large." He refers with characteristic generosity to the help given him +at St. Petersburg by our ambassador, George von Lengerke Meyer, who +"rendered literally invaluable aid by insisting upon himself seeing the +Czar at critical periods of the transaction, when it was no longer +possible for me to act successfully through the representatives of the +Czar, who were often at cross-purposes with one another." + +And when the Portsmouth Conference was over, the President further took +a deep interest in bringing about amelioration of the condition of the +Jews in Russia. When Count Witte came to New York, Roosevelt wrote him +the following letter, of which he sent me a copy: + + + OYSTER BAY, N.Y. + _September 10, 1905_ + + MY DEAR MR. WITTE: + + ... In furtherance of our conversation of last evening I beg you to + consider the question of granting passports to reputable American + citizens of Jewish faith. I feel that if this could be done it + would remove the last cause of irritation between the two nations + whose historic friendship for one another I wish to do my best to + maintain. You could always refuse to give a passport to any + American citizen, Jew or Gentile, unless you were thoroughly + satisfied that no detriment would come to Russia in granting it. + But if your Government could only see its way clear to allowing + reputable American citizens of Jewish faith, as to whose intentions + they are satisfied, to come to Russia, just as you do reputable + American Christians, I feel it would be from every standpoint most + fortunate. + + Again assuring you of my high regard, and renewing my + congratulations to you and to your country upon the peace that has + been obtained, believe me, + + Sincerely yours + THEODORE ROOSEVELT + + +Early in 1906, when the Algeciras Conference regarding Morocco was in +session, and the press reported that it was likely to break up without +an agreement on account of Germany's attitude, Carl Schurz, knowing of +my close relationship with Roosevelt, wrote to me that the President +could probably prevail upon the Powers concerned to refer the question +to the Hague Tribunal. This letter I forwarded to Roosevelt; but +although he was ever ready to vitalize the machinery of the Hague +Tribunal, advice coming from Mr. Schurz at this time was not regarded +with favor, possibly because of their previous differences. In his reply +to me, however, the President showed what a clear and prophetic insight +he had into Germany's attitude and purposes: + + Modern Germany is alert, aggressive, military and industrial. It + thinks it is a match for England and France combined in war, and + would probably be less reluctant to fight both those powers + together than they would be together to fight it. It despises the + Hague Conference and the whole Hague idea. It respects the United + States only in so far as it believes that our navy is efficient and + that if sufficiently wronged or insulted we would fight. Now I like + and respect Germany, but I am not blind to the fact that Germany + does not reciprocate the feeling. I want us to do everything we can + to stay on good terms with Germany, but I would be a fool if I were + blind to the fact that Germany will not stay in with us if we + betray weakness. As for this particular case, when I see you next I + shall tell you all that I have done and you will see that I have + been using my very best efforts for peace. + +In all my relations with Roosevelt, even before I became a member of his +Cabinet, I was more and more convinced that no consideration of +political self-interest or partisan advantage ever entered his mind in +determining his attitude or action in upholding the right or dethroning +a wrong. He resented nothing more than when some politician or +inconsiderate person made an appeal to him for action on the plea that +it would be good politics. He was visioned, but not visionary; and +withal highly practical, in that he understood the workings and +tendencies of human forces. Just as he would read a book by absorbing a +page at a glance, so he would instinctively appraise his fellow men; +their qualities would impress him just as a brilliant paragraph in a +book would arrest his instant attention. + +Roosevelt would not make an idle gesture or even imply a threat which he +did not purpose to carry into action. He was more abused by those whom +he designated as "the interests," and better understood and trusted by +the masses, than any President in our history with the exception of +Lincoln. So it is always with real leaders, who seek to guide rather +than pander to public opinion. The latter course appeals to weak though +well-intentioned public men; the former requires not only clear vision +but high courage, and these qualities Roosevelt possessed to an +extraordinary degree. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII + +INDUSTRIAL DIPLOMACY + + Trade unions and federated unions--Formation of the National Civic + Federation--Notable industrial disputes are settled--Andrew + Carnegie dines with fighting labor leaders--Marcus Hanna, general + of industry--My chairmanship of the Board of Railway Labor + Arbitration--Our findings and recommendations--My chairmanship of + the New York Public Service Commission--Military necessities + impinge upon industrial relations--The President's Industrial + Conference of 1919-20. + + +When our industries were small, a strong human tie bound together +employer and worker. Following the expansion which began after the Civil +War, our industries resolved themselves into vast organizations and +corporations, and the relations between employer and worker became more +and more impersonal. The workers first organized into trade unions, +which presently expanded into federated unions similar to those which a +generation before had begun to be formed in Great Britain. + +The rapid growth of our industries and the impersonal relations between +employer and employed made it apparent that social justice required that +reciprocal rights be recognized in order to bring about a better +understanding of a relationship which had already become increasingly +strained and often embittered, resulting in serious strikes and +lock-outs. One of the first organizations to meet this need was formed +in Chicago in 1894, following the Pullman strike. It was called the +Civic Federation of Chicago and was under the leadership of a number of +prominent men of that city, directed by Ralph M. Easley. + +Six years later the scope of this organization was enlarged, and in the +name of the National Civic Federation a conference was called in +Chicago, in December, 1900, and the debate centered round the +proposition that in American industries voluntary conciliation was +preferable to compulsory arbitration. At that conference a committee was +selected whose duty it was to collect information at home and abroad +regarding measures of arbitration, and to advise with employers and +workmen in this country whenever and wherever possible. + +In the following December, 1901, the National Civic Federation held a +conference in New York in the rooms of the New York Board of Trade and +Transportation. I was then president of that Board and was asked to +preside at the conference. After adjourning the sessions, we organized +the industrial department of the Federation, with a committee of twelve +men representing the public, twelve men representing employers, and +twelve men representing wage-earners. These three groups were headed, +respectively, by Grover Cleveland, Marcus A. Hanna, and Samuel Gompers. +All of their colleagues were men of national distinction and were +recognized leaders in their fields. From this larger committee of +thirty-six, an executive committee of five was selected, whose members +were as follows: Marcus A. Hanna, chairman; Samuel Gompers, first +vice-president; I, second vice-president; Charles A. Moore, treasurer; +and Ralph M. Easley, secretary. + +The scope and plan of the industrial department was to promote +industrial peace in whatever way might seem best. We planned for a large +meeting in May, when two public sessions were to be held, one at Cooper +Union and one in the rooms of the New York Chamber of Commerce. We +issued a statement of our plan and scope and inaugurated a broad +educational campaign. + +Meanwhile our department proved itself most practical. It actively +helped settle several disputes, notably the Albany street-car strike, +the disagreement between the National Metal Trades Association and the +International Association of Machinists, and the United States steel +strike. And it was instrumental in averting the threatened anthracite +coal strike. + +The identical ideal that I held up in my opening address at the meeting +in January, 1901, I should hold up to-day: namely, that industrial +peace, to be permanent, cannot rest upon force, but must rest upon +justice, and in essential industries especially, upon a high sense of +responsibility to the public by both employer and employed. In no other +country are conditions, by nature and by principles of government, +better adapted to the equitable adjustment of the reciprocal rights, +duties, and privileges of labor and capital than in our own, because we +are a democratic people with no fixed class distinctions to separate us. +The laborer of to-day may be the capitalist of to-morrow, and vice +versa. Capital and labor are interdependent, not opponents; and it is on +the basis of that dependency that adjustments in the relationship +between them must be made. This ideal is, happily, more widely +recognized to-day than it was when the National Civic Federation was +organized. + +I gave considerable attention to the work of the Federation for a number +of years. As the offices were in New York and the president and first +vice-president were both resident in other cities, the direction of the +organization between conferences largely fell upon me as second +vice-president, with the important assistance of the secretary, Mr. +Easley. + +The Federation afforded a neutral forum where, under the chairmanship of +one of its officers, the disputants could discuss their grievances and +arrive at an understanding. Many times the growing bitterness between +them was checked and a strike or lock-out averted. The fact was often +borne in upon me how many of these industrial disputes grew out of +misunderstandings which were cleared away when men assembled around a +table and frankly discussed their differences. + +To further the work and interests of the Federation I brought together +in social relationship, at several dinners at my home, the +representatives of all three groups; namely, the public, the +wage-earner, and the employer. One day Andrew Carnegie expressed the +desire to meet the labor leaders who had instigated the strike in the +Carnegie works which resulted in the Homestead riots. Accordingly I +arranged a dinner, to which I invited a number of the men of the labor +wing of the Federation, as well as some others of the committee, +together with Messrs. Wighe and Schaeffer, of Pittsburgh, officers of +the Amalgamated Union, who had led the Homestead strike. + +Carnegie knew these leaders well, and they knew him. He called them by +their Christian names and they called him "Andy." They said that night +that they and their colleagues in the union had always believed that +that strike and riot would never have taken place had "Andy" been +present. As a matter of fact, Carnegie's relations with his men had +always been very friendly. He was unjustly accused of the responsibility +for the Homestead riots, which might not have occurred had he, instead +of Mr. Frick, been in charge of the employers' side. Mr. Carnegie at the +time was in Scotland. + +Only a short while before this Carnegie dinner, Marcus Hanna had died, +and our executive committee offered to Mr. Carnegie the presidency of +the Federation, to succeed Mr. Hanna. Mr. Carnegie was gratified and +very much touched, especially by the implied confidence on the part of +the twelve labor men of the Federation; but on account of his advanced +years he felt that he could not give the position the attention it +deserved. He was, however, glad to become a member of the executive +committee, and as such revealed himself in a most favorable light. +Beneath his Scotch nimbleness of mind there was a broad, tolerant, and +lovable heart. He met the laboring men, not as their superior, but as +one having a genuine brotherly interest in their welfare. It became very +evident to us all why he was so highly regarded by his workmen, and why +he had so much influence with them: they trusted to his fairness and had +a real affection for him personally. In his Autobiography he makes +feeling reference to his connection with the Federation. + +Marcus Hanna, who was known to the country chiefly through his political +activities, was looked upon as the leader of a group of rich men who had +won political power by commercializing our political system; and was +regarded by many as an evil influence. But in connection with the great +industrial interests that he had built up in Ohio and elsewhere--coal +mines, iron works, shipping, street railways--little was known of him. +He had shown great capacity as an industrial general in the management +of his men, winning their good-will by fair and equitable treatment; and +it is said he never had a strike in the industries he administered. He +was highly regarded by the labor leaders, who had confidence in his +fairness to the wage-earners. He did not oppose, as did so many of the +employers of his time, the organization of labor unions. On the +contrary, he believed that such organizations were necessary adequately +to protect the rights of the workers. + +As chairman of the executive committee of the Civic Federation, Hanna +displayed this better side of his character and his great ability as an +organizer and a leader. Here he was not the cunning politician, but the +genial head of an industry who recognized the just demands of the +wage-earners and was always generous with them in regard to compensation +and labor conditions. + +The work we did and the experiences we encountered as officers of the +Federation, each group coming into close contact with the others and +adjusting with them industrial differences, had a decided educational +value for us all. For myself, the study I gave during these years to the +relations between capital and labor, and my active part in the +conciliation and arbitration of labor disputes, provided me with an +intensely practical background and preparation for the secretaryship of +the Department of Commerce and Labor, which later fell to my lot. It was +this experience and my personal acquaintance with the representatives of +capital and labor all over the country that induced me, as head of that +Department, to organize the Council of Commerce and to plan the Council +of Labor, to both of which I shall refer more specifically later. + +The Board of Railway Labor Arbitration of 1912 was perhaps the most +important labor arbitration body brought into existence up to that time. +Its decisions affected the whole Eastern district: that is, that section +of our country lying east of Chicago and East St. Louis, and north of +the Ohio River to Parkersburg, West Virginia, and of the Potomac River +to its mouth. Fifty-two railroad lines and over thirty-one thousand +engineers were involved. The latter negotiated through the Brotherhood +of Locomotive Engineers. + +The representatives of the Brotherhood and the members of the Conference +Committee of Managers of the railroads held several conferences in +March, 1912, at which the Brotherhood made certain requests. The +conferences ended with the refusal of the roads to grant these requests +or any part of them, whereupon ninety-three per cent of the members +voted for a strike. Charles P. Neill, United States Commissioner of +Labor, and Judge Martin A. Knapp, of the United States Commerce Court, +tendered their friendly offices under the Erdman Act, but were unable to +mediate, and the contending parties would not agree to arbitrate under +the provisions of the Erdman Act. It was then decided to submit the +dispute to a board of arbitration composed of seven members, one to be +chosen by each side, and those two to agree on the other five within +fifteen days of their own appointment. + +The roads chose Daniel Willard, president of the Baltimore and Ohio +Railroad, and the Brotherhood chose P. H. Morrissey, former grand master +of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. At the end of fifteen days, +these two had not succeeded in agreeing upon the other five members of +the board, though they had agreed upon a list from which the five might +be chosen. A committee consisting of Mr. Neill, Judge Knapp, and Chief +Justice White, of the Supreme Court of the United States, then chose +five names from that list, and the final personnel of the board was as +follows: Dr. Charles R. Van Hise, of Madison, Wisconsin; Frederick N. +Judson, of St. Louis; Dr. Albert Shaw, Otto M. Eidlitz, and myself, of +New York, in addition to Mr. Morrissey and Mr. Willard. + +[Illustration: _Copyright by American Press Association_ + +MEMBERS OF THE RAILWAY BOARD OF ARBITRATION + +From left to right: Standing: Daniel Willard, Otto M. Eidlitz, Albert +Shaw, P.H. Morrissey Sitting: Charles R. Van Hise, Oscar S. Straus, +Frederick N. Judson] + +On July 12th the board met and organized, electing me as chairman. The +decisions of the board were to be binding for one year and thereafter +could be terminated by either side upon a thirty days' notice. For two +weeks we held hearings, morning and afternoon, at the Oriental Hotel, +Manhattan Beach, New York. When the hearings were over, the board +adjourned until early September, when the work of making the awards was +begun. Because of my nomination for Governor by the Progressive Party at +the time, I found it advisable to relinquish the chairmanship of the +board to Dr. Van Hise, although I continued my membership and active +interest to the end. + +The hearings were reported and consisted of 1250 pages of testimony. The +questions that confronted the board were not alone whether or not the +wages in a given case should be raised, but, if it was found that the +rate was inadequate, by what margin should it be increased? It was +fairly difficult to arrive at principles of standardization applicable +to so many roads, and to fix a basis of differentiation for the many and +complicated branches of employment. The whole subject, however, had our +most careful and painstaking consideration. We took up the whole +intricate problem of the running of railroads, with relation to the +several kinds of work performed by the engineers, in passenger service, +freight service, in switching, and in yard work, bearing in mind always +that railways were public utilities and that the necessities and comfort +of the whole people depended upon their functioning; and that therefore +the necessity for uninterrupted service far transcended the interests of +either the roads on the one side or the employees on the other. + +Our decisions as finally printed made a book of one hundred and +twenty-three pages. One of our chief recommendations was that National +and State wage commissions be created which should function in relation +to labor engaged in public utilities as the public service commissions +functioned toward capital. I quote from the report: + + Especially for the public utilities is it important that labor + should have a just wage, and if the existing wages are not + adequate, they should be increased. If a just increase in wages + places the public utilities in a position that does not enable them + to secure a fair return upon capital invested and maintain a proper + reserve, they should be allowed to increase their rates until they + are in that position. + +Another point upon which we laid stress was the limitation of the right +to strike: + + While it is clear from the public point of view that a concerted + strike of railway employees for a great region would be as + intolerable as a strike of the postal clerks; on the other hand, + the position of the employees is a very natural one. They feel + under existing conditions that the power to strike is their only + weapon of defense against employers and the only means by which + they can enforce a betterment of their conditions of service. They + realize, too, that the principle of concerted action, for all the + railroads in a great section of the country, gives them a most + effective weapon, and they are naturally loath to relinquish or + impair it. + + While this is the situation under the present conditions, and the + railway employees feel that they cannot surrender their right to + strike, the necessity would no longer exist for the exercise of + this power, if there were a wage commission which would secure them + just wages. + + Finally, it is the belief of the Board that in the last analysis + the only solution--unless we are to rely solely upon the + restraining power of public opinion--is to qualify the principle of + free contract in the railroad service. A strike in the army or navy + is mutiny and universally punished as such. The same principle is + applied to seamen because of the public necessity involved. A + strike among postal clerks, as among the teachers of our public + schools, would be unthinkable. In all these cases, the employment, + to borrow a legal phrase, is affected with a public use; and this + of necessity qualifies the right of free concerted action which + exists in private employments. + + However, if the principle be accepted that there are certain + classes of service thus affected with a public interest and men who + enter them are not free concertedly to quit the service, then these + men must be guarded in the matter of wages and conditions by public + protection; and this it is believed can best be done through an + interstate wage commission. + +The report was signed by six members of the board, Mr. Willard adding an +explanatory statement. Mr. Morrissey wrote a dissenting opinion. For a +number of years the findings of this board, with slight alterations, +continued to be effective in adjusting wages for the different kinds of +service among the engineers, and in governing conditions and number of +working hours of the employees. + + * * * * * + +The President's Industrial Conference of 1919-20, of which I was a +member, was of value chiefly in that it correlated the best ideas in +practice throughout the country with regard to the prevention and relief +of industrial unrest and the betterment in general of the relationship +between employer and employee, and that it published suggestions based +on these ideas, of which the main points were the following: + + 1. The parties to the dispute may voluntarily submit their + differences for settlement to a board, known as a Regional + Adjustment Conference. This board consists of four representatives + selected by the parties, and four others in their industry chosen + by them and familiar with their problems. The board is presided + over by a trained government official, the regional chairman, who + acts as a conciliator. If a unanimous agreement is reached, it + results in a collective bargain having the same effect as if + reached by joint organization in the shop. + + 2. If the Regional Conference fails to agree unanimously, the + matter, with certain restrictions, goes, under the agreement of + submission, to the National Industrial Board, unless the parties + prefer the decision of an umpire selected by them. + + 3. The voluntary submission to a Regional Adjustment Conference + carries with it an agreement by both parties that there shall be no + interference with production pending the processes of adjustment. + + 4. If the parties, or either of them, refuse voluntarily to submit + the dispute to the processes of the plan of adjustment, a Regional + Board of Inquiry is formed by the regional chairman, of two + employers and two employees from the industry, and not parties to + the dispute. This Board has the right, under proper safeguards, to + subpoena witnesses and records, and the duty to publish its + findings as a guide to public opinion. + + 5. The National Industrial Board in Washington has general + oversight of the working of the plan. + + 6. The plan is applicable also to public utilities, but in such + cases, the government agency, having power to regulate the service, + has two representatives in the Adjustment Conference. Provision is + made for prompt report of its findings to the rate regulating body. + The Conference makes no recommendation of a plan to cover steam + railroads and other carriers, for which legislation has recently + been enacted by Congress. (Esch-Cummins Bill.) + + 7. The plan provides machinery for prompt and fair adjustment of + wages and working conditions of government employees. It is + especially necessary for this class of employees, who should not be + permitted to strike. + + 8. The plan involves no penalties other than those imposed by + public opinion. It does not impose compulsory arbitration. It does + not deny the right to strike. It does not submit to arbitration the + policy of the "closed" or "open" shop. + + 9. The plan is national in scope and operation, yet it is + decentralized. It is different from anything in operation + elsewhere. It is based upon American experience and is designed to + meet American conditions. It employs no legal authority except the + right of inquiry. Its basic idea is stimulation to settlement of + differences by the parties in conflict, and the enlistment of + public opinion toward enforcing that method of settlement. + +Unfortunately nothing came of the painstaking work of this conference +beyond the publishing of its final report of March 6, 1920. + + * * * * * + +The chairmanship of the New York Public Service Commission did not at +all appeal to me when first Governor Whitman offered it to me. The +commission as it then existed had unfortunately lost public confidence +to a large extent, and I felt that it was not the kind of service for +which I was especially qualified. However, it was pointed out to me that +there was constant danger of strikes on the part of the thousands of +workmen engaged in the construction of subway and elevated extensions, +and an added appeal was made to me in view of the considerable +experience I had had in adjusting labor difficulties. And so, after +declining, I was finally prevailed upon by the Governor and the late +George W. Perkins, in December, 1915, to accept this arduous duty. + +As soon as it became known that I had accepted the chairmanship, the +Governor received a communication from William Henry Hodge, the +distinguished engineer, announcing his willingness to serve on the +commission, although before my selection he had refused such +appointment. The other members of the commission were: Charles E. +Hervey, William Hayward, and Traverse H. Whitney. Messrs. Hayward and +Hodge left the commission, when we entered the war, to join the army. +Mr. Hayward was commissioned Colonel, having organized the 15th New +York, afterward the 369th United States Infantry, a regiment of colored +men who performed gallant service in France. Mr. Hodge was commissioned +Major and was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel, and gave his splendid +talents to the services of his country in building roads to the battle +fronts of France. Due to his strenuous labors over there, this gifted +engineer and exemplary patriot died shortly after the armistice. + +The commission had charge of the building of the subways and elevated +lines then in process, as well as the regulation of traffic and all +public utilities. As the war progressed, it became clearer that our +country would inevitably be drawn in, and therefore increasingly +important that nothing should prevent the functioning of our public +utilities. And accordingly it was not long before my services as +adjuster and arbitrator of labor difficulties were needed. The cost of +living was rapidly rising, and there was great unrest among laborers; +and the demand for skilled and unskilled labor grew day by day. When our +country entered the war, it was highly important for the moral effect +upon our own people, as well as to avoid giving encouragement to our +enemies, that the transportation system of our greatest metropolis +should operate without interruption. During the following year and a +half I was able to adjust a dozen or more important labor disputes and +to prevent a number of strikes. The situation was complicated by the +fact that the laborers were not employees of the commission, but of the +several contractors to whom contracts had been awarded under conditions +of fierce competition, so that every increase in wages materially +affected their profits and in the end caused many of them to suffer +considerable loss. I had to appeal to the patriotism of both sides, and +it is a pleasure to be able to state that in every instance the response +was most gratifying. + + + + +CHAPTER IX + +IN THE CABINET + + Roosevelt offers me a place in his Cabinet--I retire permanently + from private business--I become Secretary of the Department of + Commerce and Labor---The scope of the department--My bureau + chiefs--At home in the Venetian Palace--Cabinet dinners--What + Roosevelt drank--Roosevelt's fondness for terrapin--South Carolina + labor immigration--The Japanese question; the "Gentlemen's + Agreement"; General Kuroki's visit; the courts and Japanese + naturalization--My trip to Hawaii; Viscount Ishii--Japanese + transits between Canada and Mexico; Japanese immigration + statistics; I suggest a naturalization treaty with + Japan--Anti-Japanese agitation renewed in California--The Four + Power Treaty of the Washington Conference--Immigration head tax + immunity for diplomats--Revision of naturalization laws; prevention + of fraudulent naturalization--More frequent steamboat inspection + --The Alaskan salmon fisheries--Organization of the Council of + Commerce, predecessor to the Chamber of Commerce of the United + States--The Council of Labor--Roosevelt's Nobel Peace Prize + Foundation--A visit to Georgia; my old homes at Columbus and + Talbotton--Quentin Roosevelt--Social life in Washington; Christmas + celebration in the White House; the President's New Year's + reception; I give the last Cabinet dinner. + + +Before I became a member of President Roosevelt's official family, I was +in what he termed his "kitchen cabinet." My experiences in both cabinets +are among the treasured recollections of my life. + +We were the unofficial advisers who met round the luncheon and dinner +table and afterwards in the White House study, where the President spoke +without reserve of his executive problems and read for our criticism and +counsel his rough drafts of congressional messages, speeches, and notes +to foreign governments. + +Holding no portfolios of state, these "kitchen cabinet ministers" yet +gave of their best; were always prepared to toil to any extent to be of +assistance to the President. He had the quality of vitalizing things--a +situation or condition coming within his executive ken became so +charged with life and imagination that men wanted to put their hands and +minds to it. They served Roosevelt as energetically and loyally as if +the grave responsibilities of state were upon their own shoulders. + +International relations and labor arbitration were the public activities +which interested me most. The President had appointed me a member of the +permanent board of arbitration at The Hague to succeed the late Benjamin +Harrison, and shortly thereafter in his charming manner had designated +me as a member of his "kitchen cabinet." Thus there had commenced for me +a memorable series of conferences. + +There is much misapprehension regarding Roosevelt's so-called +impulsiveness. This was evident to those who had an intimate view of the +man at work. He was quick. He was a prodigious worker. He was so +constituted and so self-trained that he had to do things immediately, +get them out of the way. What people called his impulsiveness might have +been more aptly termed his preparedness. + +I had hundreds of opportunities to observe his methods. When he accepted +an invitation to deliver an address or write an article, he would +prepare it immediately, even if the occasion were two, three, or six +months off. He revised considerably, showed his work freely to friends +and associates for criticisms, but completed it at the earliest +opportunity. He never waited. This method served to perfect his thought +and expression on a given subject. His promptness left him free for +other things. + +The President never seemed to be hurried, though he always worked with a +wonderful driving force. He seemed never to waste any time. It was play +or work, and both with his whole heart. + +His public addresses were almost invariably the result of preparation. +It was seldom that he spoke extemporaneously. The fire and animation +which he imparted in the delivery of his speeches certainly conveyed no +impression that they might have been carefully prepared and considered +at a desk in a study. The pages of his manuscript were so small and +inconspicuous that they did not interfere with his natural gestures. The +effect was almost as if he spoke extemporaneously. The written address, +printed on sheets about 3 x 6 inches, and held in one hand, was +completely lost sight of by the audience in those moments when Colonel +Roosevelt became emphatic. In those moments he also interspersed +extemporaneous remarks which brought out his arguments more vividly and +forcefully. + + * * * * * + +I stopped in Washington and called on President Roosevelt, early in +January of 1906, on my return from a short vacation in the South. He +took me into his private room, where we found his personal and political +friend, James H. Sheffield, and Senator Spooner. He spoke about the +political changes in New York, the defeat of the machine in that State, +the election of Herbert Parsons as chairman of the County Committee, and +of young Wadsworth (now United States Senator), son-in-law of John Hay, +as Speaker of the House. He took a special delight in the election of +both of these men; he had a high regard for them personally and for what +they stood. He said he had written a letter to Parsons which he hoped +would be helpful to him. + +The President asked me to come to lunch with him, which was another of +those delightful, informal meetings. Besides Mrs. Roosevelt, his +daughter Alice, and her fiance, there were William Dudley Foulke, a +former colleague of the President on the Civil Service Commission and +friend of mine from my college days; Robert Hitt son of Congressman +Hitt; and Lieutenant Fortesque, an officer of the Rough Riders. + +After luncheon, the President asked me to wait for him in the Red Room, +as he wanted to have a talk with me. When the other guests had departed, +he came back to me and with his face beaming with geniality he said: "I +don't know whether you know it or not, but I want you to become a member +of my Cabinet. I have a very high estimate of your character, your +judgment, and your ability, and I want you for personal reasons. There +is still a further reason: I want to show Russia and some other +countries what we think of the Jews in this country." + +Of course I was gratified, very much gratified. I told him I had heard +from several persons that he had spoken of this intention, but that I +had meant to take no notice of it until he should speak to me about it; +that I should certainly esteem it the very highest honor to become a +member of the Cabinet, and especially to have the privilege of working +alongside of him. + +"I knew you would feel just that way; therefore I was anxious to let you +know of my intention as long in advance as possible," replied the +President. He said all this in such a cordial and affectionate manner +that I was profoundly touched with this manifestation of close +friendship for me. + +He then added that he could not see that it would do any good, and might +do harm, to make further protests or utterances regarding the massacres +in Russia under the disorganized conditions there; and he did not want +to do anything that might sound well here and have just the opposite +effect there. He thought it would be much more pointed evidence of our +Government's interest if he put a man like me into his Cabinet, and that +such a course would doubtless have a greater influence than any words +with the countries in which unreasonable discrimination and prejudice +prevailed. + +He told me that it might be July or even later before he could carry out +his purpose. He would prefer to put me at the head of the Department of +Commerce and Labor, because of my knowledge in that field, but he could +not determine the specific position until later. But at any rate, I was +to regard my appointment to one of the Cabinet positions as certain. + +He asked whether I knew Senator Platt, and indicated that it might be +well for several of my friends to have a talk with the Senator. But he +quickly added that it would make no difference to him whether it suited +the New York Senator or not, though it might perhaps be a little more +agreeable if I did not have the latter's opposition. I preferred to feel +that my selection was personal, which it really was, and without even +the semblance of political influence; so I did not ask any of my friends +to speak to Senator Platt, nor did I think he would oppose me. + +My wife and the rest of my family were of course elated at hearing the +news, particularly my brother Isidor, whose attitude toward me, his +youngest brother, was always more like that of an affectionate father +than a brother. I felt no trepidation, especially should I be selected +for the Department of Commerce and Labor. My past training and interest +in many of the subjects that came up under that department made me +conversant with the main questions it had to administer. + +Upon my return to New York I began to make arrangements for severing all +business connections. This I thought wise, particularly if I became head +of the Department of Commerce and Labor. It was not a necessary step, +but I wanted it never to be said that I advocated any measure or made +any decision that might in the remotest way be of advantage to my +private interests. I spoke to Roosevelt about my intention, and he said +that while it was not essential, if I could do so it would on the whole +be advisable; that situated similarly he would do the same thing +himself. Before assuming office, therefore, I had retired from business +for good, and I have not since that time been connected with any +business for personal profit. + +My nomination was officially made in September, but it was not until +early December, 1906, that I received a letter from William Loeb, Jr., +the President's secretary, notifying me that the President desired me to +assume office on December 17th. On that day, accordingly, I appeared at +9 A.M. at the Department of Commerce and Labor, then located in the +Willard Building across the street from the Hotel Willard on Fourteenth +Street. There I met my predecessor, Victor H. Metcalf, who had been +appointed Secretary of the Navy. Mr. Metcalf welcomed me in a brief +address and introduced me to the twelve bureau and five division chiefs +of the department. + +The Department of Commerce and Labor was the youngest of the nine +departments of the Government, the bill creating it having been approved +by President Roosevelt on February 14, 1903. Roosevelt had done much to +establish the department and took great pride in it. The first Secretary +of Commerce and Labor was George B. Cortelyou, who had been secretary to +the President, and by reason of his intimate relations with the +officials of the Government was admirably equipped to organize this +department, which he did with great skill and administrative ability. +After holding the office for about a year and a half, Secretary +Cortelyou became Postmaster-General, and Victor H. Metcalf, Congressman +from California, was appointed, thereby becoming the next Secretary of +the Department on July 1, 1904; I was therefore the third. + +The scope of the Department as constituted then was probably the largest +of the nine branches of the Government. It was charged with the work of +promoting the commerce, mining, manufacturing, shipping, and fishery +industries of the country, as well as its transportation facilities and +its labor interests; in addition it had jurisdiction over the entire +subject of immigration. It had twelve bureaus: corporations; +manufactures; labor; lighthouses; census; coast and geodetic survey; +statistics, including foreign commerce; steamboat inspection; +immigration and naturalization; and standards. + +In order to cooerdinate the work of these various bureaus I instituted +the simple method employed by large business administrators of having +the several bureau chiefs come together with me twice a month to discuss +and confer regarding the more important administrative subjects. This +enabled me to keep better informed and served to make the various heads +of bureaus conversant with the whole scope of the Department, preventing +overlapping and duplication of functions. I learned that this simple +administrative method had never been made use of before in federal +departments, but thereafter it was adopted by several of the other +department heads. + +Thanks to Mr. Cortelyou's admirable organization of the department, I +found, almost without exception, a fine and competent set of men in +charge of its several branches. Some of them were friends of Roosevelt, +members of his "tennis cabinet," and were thoroughly imbued with his +spirit and ideals. The assistant secretary was Lawrence O. Murray, a +capable and conscientious official. James R. Garfield, chief of the +Bureau of Corporations, devoted himself to the difficult task of +exposing the abuses and legal infractions of some of the great +corporations, and did it with judgment and ability, and with conspicuous +courage. Charles P. Neill, chief of the Bureau of Labor, a laboring man +in his early days, and afterwards an instructor at Notre Dame, and +professor of economics at the Catholic University, in Washington, D.C., +was eminently qualified for his duties and had the confidence alike of +labor leaders and employers. Dr. Samuel W. Stratton, a scientist of +distinction and a fine administrator, was then chief of the Bureau of +Standards, a veritable institution of science. + +Fortunately, when the Department of Commerce and Labor was organized, +the civil service law applied to all appointments excepting bureau +chiefs, so that I was able to devote my time to the duties of my office, +free from claims of patronage, which had been the bane of the older +departments of the Government before the civil service law became so +generally operative. + +My wife had so promptly put our household in order that in a week after +our arrival, we were comfortably installed in our Washington home, No. +2600 Sixteenth Street, a house known as the "Venetian Palace" from the +style of its architecture. It was a new house, built by Mrs. John B. +Henderson, and well suited to our needs and for entertaining. The social +functions in Washington I found most agreeable. During the season we +either gave a dinner or attended a dinner on an average of five evenings +a week, but these occasions were not burdensome because they usually +ended by ten-thirty o'clock. + +According to custom, President Roosevelt at the beginning of the season +designated the date on which each Cabinet member was to give a dinner to +the President, and the date assigned to me was February 19th. It had +been usual for each host to invite to this dinner all the other Cabinet +members and their wives, which left little opportunity to invite others. +Roosevelt changed this custom so that other friends of the host were +invited rather than one's fellow members in the Cabinet. Foreign +diplomats also were not invited, the entire purpose being to give these +occasions the character of intimate gatherings, not large, usually from +eighteen to twenty-five guests. + +Our dinner went pleasantly. The President was in his usual good humor. +Wines were served liberally, but it was Roosevelt's habit to drink very +little. This I had observed on several previous occasions, both at the +White House and elsewhere. Roosevelt usually took some white wine with +apollinaris, and perhaps a glass of champagne. For this dinner my wife +had secured the additional services of a certain colored cook in +Washington, a woman famous for preparing terrapin, which was one of +Roosevelt's favorite dishes. + + * * * * * + +Tuesday and Friday mornings, beginning at eleven o'clock, were the +regular days for the meetings of the Cabinet, then as now. The day after +taking office, therefore, I attended my first meeting, taking the chair +assigned to me. It was labeled on the back "Secretary of Commerce and +Labor, December 17, 1906." + +The Cabinet table is oblong, the President seated at the head, and to +his right and his left the secretaries in the order in which their +departments were created--Secretary of State first to the President's +right, Secretary of the Treasury first to the left, and so on. Being +head of the ninth and youngest Department, my seat was at the foot of +the table, opposite the President. + +The meetings were informal and no minutes were taken or other record +made. After some brief preliminary talk, in which the President often +had some incident to relate or some amusing caricature or savage attack +upon himself to exhibit, the business of the day began. The President +calls on every secretary, but in no fixed order. He presents such +matters as he may deem important, and upon which he may want discussion +and advice. + +At this meeting I intended not to bring up anything, preferring to wait, +as the saying is, until I got "warm in my seat." But an important matter +had come up that very morning upon which I had made a decision, based on +the carefully reasoned opinion by the solicitor of the department, Mr. +Charles Earl. The State of South Carolina, under one of its recent laws, +had authorized its State Commissioner of Immigration to go to Europe and +select a number of skilled factory hands for the industrial +establishments of the State. There were about four hundred and fifty of +these immigrants, and there was some question about admitting them. The +Immigration Law of 1903, as well as previous laws, excepted the State +from its contract labor clauses, and I therefore decided upon their +admission. + +Indeed, no subject in the department occupied my daily attention to the +extent that immigration did. Fortunately, at the chief port of entry, +Ellis Island in the New York Bay, there was a capable, conscientious, +efficient commissioner, Robert Watchorn. + +[Illustration: _Copyright by Clinedinst_ + +THE ROOSEVELT CABINET + +Left to right: The President, Root, Straus, Garfield, Metcalf, +Cortelyou, Taft, Meyer, Wilson, Bonaparte] + +The right of the immigrant to land, after his medical examination, was +based upon the decision of a board of inquiry. This board often made +hurried and ill-considered decisions, especially when the immigration +was large. In the case of exclusion, the immigrant has the right to +appeal to the Secretary of the Department of Commerce and Labor. Of +course, cases coming under certain portions of the exclusion provisions, +such as contract labor, mental deficiency, affliction with loathsome and +contagious diseases, were easily enough disposed of; but under the +provision "Likely to become a public charge" there was room for the +personal attitude of the members of the board, and the fate of the +immigrant then depended on whether or not these men were +restrictionists. I felt that there was a domestic tragedy involved in +every one of these cases, and as the law placed the ultimate decision +upon the Secretary, I decided this responsibility was one that should +not be delegated; so day by day I took up these decisions myself, +frequently taking the papers home with me and carefully reviewing them +before retiring. + + * * * * * + +Important among the immigration subjects were those which presented +phases of the Japanese question, the immigration _en masse_ of Japanese +to the Pacific Coast States, California in particular. The question was +brought up by Secretary Root at one of the Cabinet meetings. The city of +San Francisco had taken action excluding Japanese from the public +schools. It was deemed detrimental for the white children of tender ages +to be in the same classes with older and even adult Japanese who came to +these schools to learn English. My predecessor, who was a resident of +California, had investigated and was conversant with all aspects of the +case. + +The President insisted that, as it directly affected the relations +between the two nations, it was a national concern. Several members of +the Cabinet also regarded the subject as one having serious +probabilities. Secretary Root asked me whether I could furnish some data +as to the use made of Hawaii by Japanese immigrants for circumventing +our contract labor law, as many of the Japanese immigrants were coming +to the mainland via Hawaii. Upon looking into this question I found +during the year previous fully two thirds of the Japanese came via +Hawaii. The President took the situation in hand and had the mayor of +San Francisco and other leaders of the Japanese agitation come to +Washington. + +The obnoxious matter was finally adjusted with Japan in a manner to +allay irritation by a "Gentlemen's Agreement," by which that country +itself was to prevent the emigration of its laboring classes. It was, of +course, much better that the Japanese interdict emigration of their own +people than that we offend that nation's pride by preventing their +entrance, although it was made clear that we should pass an exclusion +law if they did not take prompt and effective action. + +With some exceptions, this plan worked well. The whole Japanese +question, however, was still smouldering. A few months later, during a +call at the Department, the Japanese ambassador mentioned to me that in +some parts of the Pacific Coast the Japanese were being molested in the +streets and that, of course, such things made bad blood and stirred up +the people in Japan, with which I had to agree. I admitted that this was +an outrage, stating that I was sure our respective governments would do +all in their power to maintain good relations, to which he replied that +he did not see how those good relations could be disturbed. + +Ambassador Aoki then referred to the naturalization of his countrymen in +the United States. I told him that on that question I agreed entirely +with the President, who in one of his recent speeches had dwelt +emphatically on it, advocating laws for the naturalization of Japanese +the same as accorded to other aliens. He then mentioned the Executive +Order of the President with reference to Japanese immigration and the +regulations for the enforcement of it. I told him I had these +regulations in hand and he could rely upon me to make them so as to +avoid every possible friction and reflect in every way the broad and +liberal spirit of the administration; also that under the immigration +act the matter was to a large extent in the control of Japan in issuing +limited passports to the special classes affected, namely, skilled and +unskilled labor. + +After one of the Cabinet meetings I had a conversation with Secretary +Root and submitted to him redrafted regulations for any suggestion or +amendment that might appear to him desirable, for I was anxious that the +Secretary of State should give the regulations critical examination, in +view of their affecting our relations with Japan. He returned them to me +within a few days with one or two slight changes, which I adopted, and +out of them grew the "limited passports" provision of the Immigration +Act of 1907. + +From time to time I brought up the Japanese situation and emphasized +that I regarded it in a most serious light. Meanwhile, whenever the +opportunity presented itself I did whatever was possible to promote +good-will between the two countries. Japan's great military chief, +General Tamemoto Kuroki, paid a visit to the United States, and was +given a gala dinner at the Hotel Astor in New York, following ovations +to him all the way across the continent from the time he landed at San +Francisco. There were over a thousand guests. Admiral Dewey was +presiding officer; John H. Finley was toastmaster, and it was felt he +was particularly chosen, being president of the College of the City of +New York, because of the protest this would imply against the exclusion +of Japanese children from the San Francisco public schools. I was +invited to deliver an address, in which I said: + + The Government and people of Japan, not unmindful of the good-will + and early friendship of our country, are too wise to permit the San + Francisco school incident, which was fostered by ignorance and + propagated by injustice, to cloud their just appreciation of the + enlightened spirit of American institutions. + +Captain Tanaka, of General Kuroki's staff, had handed me in translation +a message that the General had prepared for the American people, which I +read in the course of my address. It was as follows: + + The Japanese people love peace. They fought for peace. My nation + wants peace in which to develop the opportunities that are hers. We + have no other desire. + + The profession which I have the misfortune to follow is noble only + because sometimes it is necessary to establish conditions in which + peace may be maintained and in which the arts of peace may + flourish. + +To this I added that nobler sentiments never fell from the lips of a +conquering hero, and they would stand beside those uttered by our hero +of the Appomattox: "Let us have peace." This was received with much +enthusiasm. + +Early in June, 1907, there was another outbreak in San Francisco against +the restaurant keepers, and telegrams from Tokyo told of the irritation +this caused among the people in Japan. At the Cabinet meeting I took the +subject up again with considerable emphasis. I pointed out that these +incidents were accumulating and were bristling with grave consequences; +that Japan had come into the front rank among nations and could not +afford to permit us or any other nation to slap her, as it were, in the +face, or to treat her even in small things as a nation of inferior race. +I brought up the subject of Japanese naturalization. As the law stood, +a Japanese could not be naturalized, according to the rulings of one or +two judges of the United States courts; but the subject had never been +finally decided. A short time previous to this a Japanese seaman in +Florida had filed a petition for naturalization which was granted, and I +referred the matter to the Attorney-General to see whether that would +not afford an incident wherewith to test the law. But no action was +taken. + +At first the President did not seem to attach to the subject the +importance that I did, but Secretary Root immediately spoke up that he +agreed with my view of it, and as the discussion went along, the rest of +the Cabinet, as well as the President, gradually came over to my view. +At the end the President remarked: "I am very glad you brought up that +subject." + +During the discussion I reviewed the whole legal aspect of the matter, +and referred to the fact that the several decisions made had been based +on Chinese precedents. I also touched on the ethnological aspect, that +it was doubtful whether the Japanese could be classed as Mongolians. +This phase appealed to Roosevelt, who seemed well informed in +ethnological studies. I felt rather gratified with this thorough +discussion of the subject. It had interested me for years, and I had +been ruminating on it for several weeks. + + * * * * * + +At the last Cabinet meeting before the vacation season, each member +referred to his plans for the summer. I had decided to combine business +with pleasure by taking a trip along the Canadian border from Montreal +to Vancouver to inspect the lighthouse and immigration services, then +down the Pacific Coast and to Hawaii, where I might acquaint myself with +regard to immigration as it affected the Japanese question. The +President thought this would be a useful trip and urged me to take it. + +In the administration of a department such as that of Commerce and +Labor, it was important to familiarize one's self as much as possible +with its outlying branches, to become personally acquainted with the +various officers and the details of their work and surroundings, thereby +to enable one better to do the administrative work than by remaining at +one's desk. + +After leaving Vancouver we stopped a few days each at Seattle, Portland, +and San Francisco, where I conferred with the officials of the +Department. From San Francisco we took a steamer to Hawaii, on board +which we met George R. Carter, Governor of Hawaii, returning from a +vacation in the United States, and Congressman and Mrs. Nicholas +Longworth. It made a very pleasant party. + +The authorities and the population gave us a rousing welcome, cannons +saluted, and the militia was out to escort us. Only once before since +the island became United States territory had a Cabinet official paid a +visit, and that was two years before when Secretary of War Taft stopped +there for a few days _en route_ to Japan. We were comfortably installed +in the Hotel Moana, in the suburb of Waikiki. + +The islanders showered upon us bounteous hospitality in every +conceivable form. We participated in rounds of dinners and receptions. +Governor and Mrs. Carter entertained the Longworths and us in the +official residence, the former palace of the Hawaiian rulers, in the +throne room of which hung the portraits of those rulers from earliest +times to the deposed Queen Liliuokalani. The reception was a brilliant +occasion. The leading officials and the _elite_ of the population were +there; the grounds were beautifully illuminated; and the Royal Hawaiian +Band played the soft, plaintive music so typical of the mild +temperament of the people and the luxuriant foliage of the island. My +time was much taken up with official and semi-official duties. The +island residents impressed me with the great need for better shipping +facilities between the mainland and the islands. The coastwise shipping +laws applying to them since annexation penalized the carrying of +passengers or freight in other than American bottoms. Foreign ships +accepting either passengers or freight to American ports on the coast +were heavily fined. The result was, not only inconvenience to residents +who for one reason or another needed to leave the islands, but the loss +of much perishable freight, principally fruit, which rotted on the +wharves waiting for American ships. I promised them that I would do +everything in my power to help them get the shipping facilities they +needed. + +A delegation of Japanese editors, representing the four Japanese +newspapers of Honolulu, called to ascertain my views regarding Japanese +matters in the islands, what my policy was with regard to Japanese +immigration, and whether I believed that the preponderance of Japanese +people in Hawaii was inimical to the interests of the territory. I +answered them: + + An ideal condition for the future welfare of these islands would be + that there should not be too great a preponderance of any one race, + but that an equilibrium be maintained. + + I would impress upon you, and upon each of the several races here, + to have a care not to exploit these islands and their resources for + the benefit of the country from which they come, but to act in the + spirit of loyalty to the government under which they live; of + loyalty to the interests of the islands which afford such happy and + ideal homes for them and their children. I am gratified that the + public school system has such a great influence upon the young, who + grow up with the American ideals and respect for the liberty of the + individual. I would like to see an increasing number of Americans + from the mainland come and settle in these islands, if for no other + reason than to guarantee for all time to come the continuance of + the American spirit for the benefit and welfare of all peoples who + have made and will make their homes here. + +Unfortunately the time at my disposal did not permit my visiting the +various islands. We did, however, see everything to be seen at Oahu, the +island upon which Honolulu is situated. Rear-Admiral Very took us on the +U.S.S. Iroquois to visit Pearl Harbor, the famous landlocked bay large +enough to shelter the battle fleets of several nations. We also visited +the Waialua pineapple plantation and cannery, where twenty thousand cans +of the large, luscious fruit were put up daily. The processes of paring, +coring, slicing, and canning were done by machinery with great speed, +and we enjoyed tasting the fruit as much as any school children might. + +In Honolulu I met Viscount Ishii, who was then Japanese under-Secretary +of State. He has since been ambassador at Washington and at this writing +is ambassador at Paris. We had frequent conferences and went over the +whole Japanese question. He had fully informed himself upon all phases +of the subject, as well as regarding the idiosyncrasies of the Pacific +Coast States in opposing the immigration of Japanese laborers. Ishii's +thorough understanding of the situation at that time did much to smooth +ruffled feelings in Japan. The Viscount returned to the States on the +steamer with us. + +As we sailed out of the harbor on the Asia, bedecked with Hawaiian +flowers, the Royal Hawaiian Band played its farewell music. The last +words we heard from the Hawaiian shore were "Aloha Nui," the Hawaiian +farewell. + +I had satisfied myself that, so far as concerned the carrying out of +the President's Executive Order of March 14, 1907, the Japanese +officials in both Hawaii and Japan were doing everything in their power. +Hawaii at the time had a population of about 160,000, in round figures, +of which about 80,000 were Japanese, 20,000 Chinese, and 25,000 native +Hawaiians. Of the white element the biggest percentage were Portuguese, +who numbered about 22,000, while all other Caucasians together, +principally American, British, and German, numbered 14,000. It therefore +behooved our officials on the islands, in the Pacific ports, and along +the Mexican border, to be especially watchful to carry out the +regulations which the Department had formulated with regard to the +admission of Japanese or Korean skilled and unskilled labor. + + * * * * * + +Soon after my return I had a conference with the President at Oyster +Bay. The President informed me that Secretary Taft was about to leave +for Japan, to go from there to Russia by the Siberian Railroad. He said +he had authorized him to see what could be done toward overcoming the +difficulties in our relations, and what might be the effect in Japan if +we were to endeavor to pass a law giving naturalization to Japanese +exclusive of the laboring classes and the small traders who practically +belonged to the same class. This subject the President had urged in his +last Message to Congress. + +On October 25th I brought up in the Cabinet meeting, for the information +of the President, statistics regarding Japanese immigration up to +October 1, 1907, which showed that the immigration for the twelve months +then ended was almost double that of the preceding twelve months, and +also that there had been an appreciable increase since April 1, when the +President's Executive Order went into effect, compared with the +previous months. The statistics regarding the transit of Japanese +between Mexico and Canada showed that something like six hundred and +seventy registered from April to September, but only about one third +that number actually made the transits. It was presumed, therefore, that +the rest got off within United States territory. + +The President seemed very much annoyed with this condition of things. I +recalled to his mind that when the regulations under his Executive Order +were originally presented by me, they contained a clause, along the +lines of the Chinese regulation on the subject, to prevent the abuse of +transit privileges, but that he and the Cabinet had decided it to be +unwise to put in that clause. A few months thereafter, when we first +suspected the abuse of transit privileges, I directed an accurate +account to be taken of these transits, the result of which I now +presented. + +The first impulse of the President was to direct that all transit be +denied, but I pointed out that that would raise considerable objection, +as it would place the Japanese in a special class in that respect. He +insisted that something must be done. I suggested that the problem +needed careful thought and I would take it up and prepare regulations +similar to those for the Chinese. This I did, and the Japanese +regulations differ only in that we do not require the photographing of +the person to make the transit. + +I did not propose to drop the matter of Japanese immigration and +naturalization. Again and again I brought it up in Cabinet meetings. I +believed the best way of adjusting the difficulties was to try to +negotiate a treaty with Japan permitting the naturalization of Japanese +other than laboring classes, and in return excluding all who came within +the category of skilled or unskilled labor. The belief that such a +treaty could be negotiated was confirmed by my talks with Ishii both at +Honolulu and later when he visited Washington. The right to +naturalization would be taken advantage of by only five or six thousand +and would not, of course, be granted to the laborers then resident in +the United States. + +There were about seventy-three thousand Japanese in the United States, +and it was fair to assume that two thirds of these were of the laboring +class. Of the remainder there was a small percentage of women and +children, and then there were those born in America. Japanese eligible +for citizenship would therefore not exceed ten or twelve thousand, and +it was reasonable to assume that not more than half of them would be +willing to throw off their native allegiance. My belief was that such an +adjustment of the problem would leave no irritation behind it. + +The President did not think such a treaty would be confirmed by the +Senate, and to have it rejected would make matters worse. Secretary +Metcalf thought the California members would not agree to such an +arrangement. Notwithstanding these objections I was of the opinion that +such force of argument could be found in favor of the arrangement that +even representatives from California would not fail to see its +advantage. + +The whole question simmered along for a year or more, during which our +understanding with Japan in regard to the "Gentlemen's Agreement" and +the regulations under it were put into concrete and final shape; that +is, a letter was written by the Japanese ambassador to our Secretary of +State setting forth the understanding of Japan, to which the Secretary +replied accepting that understanding and setting forth the amicable +relations existing between the two countries. + +In late January, 1909, there was a recrudescence of anti-Japanese +legislation in California. There were introduced in the State +legislature three bills: (a) to exclude Japanese from ownership of land; +(b) to segregate the Japanese in special districts of the city; (c) to +prohibit Japanese from attending the public schools. With his usual good +judgment the President telegraphed the Governor of California saying he +was writing him and asking that he withhold any legislation affecting +the Japanese until the receipt of that letter. For the time being this +action had the desired effect. + +The legislature of California was somewhat under the influence of +agitators, like the Japanese and Korean Restriction League and some +labor bodies. It was believed that the general sentiment of California +was against such legislation, but either to avoid conflict, or from +indifference or lack of public spirit, such sentiment did not make its +influence felt. I had given out figures from month to month showing the +number of immigrants from Japan as compared with previous figures. I +then made public statistics which showed that for the calendar year 1907 +the number of immigrants was 12,400, whereas for the calendar year 1908, +after the Japanese Government had taken the matter in hand in accordance +with the "Gentlemen's Agreement," the number of immigrants was 4400. +Deducting the figure for the emigration from that 4400 left a total +increase of Japanese population of only 185 for the year. The California +agitators claimed my figures were erroneous, and that hordes of Japanese +were surreptitiously coming from the Canadian and Mexican borders. I +gave out several interviews to the press to the effect that the figures +were absolutely correct; that it was absurd to deny their correctness as +I had proofs in my hands; and that if the Californians still doubted +them a committee might call on me and I should gladly lay my proofs +before them. I had sent a copy of these figures, certified by me, to the +California authorities. + + * * * * * + +Happily our relations with Japan are now more peaceful than they have +been for some time, and to a large degree this has been accomplished by +the Four Power Treaty negotiated at the Washington Conference on the +Limitation of Armaments in December, 1921. The various vexatious +instances that I have referred to were stimulated by German officers +stationed in the Far East and fostered by the sensational press in both +Japan and our own country. By this means these happenings were +exaggerated far beyond their significance. The Anglo-Japanese Alliance +of 1911 came into being because of the aggression of Germany and Russia +in the Far East. After the World War, of course, this condition no +longer obtained, and as the _raison d'etre_ of the alliance had +therefore vanished, there was a justified feeling in America that the +continuance of the treaty was a menace to our country. This fact was not +unrecognized in Great Britain itself. As Mr. Balfour stated at the +Washington Conference, it was necessary to "annul, merge, destroy, as it +were, this ancient and outward and unnecessary agreement, and replace it +by something new, something effective, which should embrace all the +powers concerned in the vast area of the Pacific." By the Four Power +Treaty the Anglo-Japanese Alliance was automatically discontinued, and +Great Britain, the United States, France, and Japan became associated in +friendly partnership as guardians of the peace in the Far East. + +So far as concerns the relationship between our country and Japan, the +transcendent importance of this treaty has been to supersede and +overshadow all these minor matters that before were continually +menacing our good relations. By the reservations prepared by the +American delegates, and accepted by the other powers, it is provided +that the treaty "shall not be taken to embrace questions which according +to principles of international law lie exclusively within the domestic +jurisdiction of the respective powers." Verily this treaty stands out as +one of the great achievements of the Washington Conference. + + * * * * * + +To return to immigration problems during my incumbency as Secretary of +the Department of Commerce and Labor, a minor though nevertheless +annoying matter needing adjustment was the regulation with regard to the +head tax. After the passage of the Immigration Law of 1903 a head tax of +two dollars was levied upon all alien passengers, including even +officials of foreign governments. In 1905 Attorney-General Moody had +given an opinion to the effect that the tax applied to all alien +passengers, whether officers of foreign governments or not. I thought +this contrary to the law of nations and to well-established diplomatic +usages recognized throughout the world. + +As the subject also came within the province of another department, +namely, the Department of State, I naturally brought it up at a Cabinet +meeting. The President recommended that I issue orders in accordance +with my suggestion, and Secretary Root agreed that it was an outrage to +levy such a tax upon the representatives of foreign governments. +Informally I took the matter up with Attorney-General Bonaparte, but as +the decision against this immunity had been made by his Department he +felt himself bound by the decision of his predecessor. He suggested that +I issue the order on my own responsibility, but I decided for the time +being not to do so. At a later Cabinet meeting I again brought up the +matter, this time reading the order as I proposed it. The President and +Secretary Root, also Secretary Taft, agreed that it should be issued, +and this I did. + +At the same time I discussed a provision of the Immigration Act of 1906 +requiring masters of all vessels bringing in aliens, without exception, +to fill out a blank or manifest giving the age, sex, calling, +nationality, race, of each alien, and whether able to read or write, and +whether anarchist or not. These blanks then had to be signed by the +aliens. I prepared two circulars, one ordering the discontinuance of the +head tax and the other discontinuing the filling out of these blanks so +far as concerned diplomatic or consular officials and other persons duly +accredited from foreign governments to the United States, in service or +in transit. + +At dinner at the British ambassador's home some weeks thereafter Lady +Bryce mentioned having to sign a blank asking whether she believed in +the practice of polygamy. Of course, she brought it up in a humorous +way, but it was apparent that she had felt humiliated at such +questioning. I told her I fully appreciated her feelings and was happy +to be able to say that that stupid practice had been discontinued. + + * * * * * + +The subject of naturalization had occupied my attention for years past. +Under the law then existing, as well as under older laws, a person could +be naturalized not only in the United States courts, but in any State +court having a seal. And the naturalization laws prior to the Act of +1906 were most carelessly administered. In the larger cities of many of +the States naturalization applications were hurried through in bunches +at the direction of some political boss. In that way many persons were +naturalized who would have been found, had time been taken to sift the +applications, not entitled to citizenship. The effects of so careless a +method I saw in Turkey, and in my dispatches to the State Department I +repeatedly pointed out the evil. + +Largely growing out of my presentation of the subject, Mr. Gaillard +Hunt, chief of the passport division of the State Department, had taken +it up in his thorough manner and made a report to President McKinley, +upon which the President appointed a commission to study the subject. +The commission was renewed by President Roosevelt. Its report, known as +House Document 326, 59th Congress, 2d Session, and entitled "Citizenship +of the United States, Expatriation, and Protection Abroad," was the +basis of the Act of 1906. This act went far in preventing fraudulent +naturalization as well as in withdrawing protection from those who were +using United States citizenship not with the intention of becoming part +of the new country in which they had chosen to reside, but as a means to +escape their duties as subjects of the country of their origin upon +returning there to live, as had happened so often in Turkey. + +For the proper carrying out of this law additional examiners were +needed, and also about eleven additional assistant district attorneys. I +therefore arranged with Attorney-General Bonaparte to appear with him +before the Appropriations Committee of the House to explain the +necessity of an appropriation to cover the enlargement of the corps for +the enforcement and administration of the new law. During my experience +abroad much of the time of our diplomatic representatives was taken up +with questions relating to the protection of our citizens, and often +this protection was invoked by persons who should never have been +naturalized. + +The exclusion and deportation of criminals and anarchists was another +phase of the immigration service to which I had given considerable +study. I found the law provided for arrest and deportation of criminal +aliens only up to three years of the time of their landing, and that +there was gross misconception regarding the scope of the law. There was +no cooperation between our immigration officials and the local police +departments for the detection of such persons. The police departments of +most of our cities were disposed to assume that by virtue of the +immigration law the whole subject was under the jurisdiction of the +Federal Government; and on the other hand our officials did not confer +with municipal officials to make use of the immigration law. It is one +thing to provide for the exclusion of criminals and anarchists, but it +is quite another to discover, on entry, whether a person belongs to +either class. They are usually neither illiterate nor lacking in cunning +and deception, but within three years they may be detected, as "birds of +a feather flock together." + +I decided to issue a circular to all commissioners of immigration and +immigration inspectors, with a view to bringing about cooperation with +the local officials. I took the subject up in the Cabinet and the +President approved. It so happened that while this circular was being +prepared, an Italian immigrant, recently arrived, killed a Catholic +priest in Denver while the latter was officiating at a mass in his +church, and a day or two thereafter another recently arrived immigrant, +a Russian, attacked the chief of police of Chicago and his family with a +dagger. Both of these men would have come under the deportation +provisions of the immigration law had the police been aware of these +provisions, as in both instances they had been suspected, by their +affiliations and their talk, of being anarchists, as that term is +defined in the Immigration Act of February 20, 1907. Under the local +criminal laws this suspicion was not enough to justify arrest. + +Appearing as it did immediately after these two incidents my circular +had much publicity and brought about the deportation of a number of +undesirables upon evidence supplied by the police and detective +officers. + + * * * * * + +In a Department which covered so many and such varied subjects, the +conflict between human and property interests was often apparent. I +recall a remark by the President, as we were speaking about this, that +whenever within my jurisdiction there occurred this conflict he was sure +I would lean on the human side, and I could always count on his support. + +A striking example of this conflict grew out of an order I issued for +the inspection of excursion and ferry boats at least three times a year +instead of once. The summer before I took office the boiler of the +General Slocum, a large excursion boat on the Long Island Sound, blew up +and caused the death of over a hundred women and children. As spring +approached and the excursion season drew near, I made up my mind that I +should make all possible provision to prevent the recurrence of any such +disaster. + +I accompanied the supervising inspector-general, George Uhler, to +witness the inspection of some passenger boats plying between Washington +and Norfolk, to get personal knowledge of the details of inspection. I +carefully studied a report made to me by Mr. Murray, the assistant +secretary of my Department, who had been a member of the board of +inquiry into the Slocum disaster and later the Valencia wreck. I called +a meeting of the board of supervising inspectors of steamboats and +impressed upon them the importance of great care in inspection. I urged +that no man be retained in the inspection service who was not thoroughly +competent and efficient, since they had to deal with the protection of +human life. + +My order for more frequent inspection brought forth many objections from +the steamboat owners, and, as is usual in such cases, a committee came +to Washington and presented their grievances and objections direct to +the President, in the hope of inducing him to overrule my instructions. +They were patiently heard, but their main objection was that it would +cost a little more and be a little more inconvenient to have three +inspections instead of one, and the President gave them little more +comfort than to make it quite clear that he was thoroughly in accord +with my action for the provision of greater safety to human life. He +told them he felt he was fortunate in having at the head of the +Department of Commerce and Labor a man who was a humanitarian besides +having large business experience, for while it was his purpose to +harmonize human and business interests, always when they conflicted he +would lean toward the human side, as I had done in issuing that order. + + * * * * * + +The President was deeply interested always in the natural resources of +the country and their preservation, and asked me to take up the question +of the Alaska salmon fisheries. It was certain that unless some drastic +action was taken, the salmon would be destroyed in the Alaskan waters +just as they had been in the Columbia River. Roosevelt was familiar with +the problem and believed that Wood River ought to be closed. I devoted +parts of two days to a hearing on the subject. The cannery interests +were represented by their counsel and the Fishermen's Union by several +of its officers. Senator Fulton, of Oregon, as well as the two Alaskan +delegates in Congress, pleaded for the closing of the rivers. + +After hearing all sides and studying the question I signed an order +directing the closing of both the Wood and Nushagak Rivers to trap and +net fishing, and if the law had permitted, I should have directed the +closing also of Nushagak Bay, where extensive trap fishing was carried +on. + + * * * * * + +When I was president of the New York Board of Trade and Transportation I +was impressed with the importance of establishing a closer relationship +between the commercial bodies of the country and the Government. Shortly +after I became Secretary of Commerce and Labor, therefore, I sought to +accomplish that end. I had a study made by Nahum I. Stone, tariff expert +of the Bureau of Manufactures, of the relations between the European +governments and their commercial bodies, especially in such countries as +Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Belgium. I sent invitations +to about forty of the leading chambers of commerce, boards of trade, and +other commercial organizations throughout the country to send delegates +to Washington for a two days' conference, with a view to bringing about +an organization of these bodies for the purpose of cooperation between +them and the departments of the Government having to do with commerce +and manufactures. + +Accordingly on December 5th a representative gathering of over one +hundred delegates met in my Department, and I put before them a plan for +organization. I invited Secretary Root, who took a deep interest in the +scheme, and he made a thoughtful address, in which he impressed upon the +gathering the things that ought to be done, and could be done only +through organization and the power of concerted effort. Andrew D. White, +our experienced ambassador at Berlin, had sent to the President a letter +containing the proposal that a method of instruction in commerce be +applied at the instance of our Government as had been done in +agriculture; this interesting proposal I read to the meeting. + +I then went with the delegates in a body to the White House where the +President addressed them. In the afternoon Gustav H. Schwab, of the New +York Chamber of Commerce, was elected temporary chairman and the +organization of the council proceeded. A committee on organization and a +committee on rules were appointed, and it was decided that an advisory +committee of fifteen members was to have headquarters in Washington. The +number of meetings to be held per year was fixed, as well as the annual +dues. On December 5, 1907, the National Council of Commerce came into +being. + +A year later the first annual meeting was held in my Department. The +Council now had permanent offices in the Adams Building, with William R. +Corwine in charge. In my address to the delegates I stressed the +importance of the development of our commercial relations with the South +American republics, particularly in view of the rapidly approaching +completion of the Panama Canal. At that time we had only twenty-three +per cent of the foreign trade of South America, and one of the main +requirements for increasing our share was the establishment of better +shipping and postal facilities. To that end I recommended in my annual +report that the Postal Subsidy Act of 1891 be extended to include ships +of sixteen knots and over, and my colleagues, the Secretary of State and +the Attorney-General, made similar recommendations. + +A month after the change of Administration the executive committee of +the Council held a meeting, again in the Department of Commerce and +Labor, at which they passed the following resolution: + + Resolved, by the members of the Executive Committee of the National + Council of Commerce in meeting assembled in the office of the Hon. + Charles Nagel, the present Secretary of Commerce and Labor, That + they tender their heartiest thanks to the Hon. Oscar S. Straus, the + former Secretary of Commerce and Labor, for his constant and + well-directed efforts in forming and promoting the National Council + of Commerce, expressing their appreciation of his far-sightedness, + his patriotism, his energy, his fairness, and his friendship, + assuring him of the high personal esteem in which he is held by all + of them, and asserting that in their judgment he has laid the + foundation for a movement which will redound not only to his credit + as a Cabinet officer, but one which will ultimately be productive + of incalculable benefit to the business interests of our country, + the development of which he has so deeply at heart. + +Later that year the Council was reorganized and called the Chamber of +Commerce of the United States, which to-day is an important institution +in the commercial life of our country. + + * * * * * + +To bring about a similar relationship between the Department and the +labor bodies, I called another conference in February, 1909, to which I +invited the leading labor representatives throughout the country, and +about fifty attended. Unfortunately my term of office was drawing to an +end and there was not time to organize this wing, but I urged the men to +insist upon the continuance of the conferences and the cooperation with +the Department thus established. + +The matters discussed at this meeting were mainly how best to lessen +unemployment, how the Division of Information under the Bureau of +Immigration might be administered for the greater benefit of labor in +general, and how the Nobel Peace Prize, which President Roosevelt had +set aside for a foundation for the promotion of industrial peace, could +be made most effective. There were addresses by Samuel Gompers, +president of the American Federation of Labor; Warren S. Stone, grand +chief of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers; William F. Yates, +president of the Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association; and Terence +V. Powderly, chief of the Division of Information in the Bureau of +Immigration. The presiding officer was Daniel J. Keefe, +Commissioner-General of Immigration and Naturalization. + +During my term of office repeated efforts were made in Congress, backed +by organized labor, to divide my Department and make two of it--the +Department of Commerce and the Department of Labor. I successfully +opposed this plan, my idea being that labor and capital were the two +arms of industry, the proper functioning of which could best be secured +by cooperation, which in turn could best be promoted by administering +their interests together. In this I had the support of President +Roosevelt. During the Taft Administration, however, the bill was passed +creating the Department of Labor. + + * * * * * + +I have mentioned Roosevelt's Nobel Peace Prize. As received by the +President, it consisted of a medal and diploma, and a draft for +$36,734.79. He decided not to keep the money, but to turn it over in +trust for a foundation for the promotion of industrial peace. In +January, 1907, he called me to the White House and told me that he would +forward the draft and the papers to Chief Justice Fuller, with the +request that he communicate with the other trustees, of whom there were +four: James Wilson, Secretary of Agriculture; John Mitchell, president +of the Anthracite Coal Operators; ex-Mayor Seth Low, of New York, and +myself. + +Later the Chief Justice came to my Department with the papers to go over +them with me and to arrange for their safe-keeping until we could have a +meeting and formulate a plan of action. Subsequently he informed me that +before preparing the draft of the act granting the foundation it was +necessary to write a preamble setting forth its objects and purposes, +and this he found it difficult to do. I relieved his mind by offering to +prepare the bill with the preamble. I consulted with Dr. Cyrus Adler, of +the Smithsonian Institution, who had had considerable experience in +drafting documents for the creation of trusts of this nature. With his +assistance I prepared the draft of the preamble and the bill, which the +Chief Justice approved. I then took them to the President, who also +approved them and requested me to call a meeting of the trustees, of +whom there were to be nine instead of five as originally. + +At the meeting of January 27, 1907, a few slight changes were made and +adopted in the bill. Thus redrafted, with a report attached giving a +history of the award, it was introduced in the House by Congressman +Richard Bartholdt, of Missouri, member of the Committee on Labor; and in +the Senate by John W. Daniel, of Virginia. It was promptly passed. The +board of trustees as finally constituted included: Archbishop Ireland, +Samuel Gompers, Daniel J. Keefe, Seth Low, Marcus M. Marks, Dr. Neill, +Warren S. Stone, James Wilson, and myself. + +The foundation was in existence for about ten years, and in that time +the interest on the money merely accumulated, because the trustees were +unable to find a proper means for employing it. In July, 1917, Mr. +Roosevelt requested Congress to repeal the bill and return the money to +him, that he might distribute it among the different charitable +societies in the United States and in Europe which were affording relief +to the sufferers from the war. The request was granted, and the sum with +its accrued interest, amounting to $45,482.83, was thus distributed by +him. + +Roosevelt always encouraged the members of his Cabinet to make speeches +in various parts of the country on subjects uppermost in the mind of the +public, with due regard, of course, to the duties of office. I accepted +a number of the many such invitations that came to me. At the banquet of +the National Association of Manufacturers, held in the Waldorf Hotel, +New York, in May, 1907, I was asked to be the principal speaker. I made +careful preparation of an address, part of which I devoted to advocating +a moderate tariff reform, with a view to providing a maximum and minimum +tariff to meet discrimination against us by some European nations. I +consulted with the President about it. While he agreed with my premises, +he thought the time not ripe to project that issue, so I redrafted my +speech and devoted it to such topics as the development of our +manufactures, the work of the Bureau of Corporations, and the relations +of employers and workers. + +On April 3, 1908, the Savannah Board of Trade celebrated its +twenty-fifth anniversary, and I was asked to be one of the speakers. Two +others were Governor Hoke Smith and Representative J. Hampton Moore, +president of the Atlantic Deep Waterways Commission. It was a special +occasion and was widely advertised for several weeks. I prepared an +address in which I outlined also some of the activities carried on by my +Department for the benefit of the commercial interests of the country. +On this trip my wife and younger daughter accompanied me. During our +stay at Savannah we were the guests of the Board of Trade, who showed us +every possible attention, in true Southern fashion, and we thoroughly +enjoyed our stay. + +The Mayor and prominent citizens of my former home, Columbus, upon +learning of our presence in the South, sent us a pressing invitation to +visit that city. A committee met us at the station, and in the evening a +dinner was given at the Opera House, at which about a hundred of the +leading citizens were present. The dinner was served on the stage, and +while the toasts were being responded to, the curtain was raised, +disclosing an auditorium crowded with people. I was quite touched by +this fine attention by the citizens of my former home, who took great +pride in the fact that one of their former townsmen was a member of the +Cabinet. In the audience were several of my schoolboy friends and those +of my brothers, and I found several friends and companions of my parents +still among the living. + +In the South at that time it was still rare for a person to change his +politics, and one of the questions that was put to me was why had I, a +member of a Democratic family, once a Democrat myself, and even having +held office under a Democratic President, changed over to the Republican +side. In other words, why had I been on both sides of the political +fence, though they were too polite to ask the question in that direct +form. I told them that perhaps no one had a better right than they to +ask the reason for my political affiliations. It was true, I said, that +I had been, as it were, on both sides of the fence, but that was not my +fault; the fence had been moved. This produced great merriment and +applause. + +Talbotton, the first American home of my family, also extended an +invitation to us, which I accepted with pleasure. A dinner and reception +were given in my honor at the public hall known as the Opera House, at +which the Mayor of the town made an address, as well as several other +prominent citizens. While in Talbotton we were the guests of the +Honorable Henry Persons, former member of Congress and an old friend of +our family. He gave me my first rubber ball, when I was six years old. I +visited all the scenes of my boyhood; it was forty-five years since I +had lived there. The population of the town was about the same, equally +divided between the whites and the blacks. The little Baptist church +where I went to Sunday school was much smaller than it had loomed up in +my imagination. Collinsworth Institute was abandoned, and only the +recitation hall was left standing. The several houses wherein my family +had lived brought back vivid memories of the toils and pleasures of my +parents. The little frame cottage with the green blinds especially +impressed upon me how little is required for happiness where there is +the love and contentment which always blessed our family. All who +remembered my father and mother spoke of them in the highest terms. I +met a number of my boyhood friends, grown gray and old. On the whole the +little town had not changed much, though it had fewer signs of +prosperity. Before the Civil War it was the center of a rich +slave-holding county. The people, however, seemed contented and happy. + +From Talbotton we went to Atlanta, and then made one or two more stops +on the way home. At each place we met friends of former years and were +given a thoroughly royal welcome. In fact, the reception given us +throughout the whole tour was in the nature of an ovation. Wherever we +stopped our rooms were decorated with an abundance of the most +beautiful flowers. The Southerners have ever been known for their +hospitality, and in this respect the New South has lost nothing. + +Later in the year the Southern Commercial Congress, representing ten +States, assembled in Washington, and I was asked to preside at the +opening session in the large ballroom of the New Willard Hotel. There +were three or four hundred people present. I devoted my address to a +comparison between the old agricultural South and the new industrial +South, pointing out that as the economic interests of the South were no +longer sectional but national, it must follow that politically there is +no longer a reason for "the solid South." + + * * * * * + +On leaving the Cabinet one day at about this time the President's +youngest son, Quentin, came up to me. I had a great affection for this +bright, attractive boy. He was eleven years old, and he informed me he +weighed one hundred and fourteen pounds. He was full of animal spirits, +frank, charming. "You gave my brother Kermit some coins," he said to me. + +"Yes; are you interested in them?" I asked. + +"I am making a little collection," was his answer. + +I invited him into my carriage and to come to lunch with me. He accepted +readily, and I reminded him that he had better let his mother know. He +did so by hurriedly running into the White House and returning in a very +few minutes saying his mother said he might go. He behaved like a +perfect little gentleman and showed that under his sparkling vivacity +there was serious, intelligent hunger for knowledge. After lunch I took +him into my library and showed him my collection of Greek and Roman +coins. I told him he might pick out what he liked. To the several he +chose I added a gold stater of Philip. He was overjoyed. From that time +onward we became still greater friends, and he came to see me whenever +he got a new coin for his collection. + +In 1909, when I was going through Paris, I met him there with his +mother. During this visit he and I were quite steadily together. We +visited the museums and other places of interest. I found him a most +sympathetic and delightful companion, notwithstanding the immense +difference in our ages. What a record of glory and patriotism this +lovable boy has left to his country! And with what fortitude his parents +bore their most painful loss! Their example strengthened the anguished +hearts of many patriotic fathers and mothers of the land who suffered +like affliction. + + * * * * * + +On Christmas Day Mrs. Straus and I received an invitation by telephone +to come to the White House between three and four o'clock to see the +Christmas tree. Some thirty or forty guests were there, mainly friends +of the family. In one of the side rooms in the basement of the house was +assembled a large company of children. The room was darkened, that the +lighted tree might stand out. There were presents for all the children, +and Mrs. Roosevelt played Lady Bountiful to see that each child got its +gift. Upstairs in the Red Room the gentlemen sat smoking. It was a +genuinely joyful and memorable day. + +The social season in Washington is usually begun with the President's +New Year's reception, which lasts from eleven o'clock until half-past +two on New Year's Day. At a few minutes before eleven o'clock the +officials and their wives assembled upstairs, and promptly at eleven the +President and Mrs. Roosevelt led the march to the Blue Room. The +procession advanced toward the main stairway, where the line divided, +the ladies going to the left and the gentlemen to the right, reuniting +at the first landing; then through the main hall where the passageway +was roped off through a crowd of specially invited guests. + +The order following the President was: the Cabinet officers; the doyen +of the diplomatic corps, the Italian ambassador and his staff; the +ambassadors and ministers of the other nations, according to rank. After +them, grouped in more or less regular order, the justices of the Supreme +Court, headed by the Chief Justice; Senators; Representatives; Army and +Navy officials; the officers of the Government. + +On New Year's Day every one is accorded the right to pay his or her +respects to the President. The officials come straight to the White +House and the uninvited guests form a line on the grounds. On the +particular day of which I speak the line stretched through the grounds, +along Pennsylvania Avenue and down by the State Department Building, +probably more than half a mile long, and the President received about +sixty-five hundred people in all. At two o'clock the iron gates of the +White House grounds were closed, and those who had not reached that +point by that time were barred out. The reception had to end promptly, +as the Cabinet ladies who assisted had to be present at the receptions +at their own homes from half-past two until six, in accordance with a +custom that has been in vogue probably since the days of Washington. Our +buffet in the dining-room was kept well replenished, and there were +champagne and punch served. We had in all about four hundred guests. + +The official functions at the White House during the Roosevelt +Administration were agreeable and in stately form. They were usually +followed by an informal supper to which were invited personal friends +and visitors. + +[Illustration: MRS. OSCAR S. STRAUS] + +Our series of official dinners began with the one to the +Vice-President and Mrs. Fairbanks and ended with the dinner to the +President and Mrs. Roosevelt. In addition we followed the pleasant +custom of the President and had guests to informal luncheons three or +four times a week. These luncheons we gave in the sun parlor back of our +dining-room, which was one of the attractive features of our Venetian +palace. + +It was my privilege to give the last Cabinet dinner to the President, on +March 2d, two days before the close of the Administration. The event had +been postponed for a week on account of the death of the President's +nephew, Stewart Robinson, whose mother was the President's sister. +Governor and Mrs. Hughes, who were among our invited guests, stayed over +when it was found that the dinner had to be postponed. Mrs. Roosevelt +later informed me that she planned that our dinner be the last, knowing +that I had some sentiment about it which she and the President shared. + +I have made several references to the wonderfully human touch +characteristic of Roosevelt. On February 5th, the day beginning the last +month of his Administration, a messenger from the White House brought me +a package containing a large folio, a handsomely illustrated memorial +volume describing the Castle of Wartburg in Saxony, in which Luther was +confined and where he worked on his translation of the Bible. The book +had been prepared by official direction, and Roosevelt had received two +copies of the royal edition, one from the Kaiser personally and one from +the Chancellor, which latter he sent to me with this inscription: + +"To Mr. and Mrs. Oscar S. Straus, in memory of our days together in the +Administration; days which I have so much enjoyed and appreciated. +Theodore Roosevelt. February 5, 1909." + + + + +CHAPTER X + +THE TAFT CAMPAIGN OF 1908 + + Roosevelt favors Taft to succeed him--I visit Taft at + Cincinnati--Roosevelt plans for his African trip--I take part in + the Taft campaign--Roosevelt's method of preparedness--Election + evening at the White House--Roosevelt rebukes a bigot; his letter + on religious liberty--Taft tells Roosevelt he will retain Wright, + Garfield, and me in his Cabinet--Roosevelt's speech at the dinner + to Vice-President-elect Sherman--Looking toward the end of my term; + the last Cabinet meeting--Closing the administration of Roosevelt + and ushering in that of Taft. + + +Early in September, 1907, in a conversation with Roosevelt at Oyster +Bay, we touched on matters political and the forthcoming national +convention of the Republican Party for the nomination of a President. +Roosevelt had again publicly made the statement he gave out at the time +of his election, that he would not accept a renomination, and had made +known his desire that the party nominate Taft. + +I had just returned from Hawaii, and told him that throughout my trip to +and from the Pacific Coast I observed an almost universal determination +to force the nomination upon him. I had met many people and addressed +several merchants' organizations and other bodies, and again and again +the sentiment of prominent Republicans was: "We know Roosevelt is +sincere in his statement that he would decline the nomination, but what +can he do if he is renominated? He is a patriotic man, and how can he +refuse to obey the unanimous wish of his party and the people at large?" +The President knew of this strong sentiment for him, and that was one of +the main reasons why he made the public and definite statement that he +favored the nomination of Taft, whom he regarded as best qualified to +carry forward the measures and policies of his Administration. + +Some of Roosevelt's closest friends counseled him not in any way to +interfere with the selection of his successor. He practically agreed to +that, but in order to escape the nomination himself he felt compelled to +throw his influence toward Taft. I think it was Secretary Root at the +time who remarked that it would be impossible for Roosevelt to let the +tail of the tiger go without some such plan. Notwithstanding his +positive statements that he would not accept a renomination at the end +of his term, and his constant reiteration of this determination, the +pressure throughout the country was overwhelming. + +The people naturally resent the selection of a candidate for them by the +President in office, and in the past have shown their resentment by the +defeat of such candidates. But the conditions surrounding the Taft +campaign were somewhat different. Roosevelt was committed heart and soul +to the moral principles for which his Administration had stood in face +of the mighty opposition of the "interests." How the force and might of +this opposition had grown until Roosevelt took up the "big stick" can +perhaps hardly be measured except by those who were with him in the +bitter fight. No one was more conversant with the principles and +policies of the Administration than Taft, and, all things considered, +perhaps none better qualified than he to carry them forward in a firm +and constructive way. + +The logic of the situation was, of course, that Roosevelt stand again +for the Presidency, especially as that would not in reality have been a +third term. But he would not under any circumstances recede from the +decision announced on the night of his election. It required great +firmness not to be swept off his feet by the tremendous pressure to +induce him to consent to be renominated. In the face of these facts the +people were less inclined to resent his indicating his preference for +the successor whom he regarded as best qualified to carry forward the +policies he had inaugurated by such reforms as the rebate law against +railroads, the anti-trust laws, and child labor legislation, and other +progressive measures. + +At the Cabinet meeting just before the summer vacation Taft came in +radiantly happy. He had been nominated the day before; it had been +understood for some time that he would be nominated on the first ballot. +Reflecting at the time upon the qualifications of Mr. Taft as a +successor to Roosevelt, I put down among my random notes that I thought +he possessed the very qualifications for constructively carrying forward +the principles Roosevelt had stood for, and which only Roosevelt could +have so courageously vitalized. Taft always appeared to be jovial and +kept, at least outwardly, a genially good-natured equilibrium. He +possessed to a marked degree a fund of spontaneous laughter--a valuable +asset in the armor of a public man. The power to create a good laugh has +at times not only the elements of argument, but of avoiding argument; +with it a man can either accede to a proposition or avoid acceding; it +can be committal or non-committal; it conceals as well as expresses +feelings, and acts as a wonderful charm in avoiding sharp and rugged +corners, in postponing issues and getting time for reflection. In the +practice of the law I was once associated with a very able man who had +the ability to laugh his opponent out of court. And his was a jeering +laugh where Taft's laugh was contagious and good-natured. Not that he +lacked the ability at times to be fearless and outspoken; he had shown +himself to be that in a number of speeches prior to his nomination. + +Withal I could not help feeling sad that Roosevelt's plan had so well +succeeded, and in an intimate chat with the President after the Cabinet +meeting I told him so. He would not have been human if, amid the +satisfaction he felt in having his choice for the Presidency respected, +there was not some feeling of regret in stepping down from the greatest +office in the world, which he had administered with so much satisfaction +and success, and the duties and responsibilities of which he had enjoyed +more than perhaps any one of his predecessors. To use his own words as I +so frequently heard them: "I have had a bully time and enjoyed every +hour of my Presidency." Another four years in office would doubtless +have prolonged that enjoyment. + + * * * * * + +Early in September I went to Cincinnati to meet Taft at his headquarters +in the Hotel Sinton, and Terence V. Powderly, head of the Information +Division of the Bureau of Immigration, formerly president of the Knights +of Labor, accompanied me. I brought to Taft's attention some +correspondence that had been conducted by Louis Marshall, of New York, +with Charles P. Taft, his brother, and with the candidate for +Vice-President on his ticket, Sherman, regarding some narrow and +prejudiced editorials on Russian immigration appearing in the Cincinnati +"Times-Star," owned by Charles P. Taft. I pointed out that not only were +these editorials untrue and unjust, but they did not reflect his policy +and yet were so interpreted. Secretary Taft then asked the editor of the +paper, Mr. Joseph Garretson, and his nephew, Hulbert Taft, to call on +me. With them I went over the whole subject, and upon my return to +Washington young Mr. Taft sent me a double-column article from the front +page of the "Times-Star," together with a double-column editorial, +forcefully and clearly written, embracing the whole matter as we had +covered it during my visit to Cincinnati. + +Samuel Gompers had come out strongly in favor of Bryan, and no one could +tell what effect that might have on the great labor element of the +country. Mr. Powderly, who was very broad-minded and independent in his +politics, said it would have little if any effect on the labor vote, as +it is not a group vote, and no leader, however powerful, can make it so. +This statement later proved to be entirely correct. The Democrats among +the labor men went their way, and the Republicans went theirs. + + * * * * * + +The Cabinet met again after the summer vacation on September 25th. The +President wanted to talk with me afterward about several matters, so I +waited and sat with him while he was being shaved. He spoke about the +arrangements he had made for his African trip, and said several +taxidermists of the Smithsonian Institution were to accompany him. I +told him that Dr. Adler of the Institution had spoken to me of the +matter, and my particular concern was that one of the men in his party +on this African expedition should be a physician. He assented, saying +that after all he was fifty years old and ought to be more careful about +his health than when he was younger. He seemed to know that I had had +something to do with enabling the Smithsonian Institution to supply +these men, but I did not let it appear that I knew much about it. When +his book "African Game Trails" appeared he sent me a copy with the +inscription: + + To Oscar Straus + from his friend + + THEODORE ROOSEVELT + + Nov. 1^{st} 1910. + +In the Appendix he makes acknowledgment to several of his friends +including myself, "to all of whom lovers of natural history are +therefore deeply indebted." + +He mentioned that he had had an invitation to give a lecture at Oxford +University upon his return, which he felt like accepting because it was +a course in which some of the most prominent men of the past, including +Gladstone, had lectured, and it appealed to him to speak at this ancient +university. I encouraged him to do so. He said he did not intend, +however, to accept invitations to other European countries, because he +did not wish to be feted. This lecture would be more in line with his +work. + + * * * * * + +At the request of Roosevelt and the urgent solicitation of Taft, I took +an active part in the campaign, making scores of speeches in the leading +cities of the East and Middle West. I made the first on September 26th, +the day after the first Cabinet meeting of the season, under the +auspices of the Interstate Republican League, in Washington. It was one +of the largest political meetings ever held there. I addressed myself to +a recent speech by ex-Secretary of State Olney, in which he had endorsed +Bryan. I pointed out how much more had been done under the Roosevelt +Administration than by the Democratic Administration with which Mr. +Olney was connected, in bringing suits against the trusts under the +Sherman law; that in Mr. Olney's time nearly all such suits were brought +against labor combinations, while in Roosevelt's time they were brought +against the offending corporations. + +I had been in close touch with Roosevelt during his own campaign four +years before, but I must say he threw himself with greater energy into +Taft's campaign, watching every phase of it with great care and +circumspection to counteract every unfavorable tendency and to push +promptly every tactical advantage. On Sunday afternoon, September 27th, +I received a telephone message to come to the White House. When I +arrived I found present Secretaries Cortelyou and Meyer, Lawrence F. +Abbott, of "The Outlook," and William Loeb. Roosevelt was dictating a +letter to Bryan, in answer to the latter's attack upon the +Administration's policies, and invited each of us to make suggestions. +Those that seemed good he immediately incorporated. I had brought with +me some facts and figures that I prepared for campaign use, and all of +this material he embodied. When the dictation was finished, he asked us +to return at nine o'clock in the evening to go over the finished +product, as it was important that the letter be given to the press for +next morning's papers. + +When we arrived in the evening, the President was already at his desk +correcting the typewritten pages, of which there were about twenty. The +duplicates were handed to us, and we passed them from one to another for +reading and suggestions. At one point I suggested changing an expression +to a more dignified form, which the President vetoed with the +characteristic remark: "You must remember this letter is not an etching, +but a poster." That was an apt illustration of his purpose, namely, to +attract and fix popular attention; and I withdrew my suggestion. + +The published letter occupied three and a half newspaper columns. It was +powerful and effective and nailed some of the main fallacies that Bryan +had been expounding. This was the third such letter by Roosevelt, and +some people were inclined to criticize them as having the appearance of +overshadowing Taft and other campaign orators. This might have been true +to an extent, but it was of little consequence in comparison with the +tremendous effect of the letters in enlightening the people with regard +to the greater national principles for which Taft stood. + +The following week I started on a campaign tour. I made speeches at +Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago. In accepting the pressing +invitation of the National Republican Committee to make a series of +speeches, I made one condition, which was that I would not speak at any +meeting gotten up on sectarian or hyphenated political lines. It was, +and I regret to say still is, customary, in political campaigns, +especially among local managers in smaller cities with large +foreign-born populations, to appeal to their former national sympathies. +I regarded this method as un-American and inimical to the solidarity of +our Americanism. My letter to the chairman of the speakers' bureau, +Senator Joseph M. Dixon, was by him given to the press and widely +published. It had a very good effect, and through that campaign at least +put an end to advertising and meetings based on race or creed appeal. +Upon my return to New York I spoke at a number of meetings in Brooklyn +and New York with Mr. Taft, the last and largest of these being the one +at Madison Square Garden, at which General Horace Porter presided. +Charles E. Hughes, who was candidate for Governor, also spoke on that +occasion. + + * * * * * + +The President and Mrs. Roosevelt invited Mrs. Straus and me to return to +Washington with them in their private car on election day, after we had +voted in our respective districts. _En route_ the President again +mentioned the arrangements for his African trip and told me he had also +accepted an invitation to speak at the Sorbonne, Paris. He was already +preparing his Oxford address, the draft of which when ready he wanted +me to read. It is generally believed that Roosevelt did things hurriedly +and impulsively. But those of us who were acquainted with his methods +knew the contrary to be true. Preparedness was one of his outstanding +characteristics. He was a most industrious worker, and as soon as he +made up his mind to do something, whether it was to deliver an address +or to bring forward some reform, he set to work at once making +preparations, so as not to leave it until the time for the event was at +hand. In the case of his Oxford and Sorbonne addresses, for instance, he +prepared them long in advance and gave himself plenty of time to correct +and polish them. He told me he pursued this method because it freed his +mind and enabled him to be ready for the next thing to come before him. +That is certainly not the way an impulsive man works. + + * * * * * + +Election evening in Washington we were invited to the White House to +receive the returns. The twenty-five or thirty other officials who were +in the city were also there with their wives. The returns began to come +in shortly after eight o'clock and were being tabulated by Secretary +Loeb and his assistants. It was soon evident that Taft was elected, so +that by eleven-thirty we were able to send congratulations to the +successful candidate and Frank H. Hitchcock, chairman of the National +Committee. + +The greatest strength of Taft proved to be what many supposed would be +his weakness, namely, that he was the choice of Roosevelt and stood for +his principles. The masses had understood the President and appreciated +his policies, though the big interests, the "ledger patriots," had been +too blinded by their selfish objects to recognize the permanent value of +the principles and policies of America's greatest reformer. + +I felt convinced then, as I do now, that the Roosevelt Administration +will go down in history as marking the beginning of a new era in our +history--an era marking the end of aggression upon our political +structure by corporate greed and the beginning of larger opportunities +for the individual, in which the moral principles of our public life +were rescued from the danger of domination by an unprecedented onrush of +commercial power. + + * * * * * + +At the first Cabinet meeting after the election Roosevelt was buoyant as +usual. He made a few preliminary remarks about the approaching end of +the Administration: he and his Cabinet, especially the last one, had +worked in perfect harmony, and he felt sure we had all had a "bully" +time of it; he would retire at the end of his term without any regrets, +for he had the satisfaction of knowing that he and his Cabinet had done +all in their power for the greatest good of the Nation. I think it is +safe to say we all felt a little sad, I know I did, to think that in +four months we should separate, and that we should lose the inspiring +companionship and guidance of our leader, to whom each of us felt tied +by bonds of warm friendship and a sense of profound esteem and highest +respect, personally as well as officially. + +It seemed to me then that it required no prophet's vision to see that, +if Roosevelt kept his health, in four or eight years the people of the +country would again demand, with unmistakable and overwhelming voice, +that he become President. At the end of eight years, even, he would be +only fifty-eight, younger than most Presidents at the time of assuming +office. + +The President now brought up a question that he had been carrying over +from the campaign period. He had received several letters regarding the +religion of Mr. Taft. Some orthodox ministerial organizations had +endeavored to use the fact that Mr. Taft was a Unitarian as a reason for +prejudicing people against him. Roosevelt had been tempted to answer +these letters, but when he presented the matter to the Cabinet it was +the general consensus of opinion that he should not do so, that the +issue intimately concerned Taft, and information regarding it had better +be given out or withheld at Taft's discretion. To this the President +agreed, but he was incensed at this un-American attempt to bring +religion into politics, especially as Taft was every bit as good a +Christian as Washington, and a better one than either Jefferson or +Franklin; and his church was the same as that of Adams and Webster. + +The election being over, Roosevelt was still desirous of expressing his +views in this matter, and he brought with him to the Cabinet meeting the +draft of a letter to be sent to one J. C. Martin, of Dayton, Ohio, who +had asked for a public statement concerning the faith of Mr. Taft. As +usual, he invited criticism and discussion. Several of us made +suggestions, and Secretary Root made one which the President asked him +to write out so that he might incorporate it. When the corrected version +of the letter was read, we all agreed that it was a remarkable document +for effectively rebuking the spirit of bigotry and upholding the basic +principles of the American Government, and that it should therefore be +published. It appeared in the papers of the country three days later. + +I made bold to ask the President for the draft of this letter, which he +gladly signed and gave to me, and Secretary Root also signed his +penciled insert. As I consider this document worthy of a permanent place +among American annals, I herewith set it forth from the original in my +possession: + + + THE WHITE HOUSE + WASHINGTON, _November 4, 1908_ + + MY DEAR SIR: + + I have received your letter running in part as follows: + + "While it is claimed almost universally that religion should not + enter into politics, yet there is no denying that it does, and the + mass of the voters that are not Catholics will not support a man + for any office, especially for President of the United States, who + is a Roman Catholic. + + "Since Taft has been nominated for President by the Republican + party, it is being circulated and is constantly urged as a reason + for not voting for Taft that he is an infidel (Unitarian) and his + wife and brother Roman Catholics.... If his feelings are in + sympathy with the Roman Catholic church on account of his wife and + brother being Catholics, that would be objectionable to a + sufficient number of voters to defeat him. On the other hand if he + is an infidel, that would be sure to mean defeat.... I am writing + this letter for the sole purpose of giving Mr. Taft an opportunity + to let the world know what his religious belief is." + + * * * * * + + I received many such letters as yours during the campaign, + expressing dissatisfaction with Mr. Taft on religious grounds; some + of them on the ground that he was a Unitarian, and others on the + ground that he was suspected to be in sympathy with Catholics. I + did not answer any of these letters during the campaign because I + regarded it as an outrage even to agitate such a question as a + man's religious convictions, with the purpose of influencing a + political election. But now that the campaign is over, when there + is opportunity for men calmly to consider whither such propositions + as those you make in your letter would lead, I wish to invite them + to consider them, and I have selected your letter to answer because + you advance both the objections commonly urged against Mr. Taft, + namely: that he is a Unitarian, and also that he is suspected of + improper sympathy with the Catholics. + + You ask that Mr. Taft shall "let the world know what his religious + belief is." This is purely his own private concern; it is a matter + between him and his Maker, a matter for his own conscience; and to + require it to be made public under penalty of political + discrimination is to negative the first principles of our + Government, which guarantee complete religious liberty, and the + right to each man to act in religious [affairs] as his own + conscience dictates. Mr. Taft never asked my advice in the matter, + but if he had asked it, I should have emphatically advised him + against thus stating publicly his religious belief. The demand for + a statement of a candidate's religious belief can have no meaning + except that there may be discrimination for or against him because + of that belief. Discrimination against the holder of one faith + means retaliatory discrimination against men of other faiths. The + inevitable result of entering upon such a practice would be an + abandonment of our real freedom of conscience and a reversion to + the dreadful conditions of religious dissensions which in so many + lands have proved fatal to true liberty, to true religion, and to + all advance in civilization. + + To discriminate against a thoroly upright citizen because he + belongs to some particular church, or because, like Abraham + Lincoln, he has not avowed his allegiance to any church, is an + outrage against that liberty of conscience which is one of the + foundations of American life. You are entitled to know whether a + man seeking your suffrages is a man of clean and upright life, + honorable in all his dealings with his fellows, and fit by + qualification and purpose to do well in the great office for which + he is a candidate; but you are not entitled to know matters which + lie purely between himself and his Maker. If it is proper or + legitimate to oppose a man for being a Unitarian, as was John + Quincy Adams, for instance, as is the Rev. Edward Everett Hale, at + the present moment Chaplain of the Senate, and an American of whose + life all good Americans are proud--then it would be equally proper + to support or oppose a man because of his views on justification by + faith, or the method of administering the sacrament, or the gospel + of salvation by works. If you once enter on such a career there is + absolutely no limit at which you can legitimately stop. + + So much for your objections to Mr. Taft because he is a Unitarian. + Now, for your objections to him because you think his wife and + brother to be Roman Catholics. As it happens they are not; but if + they were, or if he were a Roman Catholic himself, it ought not to + affect in the slightest degree any man's supporting him for the + position of President. You say that "the mass of the voters that + are not Catholics will not support a man for any office, especially + for President of the United States, who is a Roman Catholic." I + believe that when you say this you foully slander your fellow + countrymen. I do not for one moment believe that the mass of our + fellow citizens or that any considerable number of our fellow + citizens can be influenced by such narrow bigotry as to refuse to + vote for any thoroly upright and fit man because he happens to have + a particular religious creed. Such a consideration should never be + treated as a reason for either supporting or opposing a candidate + for political office. Are you aware that there are several States + in this Union where the majority of the people are now Catholics? I + should reprobate in the severest terms the Catholics who in those + States (or in any other States) refused to vote for the most fit + man because he happened to be a Protestant; and my condemnation + would be exactly as severe for Protestants who, under reversed + circumstances, refused to vote for a Catholic. In public life I am + happy to say that I have known many men who were elected, and + constantly reelected, to office in districts where the great + majority of their constituents were of a different religious + belief. I know Catholics who have for many years represented + constituencies mainly Protestant, and Protestants who have for many + years represented constituencies mainly Catholic; and among the + Congressmen whom I knew particularly well was one man of Jewish + faith who represented a district in which there were hardly any + Jews at all. All of these men by their very existence in political + life refute the slander you have uttered against your fellow + Americans. + + I believe that this Republic will endure for many centuries. If so + there will doubtless be among its Presidents Protestants and + Catholics, and very probably at some time Jews. I have consistently + tried while President to act in relation to my fellow Americans of + Catholic faith as I hope that any future President who happens to + be a Catholic will act towards his fellow Americans of Protestant + faith. Had I followed any other course I should have felt that I + was unfit to represent the American people. + + In my Cabinet at the present moment there sit side by side + Catholic and Protestant, Christian and Jew, each man chosen because + in my belief he is peculiarly fit to exercise on behalf of all our + people the duties of the office to wich [_sic_] I have appointed + him. In no case does the man's religious belief in any way + influence his discharge of his duties, save as it makes him more + eager to act justly and uprightly in his relations to all men. The + same principles that have obtained in appointing the members of my + Cabinet, the highest officials under me, the officials to whom is + entrusted the work of carrying out all the important policies of my + administration, are the principles upon which all good Americans + should act in choosing, whether by election or appointment, the man + to fill any office from the highest to the lowest in the land. + + Yours truly + THEODORE ROOSEVELT + +It is amusing sometimes to contemplate the matters that occupy the +attention of certain zealously inclined religious persons or groups. I +recall the flurry caused the year previous by the appearance of the new +five, ten, and twenty-dollar gold pieces without the legend, "In God We +Trust," which by Roosevelt's direction had been omitted. As a matter of +fact that legend was not used on our coins prior to 1866, when a law was +passed permitting it subject to the approval of the Secretary of the +Treasury. The issuance of these coins, artistically designed by +Saint-Gaudens, without the legend was merely a return to the precedents +of the fathers of the Republic. I had a small collection of early coins +at the time, none of which bore the legend. However, when these new +coins appeared several religious bodies passed resolutions disapproving +of the President's action. Roosevelt gave out a statement to the effect +that he had always regarded that legend as connecting God and mammon, +and therefore not as religious, but as sacrilegious. But the opinion +against the omission was so strong that in subsequent coinage it was +restored. The agitation had been somewhat anticipated by the President, +and he was not the least perturbed by it. At a dinner one evening he +remarked to me, concerning it, that it was sometimes a good thing to +give people some unimportant subject to discuss, for it helped put +through more important things. + + * * * * * + +After a Cabinet meeting toward the end of November, 1908, I was talking +with the President regarding various phases of the administration of my +Department, and I mentioned one or two matters that I hoped my successor +would carry to completion. Roosevelt said to me: "Well, I can tell you +one thing that Taft told me; you will be head of the Department under +the next Administration, if you will accept, and I want you to accept." +He had indicated this once or twice before, but had never stated it so +definitely. I had been perfectly content to finish my term of office +with the close of the Administration, but I felt if it was the wish of +both Roosevelt and Taft that I continue I should be happy to remain. + +Taft had evidently intended retaining several of the Cabinet officials, +but subsequently changed his mind, which was one of the things that +caused the break between Roosevelt and him. Mr. Lawrence F. Abbott has +embodied in his excellent book, "Impressions of Theodore Roosevelt," an +article he contributed in January, 1912, to the Cornwall, New York, +local press, covering the Roosevelt-Taft relations. Before publication +this article was sent to Roosevelt, and by him annotated and returned to +Mr. Abbott. The part regarding the retention of Cabinet members reads as +follows: + + Mr. Taft on his election no doubt wished to carry on the work of + his predecessor, and, if not publicly, often privately said that it + was his desire and intention to retain those Cabinet colleagues of + Mr. Roosevelt who had contributed so much to the re-creation of + the Republican Party. [Note by Mr. Roosevelt: "_He told me so, and + authorized me to tell the Cabinet, specifically Garfield, Straus + and Luke Wright._"] But this intention became gradually modified + during the winter of 1908-09. + +On December 16th I attended the dinner of the Ohio Society in New York, +at which President-elect Taft made his first public address. There was a +notable gathering of the leaders of finance and commerce and of the +Republican Party, and great expectancy was evident as to what Mr. Taft +would say. Ex-Senator Spooner, a brilliant speaker, also made an +address, which contained some pointed criticisms of Roosevelt policies. +He extolled the Constitution and in a veiled way indicated a deviation +from it on the part of Roosevelt. Spooner had made other speeches along +these lines, and I confess to some exasperation that this occasion +should have been used to attack Roosevelt and his policies. + +Taft was the last speaker, and I hoped that when he arose he would +resent these attacks, or at any rate uphold the policies of the +Administration of which he had been an important member. But I was +disappointed. He took no notice of what Spooner or one or two of the +other speakers had said. To some of us this was the first evidence that +there was a rift in the relationship between Roosevelt and Taft. + +Mr. Taft invited me to return to Washington on the train with him next +morning. _En route_ I spoke of Spooner's speech, and said it appeared to +me as an attempt to drive a wedge between him (Taft) and the Roosevelt +policies, and that the attack was received by the great financiers who +were present, Harriman, Ryan, and others, with great favor. Taft said he +had observed it and did not like it. He thought first that he might say +something in reply, but on second consideration he decided to let it +pass. I told him that usually I enjoyed such an occasion more when I did +not have to speak, but on that evening I very much regretted not having +the opportunity to answer that attack. + +We talked of a number of things, but he said nothing about desiring to +have me continue in the Cabinet, though Roosevelt had mentioned the +subject to me several times. I then concluded that while in New York a +change of mind had come to him in this matter, and what occurred at the +dinner seemed to emphasize this conclusion. He was going down to +Augusta, Georgia, for a short vacation and asked me to come and see him; +but when I reached Washington there was much to be done in my +Department, and, as he was besieged by politicians and I had nothing +special to bring to his attention, I thought the more considerate thing +was not to take up his time needlessly. + + * * * * * + +In January the New York delegation in Congress gave a dinner to +Vice-President-elect Sherman at the Shoreham Hotel in Washington. There +were present all the New York Congressmen, Speaker Cannon, the junior +Senator from New York, Depew, and Senator-elect Root. Along about ten +o'clock the President arrived. As usual on such occasions, there was +informal speaking, and of course the President was called upon. His +offhand remarks that evening were so inspiring that I regretted they +were not taken down that they might have been preserved. In my random +notes I have incorporated the substance of some of them; to the effect +that our highest purpose should be to perform the duties before us. He +said he had been in public life twenty-six years (as I understood), and +nearly eight years of that as President, and he had enjoyed it all; +adding, humorously, "even the scraps I have had." + +Referring to the presidential duties, it was not always possible to +spell out from the words of the Constitution what those duties imposed +upon the occupant of the office. He instanced the anti-Japanese outbreak +in California. There was nothing in the Constitution that either +permitted or conflicted with his taking the position he had in his +communications to the Governor of California. It was his purpose to call +the attention of the people at large in that State and throughout the +country to the dangers of the situation if the contemplated legislation +were put through. He referred to the impractical attitude of the peace +societies and other peace advocates in objecting to all appropriations +for naval expenditures. They could render a better service by agitating +to prevent a condition of international irritation that had all the +possibilities of war; the good effect of the well-considered +"Gentlemen's Agreement" with Japan had been negatived by the +unreasonable legislation proposed in California. + +Making reference in a general way to the work of the Administration, he +said it was important to look to the future, but to fix one's eyes on +the future and neglect the present was as unwise as to limit one's view +entirely to the present. He hoped the people would not trouble +themselves as to what to do with the ex-President; so far as he was +concerned he was able to take care of himself; upon his return from +Africa they would find him working not as an ex-President, but as a +private citizen in the ranks, and cooperating with his party +representatives for the best interests of the country. + +He closed by saying that what may become of one's personal reputation, +one's fame as an individual, is of no consequence. The individual +disappears. Oblivion will engulf us all. Only results count. In order to +achieve results there must be cooperation. He was always ready to +cooperate with men whose tendencies were forward, even if such +cooperation led only one step forward where he would have liked ten; but +he would refuse to cooperate with men whose tendencies were backward. + + * * * * * + +In my Department I continued to push matters forward without allowing +the approaching close of the Administration to influence me. Under date +of January 22d I received a letter from President-elect Taft, in answer +to my inquiry, indicating that in all probability I should not be +retained in the Cabinet. He said he would have written sooner, but had +not decided in what capacity he wished me to serve his Administration, +though he thought perhaps I might be willing to accept an embassy. +However, he had not definitely decided not to retain me in the Cabinet. +He found Cabinet-making quite a difficult job. + +Three days later I received another note from him mentioning the embassy +to Japan. He hoped to suit whatever preference I might have in the +matter after he had had a chance to talk it over with me in Washington. + +At the last Cabinet meeting there was very little business transacted. +The President talked to us informally and very impressively, saying he +wished to repeat, what he had said before, that a President usually +receives credit for all the good work done in his Administration, but, +speaking for himself, his co-workers had an equal share in that credit; +no President, he said, had had a more effective, able, and cooperative +Cabinet than he. Then he added humorously that he wanted no response to +modify that statement. Some of us, however, could not resist expressing +in brief the sentiments we felt, and I answered him: If we have +performed our duties to your satisfaction and to the satisfaction of the +country, it is due in no small degree to the fact that around this table +we have caught the contagion of your fine spirit which has enabled each +of us to rise to our highest level of efficiency because we felt we were +cooperating in furthering those moral issues which you have vitalized in +our economic and national life, I wish to add that our President in his +boundless generosity has always given to each one of us not only the +fullest credit for what we have done, but a recognition far beyond our +individual merits. + + * * * * * + +On March 4th, at nine-thirty in the morning, the members of the Cabinet +assembled in the White House and accompanied the President to the +Capitol. We went to the President's room on the Senate side and there +awaited the bills to be brought in for the signature of the President. +That is usual at the closing of a session, and many bills that had been +passed in the last few days came from the engrosser for the signature of +the President. Each bill was handed to the Secretary whose department it +affected, and upon reading it over the Secretary advised the President +whether or not to sign it. There were three bills affecting my +Department, two of which I approved, and those he signed. Of the third I +had no knowledge and so stated; that one the President passed to become +law without his signature. + +At eleven o'clock President-elect Taft came into the room, and we all +extended our congratulations to him. Precisely at noon President +Roosevelt went into the Senate Chamber and we followed. Both he and the +President-elect took a seat before the Vice-President's desk, and we +were seated in the front row, where were also the ambassadors of the +foreign powers. Vice-President Fairbanks opened the proceedings with an +appropriate address, whereupon Vice-President-elect Sherman was sworn in +and made a brief address. The new Senators were then sworn in in groups +of four. President-elect Taft next took the oath of office, which was +administered by Chief Justice Fuller. + +Roosevelt then left the Senate Chamber to go to the station. In our +carriages we followed him, and at either side marched over a thousand +Republican delegates from the City of New York. One could observe on all +sides evidence of a feeling of depression and regret at the departure of +the man who had endeared himself to the country at large as no President +had since the days of Lincoln. It was apparent then, as the years have +proven, that he had the largest personal following ever attained by any +man in this country. By personal following I mean one that is not +dependent on office, but persists out of office as well. People were +attracted to him because he appealed to their idealism. They had faith +in him; they had an affection for him. They believed he would lead them +where they ought to go and where, therefore, they wished to go. It was +the fact that the mass of the people throughout the land regarded him +with love and admiration as the embodiment of their ideals of +Americanism which enabled him to exercise such a tremendous power for +the welfare of the country and which is destined to enshrine his memory +among the greatest men in our history. + +When we reached the station, the large room reserved on special +occasions for officials was closed, and only such persons admitted as +were identified by Secretary Loeb--members of the family, members of the +Cabinet, and a few intimate friends. When I bade the President, now +ex-President, good-bye, he said we should meet often and should still +work together. + +Roosevelt at the age of fifty was once more a private citizen, having +been the youngest President in our history. I am sure I speak for my +colleagues as well as for myself when I say we felt we were parting not +only from our official chief, but from one of our nearest and dearest +friends. + +We returned in our carriages to the White House where we took buffet +lunch with President and Mrs. Taft; then to the stand erected in front +of the White House to witness the review. + + + + +CHAPTER XI + +MY THIRD MISSION TO TURKEY + + A surgical operation delays my departure--Roosevelt in Africa + delighted with my return to Turkey under Taft + Administration--Received by another Sultan--A royal weakling--The + invisible power of the new regime--Foreign concessions and + political intrigues--Turkish funeral customs--The Mohammedan + indifference to death--Roosevelt urges me to meet him in Cairo--We + visit Salonica and Athens--Received by King George of Greece + --Roosevelt's arrival at Cairo--The Kaiser's invitation--Roosevelt + condemns assassination of Premier despite warning to avoid subject + in his address--Roosevelt declines an audience with the Pope--At + tea with Prince and Princess Eitel Friedrich--A distinguished Arab + on international relations--Rumblings in the Balkans--The brilliant + Venizelos--My objections to "dollar diplomacy"--Former + Vice-President and Mrs. Fairbanks visit us--Other distinguished + Americans visit the Embassy--We visit the King and Queen of + Roumania--How the Queen adopted the pen-name "Carmen Sylva"--The + cell-like study of the Queen--Vienna and London--Two Rothschilds + express their views of the Triple Entente--"The greatest pleasure + of going abroad is returning home"--Reflections of the rift between + the Roosevelt policies and the Taft Administration. + + +My return to private life in 1909 did not prove a disturbing transition +for me, notwithstanding the fact that, on entering the Cabinet in 1906, +I had terminated all of my professional and business interests, I had no +plans for the future. I had always entered public office not without +some trepidation, and had always retired from such an office with a +certain sense of relief and satisfaction. But my past training and +natural disposition had by no means prepared me to be content with a +life of "elegant leisure," I soon found much to occupy my energies, and +again took part in numerous semi-public activities, and my cooperation +seemed all the more welcome because of my experience in office both at +home and abroad. + +Soon after my return to New York, I was formally welcomed at a banquet +at the Hotel Astor, under the auspices of a number of prominent +citizens, led by William McCarroll, who had succeeded me as president of +the New York Board of Trade when I had left for Washington. It was, of +course, gratifying to me to receive this attention from my fellow +citizens, irrespective of party, among whom I expected to pass my +remaining years. Among the speakers were John Mitchel, St. Clair +McKelway, Richard Watson Gilder, poet and editor of the "Century +Magazine"; the Reverend Leander Chamberlain, and Dr. Lyman Abbott. Dr. +Abbott, one of America's foremost intellectual and spiritual leaders, is +the only surviving member of this group, and I am happy to be able to +record that he is still in good health, with his pen, which has lost +nothing of its charm and vigor, ever inspiring. + +I quite dismissed from my mind any idea of holding office in the Taft +Administration, especially after Taft had reconsidered his statement or +promise to Roosevelt to retain me in the Cabinet. Shortly after my +return from Washington, however, on March 13, 1909, President Taft wrote +me that he would be glad to have me accept the embassy at +Constantinople, and that in time he would transfer me to some other post +that might be more acceptable. He concluded: "I hope this will meet your +view, because I should like to have you in my administration." + +My personal relations with Mr. Taft had of course always been most +cordial and agreeable. I wrote him that, naturally, I had no desire to +return to a post which I had occupied twice before, unless extraordinary +conditions developed which particularly required my past experience +there and made it imperative that I accept as a public duty, and even +then I should accept only for a short time. + +The President wrote me that he would be glad to have me accept the post +at Constantinople (which had been raised to an embassy since my last +mission), and that in time he would transfer me either to Japan or to +some acceptable post in Europe, and I soon received the following letter +from the State Department: + + + _April 29, 1909_ + + MY DEAR MR. STRAUS: + + The President now desires me to make to you the formal offer of the + post of Ambassador to Turkey. The epoch-making events now occurring + in the Turkish Empire bring with them difficulties and + opportunities which make that post take on even greater importance, + and the President feels that your past service and keen knowledge + of the Near East make you peculiarly qualified to take charge at + this time of the important Embassy at Constantinople. + + Adverting to your previous conversations with the President and + with me, relative to your disinclination to accept a post which you + have previously held, I would add that the President would be glad + to consider your transfer from Constantinople to some other post if + an opportune time should arrive when this was practicable and when + you wished to relinquish the important mission which is now + tendered to you. + + I am, my dear Mr. Straus, + Very sincerely yours + P. C. KNOX + +In June, while I was getting ready for my departure, I was compelled to +undergo an operation for appendicitis. I therefore wrote the President +asking him to relieve me of my appointment, as my illness would delay me +for another month or more. The President promptly advised me not to be +disturbed by the delay, that he would be glad to wait until my health +was entirely restored before having me start, and that it was not +possible, because of the troubled conditions in Turkey, at that time to +find any one to replace me. + +At this time I received a letter from Roosevelt, addressed from the +heart of British East Africa, expressing pleasure at my again going to +Turkey: + + + SAIGO SOI, LAKE NAIVASHA + _16th July, 1909_ + + MY DEAR MR. AMBASSADOR: + + Your letter gave me real pleasure. Mrs. Roosevelt had written of + you, and your dear wife, and two beautiful daughters, coming out to + see her; and she told me how much she enjoyed your visit. As for + the address at the dedication of the memorial window, my dear + fellow, you said the very things that I would most like to have + said about me, especially coming from a man whom I so much respect + and who is my close personal friend. + + I am delighted that you have accepted the Turkish Embassy. The + situation was wholly changed by the revolution, and at this moment + I think that Constantinople is the most important and most + interesting diplomatic post in the world. + + I shan't try to write to you at any length, for I find it simply + impossible to keep up with correspondence here in camp, and am able + to write my letters at all at the moment only because a friend has + turned up with a typewriter. + + I can't say how I look forward to seeing you. I know nothing + whatever of American politics at the present moment. We have had a + very successful and enjoyable trip. + + With love to Mrs. Straus and with hearty congratulations not to you + but to our country for your having gone to Turkey, I am + + Faithfully yours + THEODORE ROOSEVELT + +The first paragraph refers to an address I had made in May. The Reverend +J. Wesley Hill, of the Metropolitan Temple, had one of the windows of +his church dedicated to the Roosevelt Administration and I was asked to +deliver the principal address. I took for my subject "The Spirit of the +Roosevelt Administration," and reviewed the leading progressive acts of +the Administration and pointed out how they were all aimed to secure +the rights and enlarge the opportunities of the plain people. I had in +mind counteracting the influence then current to belittle the work of +the Roosevelt Administration. For with the beginning of the Taft +Administration, the reactionaries in and out of Congress had become more +bitter and outspoken in their opposition to the Roosevelt policies; it +seems that they were encouraged by the report that a break had taken +place between Roosevelt and Taft, and by the fact that certain Senators +and members of the House who had fallen out with Roosevelt seemed to be +specially welcomed at the White House. My address was therefore widely +quoted in the press and subsequently circulated in pamphlet form. I +quote one of its salient paragraphs: + + All the Roosevelt measures and policies were based not only upon + moral convictions, but upon a statesman's forethought for the + welfare of the country. That he would encounter the powerful + opposition of the offending corporate interests was to be foreseen + and expected. All reforms and reformers no less in our country than + in others have encountered the reactionaries of privilege and + power, who persuaded themselves that their so-called vested + interests, however acquired and however administered, were their + vested rights. These trespassing reactionaries when not checked and + made obedient to the legitimate needs and righteous demands of the + many produced a spirit of revenge which broke out into revolution + at the extreme opposite end of the social system. + +On August 18th Mrs. Straus and I left New York on the S.S. Prinz +Friedrich Wilhelm for Cherbourg. A week later we were in Paris, where we +met Mrs. Roosevelt with three of her children, Ethel, Archie, and +Quentin. During the fortnight of our stay we saw a great deal of them +and several times we went to the theater or sight-seeing together. Mrs. +Roosevelt told me that her husband had solicitously inquired about us +in several of his letters and suggested that I write him. + +When we reached Constantinople on September 18th, the month of Ramazan +had begun, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rifaat Pasha, informed +me that the Sultan, now Mohammed V, brother of Abdul Hamid, would +probably delay receiving me for a week or ten days, until the middle of +Ramazan, and not at the end, as was customary with the former Sultan. +Accordingly I was received on Monday, October 4th. + +The residence of the new Sultan was in the Palace of Dolma Bagtche. As +my rank now was that of ambassador, this audience was a more ceremonious +one than those of my former missions. Eight royal carriages came from +the Palace to conduct me and my staff to the residence of His Royal +Majesty. The first of these, in which I rode, was a most gorgeous +affair, with outriders and two postilions in uniforms of brilliant +colors standing on a platform in the rear of the carriage. The streets +of Pera were crowded with spectators as these dazzling equipages went +by, in spite of a light rain that was falling. As we entered the Palace, +a large troop of soldiers arranged along each side of the main gate +presented arms. I was met by the Chief Introducer of Ambassadors and +several other officials, who conducted me to the audience chamber above. +With my dragoman, Mr. Gargiulo, I then proceeded with the Chief +Introducer of Ambassadors into the presence of the Sultan while the rest +of my staff were detained in an anteroom. + +The Sultan was a man of about sixty-five, short and very thick-set. He +was dressed in military uniform, but appeared physically inert and +clumsy. During the whole thirty-three years' reign of his brother, Abdul +Hamid, he had been imprisoned in a palace on the Bosphorus and kept +under constant guard. He grew up in ignorance and his appearance clearly +indicated mental backwardness. His eyes were dull and his appearance +almost that of an imbecile, except when an occasional spark of animation +was noticeable. Withal he seemed kind and good-natured. + +When I made my address, I felt as though I were speaking to an image +rather than a human being, and I went through it as quickly as possible, +omitting some parts for the sake of brevity, realizing that it was +simply a form and that the Introducer of Ambassadors would presently +read the whole of it in Turkish. The Sultan was then handed the Turkish +reply to read, which he did haltingly, even consulting the Introducer at +times to decipher a word. That being over, the doors to the anteroom +were thrown open and my staff entered, also the consul-general and his +staff, and each man was presented to the Sultan. We were then conducted +back to the anteroom and served with cigarettes and coffee, even though +it was Ramazan, when Mohammedans do not drink or smoke until after +sundown. In a few minutes more we were conducted back to our carriages. +The whole function was more in the nature of mimicry on the stage than a +serious diplomatic performance. + +With my dragoman I paid my official calls upon the Grand Vizier and the +Minister of Foreign Affairs at the Porte, both of whom received me in +full-dress uniform and immediately returned the calls. + +The Government of Turkey under the new regime, with a Sultan who was +merely a figurehead, was in the hands of the ministry, and the ministers +in turn were appointed and controlled by the Young Turks, or so-called +party of "Union and Progress" which had brought on the revolution of +1908 and deposed the late Sultan in April, 1909. It required no great +insight to see that a government thus controlled by an invisible power +without official responsibility could not be one of either liberty or +progress; yet the leading ministers were men of ability and some of them +men of considerable experience. Rifaat Pasha, for instance, was formerly +ambassador to London, an intelligent and thoroughly enlightened +statesman. Hussein Hilmi Pasha, the Grand Vizier, was the former member +of a joint committee charged with the government of Macedonia. Talaat +Bey, the Minister of the Interior, had previously held an inferior +position. He was one of the leading representatives of the Young Turk +Party and was believed to be the one mainly responsible for the terrible +slaughter and martyrdom of Armenians during the World War. After that +war he fled to Berlin, where, in 1920, he was assassinated by a young +Armenian. Djavid Bey, Minister of Finance, was a remarkably brilliant +young man, about thirty-four years old, from Salonica. It was said he +was a Donmeh; that is, a member of a sect of apostate Jews also known as +Sabbatians from the name of its Messiah or prophet, Sabbatai Zevi, who +gave the sect its romantic origin in the middle of the seventeenth +century. Professor Graetz gives a full and interesting description of +this whole movement in his "History of the Jews." + +Among my colleagues were Gerard Lowther, who represented Great Britain; +Marquis Imperiali, Italy; and Baron Marschall von Bieberstein, Germany. +Because of the lack of general society in Constantinople, the members of +the diplomatic corps became very intimate with one another, and this was +so with my colleagues generally and especially between the German +ambassador and myself, for we were also fellow members of the Hague +Tribunal, and in 1907 he was chairman of the German delegation at the +Conferences. He was by far the ablest and most forceful diplomat in +Constantinople at this period. During his term of office there, German +influence in the Ottoman Empire entirely overshadowed the British. This +influence started its ascendancy following the visit of the Emperor in +1898, when he obtained the promise of the concession for the building of +the Bagdad Railway. + +When first the Ottoman Government granted this concession, the +financiers of Great Britain, France, and Germany had come to a tentative +agreement for the joint construction of the road. The Germans then +wanted more than an equal control in the enterprise, and the +negotiations fell through. Had the interests of Great Britain and +Germany been united in the Near East, there probably would have been +quite a different alignment of Powers on the chessboard of Europe, and +perhaps the World War would have been prevented. The Bagdad Railway, if +jointly constructed, would have contributed to a better understanding +between Great Britain and Germany instead of accentuating more and more +their differences as the road proceeded toward the Persian Gulf. + +I could plainly see evidences, both in social life in the Turkish +capital and in the unmistakable trend of diplomatic alignments, of a +rapidly developing entente between Great Britain, France, and Russia. +Since the Russo-Japanese War, and with the coming of the new regime in +Turkey, Russia had changed her attitude toward Turkey and had become +extremely friendly. Italy maintained a neutral attitude as between Great +Britain and Germany. Austria, as always, if not controlled by, was in +close sympathy with, Germany. + +Abdul Hamid had developed into the most autocratic ruler of modern +times. With the overthrow of his regime and its colossal system of +secret agents, there was hope for a gradual development of a +parliamentary government, especially as some of the officials in the +Turkish ministry were forward-looking men, of considerable ability and +honesty of purpose. However, just as the jealousy between the Great +Powers had prevented the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire for a +hundred years or more, so the same jealousy prevented rehabilitation. +Great Britain favored the building up of Turkey; the policy of Russia, +Germany, and Austria was to keep Turkey weak and disorganized. + +With the establishment of the new regime Germany, England, France, and +Italy sought concessions from the Government for the development of +mines and the building of railroads, docks, and other public utilities. +The country was rich and undeveloped, and the Turks themselves had +neither the capacity nor the money for such undertakings. But the effect +of these concessions was undermining the sovereignty and was +foreshadowing conflict. + +With the passing of the old regime and the beginning of the new, an +appalling massacre of Armenians had taken place in Cilicia; and it was +believed that this massacre, which cost the lives of twenty thousand or +more victims, was engineered by the old regime to discredit the new. + +The first fall of the new ministry was brought about by what was known +as the Lynch affair, which concerned a steamship monopoly of an English +company on the Tigris and Euphrates. The Lynch Company had a perpetual +concession to navigate two steamers from the Persian Gulf to Bassora, +and from there to Bagdad on the Tigris and as far as navigable on the +Euphrates. There was also a Turkish company with a similar concession, +and the English company undertook negotiations with the Grand Vizier for +the consolidation of the two companies, by which the Lynch Company was +to pay the Ottoman Government L160,000 in cash. The new company was to +have a grant for seventy-two years, with the right given to the Ottoman +Government to buy it all out at the end of thirty-six years on a basis +to be agreed upon. The new company was to have the monopoly of the +navigation, and it was to have an English president with a board of +directors composed half of Englishmen and half of Turkish subjects. + +The arrangements were made on behalf of the ministry by the Grand +Vizier, Hilmi Pasha, and the matter was then brought up under +interpellation in the Parliament. The first vote taken was against +confirmation of the transaction. This amounted to an expression of lack +of confidence in the ministry, whereupon the Grand Vizier stated that +unless the transaction was confirmed, he and his colleagues would +resign. Two days later, on motion of Djavid Bey, the eloquent Minister +of Finance, the whole matter was reconsidered and an equally large vote +cast confirming the transaction. Aside from registering confidence or +the lack of it in the ministry, the vote against confirmation would also +have been interpreted as an act of hostility toward England. For the +time being the problem was settled. + +Shortly thereafter, however, there arose in the Bagdad vilayet such +opposition to this transaction that the deputies from that province +threatened to withdraw from Parliament. The negotiations were regarded +as a victory for England in the strengthening of her influence along the +Persian Gulf, and a defeat for the Germans, whose railway terminus would +be at Bassora, at the junction of the two rivers. The Persian Gulf, on +the other hand, was of strategic interest to Great Britain because it is +the corridor to India. German influence proved the stronger with the +Young Turks, and the consolidation of the Lynch Company with the Turkish +company was not confirmed. + +This vote resulted in the fall of the ministry, for a month later the +Young Turks forced the resignation of the Grand Vizier. In giving his +resignation to the Sultan, the Grand Vizier stated his reason as poor +health, but that was merely for public consumption. Talaat Bey and +Djavid Bey were known to be prominent members of the Young Turks, and +the Grand Vizier, who had been Minister of the Interior and then Grand +Vizier under the former Sultan, was not fully trusted as being in accord +with the regime of the Young Turks. To bridge over this ministerial +crisis the Young Turks offered to Hakki Pasha, ambassador at Rome, the +grand viziership, which he accepted. + + * * * * * + +Early in the year 1910 the diplomatic circle in Constantinople was +thrown, if not into gloom, at least into official mourning. The Grand +Duke Nicolaiovich, uncle of Czar Nicholas of Russia, and King Leopold of +Belgium, died. At Constantinople, more than at any capital in the world, +ceremonies of any kind were exaggerated to make an impression upon the +Turkish mind. And so in both these instances elaborate funeral services +were held which the diplomatic representatives attended in full uniform, +loaded with all decorations. The service for the Grand Duke lasted about +two hours, although no one apparently listened to any part but the +singing, and there was a general sigh of relief when it was over. The +service for the Belgian king was of a similar nature, with the addition +of a huge catafalque, surmounted by a crown, erected in the center of +the church, which was so cold that most of us kept on our overcoats. + +Shortly thereafter I attended a third funeral, this time a Turkish one. +Hamdy Bey, director and organizer of the Imperial Museum, had died on +February 24, 1910, at about sixty-eight years of age. I had known him +for twenty years; he had always been courteous and obliging to American +visitors, and had shown many special favors to me, notably in regard to +the permit for the Babylonian excavations. The services took place at +eleven in the morning in front of the entrance to the Sophia Mosque. The +funeral cortege consisted of about a dozen dervishes clad in long black +robes with high conical head-coverings made of rough yellowish-gray +woolen material, and about three times the height of an ordinary fez. +They chanted in plaintive tones, "Allah! Allah! Allah!" Next came the +coffin-bearers, six in number. As is the custom among the Mohammedans, +the coffin was of plain boards, covered with shawls, over which was +draped a black covering with some phrases from the Koran worked into it. +On top of the coffin was the red fez or head-covering of the deceased. +Behind the coffin walked many of the leading officials of the Government +and other prominent people. The entire ministry was present. I joined +the procession shortly before reaching the mosque and was asked to walk +beside Rifaat Pasha, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. I was the only +representative of a foreign power present, and my attendance was warmly +appreciated by the Turkish officials and by the relatives of the +deceased. + +When the procession reached the mosque, the coffin was placed upon the +pediment of a Greek column near the entrance, an appropriate place for +it to rest, I thought. All the mourners having gathered round, one of +the imans or priests standing by the coffin recited a prayer of about +six minutes' duration, in the midst of which he put the following +questions in Turkish to the bystanders: + +"You all knew Hamdy Bey; what kind of a man was he?" + +And the audience replied "Eyi," meaning "good." + +"If he has done any wrong to you, do you forgive him?" + +Their reply in Turkish signified, "We do." + +The body was then borne on the shoulders of the carriers to the museum +enclosure which was near by, in front of the Chinili Kiosque. Djavid Bey +then mounted the marble portico and from there delivered a funeral +oration lasting about twelve minutes, in which he referred to the +excellent work accomplished by the deceased under the most trying +circumstances during the reign of corruption and oppression, and pointed +to the buildings surrounding the enclosure as the most fitting and +lasting memorial. + +A funeral among the Mohammedans is not regarded as a cause for mourning. +Death is looked upon as a matter of course. Every respect is shown the +memory of the deceased, but there is neither sanctimony nor suppressed +sorrow at the funeral service. This is doubtless due to the spirit of +fatalism deeply embedded in their religion, and which colors so deeply +the life and philosophy of a Mohammedan. + +The attitude of prayer on the part of the bystanders during this +ceremony was one I had never observed at the ordinary services in the +mosques. They all stood erect, arms horizontally extended forward from +the elbow, palms turned upward. The simplicity of the whole service +impressed me very much. The entire dramatic scene, in its picturesque +surroundings, was unforgettable. The day was bright and beautiful, and +the Bosphorus wore its most attractive coloring. Turkish functions, +whether official or ceremonial, are always arranged with quiet dignity +and precision. + +Among the pleasant things during this sojourn in Constantinople was a +trip to Cairo to meet Roosevelt. On New Year's Day, 1910, I received a +note from him scribbled off in pencil, asking that I meet him if +possible about March 22d at Cairo; he would wire me later from the upper +Nile a more exact date. He could not come to Constantinople because he +had to include Christiania in his itinerary, which made it a little +difficult to carry out his plans. + +In due time I received a telegram from him from Gondokoro, on the lower +Nile, to meet him on March 23d. Accordingly Mrs. Straus and I started +from Constantinople on March 7th in the embassy dispatch boat, Scorpion, +a ship of about seven hundred and fifty tons, manned by a crew of +seventy-five or eighty bluejackets. We left a little early in order to +be able to make stops at several ports on the way, notably Salonica, +which in many respects was the most advanced city of the empire. It had +about 135,000 inhabitants, of whom some 20,000 were Greek, 15,000 +Bulgarian and other Balkan peoples, and the rest chiefly Jews. The +ancestors of many of the latter had settled there centuries before as +refugees from Spain at the time of the Inquisition. As was the case with +many of the other Jews of Turkey their language was Ladino, a Spanish +dialect. + +We stayed at Salonica three days and visited the principal institutions +of the city, and the Jewish hospitals and schools, all of which I found +superior to any I had seen in Turkey proper. They were conducted on +modern scientific lines. The leaders of finance and industry were the +Jews and the Greeks, while at the same time the hewers of wood and the +drawers of water, those who loaded the ships and did the hauling, were +also principally Jews. + +Next we stopped at Athens, where we met my brother Isidor and his wife, +who were making a tour of the Orient. Our six-days' stay in Athens was +made delightful for us by the courtesies of our minister, George H. +Moses, now and for some years past United States Senator from New +Hampshire. We visited the Boule, or Greek Chamber, one afternoon. What +mainly impressed one was the lack of decorum and dignity. The Minister +of War, who also represented the military league, was the dominating +power. I thought then how unfortunate it was for a country to be ruled +by the sabered politician. Then truly does the army become a curse to +the Government, as well as inefficient for the protection it is supposed +to give. When the army enters politics, then politics also enters the +army, a double calamity for any state. But that seemed to be the +lamentable condition of Greece as I saw it at that time. + +We were received in audience by King George, who spoke perfect English. +I had met him before, on my visit to Athens in 1888. He conversed freely +and with the objectiveness of an outsider about the disturbed political +conditions of Greece, which was at the time dominated by a military +league, a secret organization of army officers. Referring to this +league, the King said that outsiders probably regarded him as weak in +giving way to its demands, but that they did not appreciate conditions; +he did it to prevent a revolution, and he hoped that unity among the +people might be promoted by the approaching meeting of the Assembly for +the revision of the constitution. + +He seemed remarkably well informed regarding our system of government +and American affairs generally. He said that Greece needed a council of +state with cooerdinate legislative power, rather than a senate. He +appeared to favor a small appointed body rather than an elective +senate. He said he had been in Greece for fifty years; he had come there +when he was eighteen and was educated for the navy. He added drily that +it might have been better if he had stuck to the profession of his +training. + +He knew I was on my way to Egypt to meet Roosevelt for whom he expressed +the greatest admiration. He said he had read several of Roosevelt's +books and had always had a desire to meet him. + +We went on to Alexandria by the Roumanian boat. The sea seemed rough, so +we thought best to send the Scorpion on ahead so that we might make the +trip leisurely, and on March 21st we arrived in Cairo, where +Consul-General Iddings had reserved rooms for us at the Shepheard Hotel, +adjoining the suite reserved for the Roosevelts. + +The Roosevelt party arrived from Luxor at about nine o'clock on the +morning of March 24th. We went to the station to meet the train, and +there was quite a gathering, including the consul-general and his wife, +an aide of the Khedive, an aide of the Sirdar, a number of American +missionaries, and several others. Cairo was astir. American flags were +flying on many buildings, and at the hotel a great crowd cheered as +Roosevelt entered. + +After breakfast the first morning, Roosevelt wanted me to read several +letters he had dictated, among others a reply to the invitation that had +been extended by the Kaiser asking Roosevelt to be his guest in the +palace in Berlin. The invitation did not include Mrs. Roosevelt, and +this he resented. He therefore dictated a letter to Ambassador David J. +Hill saying he would be pleased to call on the Emperor on the day +designated, but could not accept the invitation to be his guest, as he +did not purpose to separate from Mrs. Roosevelt. He asked Ambassador +Hill to be sure to submit the message to the Emperor's chamberlain in +such a way that it could not be construed as a hint for an invitation +for Mrs. Roosevelt. I advised against sending this letter and asked him +to let me handle the matter. This I did, and Ambassador Hill soon +discovered, what I had suspected, that the Emperor was not aware at the +time the invitation was sent that Mrs. Roosevelt was with her husband. +The omission was immediately corrected. + +Roosevelt was, of course, anxious for news from home. He spoke again of +Taft's having told him he would retain Garfield and myself, and said +Taft was aware that he (Roosevelt) was specially attached to us both. I +showed him an article in a current "North American Review," entitled +"The First Year of Taft's Administration," which plainly showed that +much ground had been lost. + +Roosevelt was to deliver an address before the Egyptian National +University. He handed me the draft of it and asked me to criticize it +freely. I suggested a number of changes, which he promptly adopted. He +had been asked not to refer to the recent assassination of the Premier +of Egypt, Budros Pasha--a deed that had probably been inspired by the +Nationalists, a party composed chiefly of young students, half-educated +theorists, and a few others whose shibboleth was "Egypt for the +Egyptians." Roosevelt considered that it would be cowardly and evasive +to avoid this subject, and that usually the subjects one is asked not to +refer to are the ones uppermost in the minds of the people. Besides, if +he did not openly condemn such an act, his silence might be interpreted +as an approval. In view of all the circumstances I fully agreed with +him. The speech was delivered in a large hall filled to capacity; the +consular body and many Egyptian ministers were present. About one third +of the audience understood English, and the address was +enthusiastically received, and had an excellent effect, as I afterward +learned, upon law and order in Egypt. + +Roosevelt gave a luncheon at the hotel to Sir Gaston Maspero and +Professor Sayce, the eminent Egyptologists, which we attended. There +were about fifteen people present, among them Mr. Lawrence F. Abbott, of +"The Outlook," who had joined the Roosevelt party at Khartum. It was a +delightful occasion and reminded us of the old days at the White House. +Roosevelt always had the faculty of surrounding himself with people who, +whether from prominent or humble walks of life, were worth while. There +were so many facets to his nature that he could make interesting +contacts with all sorts of folk, those of the forest as well as those of +the closet. + +From Gondokoro, Roosevelt had written Ambassador Leishman at Rome saying +he would be glad of the honor of presentation to His Holiness Pope Pius +X. At Cairo he received the following cable reply from Ambassador +Leishman: + + The Rector of the American Catholic College, Monsignor Kennedy, in + reply to inquiry which I caused to be made, requests that the + following communication be transmitted to you: "The Holy Father + will be delighted to grant audience to Mr. Roosevelt on April 5, + and hopes nothing will arise to prevent it, such as the + much-regretted incident which made the reception of Mr. Fairbanks + impossible." + + I merely transmit this communication without having committed you + in any way to accept the conditions imposed, as the form appears + objectionable, clearly indicating that an audience would be + canceled in case you should take any action while here that might + be construed as countenancing the Methodist mission work here.... + +Mr. Fairbanks, it may be remembered, was granted an audience with His +Holiness, but on the same day accepted an invitation to lecture before +the Methodist body in Rome whose propaganda was inimical to the Vatican. +This displeased His Holiness and the audience was thereupon canceled. + +Roosevelt answered Leishman's cable to the effect that while he fully +recognized the right of the Holy Father to receive or not to receive +whomsoever he chose, he could not submit to conditions which would in +any way limit his freedom of conduct. But the Vatican stood firm on the +conditions set forth: + + His Holiness will be much pleased to grant an audience to Mr. + Roosevelt, for whom he entertains great esteem, both personally and + as President of the United States. His Holiness quite recognizes + Mr. Roosevelt's entire right to freedom of conduct. On the other + hand, in view of the circumstances, for which neither His Holiness + nor Mr. Roosevelt is responsible, an audience could not occur + except on the understanding expressed in the former message. + +Consequently, while Roosevelt did not go to the Vatican, he was received +with great cordiality at the Quirinal by King Victor Emmanuel III. In +order not to have the Vatican incident misunderstood at home, Roosevelt +sent a message regarding it to the American people, through the pages of +"The Outlook" of April 9, 1910. Mr. Abbott makes detailed mention of the +episode in his "Impressions of Theodore Roosevelt." + + * * * * * + +Mrs. Straus and I were invited to luncheon with Sir Eldon and Lady +Gorst, British consul-general at Cairo, where we met Professor Oscar +Browning, of Cambridge, among others. Sir Eldon was the successor of +Lord Cromer, and had had many years of experience in Egypt in official +capacities. He spoke of the unrest among the natives, especially those +who had lived abroad as university students. These were in fact the +leaders of the Nationalist Party, a movement stimulated by the +establishment of the new regime in Turkey and the parliamentary form of +government in Persia. Some of the Arabic papers were encouraging, if not +actually inciting, opposition to the British protectorate. He said the +British policy was to grant by degrees an always larger share of local +self-government, but it was feared that if the national spirit was too +much encouraged there would be a reversion to conditions that prevailed +prior to the British occupation of the country. He explained that Lord +Cromer's administration covered the period of national improvements, +such as the reform of taxes, and the building of railways and irrigation +works; and that now had come the desire for political changes. + +I have referred to that part of Roosevelt's speech at the National +University in which he condemned the assassination of the premier. Sir +Eldon said he had been consulted in regard to the speech before its +delivery, and that if he had expressed any objection he was sure Mr. +Roosevelt would either have omitted that part of the address or declined +to speak altogether, for he knew Mr. Roosevelt would not do anything to +embarrass British interests. He had had no objection, and made this +clear to Mr. Iddings, who made the inquiry. + +We were all invited to a tea at the German Diplomatic Agency, to meet +the Prince and Princess Eitel Friedrich, who were on a visit to Egypt. +Eitel Friedrich is the second son of William II of Germany. I had little +opportunity to speak with him because he and Roosevelt were engaged +almost the entire time in an animated conversation, during which both +remained standing. My impression of the Prince was that he seemed +tremendously impressed with his own importance. I had a pleasant chat +with the Princess, whom I found very charming. She seemed to me of a +type more Austrian than German. + +On March 30th we left Cairo, going with the Roosevelt party as far as +Alexandria, where they boarded a ship for Naples, and we went aboard the +Scorpion. Our little ship was dressed in its complimentary flags, the +band was playing, and the commander had drawn up the bluejackets on the +main deck to present arms, so that the Roosevelt party was being saluted +with all the form, splendor, and dignity that our ship could muster. The +sea was much calmer than when we came, and we reached Constantinople in +a little less than three days. I had intended stopping at several other +ports to confer with our consuls, and to visit Jerusalem, Beirut, and +Smyrna; but as my instructions were to hasten my return I did so. + + * * * * * + +During my third mission in Turkey I saw quite a good deal of Mahmoud +Chevket Pasha, the generalissimo of the Turkish army, who was at the +same time Minister of War. He was fifty-two years old, of spare frame, +medium height, with a full beard that was turning gray. He was an Arab, +born in Bagdad. He told me that, when he was a younger man and a major +in the army, he spent ten years in Germany studying the German military +system and training. It was evident to every observer that under his +generalship the Turkish army had vastly improved both in appearance and +in discipline. + +I found him a well-educated, modern man. At that time he enjoyed a +world-wide reputation as the most important and dominating official in +the empire, because, as general of the Third Army Corps, stationed at +Salonica, he had marched his men to Constantinople, dethroned the late +Sultan, and established the new regime. Within a few months he had made +visits to Austria, France, and Germany, and was received with great +honors. In the leading cities of these countries he made addresses that +were statesmanlike and internationally tactful. Throughout he +represented his country with admirable tact and judgment. + +During one of our conversations the generalissimo told me that the only +cloud on the horizon was the effort of the Greeks to make the Island of +Crete a part of their country. He thought the general conditions in +Turkey were good and that there was no danger of internal troubles, +because the Government had things well in hand. Should Greece make any +hostile move, he knew Turkey could easily defeat her. He did not think +that any of the Balkan Powers would join Greece, since they could not do +so without drawing in some of the big Powers, and the latter would not, +as a matter of self-interest, allow the Balkan States to join Greece in +a war. + +We were speaking rather frankly, and I asked him whether he thought +Russia desired the advancement of Turkey and its steady growth under the +new regime. He realized that Russia was then entirely friendly, but said +it was not because she favored a progressive Turkey, but because since +her war with Japan she was in no position to take advantage of the +misfortunes of Turkey. I asked him what he thought of the real attitude +of Germany. He answered that he thought Germany entirely friendly; that +her desire was, of course, to advance her commercial interests in the +Ottoman Empire, but that in this respect she was perhaps not different +from other nations who regarded Turkey as a good field for commercial +operations. + +Shortly thereafter the political atmosphere was considerably disturbed +by the Crete affair, just as Chevket Pasha had foreseen. The Greek army +had entered politics and dominated the Government. It caused several +changes of ministers and forced the King to consent to the summoning of +a National Assembly consisting of twice as many delegates as there were +members in Parliament. Crete also insisted upon sending delegates, which +would have been tantamount to incorporating itself as part of Greece +politically. + +The Minister of Foreign Affairs frankly told the ambassadors of all the +leading Powers, as well as the Greek minister, that if the Greek +National Assembly admitted delegates from Crete, Turkey would regard +that as a _casus belli_. There was a rumor at the same time that +Bulgaria was preparing to take advantage of the crisis to make war on +Turkey, either by uniting with Greece or in conjunction with some of the +other Balkan States. The Minister of Foreign Affairs had managed well, +and the four big Powers, England, Russia, France, and Italy, bestirred +themselves and the situation was allayed for the time. + +Greece had purchased from Italy a man-of-war of about ten thousand tons, +which was being fitted and armored for delivery within six months. To +offset this augmentation of the Greek navy, already stronger than the +Turkish, Turkey wanted to purchase a man-of-war of sufficient size to +outclass the one being fitted for Greece. The Minister of Foreign +Affairs called on me with a memorandum of the size of the ship and the +strength of the armament desired, together with a statement that the +object of the Ottoman Government in the purchase of it was not to make +war, but to safeguard the peace of Turkey and possibly of Europe. It was +thought that the moral effect upon Greece of such a purchase would +prevent her from taking any action that would cause war. + +I cabled this proposal in detail to Secretary Knox, and requested a +reply by cable. I knew that we had several ships that would probably +answer the requirements of Turkey, and I thought that, aside from the +moral effect this might have in preventing a war between Turkey and +Greece, it would enable us to substitute a new ship of our own for an +old one. It was not a question of price, as Turkey had put aside +sufficient money to pay for such a ship. + +A few days later Chevket Pasha also called on me, and again assured me +that the purchase was designed to have an immediate effect upon the +maintenance of peace, and that the people of Turkey would be forever +grateful to the United States if we should sell them the ship. + +But after the lapse of a week or more, I finally received a negative +answer from the State Department, saying that such a sale could not be +made without the authority of Congress. This, of course, I knew; but +since the transaction would have given us the opportunity to add a new +ship to replace the other, I thought such legislation might readily have +been obtained. The Turkish Government then made application to Germany, +and that country seized the opportunity further to cement its friendly +relations with the Ottoman Empire, which later had such an important +bearing in the World War. + +About a year after this Crete affair, Chevket Pasha was assassinated as +he was coming out of the Sublime Porte. No greater loss could have +befallen Turkey than the removal at that time of her greatest general +and most enlightened statesman. He was the best-informed Turkish +statesman I have ever known, with a clear and correct view of the entire +European situation. What the conspiracy was behind this shooting was +never brought to light. + +The affairs of Crete at that time were in the hands of the energetic +and brilliant leader who has since come to be regarded as one of the +foremost statesmen of all Europe, Eleutherios Venizelos. At the Paris +Peace Conference his recognition was complete. The Greeks, however, have +always shown themselves to be a fickle and ungrateful people, and from +the time of Socrates have turned against their foremost philosophers and +statesmen, and their attitude toward Venizelos is the most recent +illustration of those traits. Venizelos is practically a refugee from +his own country and at this writing is visiting our country to study +American institutions. + + * * * * * + +The main reason I accepted the post at Turkey for the third time was to +secure the legal status and rights of American institutions under +definite laws in the new regime. The Turks had promulgated a law, known +as the "Law of Associations," under the ingenious restrictions of which +they sought to place all foreign institutions. That would have given the +Ottoman authorities, both civil and judicial, the power so to impede the +work of these institutions as to prevent them from functioning. I +pointed out to the Grand Vizier that the Law of Associations was +contrary to the acquired rights of the institutions, which had been +legally recognized for many years, and taking section by section I +showed him the inapplicability of it to these institutions. After months +of negotiations, as usual in Turkey, I succeeded in getting a decision +from the Council of Ministers exempting foreign institutions of a +religious, educational, or benevolent character. + +There were three or four other matters that I succeeded in bringing to a +successful close. Contrary to the real-property laws of 1868, our +institutions were being denied the right to hold in their names real +property necessary for their operation, and this right I was able to +secure for them. Among other things I obtained a charter for the Syrian +Protestant College at Beirut, and I got an irade or permit for the +construction of new buildings for Robert College. The American College +for Girls, at Scutari on the Asiatic side of the Bosphorus, wanted to +transfer the institution over to Arnaoutkeui on the European side, its +present location, and I secured permission for this transfer and for the +construction of its buildings. + +While these various negotiations were in progress, I received an +instruction from Secretary Knox at which I took umbrage. It contained +the following paragraph: "If I am correct in understanding that American +educational and missionary interests in Turkey are in fact receiving +treatment in substance entirely satisfactory, I conclude that the chief +influence should at present be centered upon a substantial advancement +of our prestige and commerce." + +This had no other meaning than that instead of vigorous effort for the +protection of American colleges, schools, and hospitals, whose rights +under the new regime were being seriously threatened by new laws and +regulations, I was to transfer my efforts to securing shipbuilding and +railway concessions. I promptly advised the Department that this +understanding was not correct, that the interests of our institutions +were being seriously threatened, and that the proper protection of these +interests in no way conflicted with the advancement of our commercial +interests. + +I continued to push the negotiations on behalf of our institutions, for +I knew that a let-up at that time would, instead of benefiting our +commercial interests, convey the impression of weakness on the part of +our Government in looking out for American interests. In several +dispatches I pointed out to the Department that to exert official +pressure for railway concessions in Turkey would likewise require the +protection of such concessions, when obtained, by strenuous official +action which might at some time even involve the use of force, and could +not fail to enmesh us in the intricate political problems of the Near +East. I asked the Department to weigh carefully the possible advantage +of concessions to a few American exploiters, against the serious +disadvantages that the protection of these concessions would impose. I +pointed out that invariably the Turkish Government, of its own accord or +through outside pressure, failed to live up to its contracts if not +compelled to do so, and that the situation would be further complicated +by the conflicting interests of the other Powers whose commercial +dealings were subordinate to their political strategy. To ordinary +commercial transactions, such as export and import, these risks did not, +of course, apply; but they were particularly troublesome with regard to +the building and running of railways on Turkish territory. + + * * * * * + +Among our distinguished visitors during this mission were former +Vice-President and Mrs. Fairbanks, who were on their tour round the +world. They were our guests for a week, and we gave a series of dinners +to have them meet the leading diplomatic and Turkish officials. Among +the latter was Ahmed Riza Bey, president of the Chamber of Deputies, who +had for twenty years been a refugee in Paris, where he edited a Turkish +paper. He spoke French fluently. He was said to be practically the head +of the Young Turks Party. He was blue-eyed, handsome, and thoroughly +modern. His father was one of the chamberlains of Sultan Abdul Aziz, and +his mother, an Austrian, once told Mrs. Straus that she had almost +forgotten the German language because she had not used it in so long a +time, for she was only seventeen when she was married. + +Riza Bey was very much interested to learn from Mr. Fairbanks the rules +of parliamentary procedure. The Chamber of Deputies had not as yet +adopted any such rules and its proceedings lacked system and order. + +A few days later, while the president of the Chamber was calling on me, +the palace of the Chamber of Deputies, Tcheragan on the Bosphorus, +burned to the ground,--an unfortunate occurrence not only because of the +material loss, but because it was looked upon by the populace as a +visitation from God against the new regime. + +Judge and Mrs. Alton B. Parker and the widow of Daniel Manning, +Secretary of the Treasury in Cleveland's second Cabinet, also gave us +the pleasure of a visit. And a little later Cleveland H. Dodge arrived +in his yacht. He was heartily welcomed by all the missionaries, for he +was prominently connected with Robert College and was chairman of the +board of trustees of the College at Beirut. In his party was Mrs. Grover +Cleveland. + +After we had moved to our summer quarters at Yenikeui, Kermit Roosevelt +and his classmate, John Heard, came to spend about ten days with us. My +son Roger, then a student at Princeton, was spending his vacation with +us and was glad to have the company of two young men of about his own +age. + +At this time we saw much of Sir William Willcocks, the eminent British +engineer, who had just returned from Bagdad where he was employed by the +Turkish Government in the construction and supervision of irrigation +works in Mesopotamia. It was he who projected and designed the Assuan +Dam across the Nile. He told me he was born to his work, as his father, +Captain W. Willcocks, was engaged in it in India. + +In June I wrote the Department of State requesting a leave of absence +toward the end of September or beginning of October, with permission to +return home. In answer I received a cable from the assistant secretary +to the effect that the railway concessions of the Ottoman American +Development Company were to come up in Parliament in November, and +asking if it would be convenient for me to take my leave earlier so as +to be back in Turkey by November 1st. I replied in a confidential letter +that it was my intention, upon my return to America, to confer with the +President and the Secretary of State regarding my release from this +post, in accordance with my understanding when I accepted the +appointment. I decided to wait until the arrival of the new secretary of +the embassy, Mr. Hoffman Philip, and before leaving I took pains to make +him thoroughly familiar with the work of the embassy so that no ground +might be lost pending my resignation. + + * * * * * + +On leaving Constantinople we desired a few days' rest in the mountains. +At the suggestion, therefore, of our minister to Roumania, J. Ridgely +Carter, we planned to go to Sinaia, the Roumanian summer capital, which +he thought we should find agreeable in every way, so on September 3d we +left Turkey for Roumania. + +Sinaia we found not only very beautiful, but most enjoyable. We were +invited to the Palace a number of times. The Court being in mourning, +all entertaining was informal and more intimate. The King reminded me of +the late Edmund Clarence Stedman in general appearance. The Queen, known +to all the world as "Carmen Sylva," was a striking personality, tall, +rather heavily built, with silver gray hair and a high complexion, +strong, mobile features, and a very spiritual expression. She spoke +English, French, and German with equal fluency, so that it was difficult +to tell which was the most natural to her. + +The Queen told me how she happened to choose Carmen Sylva for a +pen-name: The woods always appealed to her; their stillness and beauty +inspired her. When she began to publish her work, at the age of +thirty-five, she asked a certain German writer to tell her the Latin +word for "woods"; that gave her "sylva." Next she asked the Latin word +for "bird," but that did not suit her. Then the word for "song" +suggested itself, "carmen." The combination appealed to her poetic +sense, and she adopted it. + +At luncheon one day our conversation drifted to poetry and American +poets. The Queen seemed to know all our bards, even the minor ones, +several of whom I had not heard of myself. I happened to quote, as near +as I could recall it, a couplet from a little poem that Joaquin Miller +wrote when Peter Cooper died: + + All one can hold in his cold right hand + Is what he has given away. + +She was most enthusiastic about that sentiment and said she considered +it real poetry. She repeated it several times so as to remember it. + +"Whenever any one gives me a beautiful thought, I never forget him," she +said, turning to me in her unaffected manner. I appreciated her delicate +compliment. + +After luncheon she invited me to the floor above to see her study. She +explained that she did her best work in a little cell-like room in the +monastery below the hill near the Palace, which we had visited the day +before. There she was most free from disturbance of any kind. Her study +in the Palace was comfortable and attractively furnished; not large, but +cozy. Looking out of the windows, one saw the terraced Italian gardens +and the wooded peaks of the Carpathian Mountains beyond. The low +bookcases which lined the four walls contained English, French, and +German books in exquisite bindings. At her desk were three typewriters, +respectively from England, France, and Germany, for use in writing the +languages of those countries. She used them herself, according to the +language in which the inspiration of the moment had come. She presented +me with a volume of poems and one of essays, both in German, "Meine +Ruhe" and "Mein Penatenwinkel," which she inscribed for me. + +We went through the Palace that afternoon. It is modern and very +beautiful, furnished in excellent taste, and not cold and uncomfortable, +sacrificed to grandeur, as most palaces seem to be. Then the King and +Queen invited us to return the next morning at eleven, to a musicale and +luncheon. + +Next day after luncheon the King left the other guests and took me into +a small adjoining room where we smoked and had coffee. Knowing that I +had been Secretary of Commerce and Labor, he led the conversation to +economic questions, which he said interested him most. He expressed +surprise that we had not come to state ownership of railways, which he +believed was the only way to regulate them. I explained our method of +regulating them, but he thought that method more socialistic and +arbitrary than in his own country. We talked of the Roosevelt policies +and their general aim at social justice. He said he regretted very much +that Roosevelt had not visited Roumania, for he had the greatest +admiration for him, both as man and as statesman. + +Our conversation ran on to the Jewish question, and the King spoke most +sympathetically of the Jews, saying that they were patriotic subjects +and good soldiers, that there was no religious prejudice against them, +and that the Jewish question in Roumania was purely economic. The Jews +who came in from Russia and Poland constituted separate communities in +the country, with foreign methods of living, foreign language, and +foreign views. I told him that in the most enlightened countries there +was an absence of the Jewish problem because no problem was created by +treating the Jews as separate groups with restricted rights. He saw that +point, but explained that Roumania was right next to Russia where the +Jews were most oppressed. If, therefore, Roumania accorded them full +rights, there would be a flood of immigration much larger than they were +then getting. I pointed out that it would be much better to restrict +immigration than to restrict the natural rights of the Jews of Roumania. +That thought impressed him, and he said he realized that, under the +system they then had, much injustice was done which brought disgrace to +the kingdom, but he hoped a remedy would be worked out. + +We spoke of the United States Postal Savings legislation, of which he +requested an outline, and thought it could be adopted by Roumania with +advantage. + +A few days later we again lunched with the King and Queen. The Queen +mentioned the bit of poetry I had given her a few days before and asked +whether I could give her another. Something had been said about Hay's +Roumanian note that brought to mind the last stanza of Hay's hymn: + + Wherever man oppresses man, + Beneath the setting sun, + O Lord, be there, thine arm make bare, + Thy righteous will be done. + +The Queen admired these lines and begged me to write them out, which I +did on the back of one of my visiting-cards. She put the card in her +reticule, saying that the lines would inspire a poem some day, and that +she would then send it to me. + +Referring to her work generally, she spoke of her indebtedness to +Professor Michael Bernays, the distinguished Jewish scholar, who was a +frequent and welcome visitor at the home of her parents. She said he was +the most modest and intellectual person she had ever known, and his +conversations and teachings had greatly influenced her intellectual and +spiritual life. She asked me to read her estimate of this wonderful man +in her book of essays that she had given me. I have since read it +several times, and it would surprise many to read such a eulogy and +vindication of the Jews and Judaism by the Queen of a country where the +Jews were so sorely oppressed by drastic discrimination. + +Before we left Sinaia, the Queen sent me a large photograph of herself, +inscribed: "Never mind deep waters, there are pearls to be found. +Elizabeth. Sinaia, September, 1910." + +In Vienna, we were guests at a tea given by Dr. Sigmund Muenz, of "Die +Neue Freie Presse." Among those present was Baroness Bertha von Suttner, +the great peace advocate and authoress of "Down With Your Arms," who had +received the Nobel Peace Prize the previous year. I had met her before +in the United States, where we spoke from the same platform during the +sessions of the Interparliamentary Union and the International Peace +Societies. + +Next we went to London, where we enjoyed the pleasant hospitalities of +our ambassador, Whitelaw Reid. At one of the luncheons at the embassy I +was pleased to make the acquaintance of Dr. Luis M. Drago, the Argentine +international jurist and author of the Drago Doctrine, who had just +returned from the Anglo-American Fisheries Arbitration at The Hague. + +We dined one evening with the Right Honorable Sir Ernest Cassel at his +charming home, Brooke House, and afterward went with him to the theater. +Sir Ernest, one of England's leading financiers, was constantly being +referred to in the press in connection with the negotiations pending in +Paris for a new loan to the Turks. He told us that these international +financial negotiations, because of their international importance, did +not appeal to him, for he had no ambition to be in the limelight or to +become a conspicuous international personage. He preferred quiet and +obscurity, for constant publicity disturbed his peace of mind. This +attitude was not one of assumed modesty; he really said what he meant +and felt. + +On another evening we dined with Postmaster-General Herbert Samuel and +his wife. Mr. Samuel was only thirty-nine years old and gave every +promise of the distinction which he has since attained in the service of +his country. At this writing he is British High Commissioner in +Palestine. + +Lord Rothschild had written me to call on him when in London; and I went +to the banking house to see him. In speaking of the Triple Entente of +Great Britain, France, and Russia, I told him I thought that, from a +British point of view, it was unwise. He, on the other hand, regarded it +as good because it offered the best security for peace. A few days +thereafter I mentioned the subject to his brother, Alfred. The latter +said that he and his brother usually agreed, but in this matter they +took opposite views. Alfred considered it a great mistake, from the +point of view of civilization, for England to be aligned with Russia, +and beyond that he considered it detrimental to the relationship between +England and Germany, which was none too friendly. In the light of all +that has since taken place, it is interesting to note how the +international alignment of 1910 was reflected in the minds of these big +international financiers. + +On September 8th we boarded the Lusitania at Liverpool, reaching New +York on the 13th. My brother Isidor and our children met us, and we were +made to appreciate the real truth of the bull that "the greatest +pleasure in going abroad is returning home." + +Soon afterward I went to Washington. First I called at the State +Department and had an informal talk with Secretary Knox. I told him I +did not wish to return to Turkey. The important negotiations had been +brought to a favorable conclusion, and I felt that I had spent enough of +my time there. He referred to the understanding with which I had +accepted the post, that when I desired to be relieved, another post that +might be available and acceptable to me would be tendered me. However, I +purposely did not comment on this understanding. I simply said that I +did not wish to cause the Administration any embarrassment, and was +content to stay at home. He said he would have a talk with the President +and confer with me later. + +When I called on the President, I told him that since all the questions +for which I went to Turkey had been adjusted, I did not wish to return. +Subsequently I received a very cordial and complimentary letter from +him, but, as it contained no intimation of his earlier promise to +transfer me to a post more to my liking, I did not refer to it. The rift +between the Roosevelt policies and the Taft Administration had by this +time grown considerably, and I was known to be in thorough accord with +Roosevelt and his policies. + + + + +CHAPTER XII + +THE PROGRESSIVES + + The Progressive spirit is kindled and shaped into a cause--My + speech at the banquet of the New York Chamber of Commerce in + 1910--Roosevelt's hostility to boss rule--Liberals impatient with + Taft Administration--Governors demand Roosevelt--He advocates + recall of judicial decisions--This stand believed to have caused + his defeat--New York State Progressive Convention is + deadlocked--"Suspender Jack" nominates me for Governor and + stampedes convention--I decline to consider Republican + nomination--Sulzer's "non-Jewish but pro-Jewish" slogan--I stump + the State--Bainbridge Colby "impersonates" me--Roosevelt, shot by a + lunatic, heroically addresses Milwaukee mass meeting--I am needed + in national campaign--The dramatic Roosevelt speech in Madison + Square Garden--His tribute to me--Election returns--Progressives + poorly organized--Their cause a crusade. + + +In the torrential flood of American politics, two main currents are +continuously perceptible. There are, of course, innumerable permanent +and temporary cross-currents, eddies, and other variations, but the two +main currents are ever present. One may be generally described as +professional, mechanical, and ruled by the accomplished and consummate +selfishness of invisible forces. The other, while more genuine in +spirit, is often amateurish in effort; it is more spontaneous; it is +kindled by emotions of revolt; it sees mankind not as masses to be +exploited, and profited by, but as individuals to be set freer to +express themselves socially and economically. It strives to restate the +better aspirations of men generally, and to mitigate some of the +pressure that civilization imposes upon them. + +It is not the province of the historian to moralize. It is his business +to trace the changing currents of human thought and to produce accurate +pictures of men in action. And so, in touching on the Progressives, I +shall endeavor to give some indication of the mental processes that +shaped their cause, and to depict some of the dramatic scenes that +carried their cause into action. Many of these scenes I was able to +observe closely. In a sense, I may have figured more definitely than I +realized at the time, in kindling their cause into smoke and flame. + +On November 17, 1910, the New York Chamber of Commerce held its one +hundred and forty-second annual banquet at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. +The speakers were Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, of Massachusetts; Governor +Horace White, of New York; Mayor William J. Gaynor, of New York City; +and myself. The president of the Chamber, the late A. Barton Hepburn, +presided. My subject was "American Prestige," and I could not refrain +from referring to the great extent to which American influence and +prestige had been advanced by Roosevelt, both as President and during +his tour through Europe. There was instant and prolonged applause at the +mention of Roosevelt's name, clearly showing that his political +influence was not dead, contrary to the ideas of many who thought so +because the election of a few days before had shown sweeping Democratic +gains and the defeat of Roosevelt's candidate for Governor, Henry L. +Stimson. When the banquet was over, Senator Lodge said to me that if the +political opponents of Roosevelt could have seen the enthusiasm with +which his name was applauded, they would realize that even in New York +he was as much alive as ever. + +When I had met Roosevelt in Cairo on his way back from Africa, we had +talked frequently about politics at home. It was clear to me from his +conversation that he did not propose to be enticed or forced into +accepting any nomination, although there was talk, yes, I may say a +demand, that he reenter public life as either Governor of New York or +United States Senator. + +Roosevelt was so loyal a Republican that his opponents constantly chided +him for going along with the bosses, like Senator Platt, for instance, +and at the same time advocating reforms. He used to reply that he did +and would continue to cooperate with the bosses so long as they went his +way. His aim from the time he entered public life as a member of the New +York State Assembly was to make the party always more responsive to its +highest ideals; and from the beginning he worked against the "invisible +powers" or boss rule. By word and deed all through his life he showed an +independence and moral courage that careless observers might often have +mistaken for headlong impetuosity. No one could know him without +recognizing that he was broad-minded, liberal, and inherently +progressive. + +When he arrived home from abroad in June, 1910, he found the Republican +Party disrupted. The dissatisfaction and impatience of the liberals was +distinctly evident. By 1912 Taft had allowed himself to become so +thoroughly identified with the reactionaries that the large independent +element had not only become unenthusiastic, but decidedly hostile to the +Administration. In his Winona speech President Taft had ranked himself +on the side of those leaders in the party who opposed real tariff +reform. In his famous Norton letter he had even gone so far as to imply, +if not to expressly admit, that federal Patronage had been used against +the Progressives in Congress. + +The Progressive element both in and out of Congress was therefore +casting about for a candidate who represented the liberal wing of the +party, for nomination at the National Republican Convention at Chicago +in June. Roosevelt's office at "The Outlook" was daily crowded with +liberal leaders who had come to consult with him and to urge him to +"throw his hat in the ring," to use one of Roosevelt's own picturesque +expressions. This demand grew and spread until finally came the +following appeal from the Governors of the States of Kansas, Michigan, +Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, West Virginia, and Wyoming: + + We feel that you will be unresponsive to a plain public duty if you + decline to accept the nomination coming as the voluntary expression + of the wishes of a majority of the Republican voters of the United + States through the action of their delegates in the next National + Convention. + +To this message Roosevelt replied: + + One of the chief principles for which I have stood and for which I + now stand, and which I have always endeavoured and always shall + endeavour to reduce to action, is the genuine rule of the people; + and, therefore, I hope that so far as possible the people may be + given the chance, through direct primaries, to express their + preference as to who shall be the nominee of the Republican + Presidential Convention. + +During this period I called on Roosevelt one day at the offices of "The +Outlook," and he handed me the galley-proof of a speech he was to make +before the Constitutional Convention at Columbus, Ohio. He called it +"The Charter of Democracy." His room was full of callers, so I went into +Dr. Abbott's office and there carefully read the speech. In it Roosevelt +advocated, among other reforms such as the short ballot and the +initiative and referendum, the recall of judicial decisions. When I came +to that subject I confess I was shocked, and so expressed myself to one +of the editors of "The Outlook"; as I remember it, it was Dr. Abbott +himself. Compelled to keep another appointment, I left the office when I +had finished reading the speech, saying that I should return later. + +Upon my return I met Roosevelt just as he was going out to keep an +engagement. + +"I hear you don't like my speech," he said to me. + +"I like your speech; I think it is fine; all but that portion of it +which refers to the recall of judicial decisions," I answered. I started +to give my reasons, but seeing that he was pressed for time, I said: "I +should like to discuss that matter with you, provided your mind is open +on the subject." To my great surprise he said that he had thought the +subject over very carefully, and frankly told me that he had come to a +definite decision on it. + +That was so unlike the Roosevelt I knew in the many discussions I had +had with him, when invariably I found his mind responsive, that I was +quite disappointed and somewhat taken back. But I did not want him to +feel that I had joined the ranks of the many who had parted political +company with him because he had made it known that he would accept +another nomination for President, and so, on reaching my office, I wrote +him a letter, briefly explaining why I objected to his statements +regarding the recall of judicial decisions. I assured him that on that +account I did not part from him politically, for after all I agreed with +him more than with any other candidate who might possibly be named. + +The birth and development of the Progressive Party is, of course, an +element of national history that has often been detailed. William Draper +Lewis, in his "Life of Theodore Roosevelt," and Lawrence F. Abbott, in +his "Impressions of Theodore Roosevelt," both give clear accounts of it. +Roosevelt's candidacy and defeat have been variously analyzed, but I +believe now, as I believed in 1912, that but for this unfortunate +statement regarding judicial decisions, Roosevelt would have been +re-elected President in 1912. It is true that he afterwards clarified +the meaning of his use of the word "recall"; that its application was +limited to such decisions as held legislative acts unconstitutional, and +that such decisions might at the following election be submitted to +popular vote, in accordance with the method employed by a State for the +adoption of its constitution. But his clarification never overcame the +effects of the Columbus speech. William Draper Lewis, who was one of +Roosevelt's closest advisers at the time, says in his biography: + + Looking back now over the events leading up to the Republican + National Convention of 1912, it would appear almost certain that + had he, in his address before the Ohio Convention, either refrained + from making the proposal or had he called it a new method of + amending the constitution, and carefully explained it so that it + could not have been misunderstood, it is most probable that he + would have been nominated at Chicago, and that the whole course of + the recent history of the United States would have been other than + it has been. + +[Illustration: NATHAN, OSCAR, AND ISIDOR STRAUS + +1912] + +Shortly after the Columbus speech, Roosevelt delivered, on March 20, +1912, at Carnegie Hall, New York, what was in many respects the most +forceful and eloquent address I ever heard him make. He graphically +described his dedication to his ideals of democracy: + + Our task as Americans is to strive for social and industrial + justice, achieved through the genuine rule of the people. This is + our end, our purpose. The methods for achieving the end are merely + expedients, to be finally accepted or rejected according as actual + experience shows that they work well or ill. But in our hearts we + must have this lofty purpose, and we must strive for it in all + earnestness and sincerity, or our work will come to nothing. In + order to succeed, we need leaders of inspired idealism, leaders to + whom are granted great visions, who dream greatly and strive to + make their dreams come true; who can kindle the people with the + fire from their own burning souls. + + The leader for the time being, whoever he may be, is but an + instrument, to be used until broken and then to be cast aside; and + if he is worth his salt, he will care no more when he is broken + than a soldier cares when he is sent where his life is forfeit in + order that the victory may be won. + + If on this new continent we merely build another country of great + but unjustly divided material prosperity, we shall have done + nothing; and we shall do as little if we merely set the greed of + envy against the greed of arrogance, and thereby destroy the + material well-being of all of us. To turn this government into + government by plutocracy or government by a mob would be to repeat + on a larger scale the lamentable failures of the world that is + dead. We stand against all tyranny, by the few or by the many. We + stand for the rule of the many in the interest of all of us, for + the rule of the many in the spirit of courage, of common sense, of + high purpose, above all, in a spirit of kindly justice towards + every man and every woman. + +A month after the meeting of the National Convention of the Progressive +Party, popularly called the "Bull Moose Convention," which nominated +Theodore Roosevelt for President and Hiram W. Johnson for +Vice-President, the New York State Convention of the Progressive Party +met at Syracuse, in the Arena. The convention met on September 5th. + +All during the first day and night, amid lively discussion as to the +selection of candidates for Governor, committees urged me for permission +to present my name as a candidate; but I steadfastly declined, since the +governorship, being so largely a political office, did not appeal to me. +I was neither by training nor by temperament a politician, although I +had taken active part in campaigns for many years, both local and +national. The next day I was asked to take the permanent chairmanship of +the convention. This I was willing and glad to do; I wanted to be of +service to the party; also it was a foregone conclusion that acceptance +of the chairmanship would preclude my being considered a candidate for +the nomination for Governor. + +The Arena was filled with about seven thousand delegates and members of +the new Progressive Party. The air was surcharged with the spirit of the +new movement--the genuine enthusiasm of men and women of character and +standing from every county in the State, and among them a great many +ministers, professors, reformers, and leaders of benevolent and +charitable movements. There was a conspicuous absence of the +professional politician. Indeed, that convention had more the character +of a town meeting than of a cut-and-dried political convention. Instead +of having decisions made for them, this great body of enthusiasts were +called upon to make their own. The candidates had not even been agreed +upon. + +On September 6th I took my gavel in hand and called the meeting to +order. The first business before the convention was the nomination of a +candidate for Governor. The secretary called the counties of the State +in alphabetical order, and the chairman of each delegation made his +nomination. The outstanding candidates for nomination were William H. +Hotchkiss, one of the organizers of the Progressive Party and chairman +of the National Committee, and William A. Prendergast, comptroller of +the City of New York, who had made the speech nominating Roosevelt for +President at the Chicago Convention. A deadlock between these two +candidates ensued. + +After Yates County had been heard from, a tall, gaunt young man towered +to his feet and asked to be heard; he was from the Fifteenth Manhattan +District, and he had a nomination to make. It was not quite in order, +though the spirit of the convention was to give each man a chance. While +I was hesitating about recognizing him, there seemed to be a general +desire that he be given an opportunity to speak, so I gave him five +minutes. + +He looked fantastic as he strode to the platform and faced the audience. +His manner was somewhat bizarre. He burst forth in dramatic fashion as +follows: + + Fellow citizens, ladies and gentlemen: I have just come down from + Vermont. I ask you people at this convention to make no mistake. + + We want to put a man up for Governor that no man will be afraid to + cast his vote for, against whom there can be no charge leveled of + misconduct of any kind, one who can sweep the State from Montauk + Point to Lake Erie, and carry every man of every race, religion, + and creed; a man whose name is known throughout the civilized + world; a man the mention of whose name brings a tear of sympathy to + the eye of almost every man and woman in the civilized land; a man + whose name, wherever men are found with red blood in their veins, + irrespective of race, religion, and creed, will be carried + thundering throughout the State to victory. + + There is no chance for defeat with this man at the head of the + ticket-- + +"Who is your candidate?" cried impatient listeners. + +"What's his name?" + +"Name your candidate!" + +In sudden answer to these cries from the convention, the speaker +exclaimed: + + I nominate the illustrious and honorable Oscar S. Straus. + +During the long, terrific applause that followed, the delegate stood +awkwardly waiting for a chance to finish. Finally he went on: + + We should take no chances in this fight. I could not say one + undeserved word if I used the entire dictionary in praise of the + other nominees, Mr. Hotchkiss and Mr. Prendergast; but, gentlemen, + Mr. Prendergast or Mr. Hotchkiss would cause friction in the State. + We want no friction in this election. We want success and victory. + + Gentlemen, there is not a newspaper editor in the State of New York + that would any more assassinate the character of Oscar S. Straus + than he would assassinate the character of his own mother. + + Gentlemen, remember! Remember that Rome was saved by the cackle of + geese. I have no political prestige, but I warn and charge you, put + up a man for candidate for governor who cannot and will not be + defeated. + + Gentlemen, gentlemen, heed me! Make no mistake about Oscar S. + Straus. You will make no mistake in putting him up as your + candidate, and you will capture victory and success. No man has had + better distinction at home and abroad than Mr. Straus. I ask you to + vote for him. + +The moment he finished, a stampede started. The entire hall assumed the +aspect of a good-natured bedlam. There was cheering and applause, and +many of the delegates began marching round that big auditorium, +brandishing the banners of their counties, singing "The Battle Hymn of +the Republic" and "Onward, Christian Soldiers," and breaking out in the +end with "Straus! Straus! We want Straus!" + +I pounded the desk with the gavel, I shook my head in the negative, but +to no avail. The noise lasted fully twenty minutes. + +The picturesque young man who had precipitated this scene was John G. +McGee, known among his colleagues as "Suspender Jack." He had been a +member of the mounted police of New York City. + +Meanwhile Mr. Hotchkiss and several other leaders came to the platform +and insisted upon my accepting. They even brought Mrs. Straus up with +the hope of getting her to exert her persuasive powers. There was no +alternative; I had to accept. + +Mr. Hotchkiss announced my acceptance, and immediately former +Lieutenant-Governor Timothy L. Woodruff announced the withdrawal of Mr. +Prendergast and moved to make the nomination unanimous by acclamation. +That produced more shouting and cheering, accompanied by much applause +and the waving of banners. It was a touching manifestation and an +unexpected honor. I made a brief speech of acceptance, during which I +found it difficult to hide the effect of all this demonstration. And +with more applause and cheering, the session closed with the singing of +"The Star-Spangled Banner." + +The next morning the convention named for Lieutenant-Governor Frederick +M. Davenport, who was Professor of Law and Politics at Hamilton College +and had made an admirable record in the State Legislature. The ticket +was then quickly completed and the convention closed. + +The nominations were received with great favor all through the State and +in the press. Roosevelt at the time was in the Far West conducting his +own campaign, and wrote me from Spokane as follows: + + + THE SPOKANE + SPOKANE, WASHINGTON + _September 8, 1912_ + + DEAR STRAUS: + + When I left New York I had expected Prendergast to be nominated and + there were certain reasons, which I think you know, why I felt + that, as a matter of principle, his nomination should be made. + + But there was a still further principle involved, and that was that + in this Convention the people should have their own way; and, upon + my word, I am inclined to think that it was a new illustration of + the fact that the wisdom of _all_ of us is better than the wisdom + of any of us. Having in view the effect, not only in New York but + the country at large, I think that your nomination stands second + only to that of Hiram Johnson as Vice-President, from the + standpoint of strengthening the ticket. If the only result of the + next election were to place you in as Governor of New York, I + should be inclined to think that the Progressive Party had + justified itself. + + My dear fellow, I am overjoyed; I congratulate you with all my + heart. Give my love to dear Mrs. Straus and to Roger and your two + daughters and all the grandchildren. + + Ever yours + THEODORE ROOSEVELT + +A few days thereafter he gave out the following interview: + + Next in importance to the nomination of the Vice-President is the + nomination for Governor of New York. And it seems to me that Hiram + Johnson and Oscar Straus symbolize what this movement stands for. + One is an ex-Republican, the other an ex-Democrat; they both stand + for what is highest in American citizenship. + + Mr. Straus is not merely a high-minded and able man, a man of + incorruptible integrity and great ability, but also a man who has + kept abreast of the great movement from which sprang the + Progressive Party. He is eminently fitted to be one of the leaders + in this movement. On every point of our platform he represents an + intense earnestness of conviction for all the things for which we + stand. His attitude toward business, his attitude toward the + complicated, and the vitally important social and economic problems + which are dealt with in our plank concerning social and industrial + justice; in short, his whole position on governmental matters has + been such as to warrant our saying that he is already in practice + applying the very principles which we preach. + + New York State has a right to be proud of the fact that in this + first State Convention of the people themselves Mr. Straus's + nomination was, in the most emphatic sense, a nomination by the + people themselves, a nomination representing the desire of the + people to have the very best man take the office, although that man + was himself sincerely desirous to escape having to take it. + + I have known Mr. Straus intimately ever since I was Governor of New + York. When he was in my Cabinet I leaned much upon him, and a more + loyal and disinterested friend no man could have, and, what is + more important, no man could have a more loyal, disinterested, and + sanely zealous supporter. As head of the Department of Commerce and + Labor Mr. Straus himself, by study and administration of the law, + was one of those who reached conclusions as to the needs of our + handling of the anti-trust and interstate commerce and similar + laws, which I set forth in message after message to Congress, and + which were substantially embodied in the Progressive platform; and + in his attitude toward labor, toward immigration, toward the duty + both of public and private employees, he foreshadowed that part of + the Progressive platform which has dealt with these same matters. + + Moreover, by his disinterestedness, his unselfish devotion to the + cause of good government and of sound progressive doctrine for + economic and social reform, and by his willingness personally to + sacrifice his own interests to those of the cause he espouses, he + is, I am happy to say, typical of all men who are in the new + movement. + + Exactly as it is a real sacrifice for Hiram Johnson to accept the + nomination for Vice-President, so it is a real sacrifice for Oscar + Straus to accept the nomination for Governor of New York. Each has + accepted because he is not thinking of himself. He is thinking of + his duty to the people as a whole; of his duty to the great Nation + to which he belongs. Oscar Straus's nomination is not only a most + fortunate thing for the New York Progressives, but it is also a + piece of real good fortune for the Progressive movement throughout + this Nation. + +When the Republicans had their convention at Saratoga a short while +after my nomination at Syracuse, several of their prominent State +leaders telegraphed me to inquire whether I would accept the Republican +nomination. They feared that with three candidates in the field the +State would go Democratic. One of my managers favored my acceptance, +which would without doubt have meant election. But my chief adviser, +Chairman Hotchkiss, agreed with me that my accepting the Republican +nomination, without the endorsement by the Republicans of the +Progressive platform, would destroy the Progressive Party in the State, +if not throughout the country. I therefore sent an immediate reply that +while I should welcome the support of any group or party that chose to +give it, I could not accept a nomination that did not mean an +endorsement and acceptance of the platform on which I stood. On hearing +of this, Roosevelt telegraphed me from Memphis: "Three cheers for you. +You are a perfect trump and you always do the right thing." + +The Republican candidate was Job E. Hedges, a brilliant member of the +New York Bar. The Democrats nominated William Sulzer, and Tammany Hall +sanctioned the selection because he was considered a good opponent who +would attract the Jewish vote. But our politicians make no greater +mistake than to believe that there is such a thing as a Jewish group +vote. Of course, a candidate who by word or action has shown prejudice +against or hostility toward the Jews could not expect their suffrage; +but beyond that the Jews are not controllable as a group at the polls. +However, as chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House, +Sulzer had taken a prominent part in the abrogation of our treaty with +Russia, and during the campaign the slogan, "non-Jewish but pro-Jewish," +was designed to bring him the support of the mass of Jewish voters in +addition to the regular Democratic vote. + + * * * * * + +On the whole the campaign was conducted with dignity on all sides. There +was a noticeable absence of vilification of candidates and general +mud-slinging between the camps, as is too often the case in keenly +contested elections. My campaign managers arranged for me to make +addresses in every county and almost every city throughout the State. I +had a special car in which traveled, besides Mr. Davenport, my wife and +me, and several other speakers, a dozen or more reporters from the +leading papers. + +I made my first speech in Getty Square, Yonkers, and from there I +traveled for seven weeks, making ten to fifteen speeches every day +except Sundays, including short talks at stations and from the rear +platform of my car. Sometimes I made speeches before breakfast, to +crowds that had gathered at the station, and there were always two or +three, and often more, formal addresses a day in some public hall, to +which I would be escorted from the train with a band of music, and +sometimes with a fife and drum corps, invariably playing "Onward, +Christian Soldiers." So many clergymen took part in the campaign that +frequently the meetings were opened with a prayer. Many of the meetings +were spontaneous, emphasizing the crusading spirit which was so +characteristic of the campaign. + +One of my slogans was that I was the "unbossed candidate of the unbossed +people." One day up in the northern part of the State I was speaking on +a raised platform in the open, and, as usual, my time was limited by the +train schedule. A member of the committee told my wife, who was sitting +behind me, that the train would leave in a few minutes, and that it was +time for me to stop, and just as I got to the middle of the phrase, +"unbossed candidate--" she pulled my coat-tail as a signal for me to +stop. At that moment I was quite evidently not the "unbossed candidate" +that I professed to be, and the audience laughed and cheered with +amusement. I think that bit of bossing, however, did not cost me any +votes. + +Mr. Davenport proved himself a most effective campaign speaker. Another +effective orator in our party for a short time was Bainbridge Colby, who +discharged with great distinction the important duties of Secretary of +State during the last year of the Wilson Administration. At Oneonta and +at one or two other places, while I was taking a much-needed rest, the +crowds had gathered and were calling for me. Mr. Colby, without being +introduced, responded for me, and the audiences were left with the +impression that they had listened to me. My cause certainly did not +suffer by my being so admirably represented, or perhaps I should say +advantageously misrepresented. + +Roosevelt in the meantime had flung himself into the campaign with all +the force of his tremendous vigor and energy, and gave to it a dynamic +impulse that grew in intensity as he progressed through the country. He +went out to the Pacific Coast, returned through the Southern States to +New York City, speaking at every important center. In September he went +through New England. In October he started on his final tour through the +Middle West, and it was while on this trip that he was shot by a lunatic +just as he was leaving his hotel to make a speech in the Auditorium in +Milwaukee. The incident, tragic in itself, was made dramatic by his +heroism. With the bullet in his breast and his clothes soaked with +blood, disregarding the entreaties of his companions, he went on to the +Auditorium and spoke for more than an hour. To him nothing counted +except the triumph of the principles for which he was fighting. + +In consequence of this accident the national managers had me leave the +State of New York and take up the national campaign, which I did +cheerfully. No one, of course, could fill Roosevelt's engagements, but +the plan was to rescue the cause so far as possible, and I spoke in +several of the larger cities where meetings had been scheduled for +Roosevelt, principally Chicago, Cincinnati, and Cleveland. My intense +anxiety regarding the condition of my chief during this time was greatly +relieved by assuring telegrams from Mrs. Roosevelt and his nephew, +George Emlen Roosevelt, who were both at his side. + + * * * * * + +Two final rallies were arranged in Madison Square Garden, New York--one +on Wednesday, October 30th, for the national ticket, and the second on +Friday, November 1st, for the State ticket. Roosevelt, though not well, +considered himself sufficiently recovered to appear. His physicians, +Doctors Lambert and Brewer, had prescribed no more campaign speeches, in +fact, did not want him to go to these meetings; but he brushed aside +their injunctions and left Oyster Bay for Madison Square. + +His presence at the national rally was his first public appearance since +the shooting, and keyed-up the meeting to a high dramatic pitch. Fully +eighteen thousand persons were in the auditorium and a few thousand more +were outside clamoring for admission. When Roosevelt appeared on the +platform, a roar of applause broke loose and continued for forty-five +minutes. + +Roosevelt's speech, characteristically, was confined to a plea for the +Progressive cause and for the State ticket; no word for himself. He +appeared in good form and to possess his usual vigor, although it was +observed that he did not use his right arm. His speech was earnest, +calm, and exalted, closing with what he called his political creed: + + I am glad beyond measure that I am one of the many who in this + fight have stood ready to spend and be spent, pledged to fight + while life lasts the great fight for righteousness and for + brotherhood and for the welfare of mankind. + +At the rally for the State ticket two nights later the crowd inside the +Garden was as large as at the national rally, though there were fewer +people outside. The enthusiasm was at the same high pitch. When I arose +to speak, the cheering began and lasted twenty-seven minutes before it +could be checked. Roosevelt was expected during the evening. His +physicians had reminded him when he started from home that he had +promised not to speak any more in the campaign, to which he humorously +replied that he had promised not to speak for himself, but that this +time he would talk for Oscar Straus and Fred Davenport and the +candidates on the judiciary ticket! + +At the close of my thirty-minute address, Roosevelt appeared. The crowd +went wild, and stopped cheering only when Mr. Hotchkiss, who was +presiding, besought them to stop out of consideration for the Colonel. +Roosevelt spoke for an hour and held that vast audience in rapt +attention. He devoted the first half of his speech to outlining the +Progressive cause, its meaning and purpose, and the second half to +advocating the State ticket. He referred to my public career in terms of +unmeasured praise, beginning with my first mission to Turkey. He told +the crowd that everywhere he spoke, from the Great Lakes to the Gulf and +from the Atlantic to the Pacific, he had "found that the name of Oscar +Straus was a name with which to conjure," and that it "helped the +Progressive cause in California and in New Mexico, in Illinois and in +Kansas, that we here in New York had named such a man as our candidate +for Governor." He then gave accounts of the personal services and +qualifications of the other members of the ticket, and with this meeting +the Progressive campaign of 1912 closed with a blaze of unforgettable +enthusiasm. + +On election day I received the following letter from Roosevelt: + + + YSTER BAY + _November 5, 1912_ + + DEAR OSCAR: + + I count myself fortunate in having run upon the same ticket with + you and in having had the privilege of supporting you. You are the + kind of American who makes one proud of being an American; and I + wish also to say that I feel just the same way about all your + family, your dear wife, your two daughters and son. It is just such + a family, and just such a family life, as I like to think of as + typical of our citizenship at its best. + + With affectionate regard and esteem + Faithfully yours + THEODORE ROOSEVELT + + +The Progressives, as might have been expected, had been poorly +organized. The time had been too short for intensive development of our +forces. We had no machine, and in a number of the counties there was +scarcely a skeleton of an organization. It was, in fact, not a party in +the ordinary sense of the word at all, but rather a crusade, and what we +lacked in organization we made up by an abundance of spontaneous ardor. +We did not really expect victory, although Roosevelt several times said +that while he knew he would be defeated, he thought I would be elected. +As a matter of fact, I believe I was the only candidate of the +Progressive cause for Governor in any State who ran ahead of Roosevelt. +In New York State he got 389,000 votes, in round numbers, while I had +393,000. + +I knew from observations during my campaign from one end of the State to +the other, how poorly, from a political standpoint, the Progressives +were organized, and I confess I did not see the slightest chance of +being elected. I was not disappointed, and I think that the men +generally who ran for offices on the Progressive ticket were not +disappointed. They realized that their contest was waged for a cause +and not for office, and from an educational point of view the campaign +was eminently successful. + +Considering the vastness of the undertaking and the shortness of the +time, we did as well as any of us could have anticipated, if not better. +We were confident that the cause would triumph, in a degree at least, no +matter what party was in power, and I think the facts amply justify our +belief that the Progressive ideals made a definite impression upon the +country, and have given strength, if not dominant influence, to +Progressive principles in both of the old parties. + + + + +CHAPTER XIII + +THREATENING CLOUDS OF WAR + + Sinister tension in the international air--The Hague + Treaties--Germany's opposition to satisfactory understandings--New + spirit of international good-will gains popular momentum--A + conference with Secretary Hay--The Senate jealous of its authority; + the treaties are not submitted--My address before the New York + Peace Society--Other addresses on world peace--Carnegie's notable + efforts--My lectures at the United States Naval War College at + Newport--Conflicts of sovereignty respecting naturalized + citizens--The Lake Mohonk Conferences--The American Society of + International Law is founded--Distinguished speakers at first + annual meeting--The Society's growth and permanence--Roosevelt + astounds the world by sending the fleet around the world--The + homecoming of the fleet--Opposition to free tolls for American + ships in coastwise trade--The Mexican problem and my suggestions to + the President as to how to meet it--Italy makes war on Turkey for + Tripoli--Other Powers fail to grasp their opportunity to effect + peaceful adjustment--My protests and warnings are published by "The + Outlook"--The outburst of wars in the Balkans--Germany's ruthless + aggressive policy is disclosed. + + +The ominous clouds, visible from time to time on the diplomatic horizon +during my last mission to Turkey, had latterly expanded from only local +significance into implications of greater and more sinister magnitude. +It had accordingly grown more and more apparent to me that the tinder +box of Europe, the Eastern Question, was likely to burst into flames at +almost any moment; and, in common with other close observers, I was not +unaware of an inscrutable and widespread tension in the international +air. + +It seemed to many of us that America, which had so long remained wrapped +rather complacently in its cloak of isolation, might have a stern duty +to perform, not only to itself, but to the rest of the world. That duty +seemed to us to involve the immediate need of a more vigorous promotion +of world peace and of the specific and definite designing and +constructing of a proper machinery of enforcement. + +In 1899, and again in 1907, to be sure, we had taken a leading part in +the two Hague Peace Conferences, at the first of which twenty-six, and +in the second of which forty-four, nations participated. These nations +had signed and ratified the various treaties formulated by the two +conferences. The first conference was called by the Emperor of Russia. +Its main purpose, as stated in the Russian note proposing the +conference, was by means of international discussion and agreement to +provide the most effective means for ensuring to all peoples the +benefits of a real and lasting peace, and, above all, to limit the +progressive development of armaments. + +Soon after the conference assembled, it was found that no agreement +could be reached respecting the limitation of armaments, whereupon the +attention of the delegates was chiefly directed to formulating plans for +the peaceful settlement of international disputes. This resulted in the +adoption of a treaty of arbitration entitled: "Convention for the +Pacific Settlement of International Disputes." The American, the +British, and the delegates of several other leading Powers favored an +agreement for compulsory arbitration of all matters of a juridical +nature; but this was opposed at the first conference by Germany,[2] and +again at the second conference. The treaty, however, in a modified and +purely optional form, was adopted, though it fell short, by reason of +Germany's opposition, of much that it was hoped to attain; yet it was a +distinct gain in providing definite machinery for the maintenance of +peace and the adjustment of international differences by peaceful means. + + [Footnote 2: Andrew D. White, chairman of the American delegation, + states in his diary: "It now appears (June 9, 1899) that the German + Emperor is determined to oppose the whole scheme of arbitration, and + will have nothing to do with any plan for a regular tribunal whether as + given in the British or the American scheme. This news comes from + various sources and is confirmed by the fact that in the sub-committee + one of the German delegates, Professor Zorn of Koenigsberg, who had + become very earnest in behalf of arbitration, now says that he may not + be able to vote for it. There are also signs that the German Emperor is + influencing the minds of his allies, the sovereigns of Austria, Italy, + Turkey, and Roumania, leading them to oppose it." (_Autobiography of + Andrew Dickson White_, vol. II, pp. 293-94.)] + +In the development of international relations, in case of the threat of +war or of actual war, it was regarded as an unfriendly act for outside +Powers to tender good offices or to mediate in the cause of peace. This +unfortunate and unrighteous condition was radically changed and indeed +reversed by the treaty; the signatories agreed not only to have recourse +to the good offices or mediation of friendly Powers, but agreed also +that such Powers should on their own initiative tender such good offices +to the States at variance, and that such overtures should never be +regarded as an unfriendly act by either of the parties in dispute. +Especially in our country and in Great Britain, these treaties awakened +anew the spirit of international justice and good-will, and there ensued +many meetings designed to inform and stimulate popular interest in the +cause of world peace. + + * * * * * + +John W. Foster, former Secretary of State, who had been in New York a +short time before as a member of a committee to provide for a public +meeting urging the ratification of the arbitration treaties, had made an +appointment for me to meet Secretary Hay for a conference regarding +them. I met Mr. Foster at the Cosmos Club and went with him to meet Mr. +Hay at the latter's residence. Hay, as usual, met us in his gracious way +and we discussed the subject from all sides. My main concern was that +these little arbitration treaties, which excepted questions of "vital +interest and national honor," should not have the effect of abridging +the broader provisions of the Hague Treaty. I had brought with me a +draft of a treaty which guarded against such contingencies, with which +Mr. Foster seemed to be in agreement. + +Hay said he fully caught my idea, but that it had been desired to make +all of these treaties alike and to conform with the one between France +and Great Britain. He said it would be difficult enough, as it was, to +get these treaties through the Senate, as there was considerable +opposition, and therefore it was advisable to have these treaties with +the several Powers identical; otherwise separate arguments would be made +against each of the treaties. The Secretary asked me, however, to leave +with him the draft I had prepared, saying that it might prove very +useful to him. + +The final upshot was that these treaties, to which Hay had devoted so +much care and thought during his last months in Washington, and by which +he hoped to lessen the likelihood of war throughout the world, were +violently opposed in the Senate on the ground that they deprived it of +its constitutional rights. Senators Knox and Spooner and their followers +took the view that every separate agreement to arbitrate under these +treaties must be submitted to the Senate. An amendment to this effect +emasculated the main purposes of the treaty and left the subject of +arbitration substantially as it would be without any treaties. As Hay +stated, Roosevelt saw the situation plainly enough and decided not to +submit the treaties for ratification by the other Powers. + + * * * * * + +On my return home from Turkey, the New York Peace Society, of which I +had been the president until I entered the Cabinet in 1906, and whose +membership and activities had been very much enlarged under my +successor, Andrew Carnegie, gave me a reception on January 7, 1910, at +the Hotel Plaza, in New York. Mr. Carnegie, who was earnestly and +intensely devoted to the cause of international peace, and who had +donated the necessary money for the construction of the Peace Palace at +The Hague, presided at this reception, and made one of his +characteristic addresses. The subject of my talk was "The Threatening +Clouds of War," as they appeared to me to be gathering in the Near East +and in the Balkans. + +It seemed to me that the most timely public service I could possibly +render during this period was to help arouse public opinion to a sense +of the imperative need of a newer view of world relations, and a genuine +public demand for an international understanding and machinery with +which peace might be maintained. + +"World Peace" was therefore my subject when, on April 13th of the same +year, the Authors' Club tendered me a dinner "in recognition of my +public services at home and abroad." It was presided over by the veteran +author and publisher, Henry Holt, who nominated Mr. Carnegie as +toastmaster. Speeches were made by our ambassador to Berlin, David Jayne +Hill, by Rev. Dr. Thomas R. Slicer, Edward M. Shepard, Professor William +P. Trent, of Columbia University, and several others. + +Though the Authors' Club has a comparatively small membership, limited +to members of the craft, yet there have sprung from its ranks a number +of our most eminent diplomatists, such as John Hay, Andrew D. White, +General Horace Porter, David Jayne Hill, Dr. Henry van Dyke, Seth Low, +and Frederick W. Holls. The last two were delegates to the First Hague +Peace Conference. + +Determined to make the most of the growing popular agitation for the +promotion of international arbitration and peace, Mr. Carnegie soon +afterwards organized a great peace meeting which was held in Carnegie +Hall, New York City. The big hall was packed from pit to dome, and +thousands were unable to gain admission. The meeting was opened by Mr. +Carnegie, as presiding officer, and he was followed by Baron +d'Estournelles de Constant. In my address I specially emphasized neutral +duties in time of war and the inhibition upon neutrals to lend money to +belligerents pending war as being quite as much an unneutral act as the +selling of ships of war and armaments, as had been usually the case in +the past when money thus borrowed was used for that very purpose. + +During the years 1903, 1904, and 1905, I devoted much attention to +questions affecting international relations. I was invited by Admiral +Chadwick, president of the United States Naval War College at Newport, +to deliver several lectures during the summer of 1903, and took for my +subject the protection of our citizens abroad, and surveyed the entire +subject of citizenship, native-born and naturalized. I pointed out that +by the law of July 27, 1868, it was specifically provided that +naturalized citizens while in foreign states shall receive from our +Government the same protection as to their persons and property that is +accorded to native-born citizens in like circumstances. All the European +countries denied the right of expatriation, while America from the +beginning had insisted upon that right as one of its basic elements of +liberty. + +In several notable instances, our Navy had taken prompt action to uphold +American rights. One such case was that of Martin Coszta, a Hungarian +insurgent in the revolution of 1848-49, who escaped to Turkey and from +there came to the United States and made the usual declaration +preparatory to being naturalized under our laws. He returned to Turkey +in 1854, and at Smyrna he was seized while on shore and taken up by the +crew of an Austrian frigate and put in irons. Before the boat got under +way, an American frigate arrived and threatened to sink the Austrian +vessel unless Coszta was released. This led to an agreement under which +he was put in the custody of the French consul-general. + +It is of the highest importance that the men of our Navy, especially +those in command of ships, should be conversant with the principles of +international law, as they are frequently called upon to act promptly. +This conflict of sovereignty respecting naturalized citizens caused the +war between us and Great Britain in 1812. Beginning with 1868, we +concluded treaties of naturalization with the German States and +Austria-Hungary, and subsequently with most of the other States. + +My address was subsequently published in the quarterly proceedings of +the College of March, 1904. The following year I delivered another +address before the College on international relations specifically with +reference to Russia and the United States. This address was likewise +published in the proceedings of the Naval War College, and with some +modifications appeared in the "North American Review" of August, 1905. + + * * * * * + +For a number of years many of the leading men of the country who were +interested in international relations were annually, at the beginning of +the summer, the guests of Messrs. Smiley at their noted hotel at Lake +Mohonk. These gatherings were known as the Lake Mohonk Conferences on +International Arbitration, lasted several days, and addresses were made +upon various international subjects. + +At the conference of 1905, it occurred to some of the members who were +in attendance, who had long entertained the idea that an American +society devoted exclusively to the interests of international law should +be formed, that, in view of the large attendance that year of many +prominent men interested in the subject, it would be a propitious time +to organize. James Brown Scott, Professor of International Law at +Columbia University, and Professor George W. Kirchwey, Dean of the Law +School of the University, were most active in promoting the idea. A +preliminary meeting was called, and about fifty of the gentlemen in +attendance at the conference took part. They elected me as chairman, +Professor James Brown Scott as secretary, and appointed a committee of +twenty-one to effect a permanent organization. The committee so +appointed consisted of the following: Chandler P. Anderson, James B. +Angell, Professor Joseph H. Beale, Jr., David J. Brewer, Charles Henry +Butler, J. M. Dickinson, John W. Foster, George Gray, Professor Charles +Noble Gregory, John W. Griggs, Professor George W. Kirchwey, Robert +Lansing, Professor John Bassett Moore, W. W. Morrow, Professor Leo S. +Rowe, Professor James B. Scott, Oscar S. Straus, Everett P. Wheeler, +Andrew D. White, Professor George G. Wilson, and Theodore S. Woolsey. + +The American Society of International Law was formally organized on +January 12, 1906. Back of its founding was the firm belief that the +influence of an association of publicists and others, organized along +the lines indicated, would count for much in the formation of a sound +and rational body of doctrine concerning the true principles of +international relations. + +The following editorial comment regarding this organization is quoted +from the January, 1907, issue of "The American Journal of International +Law": + + While the necessity of such a society was felt by many, no serious + steps were taken until the summer of 1905. It occurred to some of + the members of the Mohonk Lake conference on international + arbitration, that a society devoted exclusively to the interests of + international law as distinct from international arbitration might + be formed and that the members of the Mohonk Conference would + supply a nucleus membership. Accordingly a call was issued to the + members present at the conference, and as the result of the call + and meeting of those interested a committee was appointed with + Oscar S. Straus as chairman and James B. Scott as secretary, to + consider plans for a definite organization and for the publication + of a journal exclusively devoted to international law as the organ + of the Society. On December 9th, 1905, a meeting of the committee + was held at the residence of Oscar S. Straus in New York City, and + as the result of favorable reports of the members present it + appeared feasible to proceed immediately to the definitive + organization of the Society. Accordingly a call was issued by the + chairman for a meeting of those interested in international law and + its popularization, to be held at the New York Bar Association, on + Friday, January 12th, 1906. + + At this meeting it was decided to organize upon a permanent basis a + society of those interested in the spread of international law with + its ideals of justice and therefore of peace; a constitution was + adopted; officers were elected and the Society took its place, it + is hoped, permanently among the learned and influential societies + of the world. + +On April 19 and 20, 1907, was held the first annual meeting of the +American Society of International Law, at Washington, which was attended +by an unexpectedly large number of members. The society had grown, in +the short time since its organization, to a membership of over five +hundred. The various sessions were devoted to discussions of +international topics, and closed with a banquet presided over by +Secretary Root, and addresses were made by several speakers, including +two former Secretaries of State, namely, Richard Olney and John W. +Foster, as well as by James Bryce, General Horace Porter, and the +writer. + +To-day the society has more than twelve hundred members, and since 1907 +it has regularly held annual meetings and issued its quarterly +publication, "The American Journal of International Law." Since the +beginning, Elihu Root has been the president, with whom are associated +as vice-presidents and members of the executive council more than forty +of the leading writers and authorities, Senators and judges, including +the Chief Justice of the United States. I still am the chairman of the +executive committee, of which Professor Scott has from the beginning +been the recording secretary, as well as the editor-in-chief of the +"Journal." An analytical index of the fourteen volumes of the "Journal" +(1907-20) has recently been prepared by George A. Finch, secretary of +the board of editors. + + * * * * * + +While these various groups were pressing forward on their respective +avenues of approach to a better understanding between nations, President +Roosevelt was applying his energies to the problem in his own way. His +method was in this instance characterized by a strikingly objective and +dramatic treatment. He firmly believed that the greater power a peaceful +nation has to make war in a world threatened by war, the greater becomes +its power to command peace. The peace societies will not endorse this +contention; but the history of international relations gives force to +that proposition. Such are international amenities, paradoxical as it +may appear. + +Roosevelt's terse message to a world threatened by war was to send a +great fleet of battleships on a voyage round the world. + +The fleet was scheduled to return to Hampton Roads on Washington's +birthday, February 22, 1908. It was to be reviewed on its arrival by the +President. Admiral Adolph Marix, the chairman of the Lighthouse Board in +my Department, in the tender Maple took my wife and me, Mr. and Mrs. +Leonard Hockstader, my son-in-law and daughter, and several officials of +the Department to Hampton Roads, and we steamed out to the tail of the +Horse Shoe some ten miles from Old Point Comfort. At the appointed time, +eleven o'clock that day, Admiral Sperry in his flagship Connecticut +passed in review before the President, and following him came the +twenty-four battleships consisting of the sixteen ships that went around +the Horn, and eight additional ones, most of which had been completed +since the squadron had left the Atlantic on this voyage sixteen months +before. These ships had steamed 42,000 miles without any hitch or any +casualty, or any untoward circumstance. + +When the President first decided that this trip should be made, all +kinds of hostile criticism bristled in the press of the country. But the +President, with his usual alertness, had several far-sighted purposes in +view. He says in his "Autobiography": "At that time, as I happened to +know neither the English nor the German authorities believed it possible +to take a fleet of great battleships around the world, I made up my mind +that it was time to have a show-down in the matter; because if it was +really true that our fleet could not get from the Atlantic to the +Pacific, it was much better to know it and be able to shape our policy +in view of the knowledge." + +The great show of naval strength on the part of the United States that +this voyage illustrated naturally had its effect throughout the world. A +strength that is not menacing tends to allay menace. And in this +instance the visit of the fleet to Japan was promptly interpreted by +the Japanese as one of courtesy and good-will. The President, again and +again in his public utterances, as well as in his private statements at +Cabinet meetings, had emphasized his view that a strong navy makes for +peace. And toasting the admirals and captains in the cabin of the +Mayflower, he exclaimed: + +"Isn't it magnificent? Nobody after this will forget that the American +coast is on the Pacific as well as on the Atlantic!" + +The home-coming of the fleet was a most imposing sight. The weather was +beautiful, and altogether the function appeared as calm and peaceful as +if it had been a magnificent pleasure excursion, which indeed it had +proved to be. + + * * * * * + +On my return to America in the fall of 1913, there were two notable +questions that occupied the attention of President Wilson and Congress, +in which as a private citizen I had taken some part. I was soon invited +by the National Republican Club to take part in a luncheon discussion of +"Present World Problems," and this enabled me to discuss a subject that +had resulted in a plank in the National Platform of the Progressive +Party, "that American ships engaged in coastwise trade shall pay no +tolls." As this question did not arise in the New York State campaign, I +had had no occasion to discuss it except on one occasion when I was +asked what my stand was upon that subject, and I plainly stated that I +did not favor the remission of tolls, as it conflicted with the spirit, +if not with the express wording, of the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty, and that +I would only favor it in the event the question were left to arbitration +and decided in our favor. In this discussion I went somewhat fully into +the subject, making it clear why I was not in favor of free tolls, and +why I supported the President in the stand that he had taken for repeal +of the act that freed our coastwise ships from such tolls. + +Others who spoke at this luncheon on various phases of the general +problem were William L. Mackenzie King, at this writing the Premier of +Canada, and Miss Mabel T. Boardman, representing the American Red Cross. + +In April the Senate Committee on Interoceanic Canals held hearings upon +an act to amend the Panama Canal Act repealing the provision providing +for freeing coastwise American ships from tolls. Upon invitation I +appeared before this committee and supported the position that the +President had taken, in opposition to the provisions of the platform of +his party, for the repeal of the free tolls clause. Upon the urgent +request of the President, the repealing act was passed. Some of our +ablest Senators, regardless of party, took opposing sides upon this +question. Elihu Root, who was then Senator, presented, in my judgment, +the most convincing argument and the ablest speech of his distinguished +career in the Senate, advocating the repeal of the free tolls clause. + + * * * * * + +Another international subject which I was carefully studying at this +time was our relations with Mexico. I felt then, as I do now, that our +Government has often been badly served and wrongly advised in regard to +affairs in Mexico. I suggested to the President that he should send to +Mexico a commission of experienced men who could in a comparatively +short time lay before him the true conditions as a guide for our +governmental action. I pointed out that under circumstances different, +but no less perplexing, this plan had been adopted by Cleveland during +the Venezuela trouble, and that the appointment of that commission, of +which Justice Brewer of the Supreme Court was chairman, had hastened +the solution. When the idea of the United States sending a commission +such as I recommended became publicly known, it was favorably received +by General Huerta, the then President of Mexico, as well as by Carranza. +The appointment of such a commission would have had the additional +effect of offsetting the pressure in Congress for intervention, and +several of the leading Senators expressed themselves as favoring it. + + * * * * * + +When storm clouds are rushing across the sky, it is very difficult to +foretell where the lightning will strike. It is needless here to discuss +the professed but spurious reasons why Italy declared war upon Turkey in +1911. It was evident that no _casus belli_ existed in any international +sense. The naked fact was that Italy determined to have a slice of +northern Africa, and was favored in that craving by several of the Great +Powers, chiefly to prevent Germany from getting a foothold on the +Mediterranean. I knew from my observations in Turkey that this +aggressive action on the part of Italy would far transcend the interest +of either Italy or Turkey, and would inevitably arouse the restless +Balkan Powers to action. + +In a communication that I sent to Secretary of State Knox on September +29, 1911, attention was directed to what would probably be the outcome +of this action on the part of Italy; also that the Hague Treaty not only +sanctioned, but made it morally incumbent upon Powers that were +strangers to the dispute, to tender their good offices for the purpose +of a peaceful adjustment. Just because the United States could not be +accused of having any direct interest, such an offer could have been +made with best grace by our country. If ever there had been a war of +conquest, that was one. One of the London papers had frankly criticized +Italy's precipitous act as that of "pirate, brigand, and buccaneer." + +In an article written for "The Outlook" following a number of public +addresses upon the same subject, I pointed out that Turkey, both +immediately before and since hostilities began, had appealed to the +Christian nations of the world, who were co-signatories with her of the +Hague Treaty, to use their good offices for peace, but the Christian +nations had declined to act. In this article I stated: + + So far as it opens an era possibly of the gravest menace to Europe, + it is primarily of European concern; but in so far as the + provisions of the Peace Treaty are disregarded by neutral Powers, + this is a grave moral loss no less for us than for all nations, the + magnitude of which is not lessened, but increased by the fact that + Christian Italy is making an unprovoked war upon a Mohammedan + Power. The efforts to bring about a peaceful adjustment under the + circumstances is not only a moral right, but a right under the + Convention in which Turkey, Italy, and the United States are + equally signatories with the other forty-one nations. + + The international moral damage this war entails is the concern of + all nations. The manner in which it was precipitated without first + having recourse to the enlightened methods of peaceful adjustment, + combined with the concerted refusal of European Powers to attempt + mediation, will make peace treaties waste paper, and peace + professions of civilized nations sham and hypocrisy. + +In quick succession this war was followed in 1912 by the first Balkan +war against Turkey, and then in 1913 by the second Balkan war, between +the Balkan nations themselves to divide the spoils. For thirty years the +Treaty of Berlin (1878) had served to maintain European peace. The first +breach was the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina by Austria. The +second was the Italian-Turkish war, followed by the Balkan wars. The +toll of these latter wars entailed a sacrifice of 300,000 dead or +permanently disabled on the field of battle; and the immediate +consequence was to upset "the balance of power" so that the Great Powers +at once heavily extended their armies and navies, and their budgets ran +wild. + + * * * * * + +Probably the most illuminating document concerning the conditions that +led up to the World War is the Lichnowsky Memorandum which is entitled: +"My London Mission, 1912-1914." I had known Prince Lichnowsky when he +was one of the secretaries of the German Embassy during my first mission +to Turkey. He was appointed ambassador to England after the death of +Baron Marschall in September, 1912. This memorandum was prepared as a +personal record during the second year of the war, and, after being +privately circulated, was, by design or otherwise, published. It is the +most convincing indictment of Germany's ruthless aggressive policy, and +it naturally brought down upon its author the severest condemnation of +the Emperor and the militarists. Germany's reiterated claim that Great +Britain, having designed Germany's destruction, sought to justify the +large increase of her navy, was disproved by her own ambassador. + +The events that resolved themselves into the World War, as well as the +World War itself, are most convincing proofs that the preservation of +peace is a matter of common interest to the entire family of nations, +and that it must not be left to a single member of this group to disturb +the world's peace at will. + + + + +CHAPTER XIV + +PERSONAL VIGNETTES + + We motor through northern Africa--The King of Italy discusses world + politics--Exploring historical ruins with the Mayor of Rome and + Georg Brandes--Two Cardinals--David Lubin, international genius--In + London--William Watson, the British poet, considers residing in + America and asks about cost of living--Lloyd George curious about + Progressives--He guarantees a one-pound note--John Burns discourses + on British history--The notable housing experiment at Hampstead + Garden Suburb--Earl and Lady Grey--At Skibo Castle with Andrew + Carnegie--Indifferent golf, but fine trout fishing--At The Hague + Peace Palace--Some eminent Hollanders--Turning the laugh on the + cartoonists--Rudyard Kipling on having a daughter in society--An + evening with Israel Zangwill--Henri Bergson in an argument with + Roosevelt, with Rodin, the sculptor, a bored listener--To Spain to + attend Kermit Roosevelt's wedding--Spanish politics--A protege of + Bismarck--Recollections of Disraeli--Evidence of Spanish and Jewish + origin of Christopher Columbus. + + +Motoring leisurely through Algiers and Tunis with Mrs. Straus, I was now +enjoying a delightful holiday, free from cares and responsibility. The +drowsy tropical air invited complete relaxation, and the lazy African +days ushered us into a world unbelievably remote from that of American +politics. Graceful, luminous Algiers, with its brilliant European +hotels, charming cafes, veiled women, and swarthy men, etched lasting +impressions upon our minds. My defeat in the tense Progressive contest +for the governorship of New York had afforded me this opportunity for +another taste of freedom. It was in the spring of the year 1913, and the +mountains through which we toured were full of unexpected and beguiling +scenes. This region is not only rich in historic associations, but the +engineering skill of the French has in turn modernized it with excellent +motor roads. From Tunis we crossed to Sicily, where we visited the +Carthaginian, Greek, and Roman remains of columns and temples that still +bear tragic witness to the conflict between the armies of Hannibal and +Scipio, and between the transplanted Asiatic and European civilizations. + +We made our way to Rome, where Ambassador Thomas J. O'Brien showed us +many attentions, and arranged for an audience on April 28th with Victor +Emmanuel III. The King was most affable and agreeable, and spoke perfect +English. He referred to my several missions to Turkey, and said he, too, +was there frequently when he was in the navy. He spoke with an intimate +knowledge of the men and affairs in the Near East that surprised me. We +discussed Arabia and the unrest there due to the incompetency of the +Sultan's Government, and soon the conversation turned to the Balkan +situation. I said I feared that as soon as the treaty then being +negotiated, which was to end the first Balkan War against Turkey, was +signed, a fresh war would break out among the five Balkan Powers. That +would not surprise him, he said, but considered that it might be best to +let them fight it out. I answered that the trouble with that course was +that the fight would involve the Great Powers, as the several Balkan +States were attached to strings that led directly into the chancelleries +of the Great Powers--with which the King did not disagree. + +We talked of the Jews, and he said in Italy they were not made a +separate element in the population. "We neither know nor care whether a +man is a Jew or not," he remarked, adding that the only persons who took +special notice of the subject at all were occasional clericals. +Personally he was very fond of the Jews; nearly every ministry had +contained one or more; and General Ottolenghi, a Jew who had been +Minister of War a few years before, had been one of his most favored +instructors. Altogether we had a fine talk of over an hour. The King's +quick and vigorous mind, his clearness of vision and breadth of +intellectual grasp I found very refreshing. Unlike some of the monarchs, +he did not seem detached and weighted down by a sense of his own +importance. + +From my friend Isaac N. Seligman, since deceased, of New York, I had +received a letter of introduction to Ernesto Nathan, Mayor of Rome, of +whom I had heard much and whom I was therefore anxious to meet. I sent +Mr. Seligman's letter, together with my card, to the Mayor. The next +morning, when Mrs. Straus and I were leaving our hotel for a motor ride, +a tall, prepossessing gentleman, who impressed me somewhat as a typical +Englishman, came toward me with a look of recognition which I +instinctively answered. + +"Is this Mr. Straus? I am Mr. Nathan," he said, in perfect English. + +His brother was with him, and we were glad to return to the hotel with +them for a chat. We arranged for a little excursion the next day to the +ancient Roman commercial city of Ostia, whose ruins were being +excavated. In the midst of these plans the Mayor remarked that a friend +of his, Georg Brandes, the Danish savant and critic, was in Rome, and if +agreeable to us he would like to have him join us. Of course it was +agreeable, and in our little party next day were Mayor Nathan, his +brother, his daughter, Georg Brandes, a Signor Cena, editor of a leading +Italian review, and ourselves. The Mayor acted as guide and showed an +astonishing familiarity with things archaeological in a most delightful +way; even the occasional spells of rain in no way dampened our enjoyment +of the trip. Upon our return, the Mayor took us to lunch in a typical +Italian restaurant, where we spent two hours at a sociable repast. + +My introduction to Mayor Ernesto Nathan led to a friendship which I +prized highly and enjoyed until his death in April, 1921. He was born in +England of Jewish parents. His father was a banker and a descendant of +the Frankfort family of Nathans, a collateral branch of the Mayer family +from whom is descended the great banking family of Rothschild. After his +father died, his mother took the family to Pisa to live. Here their home +became a refuge for Italian patriots, as it had been in London. At +twenty-five Signor Nathan became business manager of "La Roma del +Popolo," a paper started by Giuseppe Mazzini, a friend of the family, +whose works he later edited. Nathan remained an editor and publisher +until he entered politics. He became Mayor of Rome in 1907, elected by +the anti-clerical party, and during the six years he remained Mayor he +did much to modernize Rome, especially in the improvement of its +street-car service and its sanitation, so that the city's death-rate +became one of the lowest in Europe. He was highly esteemed, and even the +clericals respected his uprightness and efficiency. + +Brandes, when I met him, was nearly seventy years old, but +intellectually vigorous and brilliant, although cynical, even if at +times humorously and delightfully so. + +Through David Lubin, American delegate to the International Institute of +Agriculture, whom I had known for many years, we met Professor Luigi +Luzzatti, Professor of International Law at the University of Rome, a +leading member of the Italian Chamber, and a convincing orator and +publicist. He was then in his seventies, a large, statesmanlike figure +of distinguished appearance. We spent a pleasant hour in his apartment +on the Via Veneto opposite our hotel. He said he was gratified to find +my views, as expressed in my "Roger Williams" and in my chapter on the +development of religious liberty in my "American Spirit," so much in +accord with his own. He told me about his brochure, "Liberta di +Consciensa e di Sciensa," which had been translated into German under +the title "Freiheit des Gewissens und Wissens." In it he makes +considerable reference to Roger Williams, and pays me the compliment of +saying that he derived the inspiration for his book from mine. He also +quotes extensively from Roosevelt's letter on religious liberty, which I +have embodied in Chapter X of this volume. + +I called on Professor Luzzatti a number of times thereafter, which in +his charming way he had begged me to do because he was confined to the +house with a cold and therefore could not call on me. In one of his +notes he wrote that we were friends because our ideas and ideals were +the same, and he wanted to be sure to see me again before I left Rome. +He confirmed what the King had told me, that there was no anti-Semitic +spirit in Italy. He said he was a Jew, but was not brought up +religiously as such, although he was known to be ready on all necessary +occasions to stand up for his people. + +Professor Luzzatti was largely responsible for improving Italy's +financial system, and in the establishment of the Banca Popolari, or +People's Banks. He was also influential in the negotiation of Italy's +commercial treaties. + +Through the offices of P. R. Mackenzie, who for a number of years had +been Rome correspondent of the "New York Sun," I met Cardinals Rampolla +and Falconio. We called first on the latter, who knew our country well. +For nine years he had been papal legate at Washington, during which time +he became a naturalized citizen. As we entered his reception room, I +observed two little American flags attached to an ornament on the +center table. He informed, me as he greeted me that His Holiness was +quite ill, otherwise he would have advised me to allow Cardinal Rampolla +and himself to arrange for an audience. + +Mr. Mackenzie informed the Cardinal that I had been a member of the +Roosevelt Cabinet, which recalled Roosevelt's visit to Rome in 1910. Of +course, I was anxious to learn how both these prelates regarded that +incident. Cardinal Falconio said that the Holy Father had made no +conditions as to the visit, but had merely expressed the hope that there +might be no repetition of the Fairbanks incident; the Holy Father knew +how broad-minded and well-disposed Roosevelt was toward all creeds and +had really wanted very much to meet him. The Cardinal said that of +course Roosevelt could not be blamed; the matter should not have been +handled through the embassy. His remarks implied that the mismanagement +had been there. + +We now went within the Vatican district, under the arch on the side, to +the palatial residence of Cardinal Rampolla. On entering, we were led to +the Cardinal's private room next to the formal reception chamber, where +the Cardinal greeted us warmly. He has great charm of manner and is most +gracious; withal he impressed one as a keen, learned, and shrewd +prelate. He was regarded as the ablest and most distinguished of the +cardinals eligible to the Holy See, and it may be remembered that he was +considered the logical successor of Leo XIII, and it was said he would +probably have been elected Pope but for the opposition of the Emperor of +Austria. + +In referring to the Roosevelt incident, he too held Roosevelt entirely +blameless, and added that both he and Brother Falconio knew how kindly +Roosevelt felt toward Catholics and the Holy See, and that there should +have been nothing official about that message; if he had been in Merry +Del Val's place, the regrettable misunderstanding would not have +happened. Evidently he blamed the papal secretary. + +David Lubin gave a dinner at the Hotel de Russie to Mrs. Straus and me +on May 1st. Among the guests were Mayor Nathan and Marquis Sapelli, +president of the International Institute of Agriculture, and the +Marchioness. Professor Luzzatti had accepted, but his cold still +prevented his going out. Lubin was a rough diamond, so to speak: a man +of vision, unlimited energy and enthusiasm. It was he who induced the +Italian Government to recognize the International Institute of +Agriculture, and he was regarded by that Government as its founder. +Indeed, he was better understood in Rome than in Washington. He knew +nothing and cared less about diplomatic amenities. When I was in the +Cabinet our ambassador at Rome had made an unfavorable report about him +because of some supposed tactless move which was objected to by our +ambassador. This report displeased Secretary Root, and the result would +have been Lubin's recall as our delegate to the Institute, had I not +interceded for him with the President, explaining what manner of man +Lubin was, that he had no manners but genius, and that I felt sure the +King of Italy himself would intercede for him. + +As a matter of fact about a year after that there was some question of +appointing another person as American delegate, and the King did +intercede for Lubin. For the help and encouragement that I gave this +worthy man he was always thereafter most grateful to me. It was David +Lubin, too, who first aroused interest in America in the establishment +of an agricultural credit system, as well as in the cooperative banks. + + * * * * * + +From Rome we went direct to London, where I shortly got in touch with +William Watson, the poet. I had met him the year before in the United +States. I was chairman of the executive committee of the Authors' Club +at the time, and as such its president; the Club gave him a reception; +also he was at my house several times. It was said of him that he was +better known than Robert Bridges and would have been selected as poet +laureate in preference to Bridges had he not written a poem called "The +Woman with the Serpent's Tongue," referring to Margot Asquith, wife of +the Premier, which spoiled his chances for official recognition. He +appeared somewhat disappointed and to be considering permanent residence +in America. He asked me about the cost of living in cities other than +New York, which he considered too extravagant. + +Watson gave me a luncheon at the British Empire Club, where I met a +number of his friends--Sir Sidney Lee, editor of the "Dictionary of +National Biography"; Sir William Robertson Nicoll, editor of the +"Bookman" and of the "British Weekly"; H. W. Massingham, editor of the +"Nation"; and a few others. Watson told me that Sir Sidney Lee's +biography of Shakespeare was considered the best extant from an +historical and critical point of view, and that his biography of King +Edward had created a sensation in England, but that its aim was to +portray the human side of King Edward. He told me also that Sir Sidney +was an Israelite. My own conversation with Sir Sidney was very general. +He is a mild man with a reserved manner. + +Sir Charles and Lady Henry invited us to luncheon at their beautiful +town house in Carlton Gardens, to meet Lloyd George, who was then +Chancellor of the Exchequer. The other guests were: Sir Alexander Ure, +solicitor-general for Scotland; Dr. Thomas J. MacNamara, parliamentary +secretary to the Admiralty; Robert Donald, editor of the "Daily +Chronicle," a leading labor daily. + +Lloyd George explained the important Liberal measures to me, +particularly the National Insurance Act of 1911, amendments to which +were then being considered in the House. He declared that it was +necessary to curb or reform the House of Lords before social justice +measures, such as this insurance act, legislation for old age pensions, +etc., could be put through. He asked about Roosevelt and the status of +the Progressive Party, and whether the newspapers were favorable to the +cause; it seems that the newspapers did not give him adequate +information regarding the Progressives. I had to tell him that many of +our leading dailies were not with us. I explained to him that I thought +the Progressive movement could hardly be regarded as a party, but that I +believed its influence in liberalizing both of the old parties would be +considerable. + +When I was in London shortly after the outbreak of the World War, I +remember a humorous incident at another meeting with Lloyd George, at a +small dinner. For emergency use there had been issued one-pound treasury +notes that looked more like a "shinplaster" of our Civil War days than +like a dignified British pound. One of the guests brought in a number of +these, for which some of us exchanged gold. As I took one up I remarked +about the appearance of it and added that before I accepted it I would +require the endorsement of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Lloyd George +quickly answered, "That can be done," and promptly took the note and +wrote his name on the back of it. It remains in my possession as a +souvenir. + +The following Sunday, Sir Charles and Lady Henry again invited us to +luncheon, this time to their country home near Maidenhead, to meet Sir +Rufus and Lady Isaacs. Sir Rufus is now Lord Reading, and it was then +quite well understood that he would be appointed Lord Chief Justice. He +expressed great interest in our parliamentary system as compared with +that of Great Britain, but thought the British method had an advantage +over ours in that members of the Cabinet were at the same time members +of Parliament and could advocate their own measures, and that in England +a Cabinet member must be not only an administrator, but a +parliamentarian as well. He was very anxious to know how administrative +measures in our country are brought forward and enacted into laws. I +explained our system to him and told him I thought the system of +questioning in Parliament members of the Cabinet left very little +opportunity for the Cabinet members to devote themselves to the +administrative work of their departments. + +During this stay in London, I again had several pleasant meetings with +Postmaster-General Herbert Samuel, whom I had visited when I passed +through London on my return from Constantinople in 1910. He informed me +that within a month he intended visiting Canada and then the United +States. Later in the year I met him in my own country, where he +delivered several public addresses and made a fine impression. + +While we were at tea one afternoon on the terrace of the House of +Commons with Mr. and Mrs. Samuel, the Right Honorable John Burns, +president of the Local Government Board, joined us. He knew both my +brothers and was pleased to meet me. He asked me to accompany him to +his department, which is only a short distance from Westminster Hall. As +we passed the entrance to Westminster, he said to me: + +"Let us stop here and let me give you a graphic page of British +history." + +So we halted for about ten minutes under the scaffolding of the men who +were doing some repair work on the edifice, while Burns discoursed +eloquently on the well-known facts of British history. I was as much +interested in the man as in the great Gothic structure, and my mind went +on to review the march of democracy from the booted and spurred Cromwell +to the radical labor leader John Burns. The radicalism of Burns was at +one time considered dangerous, but on entering the Cabinet he became +conservative and reliable, proving the effect of responsibility upon +even the more radical minds when in office. + +Across the Thames Burns pointed to some factories, saying: "There is +where my father worked as a day laborer, and where I worked." And I was +indeed impressed with the democracy of Great Britain in our day. + +We spent a charming evening with Mr. and Mrs. Harry Brittain, now Sir +Harry and Lady Brittain, in their cozy home on Cowley Street. The only +other guest was Earl Grey, former Governor-General of Canada. Earlier in +the year I had met both Sir Harry Brittain and Earl Grey in New York, +when they came over respectively as chairman and secretary of the +British committee for the Celebration of One Hundred Years of Peace. + +A few days thereafter Earl Grey invited Mrs. Brittain, Mrs. Straus, and +me to breakfast with him and then to accompany him to the now famous +Hampstead Garden Suburb. I was glad of this opportunity to see that +experiment, because the subject of housing workers in wholesome homes +and surroundings at a moderate cost was one that interested me very +much. + +Hampstead is only about five or six miles from the heart of London. In +this beautiful suburb, every house has a garden, and the architecture of +the houses is varied and attractive. Earl Grey knew several of the +tenants, and took us into a number of the houses. At that time the +rental of an entire house per week was six and a half shillings and +upward; and there were large single rooms with cooking facilities for +three and a half shillings a week. The population was almost seven +thousand, and the suburb was being extended. There was an air of +contentment about the place, and the children looked robust and happy. +The wonder of it all was that the plan was on an economically sound +basis and was paying four and a half per cent annually on the capital +invested. The Earl had much to do with the development of this suburb +and, if I mistake not, was chairman of the board at the time. + +Mrs. Straus and I were also invited to spend a week-end with Earl and +Lady Grey at Howick, their Northumberland estate. Mrs. Straus, however, +had planned to take a cure at a German health resort, so my son Roger +was invited in her stead. The only other visitor was Henry Vivian, M.P., +who was associated with Earl Grey in both the Hampstead Garden Suburb +and the organization of the cooperative societies, of which latter Earl +Grey was chairman. I participated in a meeting of the Cooperative +Society of Northern England and saw how practical and inexpensively +conducted they were, cheapening merchandise of all kinds by eliminating +the profits of middlemen and the cost of distribution, and to that +extent lowering the cost of living. Along these lines we have much to +learn in our own country. + +Roger and I spent a delightful few days with Earl and Lady Grey. The +Earl represented the finest type of English nobleman. He was a man of +the highest ideals, even regarded by some as rather visionary in his +various plans for the betterment of economic conditions; a man who +recognized, as do so many of the British titled people, the patriotic +responsibilities attached to their position. + +I now proceeded to the northern part of Scotland to spend a few days +with Andrew Carnegie at Skibo Castle in Sutherland. It was what Andrew +Carnegie called "university week" at Skibo, for in accordance with an +annual custom he had as his guests the provosts of the several Scotch +universities. + +Every morning we were awakened by the music of several Scotch +highlanders dressed in their kilts and playing old native tunes on their +bagpipes. Those were unique and memorable awakenings in the +steel-master's castle; the bagpipes attuned the mind instantly to the +Scotch atmosphere and Scotch tradition. We started our day invariably +with a game of golf, at which we helped each other out as caddies, for +all of us, Mr. Carnegie included, were indifferent players (beyond which +stage I have not even since progressed), so that we all felt quite at +home with one another on the links. + +We had hoped to test Carnegie's much-lauded and far-famed salmon pond, +but that season the fish were late in coming up the run, so we were +deprived of that pleasure and had to console ourselves with a little +trout fishing. Two or three were put into each of our baskets for +breakfast, and the remainder were religiously restored to the pond. + +At that time Skibo Castle had but recently been built, but already it +was noted for its generous hospitality, which both the British and +American friends of Mr. Carnegie so much enjoyed. + +I had promised Mr. Carnegie that I would attend the ceremonies opening +the Peace Palace at The Hague, to which all the members of the Hague +Tribunal had been specially invited. From Skibo, therefore, I returned +to London, to meet my old friend Hakki Pasha, who was one of the Turkish +members of the Tribunal, and together we went on to The Hague. + +A word about the origin of the Peace Palace may not prove tedious. +Shortly after the close of the first Hague Conference in 1899 the late +Professor Martens, distinguished Russian international jurist, had a +talk with our ambassador at Berlin, Andrew D. White, who had been +chairman of the American delegation at that conference. Together they +discussed the desirability of a building at The Hague which should serve +as a "palace of justice" for the Permanent Court and as a place of +meetings for international conferences. Subsequently Ambassador White +presented the idea to Andrew Carnegie, and Carnegie invited him to come +to Skibo to discuss it. Ambassador White records in his "Autobiography": + + The original idea had developed into something far greater. The + Peace Palace at The Hague began to reappear in a new glory--as a + pledge and sign of a better future for the world. Then there came + from Carnegie the words which assured his great gift to the + nations--the creation of a center as a symbol of a world's desire + for peace and of good will to man. + +The programme for the dedication was in keeping with the occasion. The +city itself was decorated with festive drapery and floral arches. It was +a beautiful day and great crowds of people had gathered. The great +conference hall and the galleries of the Palace were filled with +representatives of the nations: the diplomatic corps; about forty +members of the Permanent Court; members of the States General of +Holland; the Queen; Prince Henry; the Queen Mother, and many ladies; +altogether an imposing assembly. + +The ceremony opened with the singing of anthems by the choir from +Amsterdam. An historical address was made by the former Minister of +Foreign Affairs, Jonkheer van Karnebeek, president of the Carnegie +Building Foundation. His son, by the way, is Minister of Foreign Affairs +at this writing and was Holland's chief representative at the Washington +Conference of 1921. Mr. Van Swinderen, the retiring Minister of Foreign +Affairs, made the address accepting the custody of the building. + +In the evening a banquet to Mr. Carnegie was given in the Hall of +Knights at Binnenhof by the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the name of +the Government, to which were invited the nobility and all the high +officials who had attended the ceremony, and who thereafter were +received in audience by the Queen at the Royal Palace. + +The greatest possible distinction was shown to both Mr. and Mrs. +Carnegie, who were brimming over with gratification. Well known as +Carnegie was as one of the greatest captains of industry, he is even +better known, and will be longer remembered throughout the world, by the +extent of his benefactions, in the distribution of which he found his +supreme happiness in the last two decades of his life. + +When the World War began, the cartoonists made much sport of the Peace +Palace as the outstanding embodiment of the irony of fate, and with the +peace advocates for the failure of their vision. But evidence is not +entirely lacking that the peace advocates may yet be able to turn the +laugh on the cartoonists. Some of the most constructive features of the +League of Nations were formulated by commissions working under the roof +of the Peace Palace. The International Court of Justice, organized +under the provisions of the covenant of the League of Nations, has its +seat within the Palace and will soon be ready to commence its +constructive work. The Palace is a contribution whose worth to +civilization can hardly be measured in a single generation. + + * * * * * + +In the fall of that year we returned to New York, but only for a few +months. When Kermit Roosevelt became engaged to Miss Willard, charming +daughter of our ambassador to Spain, my wife promised him that unless we +were unavoidably prevented, we should be present at his marriage in +Madrid early in the following June. We had become very much attached to +our young friend, whom we got to know so well during his stay with us at +Constantinople. + +On May 19, 1914, we returned to Europe on the S.S. Lusitania. On board +we were agreeably surprised to find our long-time friend, Mrs. T. J. +Preston, Jr., formerly Mrs. Grover Cleveland, seated at our table in the +dining-saloon. She was traveling alone and was to meet her husband and +daughter in London. Naturally we spoke of Cleveland and of his qualities +as they had revealed themselves to her and to his more intimate friends. +When a man is President and always in the limelight, people get a +perverted impression of him, a fact true more or less since Washington's +day, but perhaps to a greater degree in the case of Cleveland. Mrs. +Preston referred to many incidents that illustrated his gentleness and +consideration, and she gave credit to his advice and guidance for much +of the tact she displayed as mistress of the White House, for she was +scarcely out of her teens when she occupied that important post. + +In London I received a letter from Roosevelt saying he would meet us in +Paris on June 7th, and suggesting that I keep in touch with our embassy +there. Miss Catherine Page also was going to the wedding to be one of +the bridesmaids, and Ambassador Page asked us to take her with us, which +of course we were glad to do. + +We stayed in London for several days, and soon after our arrival, there +was a young people's dance at the embassy to which the ambassador asked +us to come if only for a short stay. There we met Mr. and Mrs. Rudyard +Kipling. In the course of a pleasant chat, I asked Kipling in what work +he was then engaged. + +Kipling pointed to the next room at the dancing, and said: "Sitting up +late nights as I have a daughter in society, which is my principal +occupation at present." + +I spent an evening with Israel Zangwill, during which he unfolded to me +a plan he was formulating to call a conference of representative Jews +from various countries to form a central committee which was to be more +internationally representative than the Alliance Israelite of Paris, +which is in reality dominantly French and therefore does not represent +the world of Israel in an international sense. Such a body was to +protect, defend, and plead for the cause of the Jews wherever necessary +and to speak in behalf of the Jewry of the world. He said he had talked +it over with his colleagues and they wanted me to take the presidency of +such a body because of my experience in statesmanship and world +diplomacy. I took care not to discourage him, but told him I should have +to consider the matter, because with me personality sank out of sight +when an important cause was to be carried forward. + +When we arrived in Paris, a note awaited us from Ambassador Herrick +asking us to come to the embassy, and informing us that Roosevelt was +there. When I arrived I found Roosevelt in the smoking-room engaged in +an animated conversation with ex-Premier Hanotaux regarding the physical +characteristics of the races of Europe, in which Henri Bergson also +participated, and to which the sculptor Rodin appeared to be a bored +listener. Roosevelt was talking French, and when he could not find the +word he wanted, he used an English term for which Bergson would then +give him the French equivalent. + +The next day our party left for Madrid--Roosevelt, his daughter Alice, +their cousin Philip, son of William Emlen Roosevelt, Miss Page, Mrs. +Straus, and myself. We were a jolly party. + +Roosevelt and I, of course, talked politics, especially the future of +the Progressive Party. The State campaign for Governor and United States +Senator was being discussed when Roosevelt left home, and he had given +out an interview before sailing regarding the sort of men that should be +chosen, in which he had kindly referred to me as the standard of nominee +for Senator. The press had commented extensively and favorably upon such +a choice and there had appeared many articles and editorials giving +consideration to my name. Roosevelt had, of course, referred to me only +as the type of man to be chosen, and believed that if the nominee for +Governor were chosen from New York City, it might be well to choose the +candidate for Senator from up-State. I told him I had no personal vanity +in the matter, that what we wanted was the candidates that would best +embody the cause. He answered that he knew me well enough for that, but +that every one agreed that next to him I was the most prominent +Progressive, and in New York State even stronger than he, as shown by +the election of 1912. Of course I did not agree with this generous +statement, which was another proof that figures do sometimes lie. + +He expressed the hope that the Progressives and the liberal wing of the +Republicans might unite. He lamented the difficulties for the party in +the coming election, and said he was reluctant to enter the campaign, +but, he added: "I must stand by the men who stood by me." If Johnson was +again to be the candidate of the party for Governor of California and +needed his help, he would have to go there, though he could not overtax +his throat, which had been weakened by his fever in the jungles of +Brazil. He said if that fever had overtaken him two weeks earlier, he +would not have pulled through; as it was, he had had a narrow escape. + +At Irun, the Spanish border, King Alphonso's private car was hitched on +to our train. From there on to the King's summer palace, where he left +the train, a small guard of honor was drawn up at every stopping-place +and the chief officials of the district came to pay their respects to +their sovereign. The King was only twenty-eight years old, but was +generally conceded to be a man of ability, with enlightened views, and +highly regarded by his subjects. However, among the random notes that I +made at the end of this visit to Spain, I wrote: + + I very much doubt if monarchy will last another score of years in + Spain unless the King takes a lesson from Great Britain and is + content to have Parliament govern the country. The democratic + spirit is rapidly growing, but I very much doubt if the people with + their long traditions of monarchical government, will be prepared + for many years for a democratic form of government. + +The most powerful man in Parliament, though out of the Ministry at the +time, was the late Premier Maurer. The Conservatives were in power, but +their tenure was precarious. It was said that Maurer's ancestors several +generations ago were Jews, which is also true of several members of the +nobility, whose ancestors were converted during the period of the +Inquisition. + +Our ambassador and his staff of secretaries were at the station in +Madrid to meet us. The Roosevelts went to the embassy and we went to the +Ritz Hotel. At eleven o'clock on the morning of June 10th, the civil +marriage took place in the Prefecture of Police before a district judge. +It was a simple proceeding, attended only by the immediate family and a +few intimate friends, perhaps a dozen in all. The ceremony was read from +a book in which was included the marriage contract. The bride and groom +and four witnesses then signed the contract, the witnesses on this +occasion being the father of the bride, the father of the groom, and two +Spanish noblemen. + +The following day at high noon the religious ceremony was performed in +the chapel of the British embassy. There were about seventy-five persons +present: the diplomatic corps, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and +several other Spanish officials, and some friends. After the ceremony, +there was a wedding breakfast at the embassy. The Roosevelts left that +same evening for Paris, and I did not see them again in Europe. + +This was our second visit to Spain. In 1897 my wife and I had been there +for about a week, and many of the men with whom we had spent pleasant +hours at that time were now no longer living. Chief among these were Sir +Henry Drummond Wolff and Signor Castelar. Sir Henry, who was British +ambassador to Spain at the time, I had not seen since he was special +envoy to Turkey in 1888, and I remember how delighted he was to see us +again and how very much at home he made us feel. We also met Lady Wolff +then, who, however, was not well. She told us of some of her experiences +in Persia; also that Sir Henry was very ill there, having been poisoned +at a dinner given by the Shah. + +Another colleague of my first Turkish mission whom I had found at Madrid +in 1897 was Herr von Radowitz, German ambassador. He invited us to dine +one evening at the embassy, and after dinner showed us the throne room +in which hung a picture of the Kaiser. Radowitz explained that it was +painted by a friend of the Emperor, "somewhat theatrical, you see, but +he is fond of appearing grandiose." He started to tell me how he came +into possession of the painting, that he had told the Emperor that the +embassy had no likeness of him, but he corrected himself by saying: "No, +I did not ask for the picture, my wife did." He displayed rather a +slighting estimate of his sovereign. The fact was that he was a protege +of Bismarck, and after the latter's retirement Radowitz was transferred +from Constantinople to Madrid, which was regarded in the nature of a +demotion, and that perhaps largely accounted for his attitude. + +As we conversed after dinner, Radowitz made the remark that in 1878 he +was one of the secretaries to the Berlin Congress and that there he met +Disraeli. Disraeli always made specially prepared speeches in English, +which Radowitz took down in French. Then Disraeli would compliment him +and say, "Did I really speak in this nice way or did you only write me +down so elegantly?" When Radowitz replied, "Yes, this is what you said," +Disraeli would say, "So let it stand." + +This led me to draw out Sir Henry, who was also present, regarding +Disraeli. He had known Disraeli very well. He told me that at the age of +twelve he had met Disraeli and had always had access to him. I asked Sir +Henry whether he had not kept a diary. He said he had not, but wished +that he had. "Dizzy," he said, was not a compromiser; if he had +opponents, he recognized them as such and never sought to placate them. +When he first entered Parliament he was a brilliant, flowery speaker, so +much so that his party, the Conservative, was afraid of him. Afterward, +when he became a member of the Ministry, he had trained himself down to +a rather prosy level, yet now and again his speech would glow with +brilliant passages excoriating his opponent. He was quick at repartee +and often held up the other side to ridicule in telling metaphor. + +I asked Sir Henry about Dizzy's loyalty to Judaism. He said Dizzy never +denied it, holding up especially the race idea. I remarked that in +reading such of Disraeli's novels as "Coningsby" and "Tancred," and in +the Proceedings of the Berlin Congress, I was impressed with his race +loyalty and his purpose to secure equal political rights for the +oppressed members of his race in the newly constituted Balkan States. + +Sir Henry answered me: "I don't recall the novels, but what you say was +true, although of course his loyalty was to England first. Dizzy's idea +was that the race should amalgamate." + +I wanted to know whether he recollected when Disraeli's novels first +came out. He said he remembered all but "Vivian Grey," which Dizzy wrote +when he was quite young. He added that Disraeli's writings made him +quite a lion among the literary set, but did not help him politically. +He wanted to count among the best socially, and ever pointed his +political guns toward that target. + +When I asked Sir Henry about Disraeli's personal appearance, he said: +"Lord Dufferin (Frederic Blackwood) looked very much like him; so much +so that he might have been taken for Disraeli's son. Dizzy and Mrs. +Blackwood were said to be very good friends. He met her on many of his +frequent visits to the home of Lady Blessington, during the period when +he was beginning to gain popularity." + +Sir Henry had been rather critical of Disraeli, but he ended by saying: +"Taking Dizzy all in all, he was the greatest English statesman I have +ever known." And to me Disraeli had always been a fascinating subject, +so much so, indeed, that at one time I had the intention to write a +biography of him. + + * * * * * + +With Emilio Castelar I had come into correspondence following the +publication of the French edition of my "Origin of the Republican Form +of Government in the United States," in which he was much interested. He +expressed the hope that the next time I came to Europe we might meet, +and when I came to Madrid, Mr. Reed, for many years secretary of our +legation there, made an appointment for me, and accompanied Mrs. Straus +and me to his home. + +He was a short, rather stout man of sixty-five, bald, with dark skin and +sparkling brown eyes, and a gray moustache. He was a bachelor. We spoke +French, and though it was an ordinary conversation he was quite +oratorical. He said he was a republican and believed thoroughly in +conservative republicanism such as we had in the United States, but that +Spain was not ripe for republicanism, and that he had parted company +with the Spanish republicans because he could not endure their +principles; they were ready to pull down, but not to build up; they were +anarchists, and not republicans. + +He presented Mrs. Straus with his photograph, and when she asked him to +autograph it, he returned to his study and wrote in Spanish on the back +of it a charming sentiment regarding us and our country. He was anxious +to have us come and take Spanish dinner with him, but unfortunately we +were leaving that evening for Seville. + +I was interested in some articles Castelar had written for the "Century +Magazine" in 1892-93 regarding Columbus, and especially in those of the +articles in which he referred to the expulsion of the Jews from Spain. I +asked him whether he had finished the work, and he told me he had +brought it out complete in book form in Spanish, in which he had dwelt +more fully on the Jewish expulsion and had published a number of facts +from original research made for the work, though not by himself. He went +to his study to give me a copy of the book, but found that he had none +on hand. He promised to send me one in a few days through Mr. Reed, +which he did. + +The expulsion of the Spanish Jews was of great interest to me, and on +this second visit to Madrid I took advantage of the opportunity to see +some of the historical relics from that period. I got in touch with Dr. +Angel Pulido, life senator of Spain, and together with Professor A. S. +Yahuda, we visited the historic city of Toledo, about two and a half +hours by rail out of Madrid. Dr. Pulido had for years advocated measures +to induce Jews to return to Spain, especially those who still retained +the Spanish language, as do many in Turkey and nearly all those in +Morocco who are the descendants of those driven out of Spain. + +Toledo is one of the most ancient cities of Spain. It was once the +residence of the kings of Castile, and under the Moors had a population +of some two hundred thousand, of whom seventy-five thousand were +estimated to have been Jews. The population now is about twenty +thousand, and the city is but the bedraggled remains of its former +grandeur. In its ancient glory it was noted for its silk and woolen +industries and for the manufacture of the famous Toledo steel from which +were made swords and other weapons that rivaled those of Damascus; and +it was the home of a number of Jewish scholars and noted men, Eben Ezra +(1119-74), for instance. + +There are two old synagogues in the city which I was anxious to see. One +was erected at the end of the twelfth or beginning of the thirteenth +century, and was converted into a church in 1405. It is called Santa +Maria la Blanca. Its architecture is of the best Moorish style; the +interior has twenty-eight horseshoe arches borne by thirty-two octagonal +piers, and the elaborate capitals are ornamented with pine cones. + +In the same district, near by, is the Sinagoga del Transito, of similar +style, erected about 1360. It was built at the expense of one Samuel +Levy, treasurer of Peter the Cruel, who was afterward executed by order +of his king. The walls of the interior were decorated with Hebrew +writing, mainly passages from the Psalms. In 1492 this synagogue was +turned over to the Calatrava Order of Knights, and many members of this +order lie buried in the body of the building. Later the synagogue was +consecrated to the death of the virgin. + +Near these synagogues also was the Casa del Greco (House of the Greek), +so called because the famous Greek painter, Dominico Theotocopuli, +forerunner of the impressionists, lived there. Among his pictures is a +large one of an "auto da fe" which took place in the main square of the +city, and the square when I saw it still looked much the same as in the +painting. The picture shows the balconies of the houses surrounding the +square filled with eager and gay spectators who had come to witness and +enjoy the burning of Jewish heretics. They must have assembled in about +the same spirit as fashionable people of a later day came to the bull +fights. In the picture the procession is entering the enclosure where +are seated the members of the Holy Office, or inquisitors, at whose side +stand the officers holding torches with which to light the pyre on which +the condemned victims were bound. As I gazed at the square, I could +graphically visualize the scene portrayed in the picture. Such cruelty +and perversion inevitably presaged the spiritual as well as the material +decadence of the inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula. + + * * * * * + +By the courtesy of Senator Pulido, I met and had several conferences +with the Marques de Dosfuentes, who several years before, as Fernando de +Anton del Olmet, had written an article entitled "La verdadera patrio de +Cristobal Colon," which was published in "La Espana Moderna," a leading +monthly of Spain. + +I was very much interested in the data that several of the historians of +Spain had unearthed regarding the ancestry and place of origin of +Columbus. The article by the Marquis just mentioned was based on the +research made by Celso Garcia de la Riega, and both Olmet and Riega came +to the conclusion, based upon their examination of records, that +Columbus was not an Italian, but a Spaniard, and that he was born in +Pontevedra, Galicia, in the northern part of Spain; that his father's +name was Colon (the Spanish for Columbus), and his mother's name +Fonterosa; and that he was of Jewish ancestry. + +In his article Olmet says, after going into detail regarding the +nationality of Columbus according to the documents which he was able to +examine: + + Nothing seems more logical than the preceding reasoning, and, + moreover, this is the simplest method of explaining that the + Admiral's parents were a Colon and a Fonterosa, which gives us a + clue to the mystery of his life. From the document under notice it + is to be inferred that Domingo de Colon named was a modest trader. + If the admiral was his son, it would not be absurd to suppose that, + given the social prejudices of the times, this should have been a + sufficient motive for hiding his origin and country. But there is + still another reason that fully justifies his secrecy and clears up + all mystery. The patronymic "Fonterosa" appears in the Province of + Pontevedra connected with the names of Jacob the elder, another + Jacob, and Benjamin; Colon's mother was called Susana. "If the + admiral belonged to this family, doubtless Jewish," says Sg. La + Riega, "since we may draw this inference from the Biblical names, + or if he belonged to a family of new Christians, should we not + forgive his action in the matter and declare him fully justified in + his resolution not to reveal such antecedents? We must bear in mind + the then existing hatred toward the Hebrew race and the merciless + fury let loose against it in the latter half of the fifteenth + century." + +In another part of the article Olmet says: + + Colon never mentioned any relative, paternal or maternal. Even when + Colon was at the zenith of his fame no one in Italy came forward to + claim relationship with him, although he was the most famous + personage of that time. Thus everything goes to corroborate Don + Fernando Colon's affirmation in his "Life of the Admiral" that his + father wished his origin and birthplace to remain unknown. + +The research of La Riega was continued to 1914 and published in that +year. The author died early in the year, shortly before I arrived in +Madrid. Other Spanish historians also have published conclusions similar +to those of La Riega. There was, for instance, a brochure by Enrique de +Arribas y Turull, entitled "Cristobal Colon, Natural de Pontevedra," +which was originally delivered as a lecture before the Madrid Historical +Society. This also sums up, in nineteen points, the reasons for the +conclusion that Columbus was a Spaniard, and of Jewish ancestry. + + + + +CHAPTER XV + +THE WORLD WAR + + Paris throbs with the _Marseillaise_--A British railway conductor + refuses a five-pound note--Americans panic-stricken in London--A + special committee to aid Americans in Europe--The embassy + committee--Mr. and Mrs. Herbert C. Hoover--Impressions of Earl Grey + and Waldorf Astor--England's "White Paper" is issued--Sir Edward + Grey--Russian autocracy's effect on Allied cause--I am urged to + state British views to American newspapers--We return home--James + Speyer gives a dinner--I broach the subject of mediation to + Bernstorff--A flying trip to Washington; mediation interviews with + Bryan, Spring-Rice, and Jusserand--A letter from Earl + Grey--Germany's insincerity is exposed--New Year messages to + warring nations--Roosevelt's warnings--An effort to persuade + President Wilson to confer with ex-Presidents--Prominent Jews of + German origin condemn Germany's attitude--America enters war--Final + visits with Theodore Roosevelt--His death--Pilgrims to Sagamore + Hill. + + +Touring through Normandy late in July, 1914, we met some friends who had +just come from Paris who told us that war was imminent and from best +reports would break out within a very few days. Accordingly we hurried +to Paris and in the course of twenty-four hours the whole aspect of the +city had changed. From the windows of our hotel on the Place Vendome and +on the principal boulevards of the city we saw youths of military age +marching to headquarters. The air throbbed with the _Marseillaise_. +Everywhere there were crowds, but they were neither boisterous nor +hilarious. Everywhere there was an air of tension and determination, +vastly unlike the usual mood of jovial, happy Paris. + +Starting at once for London, we found the trains so overcrowded that it +was impossible to get accommodations, so we motored to Dieppe and +reached there in time to take the boat that left at three o'clock in the +morning for Newhaven. The ordinary capacity of the boat was five hundred +passengers, but it was packed from stem to stern with some two thousand +persons on this voyage, mainly Americans. The Calais-Dover crossing of +the Channel had already been suspended. + +On board the train from Newhaven to London, a curious incident occurred +that indicated the derangement of things. I had four fares to pay, +amounting to about three pounds. I handed the conductor a five-pound +Bank of England note. He took it, but shortly returned with it, saying +he could accept nothing but gold. I expostulated with him, told him I +had no gold, and since a bank note was valid tender I insisted upon its +acceptance. But the upshot was that he preferred to take my card with my +London address! + +It would appear that my credit at that moment was better than that of +the Bank of England. + +We arrived in London on Sunday, August 2d. At the Hyde Park Hotel, to +which we went, a typewritten notice was posted announcing a meeting on +the following day at the Waldorf Hotel on the Strand. The persons who +signed the notice were unknown to me, and at first I was inclined to pay +no attention to it. However, I did go, and found gathered inside and in +front of the hotel several thousand stranded Americans. The main hall +and all approaches to it were packed. Several persons in the crowd +recognized me and made a passageway so that I could get into the room +where the meeting was being held. Upon my entrance I was lifted upon a +table that served as a platform, and was asked to speak. I made a short +address to the panic-stricken assembly, assured them they had nothing to +fear and were as safe in London as if they were in New York, and that +our committee would remain with them and help them get suitable +transportation as early as practicable. There was loud cheering and my +words seemed to have a comforting effect. + +Immediately thereafter a group of us came together and organized a +special committee for the aid of Americans in Europe. There were +Frederick I. Kent, one of the vice-presidents of the Bankers' Trust +Company; W. N. Duane, another vice-president of the Bankers' Trust +Company; Theodore Hetzler, a vice-president of the Fifth Avenue Bank; +Joseph P. Day, a prominent real estate auctioneer of New York City; +William C. Breed, an officer of the Merchants' Association; Chandler P. +Anderson and James Byrne, prominent American lawyers, several others, +and myself. We arranged for headquarters at the Hotel Savoy, where +several of the largest salons were placed at our disposal so that we had +room for the various departments that needed to be formed to attend to +the wants of the many terrified Americans who were pouring into London +from all over the Continent. Mr. Hetzler was chairman of the general +committee, Mr. Duane secretary, and Robert W. DeForest, vice-president +of the American Red Cross, was member _ex-officio_. I was made chairman +of the embassy committee of which Ambassador Page was honorary chairman, +and the American ambassadors to France, Germany, Austria, and the +ministers to Holland and Belgium were made advisory members. We found +many willing helpers, including a number of professors from American +universities and other public-spirited men and women. + +The necessary sub-committees were speedily formed: Mr. Day was made +chairman of the transportation committee and got in touch with the +managers of all the transatlantic steamship companies. Mr. Kent was +chairman of the finance committee, and through his banking connections +was able to get a limited amount of gold to advance to those who could +not convert their foreign money, notwithstanding the moratorium that had +been declared which made it impossible for several days to get ready +money; foreign bills were not being accepted by the banks. With the +declaration of the moratorium we at once called a meeting of the +managers of the hotels where most of the Americans were stopping, and +without exception these men were very accommodating. They agreed not to +require payment from their American guests for the time being, and as +far as possible to advance them a little money to meet their immediate +requirements. + +Our embassy was crowded from morning to night with hundreds of citizens, +most of whom wanted to make application for passports, for the steamship +companies required the exhibition of passports before arranging for +transportation. The rooms at the embassy were not large enough to +accommodate the crowds that filled them, so we transferred the passport +division to the Hotel Savoy, and Ambassador Page assigned to me several +clerks to facilitate the handling of our business. I am sorry to say +there was a tendency on the part of many American travelers to find +fault with our ambassador and the embassy. This was not at all +justified, and I took every occasion to assure them that the ambassador +was doing all in his power with his limited staff, and that our +committee had his fullest cooperation and was getting his aid in every +possible way. I consulted with Ambassador Page almost every day, and +together we planned for arranging for money and the many other +requirements of our citizens. + +In those first hectic days, some of us worked all day and far into the +night, or rather into the next morning. Many British friends who visited +our rooms marveled at the promptness and efficiency with which we +dispatched business under the circumstances, and were solicitous for +the health of "the unofficial ambassador," as I was being called, and +his staff. + +After the committee had been going a few days, it secured the +cooperation of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert C. Hoover. He was chairman of an +American benevolent society, of the woman's committee of which Mrs. +Hoover was at the head. As the members of our relief committee returned +home, the work was by degrees turned over to Mr. and Mrs. Hoover and +their associates, until by August 27th we put all of the remaining work +and funds into the hands of their society. + +One day Earl Grey paid me a visit at our headquarters, and with him was +Mrs. Waldorf Astor, now Viscountess Astor, who reminded me that "all +work and no play makes Jack a dull boy," and insisted that Mrs. Straus +and I spend the week-end at Cliveden, their residence, a short distance +by rail out of London. Other guests were Earl Grey, Geoffrey Robinson, +editor of the London "Times," and several others connected with the +editorship of "The Round Table," a political quarterly. + +Mr. Waldorf Astor was an earnest, modest young man, then about +thirty-four years old, unspoiled by his enormous wealth. On the +contrary, he was and still is devoting much of his wealth as well as his +parliamentary activities to philanthropic work, including the treatment +and prevention of tuberculosis, and in this connection had been in touch +with my brother Nathan in regard to milk pasteurization. + +There were several subsequent week-ends at Cliveden. On one of these +visits, a dozen or more young men were there, members of England's +foremost families. They enjoyed themselves at tennis and other games and +on Monday were to join the colors. It is sad to record that most of +these fine fellows, with the exception of two or three, were killed or +seriously wounded within the next few months. + +When England entered the war, the diplomatic correspondence was +published in what was called the British "White Paper." Sir Edward Grey, +now Viscount Grey, had made a speech in Parliament, of which I read the +published version in this "White Paper." It happened that on that very +day Earl Grey, cousin to Sir Edward, was lunching with me at my hotel, +and I took the occasion to point out to him the necessity of making +clear, especially for the American public, that the reason England had +joined the Allies was not only on Belgium's account, but to uphold the +sanctity of international obligations. This concerned not alone the +belligerent nations, but all the nations. Without the sanctity of +international obligations the war, no matter how it ended, would cause a +reversion to a state of international barbarity. Earl Grey suggested +that I discuss the subject with his cousin, and arranged for a meeting. +A few days later we three sat down to a simple and informal luncheon at +Earl Grey's home on South Street, in Park Lane. + +Sir Edward Grey spoke earnestly and frankly. He felt the great +responsibility of the decision that brought England into the war, and +said he had often asked himself whether he could have done otherwise. +There was nothing chauvinistic in either his attitude or his arguments. +It was plain that he had weighed the entire issue carefully. His +open-mindedness, his simplicity and straightforwardness of manner, his +great ability and humanitarian zeal, impressed me very much. + +I called his attention to the importance of having Russia grant civil +and religious rights to her subject nationalities; the failure of such +action would weaken the moral cause of the Allies, and also from an +American point of view it was important that Russia give some evidence +of a liberal spirit, otherwise it might be feared that victory for the +Allies would redound mainly to the advantage of autocracy in Russia. I +contended that it was not a question of humanity, but plain state +policy, and that it was important that the Governments of Great Britain +and France bring Russia, as their ally, into line. I had received +several cables from prominent men in New York and Boston who had thus +expressed the American point of view. + +The conversation ran on for an hour and a half in a very informal way. +Earl Grey then made the suggestion, in accordance with my remarks of a +few days before about the necessity of making clear England's position +in entering the war, that I give out an interview to the American press +covering the substance of our conversation. I demurred. Naturally I +hesitated to state publicly the delicate and critical questions that the +British Minister of Foreign Affairs had so frankly discussed with me. +However, Sir Edward himself said he would appreciate my doing so, for he +had perfect confidence in my doing it without embarrassment to his +country. I therefore agreed to it, with the proviso that he approve the +interview before it was released for publication. + +I got in touch with the representatives of the American papers in London +and that evening gave out the interview. The next morning I sent a copy +to Sir Edward, who returned it to me without a single change, saying he +approved both its form and content. The matter was then cabled to +America, published in our leading papers on August 15th, and cabled back +for republication in the British papers. + +Thereafter the London papers came to me for further interviews, and in a +subsequent statement I dwelt more specifically on the importance of +Russia's fair treatment of her subject nationalities, particularly the +Jews, who had suffered most. The press representatives asked whether +they might show my interview to Lord Weardale and if possible get his +comment, to which I gladly consented. + +Lord Weardale had been head of the Parliamentary deputation that visited +Russia the year before and had an intimate knowledge of Russian +conditions. He told me later that he had already written the Russian +Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sazonoff, along the identical lines of my +interview. He supplemented what I had stated, with an interview, saying, +among other things: + + It would be an immense step in the path of progress of Russia + herself and would create a profound sentiment of satisfaction in + the civilized world if the Tsar at such a juncture were to give + emphatic endorsement to his already declared intention to give full + religious liberty to all his peoples. It is not enough to be + powerful in the battlefield; it is even more important to conquer + the approval of the human conscience. + +The Government and people of Great Britain were very solicitous at that +time regarding public opinion in America and the probable attitude of +our Government. In many quarters there was a feeling of uncertainty and +even of misgiving toward the statement by President Wilson respecting an +offer of mediation at the opportune moment, in accordance with the +provisions of the Hague Treaty. Because of this and other +considerations, Sir Edward Grey and others recognized the importance of +having Russia give evidence of a more enlightened spirit. + + * * * * * + +We left London at the end of August, and upon arrival home went up to +Hartsdale, a short distance out of New York, to visit with our son. A +few days afterward Mr. James Speyer, whose summer home was but a few +miles distant, at Scarboro, telephoned, inviting Mrs. Straus and myself +to dine with him. Mrs. Speyer had not returned from abroad; the guests +were Mr. and Mrs. Frank A. Vanderlip and Count von Bernstorff. As Mrs. +Straus was rather worn out by her London experience, I went alone. There +were several other neighbors, Mr. Frank H. Platt and Mr. Frank Trumbull +and perhaps one other, about eight of us, of whom Mrs. Vanderlip was the +only lady. + +Bernstorff I had known for a number of years. I had first met him in +1888 when I was on my first mission to Turkey and he was attache of the +German embassy. Later he came to Washington as ambassador when I was in +the Cabinet, and we met frequently there. + +The conversation at dinner was general, although it was inevitable that +we discuss the war. Bernstorff voiced the usual claim of the Germans, +that they did not want war, and that the Kaiser and the German +Government stood for peace. When he had dilated upon that theme I asked +him: + +"Is that the present sentiment and attitude of your country?" + +He replied that it certainly was when he left Berlin only two weeks +before, on returning to America from his leave of absence. + +Knowing how anxious President Wilson was to use any proper opportunity +that might present itself for ending the war, I asked Bernstorff whether +his Government would entertain a proposition for mediation. + +He answered me promptly: "Speaking for myself, I certainly would +entertain such a proposition." But he added that he could not speak +officially, since cable communication with his Government had been cut +off for a week or more. + +I asked him whether in his opinion his Government would give favorable +consideration to such a proposal. He said that before leaving Berlin he +had discussed with the Chancellor the possibility of mediation, +following the report of President Wilson's statement that he was ready +to offer his services as mediator to both parties, and the Chancellor +had said that the war had but begun and it was too early to instruct +regarding mediation until the offer was presented. On my questioning him +further, the ambassador said his personal opinion was that his +Government would accept an offer of mediation. I remarked that I could +not but regard his statement as significant, and asked him if I might +use it in such a manner as I saw fit. He replied that he had no +objection. + +As we rose from the table, I made sure of my understanding of his +statements, and then the thought occurred to me that the best thing to +do was to report the conversation to Secretary of State Bryan, so that +he might, if he saw fit, bring it before the President. I so informed +Bernstorff, and again he told me he had no objection. + +I looked at my watch. It was ten-fifteen. I announced that I would go to +Washington on the midnight train. My host suggested that I "sleep on it +and don't hurry"; but I concluded that if there was anything I could do +to shorten the war by even a few hours I would have to charge myself +with neglect of duty if on account of personal convenience I had +refrained from doing so. The next day was Sunday; the day after was +Labor Day; and all the while thousands were falling on the battlefield. +Several of the guests agreed with my decision, so I bade them +good-night, called my motor, and caught the midnight train for +Washington. + +Sunday morning I telephoned to Mr. Bryan at once and made an appointment +to meet him at his home. I repeated my conversation with Bernstorff +precisely as it had occurred, and Bryan believed, as I did, that it +might pave the way to mediation. I suggested that he have the German +ambassador come to Washington and speak with him. He communicated with +the German embassy, and Bernstorff arrived the following morning. + +Bryan presented the subject to the President, who expressed himself as +pleased with the possibility of a favorable outcome. The Secretary +advised me to have a conference with the British ambassador, Sir Cecil +Spring-Rice, and with the French ambassador, M. Jusserand. He had +already informed them what had taken place and of my presence in +Washington. Sir Cecil asked whether I would kindly come to the embassy, +and I replied I would do so, and suggested that he arrange to have the +French ambassador also present. This he did. + +When I reached the embassy, M. Jusserand had not yet arrived, and Sir +Cecil and I indulged in reminiscences. He too had been in Constantinople +during my first mission, as secretary of the British embassy. Soon we +were joined by M. Jusserand, whom also I had known well for many years, +for he had been in Washington since 1902, and I had seen much of him +during my Cabinet days. + +When we took up the proposal regarding which we had come together, both +of these gentlemen agreed that it was deserving of serious attention, +but Sir Cecil had little confidence in Bernstorff, who had been his +colleague at Cairo, where they had represented their respective +Governments. He asked whether I thought an ambassador would make such a +statement as Bernstorff's without authority from his Government. I +replied that both he and M. Jusserand were better qualified to answer +that question, upon which M. Jusserand said that he knew that no +ambassador under the German system would dare make such remarks without +previous authority from his Government. + +"That is so much the better," I commented. + +Sir Cecil declared that German diplomacy was peculiar and that the +Foreign Office had no conscience in disavowing statements by its +ambassadors if it suited Germany's purpose. + +After we had gone over the whole subject, both ambassadors stated that +if it held one chance in a hundred of shortening the war, it was their +duty to entertain it. I replied that I hoped they would entertain it +cordially. + +Jusserand in his usual happy manner said, "'Cordially,' that is a little +too strong." + +"Well, sympathetically, then," I said. + +"Yes, sympathetically, yes." And with that we parted, both ambassadors +expressing their thanks and appreciation of my services. + +I had been scrupulously careful to be absolutely accurate in all my +statements, and it was therefore gratifying, after the Bryan-Bernstorff +conference, to have the Secretary tell me that the ambassador's report +of the Scarboro incident was in every detail in accord with mine, and to +have the ambassador also confirm the correctness of Mr. Bryan's +understanding from my report. Naturally I was anxious to avoid +misunderstandings or misconceptions of any kind. The issue was too +important. + +Both Secretary Bryan and Ambassador Bernstorff cabled to Berlin, and for +the time the subject rested there. My remaining in Washington was +unnecessary, and I returned to New York. But before leaving, I called by +appointment at both the French and British embassies, which also had +communicated events in detail to their Governments. Both ambassadors +expressed their high appreciation for my services and hoped I would keep +in close touch with them regarding the matter, both for their sake and +for the sake of our respective Governments. I told them I would regard +myself as "messenger boy" for mediation. Sir Cecil replied, "Ambassador +extraordinary." He promised to keep me informed, and two days later +wrote me: + + I have not yet received any intimation from my Government, nor do I + expect one unless something definite is before them. But I need not + tell you how heartily my sympathy is with your humanitarian + efforts, and you know Grey well enough to be sure that, while + scrupulously faithful to all his engagements, he will do everything + possible in the cause of peace. + +Throughout these negotiations we took great care to keep the matter +secret. Despite that fact it leaked out in some way, and the +correspondent of the London "Times" reported it in such a way as to give +the impression that I had been duped by the wily German ambassador; and +there were one or two other papers which took that view. Sir Cecil +Spring-Rice was incensed at this interpretation and wrote me on October +3d: + + I am sure no one who knows you and knows the facts would ever think + that you were either duped or the secret agent of Germany. I am + quite positive that Sir Edward Grey would never have such an idea. + What you did--and what I hope you will continue to do--is a work of + pure philanthropy. + +On October 15th he wrote me again on this subject, saying that when the +London "Times" representative returned to Washington from New York, he +would set him right as to the facts with a view to having the report +corrected, and adding: + + We used to say at school, "Blessed are the peace makers, for they + get more kicks than half-pence!" It represents a melancholy truth, + but, however, I am sure every well-thinking person must appreciate + your beneficent efforts. + +But in general the press of Great Britain expressed its appreciation of +the services I had rendered in lifting the latch of the door to +mediation. + +A letter from Sir Edward Grey concerning the negotiations sheds +important light upon the British attitude: + + + FOREIGN OFFICE, LONDON, S.W. + _Saturday, 26 September, 1914_ + + DEAR MR. STRAUS: + + Thank you for your letter of the 9th. I am so busy that I have not + time to write at any length; but do not let that make you suppose + that I am out of sympathy with what you say. + + First of all, however, we must save ourselves and the West of + Europe, before we can exercise any influence elsewhere. The + Prussian military caste has dominated Germany, and the whole of the + West of Europe is in danger of being dominated by it. The German + Government, in the hands of this military caste, prepared this war, + planned it, and chose the time for it. We know now that the war has + revealed how thoroughly the German preparations had been made + beforehand: with an organization and forethought which is + wonderful, and would have been admirable had it been devoted to a + praiseworthy purpose. Not one of the other nations now fighting + against Germany is prepared in the same way. + + Now, we wish to have three things: Firstly, to secure our own + liberty as independent States, who will live and let live on equal + terms; secondly, the establishment somehow of a Germany not + dominated by a military caste; a nation who will look at liberty + and politics from the same point of view as we do, and who will + deal with us on equal terms and in good faith; thirdly, reparation + for the cruel wrongs done to Belgium; to get that is a matter of + honour and justice and right. + + The statements made by Wolff's Bureau in Europe deny that Germany + is yet ready for peace. If she is ready for peace, then I think + that her ambassador in Washington ought not to beat about the + bush. He ought to make it clear to President Wilson that he is + authorized to speak on behalf of his Government; and state to the + President that Germany does wish to make peace. In that case, + President Wilson could approach all the others who are engaged in + this war and bring them into consultation with one another and with + him. But at present we have no indication that Germany wishes to + have peace, and no indication that she would agree to any terms + that would give reparation to Belgium and security to the rest of + Europe that the peace would be durable. + + Yours very truly + E. GREY + +The history of those negotiations is presented somewhat at length +because my friend of many years, the late Ambassador Page, in his +recently published letters also expressed the feeling that I had been +used as a dupe to throw the blame for continuing the war upon Great +Britain, though he expressed great confidence in me and friendship for +me. I may say I was not unmindful of this contingency; but I felt that +if the negotiations did not result as we hoped, they would serve to +expose the insincerity of the German Government with regard to its peace +professions. And this is precisely what happened, as the answer of the +German Chancellor, received by the State Department on September 22d, +confirms: + + The Imperial Chancellor is much obliged for America's offer. + Germany did not want war, it was forced upon her. Even after we + shall have defeated France we shall still have to face England and + Russia. England, France, and Russia have signed a convention to + make peace solely in mutual agreement with each other. England, + that is, Mr. Asquith, the London Times, and English diplomatic + officers, have on various occasions ... [sic] that England is + determined to conduct the war to the utmost and that she expects + success from it lasting a long time. It is therefore up to the + United States to get our enemies to make peace proposals. Germany + can only accept the peace which promises to be a real and lasting + peace and will protect her against any new attacks from her + enemies. If we accepted America's offer of mediation now our + enemies would interpret it as a sign of weakness and the German + people would not understand it. For the nation which has been + willing to make such sacrifices has a right to demand that there + shall be guarantees of rest and security. + +Secretary Bryan, in his instruction to Ambassador Page on September 8th, +had anticipated Germany's refusal to accept mediation. The instruction +concluded: + + We do not know, of course, what reply the German Emperor will make, + but this war is so horrible from every aspect that no one can + afford to take the responsibility for continuing it implacably. The + British and French ambassadors fear that Germany will not accept + any reasonable terms, but even a failure to agree will not rob an + attempt at mediation of all its advantages because the different + nations would be able to explain to the world their attitude, the + reasons for continuing the war, the end to be hoped for and the + terms upon which peace is possible. This would locate the + responsibility for the continuance of the war and help to mould + public opinion. Will notify you as soon as answer is received from + Bernstorff. + +On September 29th all the British papers served by the Central News War +Service carried a cable from New York detailing the negotiations, which +ended: + + It is believed by those concerned that an important step has been + taken to pave the way for mediation, when the opportune moment + arrives. In other words, the bolt on the door of mediation has been + thrown back so that it will be possible for the door to be opened + without either side being forced to take the initiative. Time will + doubtless show that the initiative so fortuitously taken by Mr. + Straus will prove of real service in the interests of ultimate + peace negotiations, and any endeavors to deprecate those services + as having been made in Germany's interests are not only contrary to + all the facts, but are most unfortunate. + + _Note_: The censor does not object to the publication of the + foregoing details, but insists that publication should be + accompanied by a footnote pointing out that since these + occurrences took place the German Government have disavowed their + ambassador. + +Had Germany's oft-reiterated peace professions been sincere, she would +have accepted this offer for mediation. By her refusal the falsity of +her professions was exposed not only in Great Britain and in our own +country, but in all the neutral countries; and the _expose_ served as +added proof to all peace-loving and neutrally-minded persons that the +responsibility for the war and its continuance rested upon the German +Government. + +In America many of us continued to hope that some way might be found to +bring the representatives of the warring nations into a conference, +thereby removing misunderstanding and misconception and paving the way +for an early peace. On December 31st the New York representative of the +Central News of London asked several Americans to write New Year's +messages to the warring nations of Europe, to be cabled to all the chief +newspapers of the continent. Messages were given by Dr. Nicholas Murray +Butler, Andrew Carnegie, Bishop David Greer, and myself, and they were +all substantially of the same tenor, as a passage from each will show: + + _Bishop Greer_: It is the earnest hope and prayer of all Christian + people in America that the awful and deplorable war now raging may + soon reach an end which will insure lasting peace and one + satisfactory in character to all the nations involved. + + _Andrew Carnegie_: I am convinced that the next effort of lovers of + peace should be to concentrate the world over in demanding that + this unparalleled slaughter of man by man shall be the last war + waged by civilized nations for the settlement of international + disputes. War dethroned--Peace enthroned. + + _President Butler_: May it be in America's fortunate lot to bind up + the wounds of the war and to set the feet of her sister nations + once more in the paths of peace, international good-will and + constructive statesmanship. + + I said: For the past five months each of the nations has been + seeking victory in the trenches of death; but it has not been found + there. Only through wise counsels can the victory of permanent + peace be obtained. President Wilson and His Holiness the Pope have + offered their offices to open the door of mediation. Will not the + Kaiser and King George give the mandate so that the door may be + opened and this delusion be dispelled, thereby earning the + blessings of a bleeding and suffering world? + +These statements are cited as evidence of how slowly we in America came +to realize the ruthless designs for conquest which the German +militarists had prepared and fostered for forty years, not only +strategically, but even in shaping the psychology of the child in school +and the man in the street to conform to their design. + +For a year or more events marched on, tragically, like a malignant +disease. On February 2, 1917, I lunched with Roosevelt at the Hotel +Langdon, on Fifth Avenue and Fifty-Sixth Street, where Roosevelt was in +the habit of stopping when in New York. The German Government two days +before had announced her submarine blockade of the British, French, and +Dutch coasts, and our own entrance into the war seemed likely. + +We were discussing the crisis, and Roosevelt said he did not think we +should be involved; the President would probably find some way out and +arrange to have Germany's pledge, not to destroy merchant ships of +neutrals or belligerents without warning, whittled down so as to apply +only to ships flying the American flag. He told us that he had engaged +passage on one of the United Fruit Company steamers to Jamaica for Mrs. +Roosevelt and himself. Mrs. Roosevelt needed a change, and they would +start in a few days. Regarding the war, he could do nothing more. He +had done all he could. He had made an offer to the Secretary of War to +raise a division, and had a whole card catalogue of names of men who had +volunteered to serve in it. + +His relations with the President were far from friendly. He had +violently criticized him in articles contributed to the "Metropolitan +Magazine" and in several public addresses had urged preparedness and +compulsory military training. I asked him, in view of the German +blockade, what he would do if he were President. He said he would +promptly assemble our fleet, put marines on the interned German ships, +and show Germany that we were in dead earnest; that unless she recalled +her decision to sink merchant ships without observing the rules of +modern warfare we should take immediate steps to protect our rights. + +"If we continue to back down we will become Chinafied, without any +rights that other nations will respect," said Roosevelt emphatically. + +In such critical times, personal differences might be laid aside, I +suggested, and I wanted him to write the President and let him have the +benefit of his views. I went further: I suggested that I could write the +President about it. But in Roosevelt's opinion, Wilson would conclude +that Roosevelt had himself urged me to do this because of my close +association with Roosevelt. + +My own relations with the President were always agreeable, I might even +say most friendly. He had written me sometime before, that he would +consider it a favor if I would keep him informed of developments that +came under my observation regarding important matters. It occurred to me +that on the eve of war it would be a fine thing if he consulted with his +two surviving predecessors, as Monroe had done in consulting with +Jefferson and Madison before issuing the doctrine which bears his name. +In the crisis we were facing such a step would allay partisan +differences and serve to solidify the Nation. With these ideas in mind I +sent the President the following telegram: + + Every patriotic American should support you in this great crisis in + the history of our country. May I suggest the course followed by + Monroe under a crisis involving many of the same principles, to + confer with the two surviving ex-Presidents, whose advice, I feel + sure, will be most helpful and serve to patriotically solidify the + country behind you? + +I informed Roosevelt of my action. He felt sure the President wanted +neither advice nor cooperation, though he himself was ready to give him +the fullest cooperation should Wilson desire it. He thought the same was +true on the part of Mr. Taft. The telegram, to my surprise, was given +out at Washington to the press a day or two later, but nothing ever came +of it. + +On February 7th the country was more or less agreeably surprised by the +fact that Count von Bernstorff had been given his passports and +Ambassador Gerard at Berlin had been instructed to demand his. I say the +country was surprised because the President had so long delayed and +avoided such a step--even after the sinking of the Lusitania and the +Sussex following his "strict accountability" and other strong +statements--that it was generally believed he did not mean to take it. + +Roosevelt, of course, thought that we should have taken such action long +before. His contention was always that had we taken prompt and decisive +steps after the Lusitania tragedy, we should have been spared the +submarine invasions. In fact, he thought we should have acted when +Germany announced her submarine blockade and possibly saved ourselves +from the Lusitania horror. Now that diplomatic relations were broken +off, he canceled his trip to Jamaica, not wishing to be out of the +country when war was likely to be declared at any moment. + +At about this time the impression was current that the Jews of America +were anti-Ally, a fact that had a prejudicial effect in France and +England. It probably grew out of the fact that three of the largest +Jewish banking houses of the country were of German origin, and further +that the Yiddish press was anti-Russian in its sympathies as a result of +the treatment of Jews in Russia. + +After a careful investigation of these reports, a group of us met at the +home of Eugene Meyer, Jr., later chairman of the War Finance +Corporation. Among those I recall at this meeting were: Fabian Franklin, +of the "New York Evening Post"; George L. Beer, the historian; Rabbi +Stephen S. Wise; Professor Richard Gottheil, of Columbia University. M. +Stephane Lauzanne, editor of "Le Matin" of Paris, and Professor Henri +Bergson, both of whom were then in New York, had also been consulted. It +was decided that the most practical way of correcting this erroneous +impression was for me to write to the French and British ambassadors at +Washington. + +Accordingly I wrote to Ambassadors Spring-Rice and Jusserand that the +impression was unfounded, that our investigations and observations +showed a large preponderance of pro-Ally sympathy among the Jews, and I +cited a number of leading citizens in business and the various +professions, who were representative of their class, whom I knew +personally to be pro-Ally. I stated further that in one of the largest +Jewish clubs, whose membership consisted almost entirely of Jews of +German origin, the pro-Ally sentiment was so strong as to be practically +unanimous. + +The ambassadors were grateful for this information, which they +communicated to their Governments; and through the agency of M. Lauzanne +and with the consent of the ambassadors, the letters were given in full +to the French and British press. + +On the very day that Congress declared war against Germany, April 6, +1917, we were giving a dinner at our home to Professor Henri Bergson. +Among our guests were James M. Beck, author of "The Evidence in the +Case" and "The War and Humanity"; ex-Senator Burton of Ohio; former +Governor and Mrs. John M. Slaton, of Georgia; Adolph S. Ochs, of the +"New York Times," and Mrs. Ochs. Bergson was regarded as the unofficial +representative of France in our country at the time. Of course, our +thoughts and conversation were dominated by the great event of the day. +Professor Bergson and Mr. Beck drank and responded to toasts with +eloquent fervor. It was felt by all that the entrance into the war of +the United States would prove a decided factor in winning it for +democracy and constitutional liberty. + + * * * * * + +Just before Christmas, 1918--to be specific, on December 22d--I called +on Roosevelt at the Roosevelt Hospital, where he was convalescing from +his seven weeks' illness, believed to have been inflammatory rheumatism. +He was dressed in his _robe de chambre_ and was seated in an armchair +with a pile of books before him. He looked neither enfeebled nor +emaciated, though he showed signs of illness. When I asked him how he +had been since my last visit, for I had called on him frequently during +his illness, he told me that he had had an attack of embolism--I think +that was the ailment--which showed in his wrists, and that his fever had +gone up to 104. But that was all gone and he was again feeling fine. He +was planning to return to Sagamore Hill to spend Christmas, which he +subsequently did. + +He inquired particularly about my son Roger, of whom he was very fond, +and who was then in Siberia, where he had served for some months as +captain and assistant intelligence officer on the staff of General +William S. Graves, in command of the American Expeditionary Forces. I +told him we had had a cable from Roger from Blagoveschensk that he was +well. In his last letter he had expressed a desire to come home, since +the war was over. Roosevelt agreed that that was right. He would not +want his own sons to endanger their lives in the civil war raging in +Russia, and he would not have Roger do so. "Let the Russians settle +their own internal affairs; that is not our business," he added. + +By way of amusing and interesting Roosevelt, I told him of a curious +incident narrated in one of Roger's letters. He had been sent as the +official representative of the army into the Amur Province, of which the +governor was Alexandre Alexiefsky, who had been a member of the +Constitutional Assembly of the Kerensky Government. When Roger called, +the governor repeated his name familiarly and then asked: "Are you +related to His Excellency by that name in the Cabinet of President +Roosevelt?" When Roger told him he was my son, the governor immediately +expressed a readiness to help him in every possible way, because as the +latter said he owed his life to me. As Roger expressed it, "He was +courteous before, but after that he was ready to give me his +undershirt." + +[Illustration: ROGER W. STRAUS + +First Lieutenant, afterwards Captain, on the Staff of General W. S. +Graves, American Expeditionary Force in Siberia. Now Major in the +Reserve Corps, U. S. A.] + +Alexiefsky had told Roger the story of his case. In the autumn of 1908, +several Russians whom the Czar had exiled to Siberia as political +prisoners made their escape and came to the United States. The Russian +Government discovered this and engaged one of the leading New York law +firms to secure the extradition of the refugees, which was demanded on +the specious charge of murder. Secretary Root, in the midst of his many +important duties, favored the extradition, and the papers were referred +by the State Department to Attorney-General Bonaparte. Application for +deportation was also made to me under the immigration laws. + +Meanwhile several prominent men and women interested in the case--Miss +Lillian Wald, of the Henry Street Settlement House, New York, and James +Bronson Reynolds, chairman of the American Society for Russian Freedom, +foremost among these--supplied the intelligence and the proof that these +men were not criminals in any sense, but political refugees. When +Roosevelt spoke to me about them, I told him that I had declined to +deport them because it was clear to me that they were political +refugees. At that moment Bonaparte joined us. Roosevelt requested him to +return the papers in the case, and shortly directed that the men were +not to be deported. + +Roosevelt said he vividly recalled all this. His face beamed as he said: +"Is n't that fine! Very fine! I'm delighted to hear it!" + +"You did that," I said to him; "without your sustaining me these men +would have been either extradited or deported, which would have meant +death." + +"Both of us did it; it's fine! I'm delighted to hear it," he commented, +his face glowing with its usual vivacity. + +The next day Roosevelt left the hospital to return to his home in Oyster +Bay. He apparently gave every indication that soon he would be entirely +well again and be with us for many years. Certainly that is what we all +expected. He was only sixty. + +Exactly two weeks later, on January 6, 1919, I received a telephone call +at seven o'clock in the morning from Miss Striker, secretary to Mr. +Roosevelt, announcing that he had died early that morning. For thirteen +years or more he had had a large and affectionate share in our lives and +thoughts, and Mrs. Straus and I felt as though we had been stricken with +the loss of a member of our immediate family. I can truly say that I +never had a more loyal or a dearer friend. He always treated me and mine +as if we were among his nearest relatives. + +On January 8th my wife, my son's wife, and I motored to Oyster Bay to +attend the funeral in the little Episcopal Church. It had been +Roosevelt's wish that he be buried from the little church that was the +place of worship of his family. The building held only about three +hundred and fifty persons, so that none but his family and close friends +could be present. There was a committee from the United States Senate +headed by Vice-President Marshall; a committee from the House; several +former members of the Cabinet--Elihu Root, Truman H. Newberry, Henry L. +Stimson, James R. Garfield, Mrs. Garfield, ex-President Taft, Governor +Hughes. William Loeb, Jr., and Captain Archie Roosevelt were ushers. The +other sons, Theodore and Kermit, were still in France. The church was +filled with a company of sincere friends and bereaved mourners. The +regular Episcopal service was begun at twelve-forty-five, and lasted +about twenty-five minutes, when we all accompanied the body to the +little cemetery on the side of the hill half a mile away. + +Hardly a day passes without its scores of pilgrims to that grave. They +come from near and far. Many lay flowers on the grave. On holidays and +Sundays they come by the hundreds. Two years ago the intimate friends of +Roosevelt, who had been officially or personally associated with him, +formed the Roosevelt Pilgrimage, an association whose purpose is to keep +alive the ideals and personality of Theodore Roosevelt by an annual +visit to his grave and a simple ceremony. The idea and organization +originated with Mr. E. A. Van Valkenburg of the Philadelphia "North +American." On January 6, 1922, some sixty persons made the pilgrimage, +headed by Dr. Lyman Abbott, permanent chairman of the association. James +R. Garfield read Roosevelt's Nobel Peace Prize address, delivered in +Christiania in 1910, at the conclusion of which some wreaths were laid +on the grave. Mrs. Roosevelt invited us all to luncheon, and the +old-time hospitality and friendliness of the Roosevelt home brought many +memories of our departed leader. + +After luncheon the annual meeting of the Pilgrimage took place in the +great North Room, where Roosevelt had so often received his friends and +guests. Dr. Abbott made a brief and feeling address, and Mrs. Richard +Derby (Ethel Roosevelt) read from original manuscript Roosevelt's +proclamation of 1912 which called into being the Progressive Party. +Hermann Hagedorn read a poem entitled "The Deacon's Prayer," by Samuel +Valentine Cole, which had especially appealed to Roosevelt. The last +stanza of this poem is as follows: + + "We want a man whom we can trust + To lead us where thy purpose leads; + Who dares not lie, but dares be just-- + Give us the dangerous man of deeds!" + So prayed the deacon, letting fall + Each sentence from his heart; and when + He took his seat the brethren all, + As by one impulse, cried, "Amen!" + + + + +CHAPTER XVI + +PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE + + The League to Enforce Peace goes into action--Taft recalls that + Roosevelt favored a League of Nations--I sail for Europe as + chairman of the overseas committee--England's youthful Lord + Chancellor--Bryce at the age of eighty-two--On to + Paris--Conferences with Colonel House--House declares that the + League of Nations is "on the rocks"--Bourgeois comes to our + apartment--He is persuaded to accept and support the Covenant as + provisionally presented--Wilson congratulates me--The President + addresses the correspondents--At the Plenary Session--An imposing + spectacle--Clemenceau brusquely opens the session--President Wilson + speaks for 1,200,000,000 people--Significance of the term + "Covenant"--Bourgeois accepts text as drafted, but offers + amendments for political effect--Japan voices her ancient + grievance--The golden chapter in the history of + civilization--Impressions of General Smuts--Sir Robert Borden opens + fire on Article X--At a Washington's Birthday luncheon with General + Pershing--The General's nervousness at prospect of having to make a + speech--Sazonoff tells me about the Czar--A luncheon to Ambassador + Sharp and myself--Concerning the side-tracking of Secretary + Lansing--Taft's efforts at home on behalf of a League of + Nations--Conferences with Venizelos--Serbia's claims--Meeting in + London of allied societies for a League of Nations--Religious + liberty resolution offered and adopted--I confer with President + Wilson in Paris--A luncheon with Russian refugee + statesmen--Excitement regarding the Monroe Doctrine article--My + address at the Sorbonne--The Covenant of the League of + Nations--Colonel House urges me to return to America--Alexander + Kerensky--United States Senate vigorously debates the Covenant--Our + efforts to secure its adoption--World policies are subordinated to + home politics--Conclusion. + + +Now that the curtain of armistice had descended upon the world's most +devastating war, the League to Enforce Peace was endeavoring to +cooperate in every possible way with President Wilson and the official +delegates to the Peace Conference, and with similar organizations in +Europe, to bring into existence a League of Nations. + +I had been made chairman of the overseas committee, and on the afternoon +of Theodore Roosevelt's funeral, former President Taft and I met to +confer regarding the work to be done. Both of us were very much +depressed by the death of our friend. Taft felt grateful that +"Theodore" (as he always called Roosevelt) and he had some months +earlier reestablished their long-time former friendship, which had +unhappily been interrupted by political events. + +Mr. Taft courteously told me that he was glad that I was going to Paris, +and that he believed I might render a great service in helping to secure +an effective League of Nations. He hoped I would have conferences with +Balfour, Lloyd George, and Leon Bourgeois, and that I would be able to +show them what kind of a League we, and as we thought, the American +public generally, wanted. At my request, Taft agreed to write me a +letter, signed by himself as president of the League to Enforce Peace, +and by A. Lawrence Lowell, chairman of the Executive Committee, giving +me full authority to take whatever action in Europe I might consider +wise. I told Taft that I wanted a letter which should expressly state, +among other things, that I was to support our official delegates, as it +would not do for America to show a divided front. He told me, what I +also had known from conversations with Roosevelt, that Roosevelt had +latterly expressed himself in favor of such a League of Nations as we +stood for. I reminded Taft that Roosevelt had been the first in recent +years to emphasize the subject of a League of Nations, having done so in +his Nobel Peace Prize address. + +The committee to represent at Paris the League to Enforce Peace +consisted of myself as chairman, Hamilton Holt as vice-chairman, and +such other members of the League as might be in Paris at that time. Mr. +Holt, after consulting me as to methods and plan of action pending my +arrival, had left New York on December 28th. I had postponed my +departure for Paris until I could learn of my son Roger's departure from +Siberia. + +On January 25, 1919, I left New York, reaching London on February 4th, +where I promptly conferred with the members of the British League of +Nations Union. Sir Willoughby Dickinson, M.P., gave me full details of +the meetings that had been held by the English, French, and Italian +leagues in Paris, at which our League was represented by Hamilton Holt. +I also had a consultation with Lord Shaw, the chairman of the conference +of delegates, who gave me a copy of the resolutions that had been +adopted. + +We remained in London several days, and while there dined with our new +ambassador, John W. Davis, formerly the Solicitor-General of the United +States. Both he and Mrs. Davis, in the short time they had been in +London, had won the esteem of official England. At this dinner I had a +long conversation with the new Lord Chancellor, Birkenhead, formerly Sir +Frederick Smith, who held a distinguished position at the British Bar, +and had been Attorney-General in the last Cabinet. In the latter part of +1917 he had visited the United States, where I had met him, and where he +had made a number of addresses in the leading cities, as well as in +Canada. He was then only forty-seven years of age, but looked much +younger, and therefore quite unlike the typical Lord Chancellor robed in +venerable dignity. He told me that he was the youngest Lord Chancellor, +with one exception, that had ever sat on the woolsack. He had the +youthful and vivacious face of a man in the thirties. He said that +nothing would please him more than, when he was no longer Lord +Chancellor, to practice law in America, but he said that precedent would +not permit a former Lord Chancellor to return to the bar and practice +his profession. + +Birkenhead was very outspoken in his opposition to a League of Nations, +saying that it was a Utopian idea. He asked whether I had seen his book +which had recently appeared, describing his visit to America. I told him +I had not, and on the next day he sent me a copy bearing his +inscription. + +The following day we lunched with Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Samuel. He had +held several Cabinet positions, and had been Secretary of the Home +Office in the last Cabinet. He was defeated as candidate for Parliament +in the last election. He told me he had recently returned from Paris +from a Zionist Conference where his views and advice were desired. He +stated that he was not a Zionist, but was in full sympathy with the +Balfour Declaration to secure a homeland in Palestine with equal civil +and religious rights for all nationalities. I told him that was +precisely my position. His son was present, who was about twenty years +of age, and had been in the British army, and was later transferred to +the Zionist Corps. + +That evening I dined with Sir Arthur Steele-Maitland, M.P., +Under-Secretary of the Foreign Office, where I met my old friend +Viscount Bryce, who was then about eighty-two years of age. He was still +in the best of health and his mind was as alert as ever. He brought me a +copy of his recent brochure, "Proposals for the Prevention of Future +Wars," Maitland strongly favored a League of Nations, and told me that +after I arrived in Paris, if I found it necessary for the committee of +the League of Nations Union to return there to reenforce the official +delegates, I should write or wire him, and several of the members would +go over to cooperate with our committee; and that he would write Lord +Robert Cecil so that we might have a conference. I had similar letters +from Lord Shaw and Sir Willoughby Dickinson. + +We arrived in Paris on February 9th, where our friends, Mr. and Mrs. +Edward Mamelsdorf, had generously placed at our disposal their +comfortable apartment in the rue Montaigne, which was most conveniently +and centrally situated, and saved us the necessity and difficulty of +securing accommodations, all the hotels being jammed full. The following +morning I met Mr. Holt, who had admirably represented our committee at +the several conferences that were held prior to my arrival; also Judge +William H. Wadhams, Mrs. Fannie Fern Andrews, Arthur Kuhn, secretary and +legal adviser of our committee, besides several other members of our +League. + +With Mr. Holt I went to the Crillon Hotel, headquarters of the American +Delegation, and had a conference with Colonel House, with whom +arrangements were made for the fullest cooperation between our League +and the Official Commission. We also conferred with Mr. Gordon +Auchincloss, the son-in-law and secretary of Colonel House, who, after +consulting with the latter, gave me in confidence a typewritten copy of +the Articles of the League entitled: "Draft as Provisionally Approved." +He said that the Colonel wanted me to have this, so that I might study +it. I was told at the same time that the outlook for the adoption of a +League was very discouraging because the French Delegation, of which +Leon Bourgeois was the head, insisted upon the inclusion of two +additional clauses, (1) the control by the League of the manufacture of +all armaments and of all war industries, and (2) an international +military force to defend the French frontier, which, Bourgeois insisted, +quoting from a former speech of President Wilson, "was the frontier of +civilization." + +President Wilson had emphatically objected to the proposed additions. + +When I informed Colonel House that I was about to call on Leon Bourgeois +at his home across the Seine, he said, "By all means, go," and added +that Bourgeois's attitude "had put the League on the rocks." + +Mr. Holt, Mr. Kuhn, and I proceeded to Bourgeois's house, but when we +arrived there late in the afternoon, we were told that M. Bourgeois was +out, that he was then in the Senate and would not return until late. +While there, however, I met my friend and colleague on the Hague +Tribunal, Baron d'Estournelles de Constant. He said he would see to it +that we met Bourgeois that evening. Mr. Holt, Mr. Kuhn, and I then +returned to my apartment, and had hardly arrived there when my telephone +rang and I was informed that M. Bourgeois and Baron d'Estournelles were +on their way to my residence. They arrived promptly at seven o'clock. + +In the course of the discussion, Bourgeois presented the interposing +difficulties to which I have referred, giving the divergence of views +between him and President Wilson and Colonel House. I explained to him, +more fully than he seemed to have appreciated before, that the +war-making power was lodged by our Constitution exclusively in Congress, +and that even if the President should agree to the additional articles, +if these articles would in any way conflict with the war-making power as +provided for in the Constitution, President Wilson's assent would be +without effect, and would never be ratified by our Senate. + +At this point in our conversation, the telephone rang and M. Bourgeois +was informed that the President of the Ministry, M. Clemenceau, desired +to see him at once. Bourgeois said he would shortly return and hurriedly +left us. In the meantime we continued the conversation with +d'Estournelles, who, being familiar with our American system, was better +able to appreciate the problem. I told him plainly that Colonel House +had said to me that afternoon that "the League of Nations was on the +rocks." + +Bourgeois returned in half an hour and we resumed the discussion. After +explaining more at length our constitutional provisions, I told him that +if the proposed League were made too strong it would be useless, so far +as America was concerned, since it would not be ratified by the Senate. +Knowing what a strong advocate he had always been of the League of +Nations, as he was and had been for years past the president of the +French League of Nations Society, I asked him whether he would prefer +having no League rather than a League as drafted, without the two +articles he had proposed. + +He frankly replied that if that were the alternative, he would prefer to +have the League as drafted. He then referred to the fact that at our +last Congressional election, the Administration had been defeated, and +therefore, as he understood it, the President represented a minority +party. I told him that, while such would be the case under the European +system, it was not so under our system, and then read to him from my +letter of credence "to support the President," explaining that the +president of our League, Mr. Taft, along with Dr. Lowell, myself, and +many others, was not of the President's party, yet I was authorized and +instructed to support the President. + +Bourgeois replied that at the Plenary Session of the Conference, which +was to be held on the Friday following, namely, on the 14th, at the Quai +d'Orsay, in view of the American position which I had made clear to him, +he would support the "Draft as Provisionally Approved," but that he +wanted me to appreciate that they had politics in France as well as we +had, and that therefore he would, at any rate, have to present at the +Conference the two articles referred to, if for no other reason than for +their popular effect; but that I could rely on it that his Government +would in the final analysis accept the covenant or draft as +provisionally presented by the representatives of the fourteen nations +which had participated in its preparation and had preliminarily agreed +to it. + +When Bourgeois and d'Estournelles departed, which was at about ten +o'clock, I called up Colonel House, and, after briefly informing him +what had taken place, I told him that the League was "off the rocks." He +expressed his great gratification, and on the following morning when I +met him he said that he had informed the President, who desired heartily +to congratulate me. + +When Colonel House had informed me that "the League was on the rocks," +it was more real than figurative; for at the session of the Commission +on the League held the evening before, the French members having +insisted among other provisions upon an international army to guard the +frontier, and President Wilson having point-blank refused to agree to +it, an _impasse_ had been reached, since neither side would give way. +The Commission thereupon adjourned, apparently without any possibility +of coming to an understanding. Considerable bitterness was developed in +the discussion, as I learned, between the President and M. Bourgeois. It +was at this stage that I fortuitously arrived at the Crillon to report +that our committee, by calling on M. Bourgeois, had been able +unofficially to take up and discuss with him the situation, which +officially had apparently passed beyond the stage of further discussion. +Therefore it was, as Holt and I were subsequently informed, a great +relief to the President and Colonel House, as well as to Clemenceau and +Bourgeois, that we had been able to remove the _impasse_ by inducing the +French delegates to agree to support the Covenant as preliminarily +drafted. + + * * * * * + +Some months before, there had been organized in Paris a luncheon club, +the Cercle Interallie, as a comfortable and convenient meeting-place for +many officials and others. Immediately upon my arrival, I was introduced +at the club, where I frequently took lunch and met many people, +officials and delegates of the allied nations. The day following our +conversation at my apartment, I met Baron d'Estournelles by appointment +at lunch, and he informed me that Bourgeois had expressed himself +gratified with the clarification I had given him and that I could rely +upon the Covenant being adopted as we had agreed. + +On the morning of the 14th, while I was at Colonel House's office, I +received a copy of the Covenant which had just been put in print, as +reedited by the Sub-Committee of the League of Nations under the +chairmanship of Lord Robert Cecil. While I was there, President Wilson +came in to meet the representatives of the American press. When he saw +me, he expressed his high appreciation for our services and helpfulness. +The President made a brief address to the correspondents, beginning in a +semi-humorous vein, and then giving a general description of the +Covenant as finally drafted, explaining that where so many nations were +involved, no one's individual ideas could be fully satisfied, and that +there had to be yielding on all sides. Wilson added that he would have +liked to see some definite declaration regarding the protection of +religious minorities, and referred to several of the other outstanding +provisions. + +Colonel House asked me to see Bourgeois again before the Plenary Session +which was to take place that afternoon, saying that he had heard that +Bourgeois was going to oppose the Covenant. I immediately called on +Bourgeois again, and told him precisely what the Colonel had said, but +Bourgeois assured me that there had been no change, and that the +Covenant, or as it was styled in French, _Le Pacte_, would not be +opposed. + +That same afternoon, I went with former Ambassador Henry White, one of +our official delegates, to the Session of the Plenary Conference at the +Quai d'Orsay which convened at 3.30 o'clock. I accompanied him into the +Conference room, a large, vaulted, ornate chamber known as the Clock +Room, where were seated, at the tables arranged along three sides of a +square, with an inner row of seats arranged in the same way, the +delegates of the thirty nations. + +On the outside of the square were the tables for the secretaries of the +several nations. At the head of the table sat M. Clemenceau; to his +right was President Wilson, and on his left was to be Lloyd George, but +as he was not present, Lord Robert Cecil sat in his place. Next on the +right was Mr. Lansing, and next on the left was Mr. Balfour, and so on +in order. In the rear of the chamber were a number of distinguished +persons and other officials of the Powers. To one side was another large +room with arched entrances, occupied by the correspondents of the press +of the world. The proceedings began at four o'clock. The ushers closed +the large entrance doors leading out into the foyer, and all was still +and in expectancy when Clemenceau rose and, in his usual brusque and +unceremonious manner, announced that "Monsieur Wilson" would have the +"parole," meaning the floor. + +President Wilson arose, calm, dignified, and entirely self-possessed, +and, after a few preliminary words, stated that the representatives of +the fourteen nations which composed the League of Nations Committee had +unanimously agreed to the Covenant consisting of twenty-six articles to +be presented to the Conference, representing, according to the estimate, +1,200,000,000 people. + +He read the articles of the Covenant, one by one, interpolating here and +there brief explanations. The title "Covenant" had been given the +document by Wilson, a designation he had previously used in one of his +speeches. This was regarded as most appropriate, since the pact was not +a treaty or convention, but something higher and more sacred, hence the +scriptural designation "Covenant," such as God had made with Israel. + +After reading the articles, Wilson made an address of about thirty +minutes. It was clear, forceful, and in his inimitable style. In closing +he said: "Armed force is in the background in this programme, but it is +in the background, and if the moral force of the world will not suffice, +the physical force of the world shall. But that is the last resort, +because this is intended as a constitution of peace, not as a League of +War. Many terrible things have come out of this war, gentlemen, but some +very beautiful things have come out of it. Wrong has been defeated, but +the rest of the world has been more conscious than it ever was before, +of the majesty of right." + +Lord Robert Cecil then spoke briefly, and I will quote a single passage +from his address: "Finally, we have thought that if the world is to be +at peace, it is not enough to forbid war. We must do something more than +that. We must try and substitute for the principle of international +competition that of international cooperation." + +Signor Orlando of Italy followed with a brief address, then M. Leon +Bourgeois rose and spoke somewhat at length in French. He said that he +proposed amendments which he thought he ought to mention; that while his +country had accepted the text which had been read, the amendments were +mentioned so that, as the text went before the world, the amendments +might also be considered, to the effect that we ought to have a +permanent organization to prepare military and naval means of execution +and make them ready in case of emergency. + +Baron Makino, speaking with persuasive eloquence in perfect English, +maintained his previous amendments which were as follows: "The equality +of nations being a basic principle of the League of Nations, the High +Contracting Parties agree to accord, as soon as possible, to all aliens, +nationals of States, members of the League, equal and just treatment in +every respect, making no distinction either in law or in fact on account +of their race or nationality." He then added: "I feel it my duty to +declare clearly on this occasion that the Japanese Government and people +feel poignant regret at the failure of the Commission to approve of +their just demand for laying down a principle aiming at the adjustment +of this long-standing grievance, the demand that is based upon a +deep-rooted natural conviction. They will continue in their insistence +for the adoption of this principle by the League in the future." + +George Barnes, the English labor leader, then spoke, upholding the +argument of Bourgeois for an international force. After him Venizelos +spoke, referring to the amendments of France which had been held back +because of constitutional barriers of acquiescence on the part of +certain countries. He thought those countries should make an effort to +remove those barriers, but that, if they could not do so, then France +should recede from her position. Mr. Hughes of Australia interposed a +question, demanding to know when and where the discussion of mandatories +would take place, to which Clemenceau replied that the document would +rest on the table and would be discussed at a distant date. Thereupon, +he abruptly adjourned the session. + +As the delegates moved out, I met President Wilson, who asked me for my +opinion about the Covenant. I replied that it was much more +comprehensive and forceful than I had believed it possible for the +nations preliminarily to agree upon. He expressed himself as much +gratified. I believed then, and do yet, that but for Wilson's prestige +and dominant leadership of the Conference, so far at least as the +Covenant was concerned, it would perhaps not have been formulated, if +ever, until after the Treaty of Peace was concluded. At any rate, I very +much doubt if an agreement could have been arrived at. + +After my conversation with Wilson, Bourgeois said to me that he hoped I +was satisfied with his remarks in support of the Covenant, that he had +to refer to the amendments he presented so that they might receive +consideration. I told him that he had followed the course he had agreed +to when he spoke to me two nights before, that while he would refer to +his amendments, he would nevertheless support the Covenant. + +When I had returned to my apartment, I wrote in my "Random Notes": "I +regard this day and its happenings as the golden chapter in the history +of civilization." Notwithstanding what has since happened, I have not +abandoned hope that such may yet prove true. + + * * * * * + +Two days before the meeting of the Conference, Hamilton Holt and I had +tea with General Smuts, the distinguished South African delegate. He is +a man of very pleasant appearance, rather short in stature, and with his +florid complexion looks like a veritable Dutchman. He was then +apparently about fifty years of age. He would hardly, from his +appearance, be taken for a soldier, but rather for a student. He had +given much detailed study to the subject of a League of Nations, and +from his brochure "The League of Nations--A Practical Suggestion" +(1918) more of his suggestions as there set forth entered into the +articles of the Covenant than those proposed by any other of the +delegates, including Wilson. Smuts advocated in this brochure that "the +League should be put in the very forefront of the programme of the Peace +Conference," the same position that Wilson afterward successfully pushed +forward. In the preface of his brochure, dated December 16, 1918, Smuts +says: + + To my mind the world is ripe for the greatest step forward ever + made in the government of man. And I hope this brief account of the + League will assist the public to realize how great an advance is + possible to-day as a direct result of the immeasurable sacrifices + of this war. If that advance is not made, this war will, from the + most essential point of view, have been fought in vain, and great + calamities will follow. + +Several days after the Conference, on February 17th, my wife and I, Mr. +and Mrs. Holt, and Arthur Kuhn of our committee, attended the French +Senate with Baron d'Estournelles, who is a member thereof. He introduced +us to a number of Senators, with whom we had tea. I had a talk with the +venerable Alexandre Ribot, head of the group of the Moderate Republican +Party, a refined gentleman of the old school, and of thoroughly +statesmanlike appearance. We also met Senator Paul Strauss, whom I had +known when he and his wife visited our country some eighteen years +before. He is the editor of the "Revue Philanthropique," and is a member +of the Academy of Medicine. He said that he believed his family and mine +were connected. This may be so, but I have no definite record. + +Dining with Sir Robert Borden, then Premier of Canada and one of the +British delegates, the following evening, we met several of his +colleagues. Balfour was expected, but he had been compelled to return +to London that day. Sir Robert was an important member of the British +Delegation and made some very helpful suggestions. He opposed Article X +of the Covenant which provides that "the High Contracting Parties +undertake to respect and preserve as against external aggression the +territorial integrity and existing political independence of all States, +members of the League," etc., the same article that eventually met with +so much opposition in our Senate, and doubtless was the principal cause +for the Senate's failure to ratify. At that time it was generally +rumored that Borden would be selected as ambassador to the United States +to succeed Lord Reading. He would doubtless have made a most acceptable +representative in Washington of the British Government, exceptional as +it would have been to have the British Empire represented by a colonial +official. No one could have been sent who understood our country and our +people better. + + * * * * * + +Washington's Birthday was celebrated by the American Society, which gave +a luncheon at the Hotel Quai d'Orsay, which I attended. There were +present about one hundred and fifty Americans. It was a notable +assembly, and I had the pleasure of sitting next to General Pershing, +with whom I had a lengthy talk. We spoke, among other things, of the +proposal that our country should take a mandate to govern the Ottoman +Empire or any part of Europe. Great propaganda had been made that we +should take a mandate for the Ottoman Empire. Pershing agreed with me +that this would lead to endless complications and would not be approved +at home. I also talked with Colonel House upon the subject, who was of +the same opinion. Pershing was evidently quite nervous, for he was +expected to speak, and he was making some notes. It appeared to me he +was more disturbed than if he were about to enter into a serious +military engagement. + +I had lunch the next day with Boris Bakhmeteff, the Russian ambassador +to the United States, at which I met Sazonoff, former Minister for +Foreign Affairs under the Czar's regime. We naturally spoke about +affairs in Russia and the possibility of reconstruction. I was told that +the late Czar was kindly and humane, but that he had been completely +misled and dominated by crafty ministers who were plotting and +intriguing one against another; that Russia was not, by reason of the +ignorance of its people, fitted to become a republic, but that it must +have a government powerfully centralized, and that its best hope would +be the restoration of the monarchy under Grand Duke Nicholas as +constitutional ruler. Sazonoff said it was a pity that Petrograd was not +taken by the Allied fleet. I am told that, under the Czar, Sazonoff was +the leader of the liberal wing. + +A few days later I gave a little dinner at my apartment to enable Mr. +Vance McCormick, chairman of the War Trade Board, to meet several +prominent Russians, including Ambassador Bakhmeteff and Sazonoff. Mr. +Hoover was also present. We discussed the rehabilitation of commerce +with Russia. + +On the 26th of February the Union of Associations for the Society of +Nations, together with the European Bureau of the Carnegie Peace +Foundation, gave a luncheon in honor of Ambassador Sharp and myself at +the Cercle Interallie, at which M. Leon Bourgeois presided. There were +present some seventy-five guests, mostly delegates and French officials, +including Sir Robert Borden; Venizelos, the Greek delegate; the +Roumanian minister; M. Vesnitch, the Serbian minister; and the Brazilian +ambassador. At the conclusion, M. Bourgeois arose, and, although there +were to be no set speeches, he expressed the regret of the French nation +that Ambassador Sharp would in the near future relinquish his post, and +complimented his Administration upon its work of the past four trying +years. He praised my effective helpfulness in regard to the League of +Nations, and stated that he not only greeted me as a twin, because he +was born in the same year as I was, but also as a Frenchman, since my +father, who was born in 1809, was a Frenchman by birth, and because my +great-grandfather was a delegate to the Conference which was summoned by +Napoleon during the first decade of the past century. + +In reply, I stated that an American, to be truly patriotic, should +understand our early history, and that no American with this knowledge +could fail to have a love and sense of gratitude for France, our ally in +the establishment of democracy, as we had so recently been her ally for +the liberation of the world. + +My various conferences regarding the League of Nations, while it was +under discussion and formulation by the Committee of the Conference +having charge of that subject, were held with Colonel House and his +secretary, Mr. Auchincloss. On February 27th, I had lunch with Secretary +Lansing. It had been quite obvious to me that even before this he had +been practically side-tracked, and that Colonel House had replaced him +from the beginning, doubtless by direction of the President. This was +very evident so far as the League of Nations was concerned. Mr. Lansing +informed me that he had pointed out a number of technical objections to +the Covenant as formulated, which, he was sure, would prove a fruitful +source of difference and would make trouble. It seemed to me that he was +evidently not conversant with the various stages of discussion regarding +the articles of the Covenant. I referred to the entire omission in the +second draft of the section respecting civil and religious liberty and +the protection of minorities, which was contained in the tentative +draft, but was finally omitted because Japan had insisted that the +equality of races be included, whereupon the whole subject had been +omitted. I suggested that the entire subject, which was in fact a Bill +of Rights, now that it had been excluded from the Covenant, should be +incorporated in the treaties to be made with each of the new nations. +Lansing agreed with me that that should be done and would under the +circumstances be the best plan. + + * * * * * + +At this time, during February and March, 1919, the League to Enforce +Peace had organized numerous meetings throughout the country from New +York to San Francisco, advocating a League of Nations. Mr. Taft had +spoken at many of these meetings for months past, traveling untiringly +and making most effective addresses. At these meetings the Covenant was +approved and resolutions to that effect were passed. On February 25th +and 28th I received cables briefly describing such meetings and the +substance of the resolutions passed. I received cables to the same +effect from Salt Lake City, from San Francisco, and from New York. These +I gave to Colonel House, who in turn gave them to the press, and +sometimes they were cabled back through the Associated Press to American +newspapers. + + * * * * * + +From time to time a number of the representatives of the Balkan and East +European nations came to my apartment to confer with me, doubtless +because of my diplomatic experiences in that part of the world, and +because of my relationship with Colonel House and our official +Commission. Among others who conferred with me was M. Venizelos, who +came to discuss the claims of Greece to additional territory to the +north, and on the western littoral of Asia Minor, and to the islands +adjacent. He explained, as an ethnological basis for such a claim, that +the Greek race was purer and less mixed in that part of Asia Minor and +in the islands than in Greece proper. He placed before me several +brochures containing studies of these points and sent me maps +illustrating those claims, also a document in English entitled: "Greece +Before the Peace Congress." He told me that, unless his presence was +imperatively demanded in Paris, he would attend with me the London +Conference of the Peace Societies of the various nations which was to be +held there March 11th. + +On March 7th M. Vesnitch, the chief delegate of Serbia, came to see me +about Serbia's claims to two towns, Verschatz and Weisskirchen, which +the sub-committee of ten, under the chairmanship of M. Tardieu, had +awarded to Roumania. He claimed they were predominantly Serbian as to +sympathies and population, and that because they happened to be on the +railroad running through Roumania was no valid reason for transferring +them under Roumanian sovereignty. He said Serbia could never consent to +such transfer, which would cause not only dissatisfaction, but constant +trouble. + + * * * * * + +The day after the Plenary Session of the Conference and the preliminary +adoption of the Covenant, President Wilson returned to America. I talked +with M. Bourgeois, M. Vesnitch, M. Venizelos, and several of the +chairmen of the allied societies for a League of Nations, and we agreed +to hold a conference of the delegates of the various societies. Chiefly +because of our desire of having with us Sir Edward Grey, who was the +chairman of the British Society, and Lord Bryce, both of whom at that +time were not entirely well, we decided to hold the conference in London +instead of in Paris. It was subsequently decided to hold it March +11th-13th for the purpose of discussing the draft of the Covenant as +preliminarily adopted, and to consider such changes and amendments as +might be deemed advisable, which when acted upon and adopted were to be +presented to our respective official delegates prior to the next meeting +of the Plenary Conference, to be held after President Wilson's return. + +Accordingly, on March 11th, the delegates representing America, Great +Britain, France, Greece, China, Jugo-Slavia, and Roumania assembled in +London, in all about fifty in number. Besides myself as chairman, there +attended, from America, Hamilton Holt, Arthur Kuhn, Dr. Henry Churchill +King, Mrs. Fannie Fern Andrews, Raymond V. Ingersoll, Dr. Frederick +Lynch, and Edward Harding. Great Britain was represented by Lord Shaw of +Dunfermline, Sir W. H. Dickinson, Major David Davies, M.P.; J. H. +Thomas, M.P.; J. R. Clynes, M.P.; Sir A. Shirley Benn, M.P.; Sir Arthur +Steele-Maitland, M.P.; Professor Gilbert Murray; Aneurin Williams, M.P.; +H. Wickham Steed, and others. From France came M. Leon Bourgeois, +Vice-Admiral Fournier, General Leon Durand, Baron d'Estournelles de +Constant, and others. Greece was represented by M. Venizelos and +Professor Andreades. China was represented by Mr. Chang and Mr. Cheng; +Jugo-Slavia by M. Yovanovitch; and Roumania by Professor E. Pangrati, +Professor Negulesco, and Miss Helene Vacaresco. + +A preliminary consultation was held on the 10th, with Professor Gilbert +Murray in the chair, and next morning the first meeting of the +conference was held at Caxton Hall, Westminster. Lord Shaw was elected +chairman, and W. J. T. Griffith, secretary. The various articles of the +Covenant were discussed, together with the amendments and changes +proposed by the delegates from the several countries. On behalf of our +delegation, I offered a resolution regarding the free exercise of +religion as well as freedom from civil and political discrimination +because of religion, which resolution after discussion was unanimously +adopted. Nine separate resolutions were offered by the British +delegates, some ten resolutions by the French delegates, and others by +the Roumanian and the Chinese delegates. In all, there were three +sessions, and the resolutions that were adopted M. Bourgeois was +authorized to present to the allied prime ministers. + +On the evening of the 12th, Major David Davies, on behalf of the League +of Nations Union, gave a dinner at the Criterion Restaurant to M. +Bourgeois, Dr. Nansen, M. Vandervelde, M. Venizelos, and me. Right Hon. +H. A. L. Fisher, Secretary for Education, was toastmaster. Besides the +delegates, a number of other prominent men were present. Several +speeches were made laudatory of the Covenant and expressing high hopes +for the new world order. Emphasis was laid upon the necessity of +building up a body of opinion throughout the world to support the ideals +of the League and of international peace. + +After adjournment, I returned to Paris, and on March 24th made a report +to President Wilson, who, a few days before, had returned from America, +and sent him the resolution proposed by the American delegates, namely, +to add a new article to the Covenant as follows: + + The High Contracting Parties, realizing that religious + discriminations give rise to internal dissatisfaction and unrest + which militate against international concord, agree to secure and + maintain in their respective countries, as well as in states and + territories under the tutelage of other states acting as + mandatories on behalf of the League, the free exercise of religion + as well as freedom from civil and political discrimination because + of adherence to any creed, religion or belief not inconsistent with + public order or with public morals. + +To this proposal President Wilson replied, saying: "I am indeed +interested in a religious liberty article in the Covenant, but am trying +to reach the matter in another way." He doubtless had in mind to cover +it in treaties with the new nations for the protection of minorities, as +was subsequently provided in the treaty with Poland and with the Balkan +States. + +At a luncheon on April 6th with the Russian group of refugee statesmen +in Paris, I again met M. Sazonoff; M. de Giers, formerly ambassador at +Constantinople; M. Bark, formerly Minister of Finance under the +Government of the late Czar; and M. Boris Bakhmeteff, the Russian +ambassador to the United States. They all spoke most disparagingly of +Russian conditions at the time. M. Sazonoff criticized and complained of +the Peace Conference, which, as he stated, had in no way condemned +Russian Bolshevism, and its failure in so doing had encouraged the +Bolsheviki. He said that had the Allies taken Petrograd, which could +have been done with very little sacrifice, that would have been the +beginning of the end of Bolshevism and would have rallied the Russian +people, who would themselves have destroyed the Bolsheviki. He added +that Russia's cruel treatment of the Jews under the Czar's Government +was an indefensible wrong, and doubtless contributed to driving some of +those who had suffered most into the ranks of the Bolsheviki. + +While Sazonoff was talking, I wondered why he and some of his +colleagues in the Ministry had not prevented the outrages against +defenseless Jews, which resulted in the horrible pogroms which shocked +the moral sensibility of the world. + +It is true that Sazonoff belonged to the so-called liberals of Russia, +and they did not have the courage to stand up for the basic principles +of humanity when in office, which they now, doubtless, sincerely +proclaim. Such is the withering and dispiriting effect of autocratic +government upon its own highest officials, who often lack the courage, +even if they have the vision, to correct abuses; and because of this +moral cowardice they prepare the way and supply the motive that sooner +or later expresses itself in revolution. Napoleon is reputed to have +said that the treatment of the Jews in every country is the thermometer +of that country's civilization. + +Several times a week, during this period, conferences occurred in my +apartment with representatives of the Eastern and Balkan States. +Information had reached Paris that serious persecution of Jews was +threatened in Prague and throughout Tchecko-Slovakia; and on March 25th +a conference was arranged between M. Edouard Benes, Minister of Foreign +Affairs of the Tchecko-Slovak Republic, and several gentlemen +representing the American Jewish Committee and the American Jewish and +Zionist Committee, consisting of Julian W. Mack, Judge of the United +States Circuit Court; Professor Felix Frankfurter, of Harvard +University; Aaron Aaronson, head of the Agricultural Experiment Station +of Palestine; Lewis L. Strauss, the assistant of Herbert Hoover; and +myself. Letters from Prague from two of the Food Administration +officials reported that a press propaganda was carried on against Jews, +and that several attacks upon them had been made; that a movement was on +foot to deport a number of them to Pressburg, the hot-bed of +Bolshevism. + +M. Benes pointed out that if any pogroms occurred, which these reports +foreshadowed, it would seriously prejudice his country and would +alienate American sympathy, which in turn might result in discontinuing +food shipments to his country. He stated that he was a disciple of +President Masaryk and always shared his liberal social and political +views; he said he would at once telegraph President Masaryk, who he knew +would do everything in his power to suppress the anti-Semitic agitation. +We were very much impressed with the enlightened statesmanship of M. +Benes, who, since then, has shown himself to be one of the foremost +statesmen in middle Europe. He assured us at the time that any +persecution of minorities in his country would be contrary to its +organic laws, and in direct violation of the principles and policies +upon which it had been determined to organize the State, and that we +could rely on it that no efforts would be spared in securing equal +justice for all without regard to race or religion. + +From Sir Robert L. Borden, the Premier of Canada and one of the +delegates of the British Empire to the Peace Conference, I received on +March 21st a copy of his memorandum on the several articles of the +Covenant. I found them well conceived and in the main admirable. He +opposed Article X as drafted. He wanted it either stricken out or +clarified. I sent him a copy of a speech of Mr. Taft's of March 5th +referring to the same subject. + +At the request of Colonel House, on April 11th, I had another conference +with M. Bourgeois. The Commission on the League of Nations of the +fourteen nations, under the chairmanship of President Wilson, had the +night before held a protracted session discussing the revision of the +Covenant, at which President Wilson offered the revised Article XXI +containing the special provision regarding the Monroe Doctrine, as +follows: + + ARTICLE XXI + + Nothing in this Covenant shall be deemed to affect the validity of + international engagements such as treaties of arbitration or + regional understandings like the Monroe Doctrine for securing the + maintenance of peace. + +M. Larnaud and M. Bourgeois, the French representatives, both objected +to specific reference to the Monroe Doctrine, and made long speeches in +support of such objection. Colonel House desired me to impress upon M. +Bourgeois the reasons for this amendment and why it was necessary +specifically to mention the Monroe Doctrine, because, without it, it +would not be possible to have the Covenant confirmed by the Senate. As I +did not know M. Larnaud, I thought it best to discuss the subject with +M. Bourgeois so that he might confer with his colleague. In company with +Baron d'Estournelles de Constant, I called on M. Bourgeois at his +residence. I soon learned that M. Bourgeois did not object to specific +reference to the Monroe Doctrine, but he desired, in return for his +assent, to obtain President Wilson's assent to the amendments Bourgeois +had offered respecting a general staff and control or supervision of the +military force that each of the States was to supply to support the +League. As the Commission was to meet again to finish the consideration +of the Covenant, he agreed to confer with M. Clemenceau, saying he would +have to learn the other's views. He further said it must be determined +how best to formulate the article especially referring to the Monroe +Doctrine so as not to conflict with the general provisions. + +At the session of the Commission that evening at the Crillon Hotel, +which lasted until after midnight, the article as quoted above, +specifically mentioning the Monroe Doctrine, was adopted. Colonel House +gave me the exact wording of the article, which I at once cabled to the +League to Enforce Peace in New York, with the request that Mr. Taft be +informed. The same day I received a cable from Mr. Taft and Dr. Lowell, +forwarded by Acting Secretary of State Frank L. Polk, to the effect +that, in the opinion of the Executive Committee of the League, specific +reference to the exclusion of the Monroe Doctrine from the jurisdiction +of the Covenant of the League was absolutely necessary to secure +confirmation by the Senate. On the following day Taft cabled me that the +Monroe Doctrine amendment was "eminently satisfactory." + +I immediately advised President Wilson, sending him a copy of the cable. +The following day, I received the following letter from him: + + + _18 April, 1919_ + + MY DEAR MR. STRAUS: + + I have been very much cheered by your kind letter of yesterday, + with the message which it quotes from the League to Enforce Peace + and from Mr. Taft personally, and I want to thank you very warmly + for your own kind personal assurances of satisfaction with the + results of our work on the Covenant. + + Cordially and sincerely yours + WOODROW WILSON + +On April 23d, on the invitation of Professor Stephen Hayes Bush, of the +State University of Iowa, who was in charge of the Free Lecture Course +of the American Expeditionary Force, I delivered an address in the Grand +Amphitheatre of the Sorbonne. The great hall was filled with about one +thousand of our officers and men who were taking courses at this ancient +institution of learning. There were two lectures that afternoon, the +other by M. Ferdinand Buisson, the noted educator. His subject was "The +Educational System of France," which he had done so much to develop +since the educational system had been secularized by the separation of +Church and State in France. He described why education had been taken +from the control of the Catholic clergy, not out of hostility to the +Church, but in order not to prejudice the religious scruples of +non-clericals and non-Catholics. + +I took as my subject "America and the League of Nations," and showed in +what respect the Covenant provided definite sanctions to make peace +decisions effective. I pointed out that following the war, for the first +time in history, the dominant power of the world rested in +democratically governed nations, and that theirs was the opportunity and +the responsibility to make provisions that such a war shall never be +waged again; and that now it was the duty of statesmanship to translate +the victory won in war into greater security for the future peace and +happiness of the world. I quoted from the speech of President Poincare +in welcoming the Peace Delegates, in which he had described the reasons +why America entered the World War. He had said: "It was a supreme +judgment passed at the bar of history by the lofty conscience of a free +people to rescue her mother from the humiliation of thralldom and to +save civilization." + +That same evening, M. Nicolas W. Tchaikovsky, president of the Archangel +Government of Northern Russia, called at my apartment to discuss with me +conditions in Russia. I had met him before when he was in Washington in +1907, after his escape from prison in Siberia. During several periods +before that time he had lived in western United States, where he had +engaged in farming. He had formerly belonged to the group of social +revolutionists. I spoke with him about the Hoover plan of sending food +into Russia, to which he replied that if an armed force could be sent +there it would be better, but that without an armed force the Bolsheviki +would use the provisions for their own red guard. I explained to him +that that could not be done, since the agents of the Food Administration +would themselves supervise the distribution, just as was done in Belgium +during the German occupation. He did not seem to think well of the whole +plan and considered that it would be of advantage to the Bolsheviki +politically, and would make their people believe it was a recognition of +their regime. He seemed to think that the Bolsheviki authorities could +not stop fighting in Russia even if they wanted to, as their several +generals acted independently. + +He spoke of Lenin as an honest, strong-headed, misguided fanatic, who he +believed would in time discover his error and would have the moral +courage and honesty to throw up his hands. Trotsky, he said, was quite +another sort--an ambitious adventurer. + + * * * * * + +The Plenary Session of the Conference was called to order at the Quai +d'Orsay on April 28th, at 3 P.M. I again attended with our official +delegate, former Ambassador Henry White. The representatives of the +thirty nations were seated as before. I was given a seat just behind the +American Commission. The Session was presided over by M. Clemenceau, who +showed no signs of the effects of his recent wound by an assassin's +bullet. He opened the session with a few words, then called on President +Wilson, who declared in a matter-of-fact way that, since he had read the +articles of the Covenant to the Conference at the previous session +(February 14th), and since all the delegates had the Covenant as amended +before them, he would confine himself to pointing out the amendments and +the reasons therefor. + +The immense hall was packed as on previous occasions. After President +Wilson had made his statement, which was rendered into French by the +official interpreter, he moved several resolutions, one nominating Sir +James Eric Drummond as Secretary-General of the League, and one that +Belgium, Brazil, Greece, and Spain should be members of the Council +pending the selection of the four additional States by the Assembly of +the League. + +As chairman of the League to Enforce Peace, I wrote a letter to the +President on the following day offering my congratulations upon the +adoption of the Covenant. To this I received the following reply: + + + PARIS, _1 May, 1919_ + + MY DEAR MR. STRAUS: + + Thank you with all my heart for your generous letter of the 29th. + It has given me the greatest pleasure and encouragement, and I want + to take the opportunity to say how valuable in every way your own + support of and enthusiasm for the League of Nations has been. It is + a real pleasure to receive your unqualified approbation. + + Cordially and sincerely yours + WOODROW WILSON + +After the Plenary Session on April 28th and the adoption of the Covenant +of the League of Nations, I felt that my duties in Paris were at an end. +The winter had been very strenuous, and the weather had been very +inclement--much rain and very little sunshine. I decided to take a rest, +and was advised, because of some slight ailment in my left leg due to +impeded circulation, to take the baths at Bagnoles de l'Orne. The usual +regime there is to take twenty-one baths. After I had taken eight, I +received a letter from Colonel House saying that he would regard it most +helpful if I would return to America at as early a date as possible. He +informed me that the counsel for the American Commission, David Hunter +Miller, was also returning; that passage had been secured for both of +us on the U.S.S. Mount Vernon which was sailing from Brest on June 2d. +He stated that it would be rendering a valuable service if I would +confer with some of the Senators, so that they might be fully informed +regarding the discussions and details of the negotiations as they +progressed. + +I accordingly returned to Paris, and on May 27th had a conference with +Colonel House, who again impressed upon me the services I might render +in returning to the United States, since no one was more familiar than +Mr. Miller and I with the meaning and significance of the articles of +the Covenant; no one, therefore, was better qualified to answer the +criticisms and objections that had been made. + +In the course of conversation, he said that in his opinion Woodrow +Wilson would not become a candidate again for President unless the +treaty were rejected, which might force him to run against his will in +order to save the treaty; should the treaty, however, be ratified, there +would be no occasion for him to become a candidate. + + * * * * * + +The day before this, while I was paying a visit at the Hotel +Continental, I met Jane Addams and Lillian Wald, and with them was +Alexander Kerensky, the former Premier of Russia, They asked me to meet +Kerensky, which I did. He proved to be not at all the kind of man in +appearance that I had pictured. He did not resemble the Russian type. He +was clean-shaven, rather spare, a little above medium height, and seemed +about forty years of age. He looked more like a student than like a +leader who had stood in the storm-center of political turmoil. + +Kerensky told me that he did not believe in Kolschak, principally +because he regarded him as a tool of the Britain and Russian nobility. +Kerensky expressed himself as opposed to having the Allies recognize +Kolschak unless it was conditioned on definite guarantees that a free +democratic election be held so that the people might decide what form of +government they desired. + +The following day, Dr. Dluski, the Polish peace delegate, together with +M. Lieberman, a Jewish member of the Polish Diet, called upon me to +explain, if not justify, the Polish pogroms, evidently because of the +great publicity that had been given thereto by the mass meeting in New +York. The resolutions passed by that meeting, and presented to the +President, had appeared in dispatches to European papers. + +We left Paris for Brest on May 30th. The Mount Vernon, which was +scheduled to sail on the following day, had postponed sailing until June +3d. It carried some five thousand officers and men of the Sixth +Division. Dr. Mezes and his wife were also on board. Dr. Mezes, who is a +brother-in-law of Colonel House, organized the group of experts, of +which he was chairman, which had rendered such valuable service to the +Commission. We were all very comfortably provided for on the ship, and +it was most interesting to observe the system and order with which the +five thousand officers and men were taken care of. They were a jolly +lot, happy to return home, and without exception conducted themselves in +a correct and orderly manner. We had a delightful crossing; the weather +was fine and the sea was calm. + + * * * * * + +Shortly after my return to the United States, the League to Enforce +Peace called a meeting of the Executive Council to determine what action +it could best take to further the ratification of the treaty which was +now being vigorously debated in the Senate. It was decided that Mr. +Vance McCormick and I should be a committee to confer with the +President. We subsequently desired to add Dr. A. Lawrence Lowell, +president of Harvard University, to our number, provided it would be +agreeable to the President, which Mr. McCormick was to ascertain when +arranging for the appointment. The President designated August 6th as +the day on which he would see us, and accordingly Dr. Lowell, Mr. +McCormick, the Secretary of the League, Dr. Short, and I went to the +White House. + +President Wilson assured us that, while he was somewhat tired, he felt +in good condition. He said he had had a number of conferences with +individual Senators who had objected to the ratification of the treaty, +and that he had given them explanations regarding the main points in +dispute, namely, Article X, guaranteeing against external aggression; +Article XXI, providing that nothing in the Covenant should be deemed to +affect the validity of the Monroe Doctrine; and Article I, providing +that any member of the League may, after two years' notice, withdraw +from the League. These were the main subjects covered by the +reservations formulated by the moderate group headed by Senators Kellogg +and McCumber. + +We suggested that it might be of good result if the President could in +some public and formal way make his explanations and interpretations +regarding these points. The question was how this could best be done. +The President believed it would be preferable if one of the Senators of +the opposition addressed to him a letter of inquiry, so framed as to +enable the President to give his views. It was then understood that Dr. +Lowell, Mr. McCormick, and I should confer with Senator Hitchcock, the +Democratic leader of the minority of the Committee on Foreign Relations, +who could advise us as to what member of the Republican majority on the +committee it would be best for us to confer with. + +After our conference with the President, we went to the Senate and found +the Committee on Foreign Relations in session, examining Secretary of +State Lansing. Senator Hitchcock suggested that we call on Senator +McCumber, but as he was not then in Washington, Dr. Lowell and I called +on Senator Kellogg. The latter told us what we already knew, namely, +that he was in favor of the League and was scheduled to make his speech +in the Senate advocating the ratification of the treaty with the +reservations his group had formulated, which reservations he felt +confident were not in the nature of amendments, but interpretative only, +and therefore would not require resubmission either to the Plenary +Session or to Germany. Dr. Lowell and I outlined our plan regarding the +letter to the President, asking for his interpretation of the articles +above referred to. While Senator Kellogg personally favored this plan, +he said he would first have to confer with the members of his group, and +he believed they would be favorably inclined. We then inquired whether +the President's interpretations and clarifications might not serve the +purpose of making the reservations unnecessary. The Senator said "no," +but that the reservations could recite the fact that they were based +upon the President's interpretations. We arranged that Senators Kellogg +and Hitchcock should confer upon the subject with a view of preparing +such a tentative letter of inquiry which might be shown to the President +in advance, and to which the President could reply, giving his +interpretations. + +After leaving Senator Kellogg, we again called on Senator Hitchcock. In +all of these conferences between the Senators of the various groups, we +acted as the "honest brokers" for the League. Senator Hitchcock thought +very favorably of our plan and believed it would work out +advantageously. Dr. Lowell and I felt gratified with our day's work, +though, as matters developed, nothing came of this plan. + +In this connection I cannot refrain from quoting a story which Dr. +Lowell told apropos of the problem. The story, as I recall it, was that +a noted colored preacher was holding a service in which he read a +chapter from Isaiah referring to the Seraphim. After the service one of +the colored brethren asked the preacher what was "the difference between +a Seraphim and a terrapin." The latter, rubbing his head, replied: "My +son, I grant you there is a difference, but they have made it up." + +Unfortunately, while there was, in words at least, if not in context, a +difference between the reservations offered by the Administration group, +the group of mild reservationists, and the majority group, yet, for +reasons that I need not enter into here, they did not "make it up." + + * * * * * + +In concluding this chapter and in closing these memoirs, I cannot resist +reflecting how much wiser the Allied Powers and America were in the +conduct of the war than in the making of peace, and afterwards. In war +they finally pooled their strength and won; in the peace terms they +again drew measurably apart. The men who framed the peace terms +subordinated world policies to home politics. The United States, by +reason of a contest between the Administration and the majority group in +the Senate, allowed its sense of world responsibility to be negated by +partisan differences. Reconstruction is being halted. And why? Because +the leading statesmen of the Entente Powers still lack the economic +wisdom, or, what is the equivalent, the courage, to shape their +international policies along world economic lines. My own country, in +withholding its cooperation, is equally culpable. The result is tension +and derangement in the relationship of nations. + +As the malady from which this and other countries are suffering is +world-wide, so must the remedy be world-wide. And America cannot free +herself from the responsibility by isolating herself and refusing to do +her part in applying the remedial measures necessary to restore normal +conditions. The remedy does not consist in the lessening or weakening of +sovereignty by individual states. It consists in the enlargement of +their sovereign functions in concert with and in just relations to other +states for the administration of common interests. It requires no +surrender of sovereignty for individual states to conform their policies +to the world's common needs. + + + THE END + + + Index + + + + +INDEX + +Throughout the index, _S._ stands for the author. + + + Aaronson, Aaron, 418. + + Abbott, Ernest, 183, 188. + + Abbott, Lawrence F., _Impressions of Theodore Roosevelt_, 263, 264, + 290, 311; 174, 254, 289. + + Abbott, Lyman, 122, 183, 184, 188, 272, 311, 395. + + Abdul Aziz, Sultan, 298. + + Abdul Hamid II, Sultan, difficulty of obtaining audience with, 58, 59; + at Selamlik, 63, 64; + feared assassination, 64; + _S._'s long-delayed audience, 67-69; + physical aspect of, 68; + and Baron de Hirsch, 93; + _S._ again received by, 99; + permits excavations in Babylonia, 100; + his obligation to _S._, 100, 101; + _S._'s farewell audience, 102, 103; + decorates Mrs. Straus, 104; + welcomes return of _S._, as minister, 134; + does not favor raising U.S. mission to embassy, 135; + "the whole show," 136; + receives German Emperor, 137, 138, 139; + and the indemnities due to missionaries, 141, 142; + and Mohammedans in the Philippines, 143 _ff._; + instructs them to submit to U._S._ army, 146, 159; + and foreign visitors, 152; + increased power of, 153; + his gift to _S._, 155, 156; 72, 97, 98, 157, 276, 277, 279, 282, 292. + + Abraham, 157. + + Adams, John, 258. + + Adams, John Quincy, 260. + + Addams, Jane, 425. + + Adee, Alvey A., 48, 91, 98. + + Adler, Cyrus, 240, 252. + + Africa, Northern, Italy seeks territory in, 340. + + Aguinaldo, Emilio, fails to arouse Sulu Mohammedans to revolt, 146. + + Ahmed Riga Bey, 298, 299. + + Alaska salmon fisheries, protection of, 235, 236. + + Alaskan boundary question, 173, 174. + + Alexiefsky, Alexandre, 392, 393. + + Algeciras Conference, 192. + + Algiers, motoring through, 343. + + Alliance Israelite (Paris), 167, 359. + + Allied Societies for a League of Nations, conference of, 415, 416. + + Alphonso XIII, of Spain, 361. + + American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, and _S._'s + appointment to Turkey, 45, 49. + + American citizens, naturalized, rights of, in foreign countries, 163, + 332, 333. + + American College for Girls, 297. + + American diplomats, meager salaries of, 102. + + American Jews in Turkey, 80, 81, 82. + + _American Journal of International Law_, quoted, 335; 336. + + American politics, two main currents in, 307. + + American Society of International Law, 334-336. + + Americanism, Roosevelt quoted on, 183. + + Americans, stranded in London, committee for relief of, 371 _ff._ + + Ames, James B., 160. + + Amos, Morris S., 172. + + Anarchists, exclusion and deportation of, 231, 232; + defined in Act of 1907, 232. + + Anderson, Chandler P., 372. + + Andreades, Professor, 415. + + Andrews, E. Benjamin, 120. + + Andrews, Fannie Fern, 400, 415. + + Angell, James B., resigns Turkish mission, 124, 125; 131, 134. + + Anglo-Japanese Alliance, automatically ended by Four-Power Treaty, 229. + + Anthon, Charles, 24. + + Aoki, Mr., Japanese Ambassador, 218, 227. + + Arbitration, as a remedy for industrial disputes, 195. + + Arbitration treaties, failure of, 329, 330. + + Armenians, massacres of, 139, 148, 280. + + Artin Effendi, 157. + + Asquith, Herbert H., 350, 384. + + Asquith, Margot, 350. + + Astor, Waldorf, 374. + + Astor, Mrs. Waldorf (Viscountess), 374. + + Astor, William, 113. + + Athens, _S._'s visits to, 152-154, 285, 286. + + Athletics in the universities in 1870, 26. + + Auchincloss, Gordon, 400, 412. + + Augusta Victoria, German Empress, in Constantinople, 136 _ff._ + + Austria-Hungary, and the Keiley episode, 46, 47; + in sympathy with Germany (1909), 279; + annexes Bosnia and Herzegovina, 341. + + Authors' Club, dinner to _S._, 331. + + Avigdor, Isaac S. d', 3. + + Avigdor, Jules d', 3. + + + Babylonia, excavations in, 97 _ff._ + + Bacon, Rev. Dr., 24. + + Bagdad railway, concession for building, and the World War, 279. + And _see_ Persian Gulf. + + Bakhmeteff, Boris, 411, 417. + + Balfour, Arthur J., Palestine for the Jews, 399; 229, 397, 409. + + Balkan Wars (1912 and 1913), 341, 342, 344. + + Baring, Sir Evelyn, 79. + And _see_ Cromer, Lord. + + Bark, M., 417. + + Barlow, Joel, 145. + + Barnard, Frederick A. P., 26, 27, 28. + + Barnes, A. S., 45. + + Barnes, George, 407. + + Barnum, H. S., 103. + + Baron de Hirsch Fund and Trade School, 96. + + Bartholdt, Richard, 420. + + Bates, General, 146. + + Bavaria, Jews of Palatinate of, 1 _ff._ + + Bayard, Thomas F., and the Keiley episode, 47; + quoted, 126; 44, 85, 91, 93, 94. + + Beaconsfield, Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of, at the Berlin Congress + (1878), 363; + Sir H. D. Wolff on, 364, 365; + his loyalty to Judaism, 364; + his novels, 364. + + Beale, Joseph H., 334. + + Beck, James M., 391. + + Beecher, Henry Ward, urges appointment of _S._ to Turkey, 45, 46, + 116; 40. + + Beer, George L., 290. + + Beiram, feast of, 59, 60. + + Beirut, schools in, 73. + + Belmont, August, 40. + + Benedict XV, Pope, 387. + + Benes, Edouard, 418, 419. + + Benn, A. Shirley, 415. + + Bent, Theodore, 100. + + Bergson, Henri, 360, 390, 391. + + Berlin, Treaty of, violated by Roumania, 166, 167; 241. + + Berlin, Congress of (1878), 363, 364. + + Bernays, Michael, and the Queen of Roumania, 304. + + Bernstorff, Count von, on the origin of the war, 378; + on U.S. mediation, 378 _ff._; + _S._ said to have been duped by, 382, 384; + given his passports, 389. + + Berr, Michael, 3. + + Bethmann-Hollweg, Chancellor von, reply of, to offer of mediation, + 384, 385. + + Beveridge, Albert J., 122. + + Bible societies, troubles of agents of, 74. + + Biddle, James, 87. + + Bien, Julius, 171. + + Birkenhead, F. E. Smith, Baron, sketch of, 398; + opposed to League of Nations, 398, 399. + + Bissinger, Erhard, 73. + + Blaine, James G., and Dr. Burchard, 38, 39. + + Blanc, Baron, 72. + + Bliss, Cornelius N., 174. + + Bliss, Daniel, 75. + + Bliss, Edwin E., 103. + + Bliss, George, 21, 22. + + Bliss, Howard S., and the Syrian Protestant College, 76. + + Bliss, Isaac, 72. + + Bliss, William G., 103. + + B'nai B'rith Order, 167, 171. + + Boardman, Mabel T., 339. + + Boker, George H., 51, 90. + + Bonaparte, Charles J., 230, 232, 237, 393. + + Bonetti, Monsignor, 149. + + Bonney, Mr., 158. + + Borden, Sir Robert L., 409, 410, 411, 419. + + Bosnia and Herzegovina, annexed by Austria, 341. + + Bosphorus, the, 57, 155. + + "Bosses," the, Roosevelt's attitude toward, 309. + + Boulanger, Georges E. J. M., "the second Napoleon," 52, 53, 54. + + Boulangist movement, collapse of, 54. + + Boule (Greek Parliament), 286. + + Bourgeois, Leon, proposes additional articles in League Covenant, + 400-403, 406, 408; 404, 407, 411, 412, 419, 420. + + Brandes, Georg, 345, 346. + + Brann, Father, 149. + + Breckenridge, Clifton R., 125. + + Breed, William C., 372. + + Brewer, David J., 334, 339. + + Bridges, Robert, 350. + + British League of Nations Union, 398. + + Brittain, Sir Harry, 353. + + Brittain, Lady, 353. + + Brown, William Haig, 120, 121. + + Brown University, gives _S._ honorary degree, 120. + + Browning, Oscar, 290. + + Bryan, William J., letter of Roosevelt to, 254; + and the offer of U.S. to mediate, 379, 380, 381; + his instructions to Mr. Page, 385; 252, 253. + + Bryce, James, Viscount, 177, 231, 336, 399, 415. + + Bryce, Lady, 231. + + Buchanan, James, 31. + + Budros Pasha, Roosevelt's denunciation of murder of, 288. + + Buisson, Ferdinand, 421, 422. + + Bulgaria, 294. + + Bullock, Seth, 176, 177. + + Buelow, Prince Bernhard von, 136, 247. + + Burchard, Samuel D., and his "rum, Romanism, and rebellion" speech, + 38, 39. + + Burns, John, 352, 353. + + Burton, Theodore E., 391. + + Bush, Stephen H., 420. + + Butler, Charles H., 334. + + Butler, Nicholas M., 121, 386. + + Buyukdereh, 57. + + Byrne, James, 372. + + + Cabinet, routine of meetings of, 215, 216. + + Cairo, _S._'s visit to, 77-79; + with Roosevelt at, 287 _ff._ + + Calice, Baron de, 60, 135. + + California, Japanese in, 218; + outbreak against Japanese in, 220; + anti-Japanese legislation in, 228, + nullifies "Gentlemen's Agreement," 266; + general sentiment of, 228. + + Cambon, Jules, 135. + + Cambon, French Ambassador to Turkey, 135. + + Campbell, Timothy, anecdote of, 115. + + Canadians, and the Alaskan boundary, 174. + + Cannon, Joseph G., 265. + + Capitulations, the, 86 _ff._ + + Cardwell, John, 78. + + Carlisle, John G., 115, 127. + + Carlisle, Mrs. John G., 115. + + "Carmen Sylva." _See_ Elizabeth of Roumania. + + Carnegie, Andrew, and the Homestead Labor leaders, 197; + President of National Civic Federation, 197; + his character, 198; + his _Autobiography_, 198; + entertains _S._ at Skibo Castle, 355; + and the Peace Palace, 356, 357; 178, 331, 332, 386. + + Carnegie, Mrs. Andrew, 357. + + Carol, King of Roumania, _S._ entertained by, 300; + on economic questions, 302; + admired Roosevelt, 302; + his attitude toward Jews, 302, 303. + + Carranza, President of Mexico, 340. + + Carter, George R., Governor of Hawaii, 222. + + Carter, Mrs. George R., 222. + + Carter, J. Ridgely, 300. + + Cassel, Sir Ernest, 305. + + Cassini, Count, 173. + + Castelar, Emilio, sketch of, 365; + on the expulsion of Jews from Spain, 366. + + Catholics, Roosevelt's attitude toward, 182, 183, 259-262. + + Cavass, the, functions of, 58. + + Cecil, Lord Robert, quoted, 406; 399, 404, 405. + + Cena, Signor, 345. + + Central News War Service, 385, 386. + + _Century Magazine_, 151, 366. + + _Cercle Interallie_, 404. + + Chadwick, French E., 332. + + Chaffee, Adna R., 166. + + Chamber of Commerce of the U.S., 238. + + Chamberlain, Leander, 272. + + Chang, Mr., 415. + + Chapman, John, 51. + + Chapman, Mrs. John, 51. + + Charterhouse School and Roger Williams, 120, 121. + + Cheng, Mr., 415. + + Chevket Pasha. _See_ Mahmoud. + + Chicago, campaign to purify primaries in, 121, 122. + + Chicago _Record_, 143. + + China, and the open door, 161. + + Choate, Joseph H., _S._'s friendship with, 36. + + Christianity, few conversions to, in Turkey, 75. + + Christians, in Turkey, resent visit of German Emperor, 139. + + Cilicia, massacre of Armenians in, 280. + + Cincinnati _Times-Star_, 251, 252. + + Civic Federation of Chicago, 121, 194. + + Civil service, Roosevelt on, 184. + + Civil War, the, results of, 20. + + Clemenceau, Georges, 53, 401, 403, 405, 407, 420, 423. + + Cleveland, Frances (Folsom), 48, 116, 118, 299. + And _see_ Preston, Frances. + + Cleveland, Grover, elected President (1884), 38, 39, 40; + _S._ recommended to, as minister to Turkey, 44-46, + and appointed, 46; + and the Keiley episode, 47; + interview of _S._ with, 48, 49; + letters of, to _S._, 110, 111, 113; + and the silver question, 108, 109, 110; + his tariff message (1887), 109; + popular esteem for, 109, 110, 119; + relations with _S._, 110; + at Lakewood, 112, 118; + on Isidor Straus, 112; + and the Van Alen appointment, 113, 114; + and the bond loans, 116; + his address at the Beecher Memorial, 116; + and C. F. Murphy, 117; + failing health, 118; + his death and burial, 118, 119; + quoted, 126; + address at meeting of protest against Kishineff massacre, 170; + 42, 43, 89, 99, 102, 195, 339, 358. + + Cleveland-Blaine campaign, the, 38, 39. + + Clynes, J. R., 415. + + Coastwise shipping and Canal tolls, 338, 339. + + Colby, Bainbridge, 321, 322. + + Cole, Samuel V., "The Deacon's Prayer," 395. + + Collinsworth Institute, 11, 243. + + Cologna, Abraham de, 3. + + Colombia, Republic of, and the Panama revolution, 174-176. + + Columbia College, _S._ a student at, 25-29. + + Columbia Grammar School, _S._ a pupil at, 22-24. + + Columbia Law School, _S._ a student at, 29, 30; + faculty of, 30, 31. + + Columbus, Christopher, was he a Spaniard, of Jewish ancestry? 368, 369. + + Columbus, Ga., Straus family settles in, 17; + life in, 18; + captured and looted by Union forces, 17; + dinner to _S._ at, 242. + + Commerce and Labor, Department of, _S._ appointed head of, 212; + its scope, 213; + _S._'s method of conducting, 213; + his staff, 213, 214; + civil service in, 214; + division of, opposed by _S._, 239. + + Commercial bodies, relations of, with the Government, 236-238. + + Commission to investigate treatment of Jews in Russia, report of, + 107, 108. + + Congress, jingo agitation in, 124. + + Constantinople, first impressions of, 58; + custom regarding official calls at, 60; + conditions of life in, 61, 62; + ceremony of Selamlik in, 63, 64; + second arrival at, 133; + visit of German Emperor to, 136-139; + visitors to, 149-152, 298, 299; + in 1909, 276. + + Contract labor law, 216. + + Coons, Joseph D., 171. + + Cooper, Peter, 301. + + Cooperation Society of Northern England, 354. + + Corbin, Henry C., 166. + + Cortelyou, George B., 212, 213, 254. + + Corwine, William R., 237. + + Coszta, Martin, case of, 332, 333. + + Coudert, Frederick R., 38. + + Cowles, Lieut.-Commander, 174. + + Cox, Samuel S., 42, 43. + + Cramp Shipbuilding Co., 138, 142. + + Cravath, Paul D., 170. + + Crete, Greek designs on, 293, 294; + Venizelos in charge of affairs in, 295, 296. + + Criminals, exclusion and deportation of, 233, 234. + + Croker, Richard, 110. + + Cromer, Evelyn Baring, Lord, 79, 290, 291. + + Cromwell, Oliver, 353. + + Crum, Mr., colored, appointed Collector at Charleston by Roosevelt, 184. + + Cuba, trouble with Spain over, 122, 123. + + Cullom, Shelby M., 163. + + Curley, Captain, 7, 8, 15, 16. + + Curtis, William E., 143, 144. + + Cutting, Robert F., 25, 26. + + Cyprus, 157. + + + Daniel, John W., 240. + + Davenport, Frederick M., 317, 321, 324. + + Davies, David, 415, 416. + + Davis, Cushman K., 128. + + Davis, John C., 174. + + Davis, John W., 398. + + Davis, Mrs. John W., 398. + + Day, Joseph P., 372. + + Day, William R., 128, 130. + + De Forest, Robert W., 372. + + Democratic State Convention (N.Y., 1891), silver question in, 108, 110; + adopts sound-money plank, 110. + + Depew, Chauncey M., 265. + + Derby, Ethel (Roosevelt), 395. + + Dewey, George, 219. + + Dews, Dr., 17, 18. + + Diaz, Porfirio, 160. + + Dickinson, J. M., 334. + + Dickinson, Sir Willoughby H., 398, 399, 415. + + Dillon, Count, 52, 53. + + Dillon, Countess, 52, 53. + + Diplomatic corps, at Constantinople, official calls among, 60, 61. + + Diplomatic romance, a, 143-148. + + Diplomatic service of U.S., suggestions for improving, 105. + + D'Israeli, Mrs. Benjamin, the elder, 3. + + Disraeli, Benjamin. _See_ Beaconsfield. + + Dixon, Joseph M., 255. + + Djavid Bey, 278, 281, 282, 284. + + Dluski, Dr., 426. + + Dodge, Cleveland H., 299. + + Dodge, William E., 131. + + Donald, Robert, 351. + + Dosfuentes, Marques de. _See_ Olmet. + + Dougherty, Daniel, 40. + + Drago, Luis M., 304, 305. + + Draper, William F., Ambassador to Italy, 131, 132, 158. + + Draper, Mrs. William F., 158. + + Drummond, Sir J. Eric, 424. + + Duane, W. N., 372. + + Dufferin, F. T. H. Blackwood, Earl and Marquis of, 79, 364. + + Dunnell, E. G., 48, 49. + + Durand, Leon, 415. + + Dwight, Charles A. S., 103. + + Dwight, Henry O., 72, 103. + + Dwight, Theodore W., 30. + + + Earl, Charles, 216. + + Easley, Ralph M., 121, 122, 194, 195, 196. + + Eastern Question, possibilities of trouble in, 327 _ff._ + + Eben Ezra, 367. + + Edward VII, 350. + + Egypt, status of, 77 _ff._; + conditions in, 290, 291. + + Eidlitz, Otto M., 200. + + Eight-hour law, favored by Roosevelt, 196. + + Einstein, G. F., 43, 44. + + Eitel Friedrich, Prince, _S._'s impression of, 291, 292. + + Eitel Friedrich, Princess, 291, 292. + + Electoral reform, campaign for, 121, 122. + + Eliot, George. _See_ Evans, Mary Ann. + + Elizabeth, Queen of Roumania, aspect and accomplishments of, 301, + 302; + genesis of her pen-name, 301; + her study, 301, 302; + her gifts to _S._, 302, 304; + and Hay's hymn, 303, 304; + on Prof. Bernays, 304. + + Employer and employees, change in relations between, and the result, + 194. + + English chapel, Constantinople, service in, 66. + + Erb, Professor, 154. + + Erdman Act, the, 200. + + Estournelles de Constant, Baron d', 332, 401, 403, 404, 409, 415, 420. + + Eulenburg, Count, 138. + + Evans, Mary Ann, 51. + + Expatriation, right of, 332, 333. + + Ezekiel, Moses, 158. + + + Fairbanks, Charles W., Vice-President, and Pius X, 289, 290, 348; + at Constantinople, 298, 299; 247, 269. + + Fairbanks, Mrs. C. W., 247, 298. + + Falconio, Cardinal, 347, 348, 349. + + Federated unions, 194. + + Ferrero, Guglielmo, _Greatness and Decline of Rome_, 177. + + Ferrero, Madame, 177. + + Filipinos, McKinley and _S._ on granting independence to, 161. + + Finch, George A., 336. + + Finley, John H., 219, 220. + + Finley, John P., quoted, 146, 147. + + Fish, Hamilton, 25. + + Fish, Stuyvesant, 25. + + Fisher, H. A. L., 416. + + Flour, question of shipments of, to Turkey, 147, 148. + + Flower, Walter C., 122. + + Flynn, Mr., 17. + + Fort, Governor, of New Jersey, 119. + + Fortescue, Lieutenant Granville, 210. + + Foster, John W., 329, 330, 334, 336. + + Fouad, Pasha, 134. + + Foulke, William D., 209. + + Fournier, Vice-Admiral, 415. + + Four-Power Treaty (1921) effect of, on relations of U.S. with Japan, 229; + and the Anglo-Japanese alliance, 229. + + France. _See_ Great Powers. + + Frankfurter, Felix, 418. + + Franklin, Benjamin, 258. + + Franklin, Fabian, 390. + + Frederic, Harold, _The New Exodus_, 107; 51. + + Frederick III, German Emperor, 138. + + French delegation to Peace Conference. _See_ Bourgeois. + + French Senate, _S._ attends session of, 409. + + Freycinet, Charles L. de S. de, 53. + + Frick, Henry C., 197. + + Frye, William P., 128. + + Fuller, Melville W., 119, 239, 240. + + Fulton, Senator Charles W., 236. + + Furtado, Abraham, 3. + + Furth, Jacob, 171. + + + Gage, Lyman J., 122. + + Gager, O. A., 45. + + Garfield, James R., 184, 186, 187, 214, + 264, 288, 294, 395. + + Gargiulo, dragoman, 57, 58, 69, 99, 136, 155, 276. + + Garretson, Joseph, 251. + + Gates, C. F., 140. + + Gaynor, William J., 308. + + General Slocum, steamboat, explosion on, 234. + + George V, 387. + + George, King of Greece, receives _S._ in audience, 286, 287; + admired Roosevelt, 287; 294. + + Georgia Military Academy, 16. + + Gerard, James W., Ambassador to Germany, demands his passports, 389. + + German Government, and U.S. offer of mediation, 380 _ff._; + its insincerity exposed, 384, 386. + + German influence in Turkey, 279. + + Germany, and Venezuela, 174; + Roosevelt on attitude of, 192; + Chevket Pasha on attitude of, 293; + sells warship to Turkey, 295; + attitude of, at Hague conferences, 328 and _n._, 329; 280. + + Ghika, Prince and Princess, 65. + + Giers, N. K. de, 417. + + Gilder, Richard W., _Grover Cleveland_, quoted, 108; 272. + + Gillman, Henry, 81, 82. + + Gilmore's Garden, 33. + + Gladstone, William E., 253. + + Gneist, Rudolf von, 94. + + Gompers, Samuel, and the reinstatement of Miller, 180, 181; 195, 239, + 240, 252. + + Gorman, Arthur P., and the Turkish + mission, 42, 43; 38, 39. + + Gorst, Sir Eldon, _S._ entertained by, 290, 291. + + Gorst, Lady, 290. + + Gottheil, Richard, 390. + + Gould, Jay, 39. + + Government Printing Office, and non-union printers, 180, 181. + + Governors, the, of certain States, appeal to Roosevelt to accept + renomination + (1912), 310. + + Grace, William R., Mayor of New York, 38, 42. + + Graetz, Heinrich, _History of the Jews_, 278. + + Grant, Ulysses S., 28, 89, 220. + + Graves, William S., 392. + + Gray, George, 119, 128, 334. + + Great Britain, and Venezuela, 174; + remonstrance from society in, against lynchings, 185; + and the Lynch affair, 281; + her reasons for entering the war, 375, 376; + solicitude in, regarding action of U.S., 377. + And _see_ Great Powers. + + Great Powers, the, alignment of, in 1909, 279; + effect of jealousy of, on Turkey, 280; + seek concessions then, under new regime, 280; + and the Crete affair, 294; + and the Balkan disturbances, 344. + + Greece, conditions in (1910), 286; + designs of, in Crete, 293 _ff._; + buys warship from Italy, 294; + territorial claims of, 414. + + Greeks, fail to appreciate Venizelos, 296. + + Greene, Joseph K., 103. + + Greer, David H., 386. + + Gregory, Charles N., 334. + + Grenfell, Sir Francis, 79. + + Grey, Albert H. G., Earl, entertains _S._, 353, 354, 355; 374, 375, 376. + + Grey, Lady, 354, 355. + + Grey, Sir Edward, on England's reasons for entering the war, 375, 376; + and the proposed mediations of the U.S., 382; + letters of, to _S._, on the negotiations, 383; 377, 415. + + Grey of Fallodon, Edward, Viscount. _See_ Grey, Sir Edward. + + Griffith, W. J. T., 416. + + Griggs, John W., 128, 334. + + Griscom, Lloyd C., 155. + + Grosvenor, Edward A., _History of Constantinople_, 77. + + Guenzburg, Baron, 133. + + Gutmann, Ritter von, 133. + + + Hagedorn, Hermann, 395. + + Hague, the, opening of Peace Palace at, 356, 357. + + Hague Court of Arbitration, _S._ appointed to, by Roosevelt, 164, 165; + Russia and Japan decline to go before, 188; + Moroccan question and, 192. + + Hague Peace Conferences, participation of U.S. therein, 328; + results of, 322, 329. + + Hakki Pasha, Grand Vizier, 282, 356. + + Hale, Edward E., 178, 260. + + Hale, Archdeacon, 120. + + Hamburg-American S.S. Co., 152. + + Hamdy Bey, and the proposed excavation in Babylonia, 98, 100; + his death and funeral, 283, 284; 151. + + Hamlin, Cyrus, 76. + + Hampstead Garden Suburb, 353, 354. + + Hanna, Marcus A., career and character of, 198, 199; 195, 197. + + Hannibal, 344. + + Hanotaux, Gabriel, 360. + + Harding, Edward, 415. + + Harlan, John M., 160. + + _Harper's Weekly_, 113. + + Harpoot, massacres at, 139, 141; + building at, rebuilt, 142. + + Harriman, E. H., 264. + + Harrison, Benjamin, President, appoints commission on condition of Jews + in Russia, 106-108; 101, 164, 165, 208. + + Harrison, Charles C., 160. + + Haupt, Professor, 157. + + Havelock, Sir Henry, 120. + + Hawaii, use of, by Japanese immigrants, 217, 218; + visited by _S._, 222-225; conditions in, 223; + distribution of population of, 225. + + Hay, John, _S._ confers with, in London, 130; + and _S._'s resignation, 159, 161; + letter of, to _S._, 161, 162; + his Roumanian note, 168, 169; + and the Kishineff protest, 171, 172; + and the treaty with New Granada, 175, 176; + and the arbitration treaties, 329, 330; 129, 140, 143, 144, 146, 150, + 160, 174, 209, 331. + + Hay-Pauncefote Treaty, 338. + + Hayward, William, 205. + + Head-tax, representatives of foreign governments relieved from, 230, 231. + + Heard, John, 299. + + Hedges, Job E., 320. + + Heilprin, Michael, 95, 96. + + Henderson, Mrs. John B., 214. + + Henry, Prince (Holland), 357. + + Henry, Sir Charles, entertains _S._, 350, 351, 352. + + Henry, Lady, 350, 352. + + Hepburn, A. Barton, 35, 308. + + Hepburn Committee, 35. + + Herrick, Myron T., 122, 359. + + Hertzl, Theodor, on Zionism, 156, 157; + his character, 157, 158; 81. + + Hervey, Charles E., 205. + + Herzegovina. _See_ Bosnia. + + Hetzler, Theodore, 372. + + Hewitt, Abram S., 121. + + Hill, David J., 287, 288, 331. + + Hill, J. Wesley, 274. + + Hinricks, Frederic W., 126. + + Hirsch, Baron Maurice de, Turkey's claim against, 92-94; + his philanthropy, 95, 96. + + Hirsch, Baroness de, 94, 95, 96, 132, 133. + + Hitchcock, Frank H., 256. + + Hitchcock, Gilbert N., 427, 428, 429. + + Hitt, Robert, 210. + + Hockstader, Leonard, 337. + + Hodge, William H., 205. + + Hofmann, Josef, 55. + + Holls, Frederick W., 331. + + Holt, Hamilton, 397, 398, 400, 401, 403, 408, 409, 415. + + Holt, Mrs. Hamilton, 409. + + Holt, Henry, 331. + + Homer, 57. + + Homestead (Pa.) riots, responsibility for, 197. + + Honolulu, 222 _ff._ + + Hoover, Herbert, his plan for sending food into Russia, 423; + 374, 411. + + Hoover, Mrs. Herbert, 374. + + Horowitz, Leopold, 133. + + Hotchkiss, William H., 314, 315, 319, 324. + + House, Edward M., at the Paris Conference, 400, 401, 403, 404, 410, + 412, 413, 419, 420, 421, 424, 425, 426. + + House of Lords, proposed reform of, 351. + + Howick Castle, 354, 355. + + Hudson, James A., first law partner of _S._, 32, 34. + + Hudson and Straus, 32. + + Huerta, President of Mexico, 340. + + Hughes, Charles E., 34, 247, 255. + + Hughes, Mrs. Charles E., 248. + + Hughes, William Morris, 407. + + Humphreys, Andrew B., 121. + + Hunt, Gaillard, 232. + + Hussein Hilmi Pasha, Grand Vizier, 277, 278; + Lynch affair causes his resignation, 280-282. + + + Iddings, Mr., Consul-General at Cairo, 287, 291. + + Iddings, Mrs., 287. + + Ignatieff laws, 80, 95. + + Immigration, questions relating to, 216, 217. And _see_ Head-tax, + Japanese immigration. + + Immigration acts: of 1903, 216, 230; + of 1906, questionnaire of aliens under, 231; + 1907, "limited passports" provision of, 219; + anarchists defined in, 234. + + Imperiali, Marquis, 278. + + "In God We Trust," omitted from gold coins, and restored, 262, 263. + + Ince, Howard, 120. + + Industrial Conference (1919-20), work of, 203, 204. + + Industrial peace, and the National Civic Federation, 195 _ff._; + Roosevelt dedicates Nobel Prize to promotion of, 239, 240. + + Ingersoll, Raymond V., 415. + + International arbitration, results of Hague Conferences concerning, + 328, 329. And _see_ Lake Mohonk. + + International Court of Justice, 357, 358. + + International law, naval officers should be conversant with, 333. + + International peace congress, conference regarding, 178. + + Interstate Commerce Commission, 35. + + Interstate Commerce law, and the trusts, 186. + + Ireland, John, Archbishop, 240. + + Isaacs, Isaac S., 33. + + Isaacs, Meyer S., 33; + 96. + + Isaacs, Sir Rufus, 352. And _see_ Reading, Earl. + + Isaacs, Lady, 352. + + Ishii, Viscount, _S._'s interview with, 224. + + Ismail Pasha, Khedive, 78. + + Italy, and A. M. Keiley, 46; + neutral attitude of, in 1909, 279; + her purpose in declaring war on Turkey, 340, 341; + and Prof. Luzzatti, 347. And _see_ Great Powers. + + + Jackson, Andrew, 87. + + James, Darwin, 121, 122. + + Japan, and Russia, Roosevelt negotiates peace between, 188, 189; + "Gentlemen's Agreement" with, 218, 227; + nullified by legislation in California, 266; + danger of strained relations with, 220, 221; + proposed treaty with, 226, 227; + present relations of U.S. with, 229, 230; + voyage of U.S. fleet, how interpreted by, 338; + amendments of League Covenant desired by, 407, 413. + + Japanese, in California, question of naturalization of, 219, 221, 225, + 226, 227; + outbreak against, in San Francisco, 220; + transit of, between Mexico and Canada, 226. + + Japanese immigration to Pacific coast, 217-221; + the "Gentlemen's Agreement," 218; + executive regulations concerning, 219; + question of, studied by _S._ in Hawaii, 222 _ff._; + further consideration of, 225 _ff._; + statistics of (1907), 228, 229. + + Jefferson, Joseph, 115. + + Jefferson, Thomas, 258, 388. + + Jerusalem, _S._'s visit to, 82-84; + restrictions on sojourn of Jews in, 84, 85. + + Jessup, Henry H., _Fifty-Three Years in Syria_, 75. + + Jewish Colonization Association, 167. + + Jewish question in Roumania, King Carol on, 303. + + Jews, persecution of, in Alsace, etc., 2; + council of, convened by Napoleon I, 3, 4; + foreign, in Turkey, negotiations concerning, 80 _ff._; + in Russia, persecution of, 106-108; + and the Kishineff massacre, 170-173; + Count Witte and, 189, 190, 191; + troubles of, in Roumania, 167; + and emigration of, to U.S., 167-169; + immigration of, into Palestine, 156, 157; + Roosevelt's attitude toward, 179, 180, 182, 183; + Victor Emmanuel on, 344; + Zangwill's project concerning, 359; + expulsion of, from Spain, 366, 367; + in U.S., unjustly charged with being anti-Ally, 390, 391; + Balfour Declaration regarding home in Palestine for, 399; + threatened persecution of, after the war, 418, 419. + And _see_ American Jews. + + Johnson, Hiram W., nominated for Vice-President by Progressives, 313, + 317, 318, 319; 361. + + Johnstown flood, Abdul Hamid contributes to relief fund, 103. + + Jones, George, 43, 107. + + _Journal of Race Development, The_, 146, 147. + + Judaism, Disraeli's loyalty to, 364. + + Judson, Frederick N., 200. + + Jussen, Edmund, 56. + + Jussen, Mrs. Edmund (Schurz), 56. + + Jusserand, Jules, and mediations by U.S., 380, 381; 390. + + + Kaufmann, Isidor, 133. + + Kaufmann Brothers, 5. + + Keefe, Daniel J., 239, 240. + + Keiley, Anthony M., and the Austro-Hungarian mission, 46, 47; + in Egypt, 78. + + Keiley, Mrs. A. M., 46, 78. + + Kellogg, Frank H., 427, 428, 429. + + Kempster, Walter, 107. + + Kennedy, Monsignor, 289. + + Kent, Frederick I., 372. + + Kerensky, Alexander, interview with, 425, 426. + + Kiamil Pasha, Grand Vizier, and the mission schools, 71, 72; + and the Bible society agents, 74; + unofficial negotiations with, 77; + and foreign Jews in Turkey, 80, 81, 83; + and the proposed Bagdad railroad, 96, 97; + and the excavations in Babylonia, 98, 99; + his character and political views, 153; 92. + + King, Henry C., 415. + + King, Pendleton, 57, 58, 71, 99. + + King, W. L. Mackenzie, 339. + + Kipling, Rudyard, quoted, 359. + + Kipling, Mrs. Rudyard, 359. + + Kirchwey, George W., 334. + + Kishineff massacre, and its sequel, 170-173; + and lynchings in U.S., 185. + + "Kitchen cabinet," the, 207, 208. + + Knapp, Martin A., 200. + + Knox, Philander C., letter of, to _S._, 273; + _S._ offended by instructions from, 297, 298; 183, 186, 227, 295, + 306, 330, 340. + + Kohlsaat, H. H., 174. + + Kolschak, General, 426. + + Kraus, Adolph, 189. + + Kuhn, Arthur, 400, 401, 409, 415. + + Kuroki, Tamemoto, entertained in New York, 219, 220. + + + La Follette, Robert M., 122. + + Labor, Roosevelt's attitude toward, 181, 182, 186. + + Labor, Department of, created, 239. + + Labor representatives, conference with, 238, 239. + + Labor unions, and the teamsters' strike, 188. + + Lake Mohonk Conferences on international arbitration, 333, 334. + + Lamont, Daniel S., 48. + + Langley, S. P., and his flying machine (1900), 159. + + Lansing, Robert, side-tracked, 412; + his objections to the Covenant, 412, 413; + 334, 405, 428. + + Larnaud, M., 420. + + Lauzanne, Stephane, 390. + + Lavanburg, Hannah S., mother of Mrs. Straus, 37, 50. + + Lavanburg, Sarah, marries _S._ And _see_ Straus, Sarah (Lavanburg). + + Laveleye, Emile L. V. de, 41, 42. + + Law of Associations (Turkish), all foreign institutions subject to, 296; + _S._ secures certain exemptions from, 296. + + Lazar, Jacob. _See_ Straus, Jacob I. + + Lazard, Eli, 56. + + Lazard Freres, 56. + + League to Enforce Peace, committee to represent, at Peace Conference, + 397; + meetings of, in U.S., approve League Covenant, 413; + seeks to secure ratification of the treaty, 426-429. + + League of Nations, a, American desire for, 397; + initial discouraging outlook for, at Paris, 400. + + League of Nations, the, and the Peace Palace, 357; + "Draft of, as Provisionally Approved," 400; + additional clauses insisted upon by France, 400; + and discussed by Bourgeois, 401-403; + Covenant of, discussed in Plenary Conference, 405-407; + Lansing's objections to Covenant of, 412, 413; + no provision concerning civil and religious liberty, and why, 413; + Article X, objections to, 410, 419; + Article XXI, revised by Wilson, 420; + these two articles in U.S. Senate, 427. + + Lebowich, Mr., 183. + + Lecky, W. E. H., _Democracy and Liberty_, 107. + + Lee, Robert E., 19. + + Lee, Sir Sidney, his lives of Shakespeare and Edward VII, 350. + + Leishman, John G., 142, 289, 290. + + Leo, Simeon N., 33. + + Leopold II, of Belgium, death of, 282. + + Levi, Leo N., 167, 171, 172. + + Levy, Samuel, 367. + + Lewes, George H., 51. + + Lewis, William D., _Life of Theodore Roosevelt_, quoted, 311, 312. + + Lewisohn, Adolf, 189. + + Lichnowsky, Prince, _My London Mission_, the most convincing indictment + of Germany, 342. + + Lidhold, Dr., on William II, 133, 139. + + Lieber, Francis, his life and character, 30, 31. + + Lieberman, Mr., 426. + + Liliuokalani, Queen, 222. + + Lincoln, Abraham, 180, 193, 269. + + Littauer, Lucius N., 168. + + "Little White House," at Lakewood, 112, 118. + + Lloyd George, David, on divers Liberal measures, 351; + 397, 405. + + Locomotive Engineers, Brotherhood of, 199, 200. + + Lodge, Henry Cabot, 308. + + Loeb, William, Jr., 178, 212, 254, 256, 269, 394. + + London, _S._'s visits to, 50-52, 304, 305, 350-354, 359; + from Paris to (July, 1914), 370, 371; + August 2 in, 371. + + Long, Albert L., 76, 77. + + Long Island Historical Society, _S._'s address before, 41. + + Longworth, Alice (Roosevelt), 222, 360. + + Longworth, Nicholas, 179, 209, 222. + + Low, Seth, 170, 177, 240, 331. + + Lowell, A. Lawrence, 397, 402, 421, 427, 428, 429. + + Lowther, Gerard, British Ambassador to Turkey, 278. + + Lubin, David, character and career of, 349, 350; + 346. + + Lusitania tragedy, the, 389. + + Luther, Martin, 247. + + Luzzatti, Luigi, _S._ and, 346, 347; + his _Liberty of Conscience_, 347; + 349. + + Lynch, Frederick, 415. + + Lynch Company, affair of, and its result, 280-282. + + Lynchings in the U.S., and Kishineff, 185; + remonstrance against, from Great Britain, 185. + + + McCarroll, William, 272. + + McCormick, Vance, 411, 427. + + McCumber, Porter J., 427, 428. + + McGee, John C., nominates _S._ for Governor, 314-316. + + Mack, Julian W., 418. + + McKelway, St. Clair, 126, 160, 272. + + Mackenzie, P. R., 347, 348. + + McKinley, William, President, advises + with _S._ on Cuba, 123, 124, 126; + and on Turkey, 124, 125; + letter of _S._ to, 123; + appoints _S._ ambassador to Turkey, 124, 125; + quoted, on the appointment, 127, 128; + and _S._'s resignation, 159, 162; + commends his services, 160, 162; + thinks of offering him State portfolio, 160; + on granting independence to the Philippines, 161; + why he did not appoint _S._ on Hague Tribunal, 164, 165; + appoints a commission on naturalization, 232; 122, 128, 134, 135, + 147, 149, 150. + + McLane, Robert M., 52. + + MacNamara, Thomas J., 351. + + MacVeagh, Wayne, 184. + + McVickar, Rev. Dr., 26, 27. + + Madison, James, 389. + + Madrid, Kermit Roosevelt married at, 362. + + Mahmoud Chevket Pasha, Turkish Minister of War, impressions of, 292, + 293, 295; + on conditions in Turkey, and her foreign relations, 293; + and the Crete affair, 293; + urges sale of warship by U.S., 295; + assassinated, 295. + + Maine, battleship, blown up, 124. + + Makino, Baron, quoted on the League Covenant, 407. + + Manning, Mrs. Daniel, 299. + + Marash, massacres at, 141. + + Margherita, Queen of Italy, 158, 159. + + Maria Christina, Regent of Spain, 122. + + Marix, Adolph, 337. + + Marks, Marcus M., 240. + + Marschall von Bieberstein, Baron, _S._'s relations with, 278, 279; + 135, 342. + + Marshall, Louis, 251. + + Marshall, Thomas R., 394. + + Martens, Fedor F., 190, 356. + + Martin, J. C., letter of Roosevelt to, on Taft's religion, 258-262. + + Masaryk, Thomas G., 419. + + Maspero. Sir Gaston, 289. + + Massingham, H. W., 350. + + Matthews, Brander, 25, 26, 28. + + Maurer, Senor, 361. + + Mavroyeni Bey, 84. + + Mazzini, Giuseppe, 346. + + Mediation of neutral powers and the Hague Conferences, 329, 340. + + Mehmet, _cavass_, 58. + + Merry del Val, Cardinal, 349. + + Mesopotamia, as a place for colonization of Jews, 157. + + Metcalf, Victor H., 212, 213, 227. + + Methodist missions in Rome, 289, 290. + + _Metropolitan Magazine_, 388. + + Mexico, relations of U.S. with, 339, 340. + + Meyer, Eugene, Jr., 390. + + Meyer, George von L., U.S. Ambassador to Russia during Japanese war, + Roosevelt quoted on, 191; 254. + + Mezes, Dr., 426. + + Mezes, Mrs., 426. + + Miller, Charles R., 44. + + Miller, David H., 133, 424, 425. + + Miller, Joaquin, 37, 301. + + Miller, non-union printer, discharge of, 180; + reinstated by Roosevelt, 180, 181. + + Mission schools in Turkey, negotiations concerning closing of, 70 _ff._; + visited by _S._, 73. + + Missionaries, relations of, with Turkish government, 71, 73, 74; + ground of government's hostility to, 74, 75; + and Turkish passport regulations, 139, 140; + question of indemnities due to, 141, 142. + + Mitchell, John, 240, 272. + + Mitchell, S. Weir, in Constantinople, 150, 151; + attends Mme. Tewfik, 151; + his "Ode to a Lycian Tomb," 151. + + Mitchell, Mrs. S. W., 150. + + Mohammed V, Sultan, receives _S._ in audience, 276; + described, 276, 277; 282, 344. + + Mohammedans, and Christianity, 75; + funerals of, 284. + + Mohammedans in the Philippines. _See_ Sulu Islands. + + Mohsin Khan, 101. + + Monroe, James, 41, 388, 389. + + Monroe Doctrine, why specifically referred to in Covenant of League, + 420, 421, 427. + + Montebello, Comte de, 72, 85. + + Moody, William H., 186, 230. + + Moore, Charles A., 195. + + Moore, John Bassett, quoted, 176; 47, 48, 127, 128, 334. + + Moore, J. Hampton, 241. + + Morgan, J. P., & Co., 116. + + Morocco. _See_ Algeciras. + + Morris, E. J., 88. + + Morrissey, P. H., quoted, 182; 200, 203. + + Morrow, W. W., 334. + + Morse, Samuel F. B., 24. + + Moses, Adolf, 171. + + Moses, George H., 286. + + Munir Pasha, Grand Master of Ceremonies, 58, 99. + + Munkacsy, Mihaly, 55, 56. + + Munkacsy, Madame, 55. + + Muenz, Sigmund, 304. + + Murphy, Charles F., 117. + + Murray, Gilbert, 415. + + Murray, Lawrence O., 213, 234. + + + Nagel, Charles, 238. + + Nansen, Dr., 416. + + Napoleon I, and the Jews, 2; + convokes council of Jews at Paris, 3, 4, 412. + Nathan, Ernesto, Mayor of Rome, relations of _S._ with, 345, 346; + his descent, career, and character, 346; 349. + + Nathan, Mr., father of Ernesto N., 346. + + Nathan, Mr., brother of Ernesto, 345. + + National Association of Manufacturers, 241. + + National Civic Club, 126. + + National Civic Federation, conference of, 194, 195; + industrial department of, its scope, and plan, 195; + its work, 195 _ff._ + + National Council of Commerce, 237, 238. + And _see_ Chamber of Commerce of the U.S. + + National Insurance Act (Great Britain), 351. + + National Primary Election League, 121, 122. + + Nationalists, Egyptian, 288, 291. + + Naturalization, careless administration of laws relating to, 231, 232; + report of commission on, 232; + treaties of, 333. + And _see_ Turkey. + + Naval War College, 332, 333. + + Navoni, dragoman, 87. + + Negro question, the, Roosevelt on, 104. + + Negulesco, Professor, 415. + + Neill, Charles P., 200, 214, 240. + + New Granada, treaty of U.S. with (1846), construction of, 175, 176. + + New York Chamber of Commerce, annual meeting of (1910), 308; 35. + + New York Peace Society, reception to _S._, 330, 331. + + New York Public Service Commission, _S._ chairman of, 204-206. + + New York _Sun_, 347. + + New York _Times_, 43, 44, 107. + + New York _World_, 114. + + Newberry, Truman H., 394. + + Nicholas II, Czar, 171, 173, 282, 328, 377, 392, 411, 417. + + Nicholas, Grand Duke, 411. + + Nicolaiovitch, Grand Duke, death of, 282. + + Nicoll, Sir W. Robertson, 350. + + Nobel Peace Prize, awarded to Roosevelt, 239; + his disposition of the fund, 239, 240; + the foundation dissolved, and the fund distributed, 240, 241. + + _North American Review_, "The First Year of Taft's Administration," 288. + + North German Lloyd S.S. Co., 152. + + Nubar Pasha, 79. + + + Oahu Island, 224. + + O'Brien, Thomas J., 344. + + Ochs, Adolph S., 391. + + Ochs, Mrs. A. S., 391. + + Ochs, George W., 121. + + O'Conor, Charles, 32. + + O'Conor, Sir Nicholas R., British Ambassador to Turkey, asks aid of + _S._ in protecting orphanages, 148; 135, 140, 149. + + Offley, David, 87. + + Ohio Society of New York, Taft's address to, 264. + + Olmet, Fernando del, writes on birthplace and nationality of Columbus, + 368, 369. + + Olney, Richard, 253, 335. + + Orlando, Signor, 406. + + Orphanages, British, in Turkey, closing of, 148. + + Osman Pasha, 63, 68, 134. + + Ottendorfer, Oswald, 44. + + Otterberg, ancestral home of the Strauses, 1, 8, 9. + + Ottolenghi, Israel, 3. + + Ottolenghi, General, 344. + + Ottoman American Development Co., 300. + + _Outlook, The_, 290, 310, 341. + + + Pacific Settlement of International Disputes, convention for, 328, 329. + + Page, Catherine, 359, 360. + + Page, Walter Hines, on _S._'s activities in project of mediation, 384; + Bryan's instructions to, 385; 359, 372, 373. + + Paine, Robert Treat, 178. + + Paine, Thomas, _Common Sense_, 41. + + Palestine, restriction on residence of Jews in, 80 _ff._, 84 _ff._; + immigration of Jews into, 156, 157; + the Balfour Declaration, 399. + + Panama, revolution in, and the treaty of 1846 with New Granada, 174-176; + question of freedom of transit, 175, 176; + army of, 185. + + Panama Canal, question of remission of tolls, 338, 339; + tolls-exemption bill repealed, 339; 237. + + Pangrati, E., 415. + + Pansa, Signor, 135. + + Paris, _S._'s visits to, 52-56, 275; + in July, 1914, 370. + And _see_ Peace Conference. + + Parker, Alton B., 299. + + Parker, Mrs. A. B., 299. + + Parliamentary systems of Great Britain and U.S., compared, 352. + + Parsons, Herbert, 209. + + Peace Conference at Paris, proceedings of, 400 _ff._; + failure of, to condemn Bolshevism, 417. + And _see_ League of Nations, Plenary Conference. + + Peace Palace, at The Hague, opening of, 356, 357; + future of, 358. + + Peck, Ferdinand W., 131. + + Pepper, William, favors retention of _S._ as minister to Turkey, 101, + 102; 97. + + Pera, conditions in, 61, 62. + + Perkins, George W., 205. + + Pershing, John J., 410. + + Persia, Shah of, 101. + + Persian ambassador to Turkey, 61. + + Persian ambassadress, a former Circassian slave, 61. + + Persian Gulf, proposed railroad to, from Constantinople, 96, 97. + + Persons, Henry, 243. + + Peter the Cruel, 367. + + Peters, John P., and the proposed excavations in Babylonia, 97 _ff._; + _Nippur_, 100. + + Pettibone, I. F., 103. + + Phelan, James D., 121. + + Phelps, Edward J., 50, 151. + + Philip, Hoffman, 300. + + Philippines, _S._'s advice concerning, 127; + Mohammedans in the, 143 _ff._; + ignorance in U.S. concerning, 144; + proposed punitive expedition against Mohammedans, 165, 166. + + Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Co., 147. + + Pineapples, in Hawaii, 224. + + Pius IX, 46. + + Pius X, why he did not receive Roosevelt, 289, 290, 348, 349. + + Platt, Frank H., 378. + + Platt, Thomas C., 211, 309. + + Plenary Conference, sessions of, 405-408, 423, 424. + + Pogroms in Poland, 426. + + Politzer, Adam, 133. + + Polk, Frank L., 421. + + Porter, David, 87. + + Porter, Horace, 131, 132, 255, 331, 336. + + Porter, Governor James Davis, 46. + + Portsmouth Conference (1905), 189, 190, 191. + + Powderly, Terence V., 239, 251, 252. + + Prague, attacks on Jews in, 418. + + Prendergast, William A., 314, 315, 317. + + Preston, Frances (Folsom-Cleveland), on Cleveland's character, 358. + + Primaries. _See_ Electoral reform. + + Pringle, J. Lynch, 58. + + Progressive Party, genesis of, 309 _ff._ + National Convention of, nominates Roosevelt and Johnson, 313; + New York State Convention of, nominates _S._ for Governor, 313-317; + poorly organized, 325; + not a party, but a crusade, 325; + Roosevelt on the future of, 360, 361; 351, 395. + + Progressive Republicans seat a candidate for nomination in 1912, + 309, 310. + + Pulido, Angel, 366, 368. + + Pullman Car Co., strike of employees of, 194. + + + Quail, Egyptian, 79. + + Quincy, Josiah, 121, 122. + + + Radowitz, Herr von, 363. + + Rafail Meir Panisel, 83. + + Railroads, complaints against, of + discrimination, etc., investigated by Hepburn Committee, 35; + and the Interstate Commerce law, 186, 187. + + Railway Labor Arbitration Board, jurisdiction of, 199; + membership of, 200; + _S._ chairman of, 200; + hearings and decision of, in matter of Eastern roads and their + employees, 200-203. + + Ramazan, month of, 59, 276, 277. + + Rampolla, Cardinal, 347, 348, 349. + + Reading, Rufus D. Isaacs, Earl, 410. + + Reclus, Jean Jacques, 144. + + Reconstruction, why being halted, 429, 430. + + Reed, Mr., at Madrid, 365. + + Reid, Whitelaw, 128, 304. + + Reis Effendi, 87. + + Republican Party disrupted in 1910, 309. + + Republicans of New York offer to nominate _S._ for Governor, 319; + why they did not, 319, 320. + + Revolution of 1848, 4. + + Reynolds, James B., 393. + + Rhind, Charles, 87. + + Ribot, Alexandre, 409. + + Riddle, John W., 133, 134, 172, 173. + + Riega, Celso G. de la, on the birthplace and ancestry of Columbus, + 368, 369. + + Rifaat Pasha, Minister of Foreign Affairs, 276, 277, 278, 283, 294. + + Robert College, _S._ presides at Commencement exercises of, 66, 67; + 57, 76, 77, 297, 299. + + Robinson, Corinne (Roosevelt), 247. + + Robinson, Geoffrey, 374. + + Robinson, Stewart, death of, 247. + + Rockwood, photographer, and Cleveland, 117. + + Rodin, Auguste, 360. + + Rome, _S._'s visits to, 158, 159, 344-349; + modernization of, by Mayor Nathan, 346. + + Roosevelt, Alice, quoted, 179; 209. + And _see_ Longworth, Alice (Roosevelt). + + Roosevelt, Mrs. Alice Lee, 179. + + Roosevelt, Archie, 188, 275, 394. + + Roosevelt, Mrs. Edith Carow, her character, 177; + and the Kaiser's invitation, 287, 288; 174, 188, 209, 244, 245, 247, + 255, 274, 275, 323, 387, 395. + + Roosevelt, Ethel, 188, 275. + And _see_ Derby, Ethel (Roosevelt). + + Roosevelt, George E., 323. + + Roosevelt, Kermit, _S._ attends his marriage to Miss Willard at + Madrid, 362; 188, 244, 249, 358, 394. + + Roosevelt, Philip, 360. + + Roosevelt, Quentin, death of, 245; 188, 244, 275. + + Roosevelt, Theodore, appoints _S._ to Hague Tribunal, 164, 165, 208; + and the Kishineff massacre, 171-173; + and the Alaskan boundary question, 173, 174; + and the Venezuelan dispute, 174; + and the Panama revolution, 174-176; + divers personal traits and characteristics, 176, 177, 179, 180, + 181, 192, 193, 208, 215, 256, 289, 309; + quoted on _S._, 178; + his attitude toward Jews, 179, 180; + quoted on discharge of Miller, 181; + his policy with regard to labor, 181, 182, 186; + quoted on religious freedom, 182, 183, 347; + and on Americanism, 183; + on the negro question, 184, 187; + his Annual Message of 1904, 185-187; + favors eight-hour law, 186; + on trusts, 186; + negotiates between Russia and Japan, 188 _ff._; + letter of, to Count Witte, on plight of Jews in Russia, 191; + letter of, to _S._, on Germany's attitude and purposes, 192; + his "kitchen cabinet," 207, 208; + his miscalled "impulsiveness," 208, 256; + preparedness his outstanding characteristic, 208, 256; + his public addresses, 208, 209; + makes _S._ Secretary of Commerce and Labor, 210, 211, 212; + and Japanese immigration, 217 _ff._, 221, 225 _ff._; + reappoints commission on naturalization, 232; + awarded Nobel Peace Prize, 239; + his initial and final distribution of the prize fund, 240, 241; + his parting gift to _S._, 247; + favors Taft for President in 1908, 248, + and uses his influence in that sense, 249; + declines renomination, 249, 250; + proposed African trip, 252, 255; + _African Game Trails_, 252; + invited to lecture at Oxford, 253, 255; + in Taft campaign, 253 _ff._; + letter of, to Bryan, 254; + invited to speak at the Sorbonne, 255, 256; + preparing his Oxford address, 255, 256; + his relation to Taft's success, 256; + his administration again a new era in history of U.S., 257; + his relations with his cabinets, 257; + on Taft's religion, 257-262; + omits motto on gold coins, 262; + assures _S._ of Taft's purpose to reappoint him, 263; + one cause of his break with Taft, 263, 264; + his speech at dinner to Sherman, 265-267; + at the last Cabinet meeting, 267, 268; + at inauguration of Taft, 268-270; + his personal following, 269; + letter of, to _S._, on his reappointment to Turkish Embassy, 274; + _S._ on administration of, 274, 275; + opposition in Congress to his policies, 276; + at Cairo with _S._, 287 _ff._; + on Taft's failure to reappoint _S._ and others to Cabinet, 288; + his address in Cairo, and the murder of Budros Pasha, 288, 289, 291; + why he was not received by Pius X, 289, 290, 348, 349; + policies of, and Taft's administration, 306; + influence of, not dead in 1910, 308; + his attitude toward renomination, 308; + and the "bosses," 309; + appeal of the governors to, 310; + agrees to accept nomination if demanded by people, 310; + his speech at Columbus, O., 310, 311; + did his advocacy of the recall of judicial decisions defeat him? + 311, 312; + his speech at Carnegie Hall, 312, 313; + nominated by Progressives, 313; + letter of, to _S._, and interview, on _S._'s nomination for Governor, + 317-319; + in the campaign, 322-324; + his heroism when shot, 322; + speaks at Madison Square Garden, 323, 324; + letter of, to _S._, 325; + believes in the efficacy of strong armaments to ensure peace, 336; + sends a fleet round the world, 336-338; + on the future of the Progressive Party, 360, 361; + on the probability of the U.S. being involved in the World War, 387; + his offer to raise a division, 388; + criticizes the President, 388, 389, + but is ready to cooperate, 389; + his last illness, death, and funeral, 391-394; + his Nobel Prize address, 395, 397; 166, 187, 213, 214, 216, 222, + 225, 230, 231, 234, 235, 237, 241, 245, 246, 247, 253, 272, + 285, 291, 292, 320, 325, 330, 351, 358, 359, 362, 390, 397. + His _Autobiography_ quoted, 177, 191, 337. + + Roosevelt, Theodore, Jr., 188, 394. + + Roosevelt, William E., 360. + + Roosevelt Pilgrimage, the, 394, 395. + + Root, Elihu, and Japanese immigration, 217, 219, 221; 179, 230, 231, + 236, 237, 258, 265, 335, 336, 339, 349, 393, 394. + + Rosebery, Archibald P., Primrose, Earl of, conversation with, 149, 150. + + Rosen, Baron, 189. + + Rothschild, Alfred, on the Triple Entente, 305, 306. + + Rothschild, Alfred Charles de, Baron, 52. + + Rothschild, Lord, on the Triple Entente, 305. + + Roumania, and the Jews, 80, 81, 303; + restrictions on, and oppression of Jews in, 166, 167; + emigration of Jews from, to U.S., 167-169; + Hay's note to the Powers concerning, and its effect, 169; + relations of U.S. with, 185; + visited by _S._, 300-304. + + Roumeli-Hissar, 57. + + _Round Table, The_, 374. + + Rowe, Leo S., 334. + + Rush, Benjamin, 41. + + Russia, and Russian Jews in Turkey, 80, 81; + and the Jews, 106-108; + laws against Jews in, and the Kishineff massacre, 170, 171, 172, 173; + relations of U.S. with, 185; + and Japan, Roosevelt brings about Portsmouth Conference between, + 188, 189; + Count Witte and the Jews in, 189, 190; + attitude of, toward Turkey, after 1905, 279, 293; + duty of, at outbreak of war, 375, 376, 377; + present conditions in, 411, 417. + And _see_ Great Powers. + + Russian emigrants, and Baron de Hirsch, 95, 96. + + Russo-Japanese War, 180. + + Rustem Pasha, 50, 51. + + Ryan, Thomas F., 264. + + + Sabbatai Zevi, 278. + + Sage, William H., 26. + + Said Pasha, Minister of Foreign Affairs, 58, 85, 86, 99. + + Salant, Samuel, 83. + + Salisbury, Robert Cecil, Marquis of, 123, 148. + + Salmon, Adolph, 52, 53. + + Salmon, Mrs. Adolph, 53. + + Salonica, visited by _S._, 285. + + Samuel, Herbert L., 305, 352, 399. + + Samuel, Mrs. H. L., 305, 352, 399. + + Sapelli, Marquis and Marchioness, 349. + + Savannah Board of Trade, 241, 242. + + Sayce, Archibald H., 289. + + Sazonoff, M., 377, 411, 417, 418. + + Schaeffer, Mr., labor leader, 197. + + Schiff, Jacob H., 96, 106, 168, 189. + + Schurman, Jacob G., 170. + + Schurz, Carl, criticizes appointment of Van Alen, 113; 4, 44, 56, 97, + 122, 192. + + Schuyler, Philip, 150. + + Schuyler, Mrs. Philip, 150. + + Schwab, Gustav H., 237. + + Scipio Africanus, 344. + + Scott, James B., 334, 335, 336. + + Seasongood, Lewis, 106. + + Selamlik, ceremony of, 63, 64, 152. + + Seligman, Isaac, 52. + + Seligman, Isaac N., 189, 345. + + Seligman, Jesse, 96, 106. + + Seligman, William, 55. + + Seligman, Mrs. William, 55. + + Seligman Freres, 55. + + Senate of U.S., refuses to ratify naturalization treaty with Turkey, + 90, 92; + and the Treaty of Paris, 426-429. + + Serbia, claims towns awarded to Roumania, 414. + + Seward, George F., 178. + + Shakespeare, General, 120. + + Sharp, William G., U.S. Ambassador to France, 411, 412. + + Shaw, Albert, 121, 172, 173, 200. + + Shaw of Dunfermline, Thomas, Lord, 398, 399, 415, 416. + + Sheffield, James H., 209. + + Shepard, Edward M., 170, 331. + + Sherman, James S., Roosevelt's speech at dinner to, 265-267; 251, 269. + + Sherman, William T., 53. + + Sherman Anti-Trust Act, 253. + + Sherman Silver Coinage Act, repeal of, 112. + + Short, Dr., 427. + + Sicily, Greek and Roman remains in, 343, 344. + + Sidon, tombs unearthed at, 151. + + Sieghortner, August, restaurant of, 44. + + Sigel, Franz, 4. + + Simon, Sir John, 3. + + Sinaia, summer capital of Roumania, 300 _ff._ + + Sinzheim, Joseph, 3. + + Skibo Castle, 355. + + Slaton, John M., 391. + + Slaton, Mrs. John M., 391. + + Slavery, question of, 12, 13. + + Slaves, condition of, 13. + + Slicer, Thomas R., 331. + + Smiley, Messrs., 333. + + Smith, Charles Emory, 122. + + Smith, Hope, 241. + + Smuts, Jan, sketch of, 408; + _The League of Nations_, quoted, 409. + + Smyrna, 153. + + Solomon, Solomon B., 33. + + Sonnenthal, Adolf von, 133. + + Sorbonne, the, Roosevelt invited to lecture at, 255, 256; + _S._ delivers address at, 421, 422. + + South, the, conditions in, in 1850's, 11 _ff._; + in the Civil War, 15 _ff._ + + South American republics, development of U.S. relations with, 238. + + South Carolina, imports skilled labor, 216. + + Southern Commercial Congress, 244. + + Southerners, white, Roosevelt's attitude toward, 184. + + Spain, strained relations of U.S. with, 122-124; + U.S. at war with, 124; + political conditions in (1910), 361. + + Spanish American Peace Commission, 128. + + Sperry, Admiral, 337. + + Speyer, James, 378, 379. + + Speyer, Mrs. James, 378. + + Spooner, John C., criticizes Roosevelt's policies, 264; 209, 330. + + Spring-Rice, Sir Cecil, and proposed mediation of U.S., 380, 381, + 382, 390. + + Stahl, General, 4. + + Steamboat inspection, 234, 235. + + Stedman, Edmund C., 300. + + Steed, H. Wickham, 415. + + Steele-Maitland, Sir Arthur, 399, 415. + + Stefanovich-Schilizzi, Dmitri, 153. + + Stefanovich-Schilizzi, Paul, _S._ visits, at Athens, 152-154. + + Stein, Adolph, 133. + + Sterne, Simeon, law partner of _S._, 34; + counsel for N.Y. Chamber of Commerce before Hepburn Committee, 35. + + Sterne, Hudson & Straus, 34. + + Sterne, Straus & Thompson, 34, 35. + + Stiassny, Wilhelm, 133. + + Stimson, Henry L., 308, 394. + + Stone, Melville E., 122. + + Stone, Nahum I., 236. + + Stone, Warren S., 239, 240. + + Stratton, Samuel W., 214. + + Straus, Aline, _S._'s daughter, 49, 50, 131, 242, 272, 317. + + Straus, Hermina, _S._'s sister, 9, 10, 14. + + Straus, Isidor, _S._'s brother, in Congress, 112, 115; 2, 9, 10, 11, + 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 29, 31, 36, 43, 48, 96, 117, + 118, 131, 154, 155, 211, 286, 306. + + Straus, Mrs. Isidor, 115, 154, 155, 286. + + Straus, Jacob I, _S._'s great-grandfather, 1, 2, 4, 412. + + Straus, Jacob II., _S._'s paternal grandfather, 1, 2. + + Straus, Lazarus I., _S._'s uncle. + + Straus, Lazarus II., _S._'s father, in the troubles of 1848, 4; + comes to America, 5; + a peddler in Georgia, 5, 6; + settles in Talbotton, Ga., and opens shop there, 6, 7; + joined by his family, 9; + a student of the Bible, 10; + views of, on slavery, 12, 13; + in business in New York, after the Civil War, 20, 21; + his high sense of honor, 21, 22; + quoted, 144; his death, 144; 1, 2, 15, 16, 18, 24, 29, 36, 43. + + Straus, Mildred, _S._'s daughter, 50, 131, 155, 274, 317. + + Straus, Nathan, _S._'s brother, 9, 10, 11, 18, 21, 29, 43, 111, 112, + 118, 131, 374. + + Straus, Oscar S., ancestry, 1, 2; + joins his father at Talbotton, Ga., 8, 9; + religious instruction, 10, 11; + at Collinsworth Institute, 11; + memories of life in the South, 11 _ff._, + and of the Civil War, 15 _ff._, 19; + early schooling in Columbus, Ga., 17, 18; + in New York City, 21 _ff._; + at Columbia Grammar School, 22, 23; + at Columbia College, 25 _ff._; + and Dr. McVickar, 27; + class poet, 28; decides to study law, 29; + in Columbia Law School, 30, 31; + practicing law, 32 _ff._; + helps to organize Young Men's Hebrew Association, 33; + an original poem, 33; + friendship with J. H. Choate, 36; + abandons the law to enter his father's firm, 36; + marries Sarah Lavanburg, 37; + enters politics in N.Y. mayoralty campaign, 38; + in Cleveland-Blaine campaign, 38, 39; + address on the "Origin of the Republican Form of Government," 40, + 41, 120, + published in book form, and translated into French, 41, 42, 365; + suggested for appointment as Minister to Turkey, and recommended to + President Cleveland, 42-44; + favorable attitude of Protestant bodies, and of H. W. Beecher, + 45, 46; + nominated by Cleveland, 46; + impressions of the Clevelands, 48, 49. + The journey to Turkey: in London, 50-52; + interview with Rustem Pasha, 51; + in Paris, 52-56; + General Boulanger, 52-54; + and Munkacsy, 55; + in Vienna, 56; + arrival in Constantinople, 57, 58; + many postponements of audience with the Sultan, 58, 59; + official calls among the diplomatic corps, 60, 61; + life in Constantinople, 61 _ff._; + Selamlik, 63, 64, 152; + and Sir H. D. Wolff, 64; + at Therapia, 65; + presides at commencement of Robert College, 66, 67; + his first audience with the Sultan, to present credentials, 67-69; + negotiations concerning the Mission schools, 71, 72; + visits Palestine, 73; + and the agents of Bible societies, 74; + unofficial dealings with Kiamil Pasha, 77; + in Egypt, 78, 79; + Khedive Tewfik, 78, + and Nubar Pasha, 79; + question of expulsion of foreign Jews from Jerusalem, 80, 81, 82; + and the vali, 82, 84; + at Jerusalem, 82-84; + procures release of Jewish immigrants, 83; + memorial presented to, 83; + question of limitation of sojourn of Jews in Jerusalem, 84-86; + question of Turkish jurisdiction over American citizens under treaty + of 1830, 87-90; + fails to obtain ratification of Treaty of Naturalization and + Extradition, 91, 92; + and Turkey's claim against Baron de Hirsch, 92-94; + declines honorarium, 94; + friendship with the de Hirsches, 95; + assists de Hirsch in organizing his philanthropic work in N.Y., 96; + and the proposed Bagdad railway, 96, 97; + and the proposed excavations in Babylonia, 97-100; + the Sultan's obligation to, 100, 101; + resigns, after Cleveland's defeat, 101, 102; + the question of salary, 102; + farewell audience, 102, 103; + expressions of regret on his leaving his post, 103; + farewell to Turkey, 104. + Reenters business in N.Y., 105; + on committee of protest against treatment of Jews in Russia, + 106, 107; + delegate to Democratic State Convention (1891), 108, 110; + stands for sound-money plank in platform, 110; + letters of Cleveland to, 110, 111; relations with Cleveland, 110; + on the appointment of Van Alen to Italian mission, 113, 114; + letter of Cleveland to, 113; + entertains Cleveland, 114-118; + _Roger Williams, the Pioneer of Religious Liberty_, 119, 120, + 121, 347; + _Development of Religious Liberty in the United States_, 119, 120; + his interest in Roger Williams, 120; + places tablet to him in Charterhouse School, 120, 121; + president of National Primary Election League, 122; + why he voted for McKinley (1896), 122; + consulted by McKinley on Spain and Cuba, 123, 127; + the suzerainty plan, 124; + consulted by McKinley on affairs in Turkey, 124; + appointed Minister to Turkey by McKinley, 124-126; + the appointment favorably received, 126, 127; + and John Bassett Moore, 127, 128; + disapproves sending warships to Turkey, 128; McKinley's confidence + in, 128, 129. + The second mission to Turkey, 130 _ff._; + confers with Hay and others in London, 130, 131; + suggests need of cooerdination and cooperation among representatives + of U.S. in Europe, 132; + and Baroness de Hirsch, 132, 133; + in Constantinople, 133; + his return welcomed by Government officials, 134; + received by the Sultan, 134, 135; + diplomatic colleagues, 135; + and the visit of the Kaiser, 136 _ff._; + negotiations concerning right of American citizens to travel in + Turkey, 139, 140; + and the question of naturalization, 140; + and the question of indemnities due to missionaries 141, 142; + and the Mohammedans of the Sulu Islands, 143 _ff._; + and the admission of American flour, 147; + assists British ambassador in matter of closing of orphanage + schools, 148; + conversation with Lord Rosebery, 149, 150; + secures Dr. Mitchell's services for Madame Tewfik, 151; + visits Stefanovich-Schilizzi, in Athens, 152-154; + at Therapia, 154; + on leave of absence, 155 _ff._; + conversation with Dr. Hertzl on Zionism, 156, 157; + visits Rome, 158, 159; + and Queen Margherita, 158, 159; + reports to Secretary Hay, 159; + resigns his post, 159-161; + commended by McKinley, 160, + who contemplates offering him the State portfolio, 160; + on the granting of independence to the Philippines, 161; + on the open-door policy in China, 161; + commendatory letter of Hay, 162. + His address on "The United States Doctrine of Citizenship and + Expatriation," 163; + appointed member of Hague Court of Arbitration by Roosevelt, 163, + 165, 208; + why he was not appointed by McKinley, 164; + opposes sending punitive expedition against Mohammedans in + Philippines, 165, 166; + prepares brief on condition of Jews in Roumania, 168; + discusses situation of Jews in Russia with Roosevelt and others, + 172, 173; + advises against arbitration of Venezuela dispute by Roosevelt, 174; + interprets the treaty of 1846 with New Granada, 175, 176; + impressions of Mrs. Roosevelt, 177; + the conference societies in Washington, and Roosevelt's + complimentary address, 178; + Roosevelt on attitude of, on Jewish questions, 180; + in the campaign of 1904, 182; + at the conference on Roosevelt's Annual Message (1904), 184-188; + on the eight-hour law, 186; + at conference with Witte and Rosen, at Portsmouth, on the + condition of Jews in Russia, 189, 190; + conversation with Martens, 190; + impressions of Roosevelt's political action, 192, 193; + and the work of the National Civic Federation, industrial + department, 195 _ff._; + on the method of securing permanent industrial peace, 196; + and the Homestead troubles, 197; + result of his studies of the relations between labor and capital, + etc., 199; + on Board of Railway Labor Arbitration, 200-203; + member of Wilson's Industrial Conference (1919-20), 203; + chairman of New York Public Service Commission, 205; + services of, in that capacity, in adjusting labor difficulties, 206. + A member of Roosevelt's "kitchen cabinet," 207, 208; + on Roosevelt's "impulsiveness," 208, 256, + and his public addresses, 208, 209; + invited by Roosevelt to join the Cabinet, 210; + a personal selection, 211; + prepares to quit business, 211, 212; + appointed Secretary of Commerce and Labor, 212; + plans conduct of the Department, 213; + his official staff, 213, 214; + social life in Washington, 214; + his first official dinner-party, 215; + and the importation of skilled labor into South Carolina, 216; + action of, on divers questions relating to immigration, 216 _ff._; + and Japanese immigration on the Pacific coast, 217; + on the naturalization of Japanese, 218, 221; + confers with Root on revision of Executive regulations, 219, 226; + and the visit of General Kuroki, 220; + on anti-Japanese agitation in California, 220; + visits Hawaii, to study the Japanese question, 221-224; + replies to Japanese editors, 223; + confers with Viscount Ishii, 224; + suggests negotiation of new naturalization treaty with Japan, + 226, 227; + gives out statistics of Japanese immigration, 228; + and the head-tax, 230, 231; + and the naturalization laws, 231, 232; + and the exclusion and deportation of criminals and anarchists, + 233, 234; + Roosevelt's comment on leanings of, 234; + and the inspection of passenger steamboats, 234, 235; + orders closing of rivers to salmon fishing, 235, 236; + seeks to establish closer relations between commercial bodies + and the Government, 236; + organizes National Council of Commerce, 237; + recommends extension of Postal Subsidy Act, 237; + complimentary resolution of the Council, 238; + calls conference on cooperation between his Department and labor + organizations, 238; + draws preamble and bill for creating foundation to administer + Roosevelt's Nobel Prize, 240; + made a trustee of the foundation, 240; + addresses on divers subjects, 240; + revisits early homes in the South, 242, 243; + his change of politics, 241; + addresses Southern Commercial Congress on the old and the new + South, 244; + and Quentin Roosevelt, 244; + gives last Cabinet dinner to Roosevelt, 247; + Roosevelt's parting official gift to, 247; + impressions of Taft, 250; + interview with Taft on articles in his brother's paper, 251; + takes part in campaign of 1908, 253, 255; + answers Olney on question of prosecution of trusts, 253; + on sectarian and hyphenated politics, 255; + Roosevelt on Taft's declared purpose to retain _S._ in Cabinet, + 263, 264; + Taft writes of his uncertainty as to retaining him, 267; + at the last Cabinet meeting, 267, 268; + at Taft's inauguration, 268-270. + Banquet to, on returning to New York, 271, 272; + Turkish Embassy offered to, by Taft, with promise of transfer, + 272, 273; + letter of Knox to, 273; + operated on, for appendicitis, 273; + letter of Roosevelt to, on his appointment, 274; + address on "The Spirit of the Roosevelt Administration," 274, 275; + purpose of the address, 275; + in Paris with Mrs. Roosevelt, 275; + in Constantinople, 276; + received by Sultan Mohammed, 276, 277; + diplomatic colleagues, 278, 279; + observes signs of development of Triple Entente, 279; + goes to Cairo, to meet Roosevelt, 285; + at Salonica, 285; + at Athens, 286; + received by King George, 286, 287; + in Cairo with Roosevelt, 287-292; + consulted by Roosevelt on his remarks about the murder of Budros + Pasha, 288; + entertained by Sir E. Gorst, 290, 291; + and Princess Eitel Friedrich, 292; + relations with Chevket Pasha, 292, 293; + advises sale of warship to Turkey, 295; + on Venizelos, 296; + secures exemption of certain institutions from the Law of + Associations, 296; + obtains charter for Syrian Protestant College, etc., 297; + Knox's offensive instructions regarding a shift of activities + from educational to commercial ends, 297, 298; + entertains Vice-President Fairbanks and others, 298, 299; + requests leave of absence, intending to retire, 300; + at Sinaia in Roumania, 300; + conversations with "Carmen Sylva," 300-302, 303, 304; + discusses Roumanian Jewish question with King Carol, 302, 303; in + Vienna, 304; + entertained by Ambassador Reid and others in London, 304, 305; + interview with the Rothschilds, on the Triple Entente, 305, 306; + resigns, 306; + purpose to transfer to another post dropped, 306. + Speaks on "American Prestige" at dinner of N.Y. Chamber of Commerce, + 308; + arouses enthusiasm by mention of Roosevelt, 308; + consulted by Roosevelt on his proposed speech, "The Charter of + Democracy," 310; + objects to recall of judicial decisions, but not to the + breaking-point, 311; + believes that that statement caused Roosevelt's defeat, 311, 312; + made permanent chairman of N.Y. State Progressive Convention, 314; + impressions of the body of delegates, 314; + nominated for Governor by "Suspender Jack," 314-316; + the nomination made unanimous, 317; + letter of Roosevelt to, on his nomination, 317, 318; + Roosevelt's interview on the same topic, 318, 319; + is offered the Republican nomination, but declines for cause, + 319, 320; + in the campaign, 320-322; + fills some of Roosevelt's engagements after the shooting at + Milwaukee, 322; + Roosevelt's commendatory speech at final rally, 324; + letter of Roosevelt to, 325; + on the Progressive organization, 325, 326, + and the result, 326; + attempts to improve arbitration treaties, 330; + speaks on "The Threatening Clouds of War," at reception given him + by the N.Y. Peace Society, 331; + speaks on "World Peace" at dinner of Authors' Club, 331; + at peace meeting in Carnegie Hall, 332; + on the right of expatriation, denied by European countries, 332; + addresses at Naval War College, 332, 333; + chairman of conference at Lake Mohonk (1905), 334; + which resulted in the formation of the American Society of + International Law, 335, 336; + favors repeal of act exempting U.S. coastwise shipping from tolls + on Panama Canal, 338, 339; + urges sending commission to Mexico, 339, 340; + writes in _The Outlook_ on the Italo-Turkish War and the Hague + Treaty, 341; + motor-tour in Algeria and Tunis, 343; + in Sicily, 343; + in Rome, 344-350; + received in audience by Victor Emmanuel, 344, 345; + friendship with Mayor Nathan, 345, 346; + Professor Luzzatti, 346, 347; + interviews with Cardinals Falconio, 347, 348, + and Rampolla, 348, 349; + relations with D. Lubin, 349; + in London, 350-354; + entertained by William Watson, 350, + Sir Charles Henry, 350, 351, 352; + meets Lloyd George, 351; + Sir Rufus Isaacs, 352, + Herbert L. Samuel, 352, + and John Burns, 352, 353; + entertained by the Brittains, 353, + and Earl Grey, 353, 354, 355; + visits the Hampstead Garden Suburb, 353, 354; + entertained by Mr. Carnegie at Skibo Castle, 355; + attends opening of Peace Palace at The Hague, 356, 357; + journeys to Madrid for the marriage of Kermit Roosevelt, 358 _ff._; + meets Kipling in London, 359, + and I. Zangwill, 359; + with Roosevelt in Paris, and travels to Madrid with him, 360; + declared by Roosevelt to be the type of man for U.S. Senator, 360; + on the prospects of the monarchy in Spain, 361; + renews acquaintance with Sir H. D. Wolff, 366, + and von Radowitz, 367; + interview with E. Castelar, 365, 366; + visits Toledo, 366-368. + In Paris, in July, 1914, 370; the difficult journey to London, 370; + the demand for gold, 371; + assists in relieving Americans stranded in London, 371 _ff._; + chairman of the embassy committee, 372; + at Cliveden, with the Astors, 374; + impresses on Sir E. Grey the necessity of making clear Great + Britain's reasons for entering the war, 375; + on Russia's duty to her subjects, 375, 376; + gives out an interview to American correspondents, 376, 377; + with Bernstorff at J. Speyer's, 378; + negotiations with Bernstorff on the possible mediation of the + United States, 378 _ff._; + reports to Bryan thereon, 380; + consults with Spring-Rice + and Jusserand, 380, 381, 382; + said to have been duped by Bernstorff, 382, 384; + defended by Spring-Rice, 382, 383; + Sir E. Grey to, 383; + negotiations result in exposure of German insincerity, 384, 385, 386; + New Year's message (1915), 387; + conversation with Roosevelt on Wilson's course and duty, 387, 388; + urges Wilson to seek cooperation of Taft and Roosevelt, 388, 389; + and the report that Jews in U.S. were anti-Ally, 390-391; + last meeting with Roosevelt, 391-393; + at Roosevelt's funeral, 394. + Chairman of overseas committee of League to Enforce Peace, 396; + confers with Taft, 397; + his associates on the committee, 397; + conversation with Lord Chancellor Birkenhead, 398, 399; + and Sir A. Steele-Maitland, 399; + interview with Leon Bourgeois on additional clauses to the League + Covenant, 400-403, 404; + commended for favorable results of the interview, 403, 404; + attends sessions of Plenary Conference, 405-407, 423, 424; + on Wilson's prestige and leadership, 408; + and General Smuts, 408; + attends session of French Senate, 409; + talk with Pershing, 410, + and with Sazonoff, 411; + praised by Bourgeois, 412; + talk with Lansing, 412, 413; + conferences with divers representatives of Balkan countries, 413, + 414, 418, 419; + at meeting of allied societies for a League of Nations, proposes + resolution regarding free exercise of religion, etc., 416; + reports to Wilson, 416; + Wilson's reply to, 417; + discusses with Bourgeois revised draft of Article XXI, 420, + which is adopted, 421; + letter of Wilson thereon, 421; + address at the Sorbonne, on "America and the League of Nations," 422; + letter of Wilson to, 424; + requested by House to return to U.S., 424, 425; + meets Kerensky, 425, 426; + confers with Wilson on measures to secure ratification of treaty, + 427; + conferences with Senators on reservations, 427-429; + reflections on the failure of the U.S. to act her part in + world-reconstruction, 429, 430. + + Straus, Percy, 131. + + Straus, Roger W., _S._'s son, in Siberia, 392, 397; 131, 152, 299, + 318, 354, 378. + + Straus, Mrs. Roger W., 394. + + Straus, Salomon, _S._'s maternal grandfather, 1, 2, 9. + + Straus, Sara, _S._'s mother, 2, 9, 10, 13, 14, 21. + + Straus, Sarah (Lavanburg), decorated by Abdul Hamid, 104; + and William II, 137, 138; 46, 48, 49, 50, 53, 56, 58, 94, 96, 99, + 111, 115, 131, 136, 211, 214, 215, 242, 245, 247, 274, 275, + 285, 290, 298, 316, 318, 321, 337, 343, 345, 348, 353, 354, + 360, 362, 365, 374, 378, 394, 409. + + Straus, Sissy, 131. + + Straus, L., & Sons, _S._ becomes a member of, 36, 37. + + Straus family, the, comes to America, 9; + at Talbotton, 9-17; + at Columbus, Ga., 17-20. + + Strauss, Lewis L., 418. + + Strauss, Paul, 409. + + Striker, Miss, 294. + + Strong, William L., 121. + + Sublime Porte. _See_ Turkey. + + Sullivan, Algernon S., 40. + + Sultan's mosque, the, 63. + + Sulu Islands, Mohammedans of, submit to U.S. army, 143-146. + + Sulzburger, Solomon, 170. + + Sulzer, William, 320. + + Supreme Court of the U.S., and the trusts, 186, 187. + + "Suspender Jack," _See_ McGee, John C. + + Sussex, the, sinking of, 389. + + Suttner, Baroness Bertha von, 304. + + Syria, mission schools in, closed, 71. + + Syrian Protestant College, 36, 297, 299. + + + Taft, Charles P., 251. + + Taft, Hulbert, 251. + + Taft, William H., favored by Roosevelt for President, 248, 249; + nominated, 250; + his qualifications, 250; + his contagious laugh, 250; + overshadowed by Roosevelt in campaign, 254, 255; + elected, 256; + his chief source of strength, 256; + his religion, attempt to make it an issue, 257; + Roosevelt's letter to Dixon thereon, 258-262; + his failure to reappoint _S._, and others to the Cabinet, 263, 264, + 267, 288, 292; + his address to Ohio Society, 264; + signs of departure from Roosevelt's policies, 264; + suggests to _S._ embassy to Japan, 267; + his inauguration, 268-270; + offers _S._ Turkish mission, 272, 273; + _S._'s relations with, 272; + rumors of break with Roosevelt, 275; + growing rift between his administration and Roosevelt's policies, 306; + his position in 1912, 309; + the Winona speech and the Norton letter, 309; + and a League of Nations, 397; + and the Covenant of the League, 413; 166, 183, 185, 186, 222, 231, + 239, 253, 265, 309, 394, 402, 419, 421. + + Taft, Mrs. W. H., 270. + + Talaat Bey, 278, 282. + + Talbotton, Ga., _S._'s father settles in, 6 _ff._; + the Straus family at, 9 _ff._; + revisited by _S._, 243. + + Tammany Hall, 320. + + Tanaka, Captain, 220. + + Tardieu, Andre, 414. + + Tchaikovsky, Nicolas, on sending food into Russia, 422, 423; + on Lenin and Trotzky, 423. + + Tcheragan (Turkish Chamber of Deputies), burning of, how regarded, 299. + + Tewfik Pasha (Mohammed), Khedive, 78, 79. + + Tewfik Pasha, Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, 134, 140, 141, 142; + and the closing of British orphanages, 148; 151, 173. + + Tewfik, Madame, attended by Dr. Mitchell, 151. + + Tezkirahs (passports), 139, 140. + + Thackeray, W. M., 120. + + Theotocopuli, Dominico, 367. + + Therapia, 65. + + Thomas, J. H., 415. + + Thompson, Daniel G., law partner of _S._, 34. + + Tilden, Samuel J., 33. + + _Times, The_, on _S._ as mediator, 382; 148. + + Toledo, Spain's objects of interest in, 367, 368. + + Tombs unearthed at Sidon, 151. + + Toombs, Robert, 19, 20. + + Trade unions, organization of, 194. + + Treaty of Paris, measures to secure ratification of, by Senate, 46-49; + reservations offered, 427, 428. + + Trent, William P., 331. + + Triple Entente, development of, 279; 305, 306. + + Tripoli, treaty of U.S. with, 145. + + Trotzky, M., 423. + + Trumbull, Frank, 378. + + Trusts, question of, 186, 187. + + Tucker, Henry H. G., 178. + + Tunis, 343. + + Turkey, mission to, 42 _ff._; + _S._ thrice appointed minister or ambassador to, 46, 124 _ff._, + 272, 273; + his arrival in, 57-59; + negotiations about mission schools in, 70 _ff._; + hostility to missionaries in, 74, 75; + negotiations concerning persecution of Jews in, 83 _ff._; + permanent settlements with impossible, 86; + interpretation of treaty of 1830 with, 87 _ff._; + treaty of 1862, 88, 89; + slight regard of, for terms of treaties, 89; + Treaty of Naturalization and Extradition, 90-92, 140, 141; + claim against de Hirsch, 92-94; + proposal to send warships to, 128; + U.S. mission to, authorized to be raised to embassy, 134, 135, 150; + _S._'s negotiations concerning passport regulations in, 139, 140; + and the question of indemnities to missionaries, 141, 142; + question of shipments of flour to, 147, 148; + _S._ resigns as minister, 161, 162, + his reception on his third appointment, 276, 277; + the government of Young Turks, 277, 278; + German influence in, 279; + promises Germany the concession for building railroad to Bagdad, 279; + attitude of Russia toward, 279; + effect on, of mutual jealousy of the Great Powers, 280; + Chevket Pasha on conditions in, and attitude of Powers toward, 293; + and the Crete affair, 293 _ff._: + U.S. refuses to sell warship to, 294, 295; + buys one from Germany, 295; + Italy's war on, 340, 341; + proposed mandate of U. S. over, 410. + And _see_ Law of Associations, Young Turks. + + Turks, the, characteristics of, 62. + + Turull, Enrique de Arribas y, on the ancestry and nationality of + Columbus, 369. + + + Uhler, George, 234. + + "Union and Progress," party of. _See_ Young Turks. + + United States, treaty of 1830 with Turkey, interpretation of, 87 _ff._; + treaty of 1862 with Turkey, 88, 89; + treaty of Naturalization and Extradition, 90-92, 140, 141; + attitude of, toward Sulu Mohammedans, 144, 145; + Roosevelt's administration the beginning of a new era in history + of, 257; + attitude of toward international affairs, 327, 328; + and the Hague Peace conferences, 328; + effect on, of sending fleet round the world, 337, 338; + proposed mediation of, at outbreak of World War, 378 _ff._; + hopes of bringing about a peace conference between belligerents, + 386, 387; + and the mandate for Turkey, 410; + responsibility of, for withholding cooperation in + world-reconstruction, 429, 430. + + University of Pennsylvania, confers honorary degree on _S._, 160. + + Ure, Sir Alexander, 351. + + + Vacaresco, Helene, 405. + + Vali, the, of Jerusalem, 82, 83, 84. + + Van Alen, James J., and the Italian mission, 113, 114. + + Van Dyke, Henry, 119, 331. + + Van Hise, Charles R., 200, 201. + + Van Karnebeek, Dr., 357. + + Van Karnebeek, Jonkheer, 357. + + Van Rensselaer, Henry, 25. + + Van Swinderen, Mr., 357. + + Van Tetz, Baron and Baroness, 65. + + Van Valkenburg, E. A., 395. + + Vanderbilt, William K., 97. + + Vanderlip, Frank A., 378. + + Vanderlip, Mrs. F. A., 378. + + Vandervelde, M., 416. + + Varna, to Constantinople, 56, 57. + + "Venetian Palace," _S._'s home in Washington, 214. + + Venezuelan controversy (1902), 174. + + Venizelos, Eleutherios, his rank as a statesman, 296; + maltreated by Greeks, 296; 153, 407, 411, 414, 415, 416. + + Venizelos, Mme., 153. + + Vermilye, Joseph F., 26. + + Very, Rear-Admiral, 224. + + Vesnitch, M., 411, 414. + + Victor Emmanuel II, 46. + + Victor Emmanuel III, Roosevelt received by, 290; + _S._ received by, 344, 345, 349. + + Victoria, Queen, Jubilee of, 66. + + Vienna, _S._'s visits to, 56, 156, 304. + + Villard, Henry, 97. + + Vivian, Henry, 354. + + + Wadhams, William H., 400. + + Wadsworth, James W., 209. + + Wald, Lillian M., 393, 425. + + Wallace, Lew, 43. + + Ward, John E., 31. + + Ward, William H., 97. + + Washburn, George, President of Robert College, 66, 69; + _Fifty Years in Constantinople_, 76; 75. + + Washington, Booker T., entertained by Roosevelt, 184, 187. + + Washington, George, 41, 183, 258. + + Washington, Rev. George, 66. + + Washington Conference on Limitation of Armaments (1921), 229, 230. + + Watchorn, Robert, 168, 216. + + Watson, William, why he missed the laureateship, 350. + + Weardale, Philip J. Stanhope, Baron, 377. + + Weber, John B., 107. + + Webster, Charles B., 115. + + Webster, Daniel, 17, 258. + + Westminster, Hugh R. A. Grosvenor, Duke of, 148. + + Westminster Hall, John Burns on, 353. + + _Westminster Review_, 51. + + Wheeler, Everett P., 334. + + White, Andrew D., _Autobiography_, 328 _n._, 356; 132, 138, 237, + 331, 334. + + White, Edward D., 128, 300. + + White, Henry, 405, 423. + + White, Horace, 308. + + White, Sir William A., British ambassador to Turkey, 60, 65, 72, 74, + 85, 132. + + White, Lady, 60. + + White House, luncheons at, in Roosevelt's day, 176, 177; + Christmas tree at, 245; + New Year's reception at, 245, 246; + official functions at, 246. + + Whitman, Charles S., 205. + + Whitney, Traverse H., 205. + + Whitney, William C., 113, 114. + + Wighe, Mr., labor leader, 197. + + Wilhelmina, Queen, 356, 357. + + Willard, Daniel, 200, 203. + + Willard, Joseph, 358, 362. + + Willard, Miss, marries Kermit Roosevelt, 358, 362. + + Willcocks, Sir William, 299. + + William II, German Emperor, visit of, to Constantinople, 136-139; + his visit resented by Christians in Turkey, 139; + and Zionism, 157; + and Mrs. Roosevelt, 287, 288; 247, 279, 291, 328 _n._, 363, 385. + + Williams, Aneurin, 415. + + Williams, Roger, _S._ places memorial tablet to, in Charterhouse + School, 120, 121, 347. + + Wilson, George G., 334. + + Wilson, James, 240. + + Wilson, James H., 19. + + Wilson, William L., 112, 126, 127. + + Wilson, Woodrow, reappoints _S._ on Hague Court, 165, + and Panama Canal tolls, 338, 339; + his offer to act as mediator at outbreak of war, 378, 379, 384, 387; + Roosevelt on his proper course, 388, 389; + _S._'s relations with, 338; + _S._ advises him to invite cooperation of Taft and Roosevelt, 389; + objects to proposed additions to draft of League Covenant, 400; + opposes French demand for international army to guard frontier, 403; + address to American correspondents, 404; + in the Plenary Conference, 405-407, 423, 424; + early adoption of Covenant due to, 408; + returns to U.S., 414; + letters of, to _S._, 421, 424; + on the treaty debate and reservations, 427; 203, 322, 402, 416, 417, + 420, 425, 426. + + Wilson, Judge, 56. + + Wise, Stephen S., 390. + + Witte, Count Sergius, and the question of Jews in Russia, 189, 190; + letter of Roosevelt to, 191. + + Wolf, Simon, 171, 173. + + Wolfe, Catherine L., 97. + + Wolff, Sir Henry D., career of, 64; + advises _S._, 65; + in Madrid, 122; + reminiscences of Disraeli, 363-365; 86, 362. + + Wolff, Lady, 362, 363. + + Woodford, Stewart L., U.S. Minister to Spain, and Sir H. D. Wolff, 122; + seeks to avert war, 124. + + Woodruff, Timothy L., 316, 317. + + Woolsey, Theodore S., 334. + + Wordsworth, William, "The Happy Warrior," 119. + + World War, the, outbreak of, 371 _ff._; + Sir E. Grey on Great Britain's reasons for entering, 375, 376; + proposed mediation of U.S., 378 _ff._ + + Wright, Luke V., 264. + + Wu Ting Fang, 160. + + + Yahuda, A. S., 366. + + Yale College Kent Club, 119, 120. + + Yates, William F., 239. + + Yenikeui, _S._'s residence at, 154. + + Yildis Palace, _S._ received in audience at, 66, 67. + + Young Men's Hebrew Association, founded by _S._ and others, 33, 40, 41. + + Young Turks, government of, 277, 278; + fall of their first ministry due to Lynch affair, 280-282. + + Young Women's Hebrew Association, 33. + + Yovanovich, M., 415. + + + Zangwill, Israel, his project concerning the Jews, 359. + + Zionism, Hertzl on, 156, 157. + + Zorn, Professor, 328 _n._ + + + * * * * * + + +Transcriber's note: Punctuation has been normalized and obvious printer +errors have been corrected. Variations in spelling and hyphenation have +been retained. + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Under Four Administrations, by Oscar S. 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