The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-04-20

| cident of the kind in the history of the
| United States, though not the first at
| tempt of the kind. and may it be the
last. The attempt referred to occurred
in 1851, when William H. Seward was
secretary of state. The assistant secre-
tary OF state was Hon Frederick w.
Seward, son of the secretary. In lee
ture at Union college lit was one in
the Butterfeld lecture course upon
American diplomacy delivered by Mr..
Seward, in November, 1892, he described
this attempted mediation or interview
ton. Said he:
Early in the war it was learned,
through the legation at St Petersburg.
that Great Britain and France had
agreed to take one and the same course
en- the subject OF the American war,
including the possible recognition of the
rebels Later this understanding was
distinctly avowed by NJ. Thouvenel, the
French minister of foreign affairs. This
alliance for joint action might dictate
it's own terms. From a joint announce
ment of neutrality it would be only g
step to joint mediation or interview
ton; and it was hardly to be antlcl-
pated that the Washington government,
struggling with an insurrection which
had rent the country asunder, would be
willing to face also the combined power
of the two great empires of western
Europe To the minds of French and
English statesmen the project was even
praiseworthy. 1t would stop the eff
fusion OF blood and increase the sup
ply of cotton. 1t would leave the Amer
lean Union permanently divided, but
that was a contamination that Euro
pean statesmen in general would not
grieve oVe-.
On the morning of the 18th of June, a
scene occurred at the state department
which had more influence on the for
tunes of the Union than even a pitched
battle. The secretary was sitting at
his table, reading dispatches, when the
messenger announced:
THE British minister is here to see
you, sir, and the French minister also"
Which came first?"
Lord Lyons, sir; but they say they
both want to see you together"
Seward instinctively guessed the mo-
tive for so unusual diplomatic pro-
ceeding. He paused a moment, and
then said:
Show them both into the assistant
secretary's room. and l will come in
presently
A few minutes later, as the two min
listers were seated side by side on the
tary entered. Smiling and shaking his
head. he said:
No, no, MOI This will never do. l
cannot see you in that way"
The ministers rose to greet him.
True" said one, ut is unusual, but
we are obeying our instructions"
And, at least" said the other, you
will allow US to state the object of our
visit"
NO" said Mr. Seward, I'VE must
start right about it. whatever ii is. NJ.
MERCER, will you do me the favor TO
come and dine with me this evening?
Then we can talk over your business
at our leisure. And if Lord Lyons will
step into my room with me now, we
Will discuss what he has to say TO
me-"
IF you refuse to see us together"
began the French envoy, with a courte-
Gus smile and shrug.
Certainly, 1 do refuse to see you to-
gether, though l will see either of you
separately, with pleasure, here or else
where
So the interviews were held sever
ally, not jointly; and the papers which
they had been instructed to jointly pre-
sent and formally read to him were left
for his informal inspection. A very
brief examination of them only was
necessary to enable him to say cOur-
teously, but with decision, that he de-
clined to hear them read or to receive
official notice of them. Writing to the
United States ministers at London and
Paris, he said: We shall insist, in this
case as in all others. on dealing with
each of these powers alone, and their
agreement to act together will not at
all affect the course we shall pursue
This government is sensible OF the i'm
portance of the step it takes in declin-
ing to receive the communication in
question:
The projected Intervention, thus
thwarted in the first year of the war.
was again and again attempted in
some different form during each sue
ceeding year. At one time the plan
was seriously discussed in the imperial
councils ar Paris of putting forward
some small power, like Belgium, to
pick a quarrel with the United States,
and then the two great empires, sud
denly espousing that side of the con-
troversy, would be able jointly to crush
the American government. thus drawn
into trap.
Secretary Sherman might do we'll to.
put in some of his leisure time in post
ing himself on precedents in American