The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-06-09
ART OF DIPLOMACY.
sPOCHS IN THE HISTORY OF kMERl
CAN PRE5sNTATWES.


Pierce's Great Secretary, william Marc,
Other Instances of Yankee Tact ir
Dealing With Foreign Powers.
tBy Thomas Burl2 Grant.)
1t is the common belief in Europe
that public men in the United States
being called to high Office through the
choice of the people are inferior diplo
mats to the scions OF aristocracy who
are usually trained from youth up.
wards. and for whose order the diplo-
matte service is one of the great Der
quisites OF state. This was the fixed
belief of the English foreign Office un-
I'll the Tories made the mistake Of
hoisting their flag in Nicaragua, and
taking possession of the port of tiny
American State. They no sooner did
this than they were frightened out OF
their right minds by the peremptory
reminder that there was such thina
as the Monroe Doctrine still In exis-
tence In this country. Lest we might
: forget the virtues of arbitration this
happy means of adjusting all differ.
enees was opportunely revived by
them, and not only was arbitration
meritorious in the case of Venezuela
but a large and comprehensive scheme
Of general arbitration was so pertina-
eiously urged that one would suppose
this country would fall apart If it were
not successful.
Since then Great Britain has been to
some extent cured OF the erroneous be-
lief which she formerly entertained
about the improvised diplomacy of the
United States
But that the belief still holds in 9th.
De LONE letter and from the Duke OF
Veraugua's reference to the President,
ana We shall have to teach Spain the
same lesson. Even Bonaparte who
was more of democrat than the other
er parts Of Europe is plain from the
sovereigns of Europe, and whose sale
of Louisiana indicated that he was q
sincere friend Of this country, could
not always repress this prevailing feel.
ing of European court noodles. He
once remarked, referring to Chancel.
Tor Livingston. who was hard of hear.
ing. and to John Armstrong. his sue
tessor. who could not talk French,
''the United States Is represented al
the French Court by deaf and dumb
embassies" The opinions Europeans
entertained about our Ambassadors ex.
rended also to the statesman for whom
the Ambassador spoke usually the
Secretary of State. And whenever an
ney or Sherman outwitted his ollie.
10 eHU elBlS 10 6Ie3eIoeS ueoIIamy
tante European brother he was charg.
ed with using the language of bounce
and of braggadocia, which the super
ior nature of the foreigners did not
pretend to quite understand. Thus
sweet hypocrisy still parried the stun
ming blow; and the practice of this
form Of dissimulation was in his view
one of the fine points of a diplomacy
that Andrew Jackson scotched in his
day, but which Cleveland and OIney
Mckinley and Sherman have forever
made impossible in the relations of the
United States with the chancellories OF
Europe. Correspondence between the
United States and European foreign
Offices will in future be something
more than merely elegant phrasing
and no European statesman like Lord
Salisbury or the late Lord Granville,
will again need five months to answer
the strictly business like letter Of an
American Secretary of State. We have
Americanlzed foreign offices.
Among those statesmen who have
distinguished themselves in this line
in former perllous times are trio
whose achievements present events
seem to recall-Clayton, Marcy and
Seward. John M. Clayton the first oil
these was General Zachary Taylor's
Secretary of State. 1t is to him we are
indebted for the Clayton-Bulwer
treaty which was in 1850 intended as a
defense Of our rights in the 1sthmus
against the rampant Imperialism of
Lord Palmerston, who was then the
terror of all Europe. 1t Is the habit
IN certain quarters now to discount
the services of Clayton, and to say
that the Clayton-Bulwer treaty, which
Mr.. Blaine gave notice Of our In
tention to abrogate, only ties Ameri-
can hands by recognizing the equal
rights of Great Britain In the Nicara-
guam Canal.
But 1t must be remembered that
when the Clayton-Bulwer treaty was
signed. the United States was rent with
the rival factions of slavery and anti
slavery; while England having crush
ed Napoleon was preparing to cope
with Russia in the Crimean War. or
entering upon the fruits of her con-
quests ell over the world. The ques-
tion OF the annexation of Texas had
also occupied the country for num-
Der Of years. and war with Mexico
had just been concluded which addeo
100000 square miles Of territory to the
Union with all the vast responsibilities
such an undertaking means. Daniei
Webster had in quiet, informal way
arranged the Achh,,rton treaty Win