Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-11-03
Former Secretary ], v. Fosters Book
on international Dealings.
A CENTURY OF AMERICAN DIPLOMACY
Remarkable Development of World
Relationships Traced.
THE MONROE DOCTRINE

One of the latest historical publications
and, according to more than one standard
of judgment, one of the most important for
long period, is "A Century of American
Diplomacy" by John w. Foster, formerly
Secretary of State. This work. published
by Houghton, Miff1in & Company of Bos-
ton, is, as its subtitle indicates "a brief re-
view of the foreign relations of the United
States, 1776-1S76."
Of recent years conservative Americans
have awakened to the fact that the United
States had acquired world stature and
that 1t had begun to WELD an influence for
good in the international adjustments In
short, it had become, in the full sense of the
word, a power. Having been engrossed for
decades with domestic affairs, starting with
| a struggle for independence, and reaching
climax with struggle for preservation,
the diplomatic relations of the young nation
had been of such an incidental character
that they did not impress themselves upon
the consciousness of the average American
True, one or two declarations had acquired
wide notoriety, and had served to attract
| momentary attention by the powers of
Europe to the growing community on these
shores. But there was so much to do with
in the boundaries that the diplomacy of the
republic was regarded as of secondary i'm
Dortance
Nevertheless, it was developing decisively,
and after century of national existence it
had impressed itself upon the world and
for the worlds good. The story of that
century of diplomacy is an instructive
heartening, valuable one. Told by such an
authority former Secretary of State,
with wealth of diplomatic experience and
fortified by abundant research it becomes
of prime Importance in the historical rec
ords of the Union. 1t brings to fresh TO-
Gus the circumstances which have applied
to evolve this country to its present stature
as a power, and to barricade it behind an
| unbroken front of principles, which stand
for the best there is in Americanism.
The School of Diplomacy.
Mr. Fosters book is the outcome of lee
lures which he has delivered in the School
of Diplomacy of the Columbian University
incidentally, it adduces the value of that
institution, which was recently inaugurated
| as an experiment in education. 1t is fair
to note IN this connection that the volume
| is the best token of success the school could
| boast If it exists only to the end that such
| lectures and works will grow out of its ne
cessltleS and activities it will have more
| than justified its Inauguration. If, in addi-
] tlon, II succeeds in training the thought of
young students toward the science of di-
| plomacy, an advance may be made toward
the ideal of trained body of American dip
| lomats, who shall carry the prestige of the
nation abroad, even to greater heights than
Mr. Fosters book shows it to have been al
ready advanced.
| The history of the American diplomatic
| achievements is told chronologically in the
main. A notable exception to this rule
| ours in the treatment of the Monroe doc
! trine, which demands that the threads of
this tendency toward a principle of self
preservation be gathered into one fabric
rather than be scattered throughout the
warp and woof of the whole record. The
chronological method permits a view of the
| successive developments in the diplomacy
| of the. nation, the trend Of necessities the
| republic found Its PAGES, the successive tn
| fluence of men and measures upon inter-
national affairs. 1t allows the author, too,
to avoid discussion of purely domestic
affairs to a greater extent than though he
considered all phases of the subject TOPICAL
| ly.
The panorama of international dealings
| thus unrOlled shows first a group of revolt
ing colonies, with urgent need of foreign
| aid. 1t shows the successful efforts of DR..
Franklin and his colleagues in France, tells
temporarily and fairly of the dissensions
which at times threatened the negotiations
with entire failure and finally discloSes the
| first material triumph of American diplo-
macy in the negotiation of the treaty of
peace which distinctly recognized the colon
| les as an Independent government and thus
precluded the possibilities of a reaction to-
| ward dependence upon England.
One of the most interesting phases of the
work. following this story of the revolu-
! ton, is that relating to the decadence of
| the confederation, the falling of American
| diplomatic prestige in consequence and
! the adoption of the Constitution, with
| its immediate effect for good upon the
early Presidents with arrogant foreign
| ministers are narrated, and Mr.. Foster does
not hesitate to lay the blame for indscre
| tons and folies upon American statesmen
! when he finds them guilty. There was
| much to reprove in those early days, much
to palliate in view of the newness of the
American authority and the perpleXities of
the time.
The Louisiana Purchase.
| Proceeding to later times Mr.. Fosters
| record he Of
| 1872 and the unfortunate failure of the
| negotia tors, through stubborn circum-
| stances, to secure at the close of that strug-
| gle a definite establishment of the Ameri
can doctrine against impressment and
! search at sea. Meanwhile the purchase Of
| Louisiana by jefferson had marked an era
| in our affairs, and had constituted the first
| advance from the original territorial linn
itations of the original colonies. Mr.. FoS-
ter does not refer in the entire course of his
| book to the problems presented at the pres
| ent time by the acquisition of distant
| Islands in pursuance of the traditional pol
| icy of expansion He notes, however, that
| opposition to territorial enlargement was
| common in the earliest times. When the
| Louisiana purchase price was asked from
! the House the opposition adduced earnest
| arguments why this area would be useless
| and dangerous to the welfare of the coun-
| try. The leader of the federalists in the
House declared that the vast and unman-
! ageable extent which the accession of
| Louisiana will give to the United States
threatens, at distant day, the subver-
| sion of the Union"
| Mr.. Foster says of President Jefferson's
| achievement
| I'm seeking to relieve the wants of the
| west for free outlet % the ocean he found
the situation of European politics present.
ed a rare chance for American expansion,
and he did not hesitate To embrace the OPP
| portunity. 1t was fortunate for the future
| of America that we had lat the head of af-
| fairs man of such broad views of our
| country's future. less able President,
| with the same views entertained by JEFF
| ferson as to the uncons,itutionality of the
measure, would have put aside the oppor-
| tunity. Jefferson put aside his precon-
ceived views to the fundamental law or
subordinated them to the will of the ma
| F1-{ MORE OF