The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-08-31
fIFT OF THE REPUBLIC.
- passETT MooRE's BAR Asso-
CATION PAPER READ.
-. "A Hundred Years of Amcri-
- Dip1omacy"-An Interesting
aeettsI Of Diplomatic History of
a. unfted states for q Century.

I'm OF the twenty-tnlfd ennual meet
= n the American Bar Association the
.-,mai address was delivered by George
peck. OF Chicago, who spoke on THE
s.,eh OF the Constitution"
yohn Bassett Moore, OF New York. pre-
l. .,rssd an abstract OF "A Hundred Years
3 American Diplomacy" He said:
"a century and quarter ago the thir-
s.sr united colonies were declared 10 pos
- As Independent states. full power TO
~ war, conclude peace. contract alli-
ssrS< establish commerce, and 70 do all
~ber acts and things which independent
rxtfs may OF right do During the period
s.t has since elapsed there have been
.esst mutations in the worlds political
IA moral order. To these changes the
rated States, as the exponent OF the
atse Of free government. free commerce
ia free seas has Largely contributed. The
sssundations OF It's foreign policy were laid
. 4 the early days OF the republic, by the
. mai men who gave TO the government its
s1rnal form and purpose. Prior 10 l7ss.
| 1scl, the United States had entered into
fourfesn treaties. covering a wide range
. & subjects. such as peace and war. po-
F Ticai alliance. pecuniary loans, CONNER
Al Intercourse. and the rights Of con-
mIa Among their various stipulations we
6nd provisions for liberty Of conscience,
~ ABOLITION Of the disabilities of alienH,
Ascutes and the mitigation Of the evils
dear. Not only were some Of these pro-
ystns In advance OF the international
~ Of the time. but the proposals OF the
sancs Of Its. treaties, one Of the great
sbiects at which II aimed was the aboii-
iIon ~ the system OF discriminating duties
ihen in vogue. and the breaking down OF
~ narrow and short sighted policy under
which the European powers sought 70
mwrve 20 themselves an exclusive trade
With their several colonies. These OBJ
<cts. though slowly accomplished, were
+. - 80 -
particularly the abolition OF discriminat-
Ing duties.
struggle for Neutrality.
Soon after the organization OF per-
manent government under the constitu-
iion. there began the great struggle con-
ferning neutrality, whose concluding
chapter may be found only IN the treaty
Of Washington OF 1871 and the arbitration
1t Geneva. The contest. which arose IN
The early stages Of the first general Eu-
revolution. was found 10 involve both the
maintenance Of neutral rights and the
performance OF neutral duties, and neith-
sr had ever been clearly and comprehen-
lively defined, II fell 70 the United states
% define them and 70 place them on n
permanent foundation. In the correspon~
dance that took place IN iIs3, between
Mr. Jefferson, who was then secretary OF
rtate, and MFR. Genet. the French minis
ter; In the instructions issued in August
~ the same year. nv Alexander Hamll-
ton, secretary of the treasury. 10 the
collector OF customs, and IN the net az
congress ~ June s. i7oi. passed on the rec-
~ the president. the du-
Ties ~ neutrality rerc set fort1 with
certainty md precision never before at
tempted. This policy. which was thus in
nug,rnted, and which has been confirmed
by nnhaeauent Legislation and diplomacy,
Il acknowledged 10 have formed an epoch
IN the development ofsfnterna'ianai law.
Ncatrsl Rights.
"The struggle for neutral rights orisi-
rated In the same great Europeal CON
trail duties. Roth Great Britain and
France issued belligercnt orders and te-
trnis were subjected % uncomfortable bur
aens Fer tho losses thus suffered conn
was obtained from Great Brit
ain. while with France there arose the
state ~ limited war tina existed from iltH
to 1901. Hut. after the breach Of the
peace OF Amicna the dspredatiors on
neutral commerce were renewed with In
creased violence The British orders in
sued by Napoleon NJ Berlin and Milan
h 1908 and 1907. with their bald eswer-
tons ~ parer biockades and sweeping
deae h q 'he rias's ., nen,,sl,y were
with emhnrsoes, with nnn-lntercourse
ard finally, In the case OF Great Britain
which was complicated with the uues-
ilnn q impreasment. with war while
was afterwards obtained nv treaty, The
rretensions against which the United
E,atsr rrotertcd are no longer justified on
lsRal grounds pRper hiockades are uni
sernatiy condemned The right ~ neu-
trails 20 carry 90 nonscantrabana trade
with heiliEereniE r. acknowledged. The
claim az imprNsEment Ia no longer AS
serted.
search on High seas.
with the cinim ~ impressment was as
soclated the question 81 visitation and
search on the hiEh seas The United
States white eoncedlnE the existence ~
time ef peace. In 1855 this position was
unanipinuslY affirmed by a resolution %
the senate After the passage Of this
resolution said Mr. Fish. NJ secretary
hriteln formally recognized the princl-
PIC thus announced. and other maritime
Powers and writer's on International law,
sli assert n
while maintaining the freedom ~ tho
seas the United States has also contend
~ Tor the free navigation ~ the natural
ehanuFls hv which they are connected,
Such was is position IN tho case ~ the
Danish sAuud dues Reasoning hy analogy.
Y has applied the same principle 70 arti.
nciAl channels. In iSea Mr. CLAW, a. see
ietarN " state, declared that " a canal
y rnlso The Atlantic ana Pacific oceans
shnpla ever be constructed, the henohts
~ u ought not 10 b. exclusively npnrn-
friairH "a snv ore nation. but should ha
vhtNntirst 70 MI parts ~ the globe upon
ihs raymrrf ~ n first CONDENSATION rr
fsasonahle tolls The same pFlnclrie
was approved hv che senate IN lS15 aud
W the house IN iSsa and was incnrrn-
rated IA the CLAYTON Rulwer treaty in
" ~ 4 embodied IN tho pending NaV-
INareefo,e treafy, II forms the haais %
ne treaty concluded AZ Ccusfanttaopte
" iSS, between the loading maritime
rawsrs 81 Europe. IN relation 10 the suer
THE United states has also rnntenasd
~ the free navigation ~ international
rivers ard has secured the Insertion %
'a's principle IN several - It's treaties
Monroe Doctrine,
While the struggle FOR neutral rights
Vas n progress the Spanish colonies IN
amerlce began. enc after another fa de-
slafc their Independence. w this uove-
nsnt TIRE United States instfnctivelv f-it
: essn concern and IA lSs3 President N "a.
~, M0fFa tV the apprehension that the
lNwere forming the ttniy AtiAuce would
,HtstFene o. restore thr reNnitsA colonies
,S NgaiH. declared IN his annual message
ga any attempt on tho part - the allicd
eeNtfs - extend tNeiT system 60 any pr
uNa q this hemisphere wcula BE- eaueid-
sftl as dangerous 90 our peace and
s@te,s ava that any interpoSisiou hy
Any knroreAa powers On the Affairs nf the
kgSsrntnents whose independence We sad
\ .An0wiedNet for the purpose ~ cypress
~ tsena or controlling 81 any other man
tnslr destiny could DO viewed IN NO