Omaha daily bee., 1902-11-21
VOLCANOES TALK FOR CANAL
Jusserand Says They Speak in Tones Of
Thunder for Panama.
NEW FRENCH MINISTER LOVES AMERICA
Finds Danish Princess Reading Pres
ident RooseveIt's Books, which
He Afterwards Perused with
Deep and Abiding Interest.

PARIS, Nov. 20.-M. Jusserand arrived
here yesterday from Copenhagen on his
first visit to Paris since his appointment
to Washington. He comes now to receive
instructions and arrange for his departure
for Washington, where he expects to ar
rive early in the new year.
Speaking to a reporter tonight he said;
Although 1 have never lived in the
United States 1 feel fairly well acquainted
has brought me into contact with many
Americans and 1 have formed many last
ing Aperican friendships.
M Jusserand said he had kept up his
interest in American affairs more recently
by reading American books, studying the
American system, and by a constant cor
respondence with a number OF we'll known
Americans, two of whom belong to the
faculty Of Columbia university.
Recognize Americas Position.
He referred to the growing Importance
of America in the worlds affairs and said
that throughout Europe the position Of
the United States as a new world power
was everywhere recognized. He thought
this imposed serious trials and RESPONSE
bility on the country and pointed out that,
while the commercial development Of the
United States was marvellous, yet its
intellectual progress was keeping pace
with its material progress. In this con-
nection he cited the new universities and
a personal incident. He had received, he
said, from a comparatively obscure col
lege in the interior OF the United States a
most scholarly criticism on his theory re-
garding the origin of the manuscripts of
vision of Piers Plowman."
M. Jusserand, when asked why Denmark
rpfuspd IN soil tho West Indtnq eaid the
sentiment against any further reduction
Of the Danish dominion operated strongly
against the project, although it was at
first supposed that a universal desire for
the sale existed. The failure brought it's
compensations as the discussion disclosed
clearly that the Danish West Indies would
not go to any other power than the
United States.
The failure was also to some extent an
evidence OF personal devotion to the king,
who shared in the sentiment against part
ing with the country's ancient possessions.
Questioned regarding the pending
Franco-American question, M. Jusserand
said he intended to devote his careful at
tention to the reciprocity treaty which was
still pending, and said he saw no reason
why the two countries should not develop
their mutual trade by a more liberal ex-
change of the products which each pro-
duced exclusively. He cited American ma
chinery, raw cotton and petroleum as
articles having no French competition
which could form a basis of exchange
against those French articles which had
no competition in the United States.
Volcanoes Canal Talk.
Concerning the Panama canal, he said
the question had no official status, but he
would continue the friendly efforts Of M.
Cambon on behalf of the company. He de-
clared the most powerful advocates. for
the Panama route were the volcanoes of
Guatemala and Nicaragua, which Kept
speaking in tones of thunder.
He related that on one occasion when
dining with Bret Harte at the Rabalas
club in London the American author ex-
pressed regret that he was unrecognized
in France. NJ. Jusserand assured him that
Frenchmen were familiar with the pc
culiar cadence OF western stories and
proved it by reciting the closing lines of
THE Luck Of Roaring Camp"
Bret Harte repaid the compliment by
saying that when he was a struggling
clerk in California he was impressed by
the dramatic descriptive power of the
elder Dumas and thereafter modelled his
style after that Of the great French
author.
The ambassador spoke Of the pleasure
with which he had read President Roose-
velt's strenuous philosophy and ranch
tales. Those stories were first brought to
his attention during a s%ojourn at the royal
palace near Copenhagen, where Princess
Marie was found perusing the Roosevelt
books and declared them to be most de-
IgobtFuI