The Irish standard., 1905-05-20
from the Secretary of State, who, in
turn, presumably, was endeavoring to
please his friend, John Bassett

please his friend, John Bassett
Moore. '...,
The immediate result of the activ-
ity of this government in behalf of
the asphalt trust was to inflame Of
ficial cupidity in Europe and lead
several powers to send warships to
the coast of Venezuela to enforce sud-
denly conceived demands for the pay
ment of lot of debts which every
body believed were non-c -collectible.
The Europeans reasoned that if the
United States could afford to become
collector for the disreputable asphalt
trust in matter which was pending
in the courts of Venezuela they could
equally afford to become collectors of
obligations held by their subjects, and
most of which were admitted to be
legal liabilities.
"The influence of Moore has been
sufficient for at least four years to
keep the asphalt matter in the fore.
ground of Washington diplomacy
Secretary Hay has never ceased his
efforts to harrass the South American
republic and it's officials. He pushed
the affair to such an acute extreme
that declaration of war against
Venezuela was considered, and prob
ably would have been made if the Sec
r0f fra arXy'S hao1fb ho TN, &,
leave the country at an opportune
time
"The recent Bowen-Castro episode,
in the opinion of number of Sena-
tors would have proved to be unfor-
tunate to everything concerned if
Hay had been in Washington when
the first news of Castro's alleged in
sulting letter was received. President
Roosevelt, who knew nothing about
the matter, except what he had
learned from Secretary Hay, was dis.
posed to handle Castro without gloves,
but he consented to turn the whole
subject over to Secretary Taft for in
vestigation and adjustment.
Secretary Taft promptly began an
investigation OF the records apper-
tanning to the Venezuelan imbroglio
these furnished him a great deal of
information, but he obtained much
more from Assistant Secretary OF
State Loomis. The Secretary of War
was not long tracing the influence of
John Bassett Moore, the international
lawyer, through all the moves that
had been made by order of Secretary
Hay. The records disclosed, more
over, that the Secretary of State had
repeatedly taken steps in the direc-
ton of compelling an accounting from
Castro that We're not reported to the
President.
president Roosevelt, who saw
some portions of the record just be
tore he left for the West last month,
was amazed and chagrined at the in
eXplicable conduct of his Secretary
of State. He agreed with Secretary
raft that the thing to do was to recall
Bowen, send another Minister to Cara
cas-, and begin a new deal so far as
the affair of the asphalt company was
concerned. Bowen FASTENED his re-
call by charging his predecessor, Mr..
l4oomis, with having cashed an
asphalt company's check for $4,000,
but even il he had not forwarded that
charge to the department he would
nave been recalled before June l.
THE President and Secretary Taft
are both anxious to learn from Bowen
now far he has been guided in his
open hostility to Castro by the advice
of John Bassett Moore.
"Moore's best achievement, from
his own standpoint. was his masterful
handling of the affair with San Do
mingo in it's incpiency. He initiated
II plan to make the United States gov
ernment the collector of a debt
amounting to S4,500,000 which Santo
Domingo owed the Santo Domingo
Development Company of New York
He had an agent authorized to make
the collection in behalf OF this govern
ment and actually secured s37,500 for
his clients before word concerning
the agreement reached the Senate or
the public.
Senators who are familiar with the
details of this particular bit of his
tory say without hesitation that it
was the most audacious bit of diplom-
attic fine work that was ever accom-
plished.
THE most extraordinary feature of
this affair is President Roosevelt's in
ability to remember having appointed
the agent who was authorized to rep
resent this government in Santo Do,
mingo. His name was Abbott and he
nailed from New Jersey. Presumably
he was selected by John Bassett
Moore.
Company is a corporation composed
for the most part of New York poll
tlcians. It's president is Smith Weed.
AS long ago as January, 1908, Moore
came to Washington and persuaded
Secretary Hay to take steps to collect
the company's claim against the re-
public of Santo Domingo.