Evening star., 1905-11-04
GIFTS FROM ROYALTY
Many Have Been Received
by Americans.
LITTLE RECIPROCITY
VALUE OF MISS RoosEvELT'f
PRESENTS ovERESTIMATED.
Government Revenues Not Likely to
Be Seriously Affected Whatever Is
Done About the Duties.
BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS.

b1 WILLIAM CUhlio.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record.
Herald.
1t is not probable that the revenues OF
the federal government will be seriously
affected, whatever may be done about the
duties upon the presents which Miss Alice
Roosevelt has received during her visits to
China, Japan and the Philippines. Their
value has been very much overestimated,
and instead of demanding duty upon them
we should be thankful that the President
has such charming daughter and that she
makes favorable an impression wherever
she goes. There is another point of view,
however, and more serious one. II you
will go over to the National Museum. Into
the Corcoran Art Gallery, the Department
of State and the White House, you will
find large number of works Of art, swords.
vases and other articles. which. from time
to time, have been presented to the gov
ernment, to the President or to other per-
sons in authority, by the sovereigns of for
eign nations. But you can search the pal
aces and museums of all Europe, Asia,
Africa and the uttermost parts OF the eartA,
without discovering anything Of any value
ever presented to anybody, great or small,
by the government of the United states
We sent 100000 worth of guns, with other
useful articles, to the exiles and Esklnos
along the Lena River delta on the Sioe.
rian coast to reward them for the aid ana
comfort they gave to the survivors OF tne
jeanette Polar expedition; we sent few
insignificant gifts to the Sultan OF Zan-
Zibar, and to the Negus of Abysslnla, 10
make their hearts good because we wanted
them to sign trade treaties, and every year
or two Congress votes watch or chEo-
nometer to some person who has saved the
life of an American sailor or rendered as
sistance to an American ship In distress.
Uncle Sam Not a Giver Of Gifts.
But Uncle Sam is not in the habit OF
making presents to anybody. and that con-
stitutes a serious objection to entertaining
royal and distinguished guests or having
our great men travel about the world Gen.
Grant, for example, came home loaded down
with valuable mementoes, presented 10 MIN
by potentates in every part of the universe,
but nothing was ever given In return. Inc
courtesy was never even ohcially acKno"A-
edged by our government Gen. Grant was
unable to reciprocate; he was SO poor that
he was compelled to pawn these very pres
ents to William H. Vanderbilt In order 70
raise $40, ,0OO at the time of the collapse OF
the Grant and Ward Bank. Most OF them
are now in the National Museum, Tor dch'
Grant appreciated that they were present
ed to him, not as an individual but as the
most eminent living American. The Sultan
of Turkey, the emperors OF Korea aNo
Slam, the Empress Of China, the Shan OF
Persia, the princes Of India and other SOW
etiquette, usually bestow gifts of great
value upon prominent Americans who visit
them. The wife of every American minister
to Turkey has received costly evidences OF
the sultan's generosity; because her nus
band was not allowed to accept gift un-
der the laws. But l have never noticed the
wife or any member of the family or Che
kib Bey, the Turkish minister at Washins-
ton waltzing up to the White House 20
receive a gift from the President of the
United States. The Emperor of Japan mas
bestowed priceless gifts upon a large rum-
Der of American citizens; you can find some
of them under the roofs of Washing ton:
but the government of the United states
has never made any acknowledgment Or
return.
Miss Roosevelt's Presents.
Miss Alice Roosevelt was the recipient OF
several costly souvenirs of this kind, not
only from the mikado. but from his en-
press, from the Empress of China, the
Emperor of Korea, the Sultan of Sulu and
others. Not long ago President Roosevelt
received portrait of the Empress Of China,
which had been exhibited at the St. LOUIS
exposition. He sent it down to the Ma
tional Museum, where the public can enjoy
it, He made a neat little speech OF accept
ance and Secretary Hay wrote one of his
graceful letters of thanks; but the en-
press doubtless expected, and still expects,
to receive what lawyers call Quid pro
quo" and Congress should make an ap-
preparation sufficient to enable the Presi-
dent to send her a portrait or himself
chasing a mountain lion or busting
broncho, delivering an Grafton or In the
act of scolding the members of his cab
met for giving information to newspaper
men When lady gives her picture to a
gentleman she has a right to expect re-
turn of the compliment but the President
Is a poor man, and he cannot afford to
meet the expense. 1t is national and not
a personal matter.
The gifts received by Alice Roosevelt
were of the same character. They were not
presented to her because of her personal at
fractions or her winning way, but because
she is the daughter of the President of the
United States and therefore one whom his
fellow-sovereignS delight to honor. 1t is
an affront to them for our government to
compel her to pay duties on their gifts, and
Congress should not only reimburse her, but
liberal appropriation should be made to
enable the President and his daughter to
in return.
Gift From Chinese Emperor.
There is good reason to believe that the
President will shortly receive another off,
cial gift from China In the form of a por-
trait of the Emperor Kwang-Su. Hubert
Vos, the famous Dutch artist who has
taken out naturalization papers in the
United States. and has studio in New
York city, visited China several years ago
and painted the portrait of Prince Ching,
the prime minister, and several of the man
darins. Then, through the influence OF
Mrs Conger, the empress dowager gave
commission to Miss Carl, an American
artist who painted four portraits Of her
majesty one of them being presented to