Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-17
ROOTS CANADIAN TRIP
His Visit, It is Declared, Will Be
Purely Social.
MAY MEET THE PREMIER
Possibility of international Topics
Coming Up.
AMERICAN LUMBER OUTPUT
How Japan Keeps Track Of Its Sub
jects Throughout the World
Emigration Difficulties.
OUTPUT
BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
Secretary Roots visit to Canada Is pure
ly social. He goes to Ottawa to return the
visit made to Washington last year by the
Right Honorable Earl Grey, gevernor-gen-
eral Of his majestys domlnions, but Is
likely to meet the Right Honorable Sir
Wilfred Laurfer, prime minister, and talk
a little business in the smoking room after
dinner Sir Wilfred is very anxious to
talk with Mr.. Root and Mr.. Root is very
anxious to talk with Sir Wilfred, but the
etiquette of nations will not permit them
to say SO, or to do so. There is no OBJ
lection to their meeting socially, however,
and Mr.. Root leaves a hundred and one
very important matters of business on his
desk at the Department of State and goes
all the way to Ottawa just for lark.
Earl Grey came to Washington last year
in the same way and for the same reason
and while his visit was purely social, 1t
was impossible to keep his conversations
with the President and Secretary Root
from drifting into several very important
subjects that are involved in our relations
with Canada Earl Grey came down to
Washington to bring picture Of Benjamin
Franklin, which he presented to the gov
eminent of the United States and which
Is now hanging in the White House, but
Mr.. Roots visit to Ottawa hasn't even that
much of an excuse.
There are half dozen matters pending
between Canada and the United States,
which both countries would like to have
settled as early as possible, and II Mr..
Root and Sir Wilfred Laurier could get to-
gether, they could close them up with
very little difficulty, but, as Canada is
not an independent nation everything has
to De done through the Right Honorable
Lord StrathcOna and Mount ROYAL. (I. T.,
NJ c., royal high commissioner for the
Dominion of Canada in Great Britain the
Right Honorable the Earl of Elgin, secre-
tary of state for the colonies; the Right
Honorable Sir Edward Grey, secretary OF
state for foreign affairs. and his majesty's
ambassador at Washington. This makes
very long road and by the time a commit
nication has reached the embassy here
from Ottawa the paper on which 1t Is writ
ten Is almost worn out by handling. Then
the reply has to go back the same way.
through all that circumlocution and you
will appreciate that 1t Is a most unsatiS-
factory way to do business.
Sir Mortimer Durand's Failure.
When the governor general Of Canada
was down here last year on his purely So
cial visit it was arranged that both sides
should ask his majesty's permission to deal
straight across the border. and such an ar
rangement would have been made but for
the stupidity Of the late ambassador. Sir
Mortimre Durand. Sir Mortimer is
chump. He means well. but he does NOT
know how to do anything. He is great
stickler for rights an dprerogatiyes and
is very tenacious about adhering to the
traditional formalities Of diplomatic usage,
but nothing happens when he Is around.
Last spring, when he went to England, he
promised President Roosevelt and Secre-
tary Root that he would arrange with the
ministers for the colonies and for foreign
affairs and the Canadian high commits
sioner in London so that the government OF
Canada and the government OF the united
States could get together and settle all the
questions In controversy face to face, In
short meter, without sending them around
through the circumlocution office at Lon
don. Mr.. Root prepared memorandum
setting forth the why's and wherefores IN
order that Sir Mortimer might make clear
the advantages and the necessity or such
an arrangement, but when Sir Mortimer
went to London he forgot his errand. or
he left Mr.. Roots paper in his other coat
pocket or something else happened to put
it out of his mind, so that nothing was
done and when he got back to Washing
ton he was very much surprised that Pres
ident Roosevelt and Secretary Root should
feel provoked about it. He was also sur
prised that the Canadians should criticise
him for forgetting his principal errand
when he went to London.
There have been good many explana-
tions Of his mysterious retirement from the
ddnIomatic service of Great Britain. The
real reason was that his government didn't
want him any more and his failure to COM
ply with the request of our Secretary OF
State and the governor general of Canada
NAV be safely cited as one of the specihca-
tions.
James Bryce Different.
Now that Sir Mortimer has passed into
oblivion and James Bryce-a man who does
things and has contempt for red tape
is coming to the British embassy, it is nee
essary to begin all over again, and Secre-
tary Root will pay social visit to Earl
Grey in order to smoke a cigar with SIR
Wilfred Laurier and set the machinery in
motion. What both sides want is the au-
thorfty of the British government to send
from Canada down to Washington special
commissioner who is familiar with the sit
uation and the questions to be discussed,
so that he can telegraph to Ottawa about
any matter that comes up and get an an
swer Immediately and transact the bust
ness in business-like way. Mr.. Bryce.
as his majesty's ambassador, will stand by
and say, BLESS you. my children and
can sign the papers when the conclusions
are reached: but it is necessary to have
somebody who knows all about the ques-
lions at issue to take the active part In the
negotiations.
The Country's Lumber Output