The Washington herald., 1907-10-27

/ ticians OF his day. Few men are missed
/ by the world at large when the Grim
Reaper has taken them away. but the
/ late Secretary Of State, aside from his
| career as an entirety, was so brilliant in
/ his achievements during the Mckinley
and Roosevelt administrations that the
world Of diplomacy lost its foremost fig-
ure when he died. John Hay was the
genius of Uncle Sans Introduction 20 the
! coterie of world powers.
shirt sleeves" diplomacy was the new
method that Mr. Hay invented; yet he
was a master Of the ancient practice Of
suavity, and unerTing In his selection Of
J the proper style Of procedure in a given
case. The open door in China was Mr..
Hays great policy. He secured what he
wanted in China by forestaIling a terri
I toriai partition of the empire; then he
said to the Chinese: Your country is
saved to you; the least return you can
I make is 10 let us trade with YOU
End1W ed with the most highly trained
and at the same time intuitive intelli-
gence. Mr Hays great success was due
not alone 70 deep thinking his feats Of
1 opportunsm proved his genius.
No better instance Of the Hay faculty
/ for dlckerng and selecting the right
moment can be found than the white
whisky case with Japan. There Mr.
Hay dickered and dickered TO save an
American firm from an immense loss un-
der a japanese customs ruling. He I'm
ally took advantage Of the impending
japanese Russian conflict to secure a
successful issue Of what otherwise would
have been a hopeless negotiation.
Japan Comes TO Terms.
What more natural. In view Of Mr.
Hays determined attitude on the whisky
claim. than that Baron Komura. the jap
anese minister Of foreign affairs, should
officially notify United States Minister
Lloyd C. Griscom on the morning Of
February Z, 1904. that Japan had declsr-
ed war on Russia. and on the afternoon
Of the same day inform the American
Minister that Japan would settle the
whisky claim?
The American company interested re-
/ ceived $1,000. which otherwise would
have remained in the japanese treasury
The japanese government prohted by Sc
c,.ying a clean sheet with the American
government in "a most trying situation,
% say nothing Of advertising in New
York financial circles its ability 10 pay
a paltry tI15o00 IN cash IN the face Of
vast war expenditures. This may have
had something TO do with the way Jap
anese war bonds sold in the United
States.
japanese statesmen may he satisfied
with the investment OF money in the
whisky claim but the surrender Of their
previous position on the claim and the
/ establishment Of the precedent that one
government could disagree with another's
customs imposts hurt the japanese at
/ the time. In retrospect they appreciate
that Nr Hay really blufed them in ap-
proved American style This is more
particularly the case because Attorney
/ General Bonapartes whisky opinion,
/ recently issued. states that the same
fluid which Secretary Hay insisted TO
Japan was whisky. IS not only not whis-
/ ky. but not even a substance ike unto
whisky
Facts I'm the Case.
I The facts were that an American mer-
/ saBfIls, accompany wished 10 import Amer
/ lean whisky into Japan. the whisky 10
be Peoria spirits Of high proof. low in
extracts and other impurities. and OF the
white appearance Of uDcOl0Ted whisky.
/ The whisky was wanted in Japan for the
adulteration OF sake. and for this pur-
/ pose had 10 be white and f1avOrless As
/ whisky. such fluid was subject 10 a 20
per cent I'D valorem duty in Japan. as
/ diluted alcohol it would he subject 90 %
/ per cent.
/ In March. 1860. the company sent TO
/ Yokohama barrel Of this white purified
spirit branded whisky" The sUperin-
/ teudeut of customs passed upon the con-
/ tents and informed the company that
I the stuff was whisky, subject 70 a 90
| per cent duty The company imported
/ 400 barrels Of the fluid on this basis, and
secured large orders FOR additional ship
ments. In May and July S,725 barrels
were sent 10 Yokohama. To the chagriu
Of the American company this grea;
{ consignment was held 20 consist not OF
whisky. but Of adulterated alcohol. sub
/ Ject TO a 30 per cent duty.
The importers appealed 20 the director
/ of customs, who affirmed the view Of the
/ Yokohama officials. and the same view
vas taken by the minister Of finance or
Marquis Ito's cabinet. Defeated at all
I points in Japan, the American company
I appealed to the State Department. Min
/ lister a. +. Buck was instructed by Sec
retary Hay to see that Japan admitted
American whisky as whisky. The State
/ Department forwarded to Tokyo the
| records Of the Bureau Of Internal Reve-
nue. showing that the S,120 barrels Of
| spirits had been distilled as whisky un-
/ der the regulations Of the Treasury De-
4 partment, and that the name whisky
1 branded on the barrels showed the con-
tents really 10 be whisky. according to
understanding in the United States.
! Copies Of the revenue regulations 10
prove this were sent 70 Japan.
Threatens Big Damages.
This government is satisfied that the
whisky is genuine" the state Depart
ment wired TO Minister Buck.
The whisky was stored on an open
dock at Yokohama. leaking and evap-
Grating, and subject to heavy storage
charges. Mr. Buck was directed to in
form Japan that the United states, on
behalf of the trading company. would
demand heavy damages II the merchan-
disc we're not released at 40 per cent.
The japanese officials, however. stood
pat. The whisky was sold at a heavy
loss to a Japanese citizen, who promptly
sold il TO the government, which used
fl as alcohol in making gunpOwder. A
claim for damages. in the sum of Sl67,-
OoO was formally filed, and dragged along
for three years. The Ito cabinet resign
ed and Baron Komura the new minister
of foreign affairs. took up the case
Meantime Japanese newspapers had been
most bitter against the attitude Of the
United States in the matter, and the de-
cision was practicaIIN forecasted 4 de-