New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-13

were made to recruit men for the British ARM
in the United States, but when in 1853, the first
Atlantic cable was laid. and then, in 1860. Ii.
Prince of Wales visited this country, all seemed
quite serene.
But our Civil War made more trouble, until
on a memorable occasion our minister to Grea,
Britain was compelled to say TO the British
Foreign Mirister, This means war;" The first
overt act was the wholly unjustihable seizure
of two Confederate passengers on the Brtsh
steamer Trent by an overzealous American
naval officer, in utter violation OF our own ira
ditiona principles Then came the British CON-
pliance with Confederate military schemes in
which the Alabama and other vessels were per.
mitted to issue from British ports to prey upol
American commerce, and in which the similar
issuing of ronclad rams was narrowly avoided
Meantime we were here tolerating Fenian ac
tivities, eliminating in an armed raid into
Canada The outcome Of it all was, however
the treaty OF Washington, in 1871, and the
Geneva arbitration, in 1872, which immeasur
ably advanced the cause Of peace and arbitra
ton the world over.
TROUBLES IN ALASKA-THE SEALS
AND THE KLONDIKE.
Two troubles arose in Alaska. One was over
fur seals and our untenable pretence OF own
ership of those animals wherever they might
be found in the waters of the high seas, against
which an arbitral award was given at Paris in
1898. The other was over the boundary line,
when the discovery of gold in the Klondiks
made Canada want to break through our Pan
handle and get direct access to the sea, mat
ter which was decided altogether in our favor
AS for the fisheries on the Newfoundland and
Canadian coasts. il was the oldest Of all these
controversies and it was the most enduring.
Commission after commission sat upon It, WIN
awards now to one party and now TO the otner'
and modus vivendi after modus vivendi was
established, until the twentieth century was
well started, when final adjustment was mace
Venezuela was another name OF grave por'
tent. In 1895 Great Britain issued an ultima
to infringe upon the Monroe Doctrine wne'''
upon President Cleveland issued counterolas
which fell just short of being provocauon
war. Probably never in the whole century
were the two nations nearer to war tnan a.
that time But the sober second thougnt a"
both nations prevailed over the raseioN
passions of their statesmen. vigorous CON
troversy ensued, in the course Of which MI
Cleveland, or his Secretary OF State, Mr.. oinT
made the most extreme Interpretation sno ~
plication of the Monroe Doctrine on reeolo
and Lord Salisbury made the most sweeping
denial of that doctrine ever MADE by ie
sponsible British minister. But IN the emu a.
bitration prevailed, with results satisfactory
America.
SOME UNPLEASANT EPISODES AM
OTHERS MOSTLY PLEASANT
There were other unpleasant episodes
1876 our Minister TO England came home nu..
redly and in unpleasant circumstances anu
1888 the British Minister TO this country We.
home discredted for meddling in poliues' D'
there were more agreeable passages OF ''~
tionship. At the memorable Jubilee oil Vu.'.
Victoria at her funeral, and at the coronSas
and again at the funeral of Edward VIZ -
conspicuous place of the American ofeiA
resentatives marked the peculiar intimacy
the two nations. Indeed, during the 49, =.
years of Victora's reign and during inc WI
of Edwards too brief reign, partly oeeaus' -.
the personality of those sovereigns ana o. 49,
American ambassadors at that court anu ~.
ly because of the disposition of the two pe0f..,
Great Britain and America were draw" 80,
gether somewhat more closely than any wv
two nations in all the world.
The same happy circumstances nave 49,,
continued in the reign of George V, aho ' =,
prevail to-day, so that the completion y, "a,
full cycle of hundred years OF peace 49,,
that peace more confidently established ,,,'.h
at any other moment in all the century "a
the practical collapse of the masn st'e"F
repudiate the Hay-Pauneefote treaty ,.h
single cause of important controversy .rS
in existence between the two counu''s AZ
the coming Christmas Eve will give pfon'', ,;,,,e
another century of peace to come oniy ~
less certainly than it will bear witness
century of peace achieved.