New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-20
MME.PATTeRsON eONApARTE d.
SlleEe1 STUART. c-o,z "A GREAT
PEACE MAKER: CHARLES ScRleNER'S SOuS)

the tumult Of actual war, with the IN
evItable menace of immeasurably gIeal
OF war in the immediate future, all
these were compounded and compacted
INTO those evCntful years. Or them the
historian catches the essential spirit,
and conforms his manner to his theme.
A. these wears were crowded with Incl
dent, so arc his pages crowded WIN
condensed statements, multiplicity OF
facts. Yet they seem not dry recltals,
but instinct with throbbing life which
sweeps the reader along with some
thing Of the same irresistible rush that
bore the nation through those years OF
storm and stress toward the greater
storm and stress which lay beyond. -,
1t is q history OF the people. ana
therefore comprises in degree all IN,
major phases Of popular activity ana
interest. As those years were, how
ever, above all, dominated by polltica!
unrest and conflict, the chief note OF
the volume is appropriately political.
Moreover, it perhaps unconsciously
concerns itself rather more with the
doings than with the being Of the PEG.
ME Il DISPLAYS their development Of
character and principle OF which those
Years were fecund in their speech
alyses Of thought and motive; III which
We must commend the discretion Of the
author. " Q must, as we have SAID. re-
greet that this is the end OF the work,
and that after leading US up 20 the
very brink Of the supreme crisis OF
the nations life, ne leaves US there TO
seek the story OF that crisis and its
solution at other hands or pens. Yet
since this was 20 be, il was q concep-
ton OF triumphant felicity 20 end the
volume with the wistfui, haunting elo-
quencc Of the closing sentences of Lin
coins first inaugural
"Short" histories are seldom salts
factory. unless written by a Green or a
Goodwin Smith. Yet, despite their I'M
pcrfections. they serve = useful pur-
nose. and the present work Of Profes-
eor Bassett is so much superior 20 the
avoiage that il can. with some warn
ing exceptions, De cordially commended
10 those readers who think that they
cannot spare time for more volumi-
nous and complete history. The CHIEF
faults observable sre an occasional
lack of proportion and still more re-
gTettable inclination to accept and re-
peat superficial and erroneous state
ments which little inquiry and rcfiec-
ton would have enabled the author -
correct. The former error IL notably
parceptiblc in the narrative Of the or
lgiu Of the Monroe Doctrine and It's
sntcccdent and attendant Clrcum
stances. which is so inadequate as 20
fail 70 give any real knowledge OF one
Of the most interesting and least OBJ
scure incidents IN our political history
However, abundant references are
given TO other works for supplement
ing tho deficiencies Of this one.
More serious are the errors of COM
mission rather than Of mere omission
II is surprising to find the author wrI,-
ing Of Nergcnnes' calm acqulescence
in John Jays master stroke OF making
the treaty Of peace over his head. Ger
tainly. Franklin did not regard th'
French Ministers temper in that light
when he taxed his own conciliatory
diplomacy 20 smooth his rufied plum
age. Worse still, as positively per
nicious perversion of we'll known rec
ords i. the statement that our govern
ment took the Philippines "as a pur-
chase" for the price of s20,000,00O. The
fact is that our government did not
purchase the Philippines and never
thought OF doing so. 1t took them by
the interchangeable right OF conquest
The $50 100000 was in no sense q pur'
chase price, but was merely our as
sumption of the debt of the islands.
Again. Professor Bassett tells u,
that at the beginning OF our occupation
Of the Philippines Aguinaldo "estab'
lished government republican IN
form" and "was recognized BY General
Anderson and by the admiral Dewey
himself" Sufficient comment upon this
astounding statement is made by the
two officers named. General Anderson
officially reported that "the insurgen,
chief Aguinaido. has declared himself
dictator and self-appointed president
Admiral Dewey has said: 81 never re
ccived Aguinsldo with military honors
or recognized or saluted the so-called
Filipino nag" No less injudicious and
misleading is the treatment of the con
troversy over the status Of the insulal
dependencies, in which the author say,
that there was much that was plausible
in the view that the Constitution made
no provision for the right of Congress,
to define that status. "ln 1887 no such
contingency seems 10 have occurred e
the men who made that instrument
and the situation Of 1899 was a new