The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-08-16
HISTORY BUILDERS.
Written Expressly for The Washington Herald)
BY DIR. F.. J. EDWARDS.
TWO REMARKABLE POLITICAL
CONDOLENCES.

In preparing the digest which contains
the full record of the diplomacy of the
State Department at Washington. SO far
| as that relates to arbitrations DR.. John
Bassett Moore. who was twice Assistant
Secretary of State and In the first year
of President Wilson's administration
| counselor for the State Department. dis
covered in the archives many incidents
! not reported at any time and yet furnish
ing sidelights upon the intellectual and
temperamental characteristics of some OF
the Presidents and almost all of the Sec
retaries of State. The work itself is
monumental. both in respect to size and
in the information it contains. although
1t is probable that nobody except DR..
Moore ever read it.
Shortly after DIR. Moore retired from
the post he held for a year in Wilson's
administration as counselor for the State
Department, 1 had an interesting con-
versation with him, in which allusion was
made to some of the strange, even hui
morous. incidents which had long been
buried in the archives of the State De-
partment.
Among these was the story of the eX-
traordinary coincidence in point of time
with respect to our acquisition of the
territory west of the Mississippi, whereby
at last we gained sovereignty from the
Atlantic to the Pacific south of Canada
and north of Mexico.
DIR. Moore said that in 1903, by strange
coincidence in point of time. we acquired
Louisiana territory Unexpectedly. for not
even President Jefferson had the slightest
idea that Napoleon Bonaparte would be
willing to sell Louisiana territory to the
T-,,it al tota 81,
Jefferson's leadership. We took the steps
which clinched our title to the Oregon
territory and gave US command of a
strip of the Pacific Coast
That coincidence in point Of time, DR..
Moore said. was afterward matched in
lS46. There has been serious. and at one
time somewhat dangerous, dispute with
Great Britain respecting the northern
boundary of the Oregon territory. Just
at the time a commissioner who repre-
sented Great Britain arrived in Washing
ton in the spring Of 1886. with a draft of
a treaty which, IL ratlfed-as 1t was
shortly-would fix the boundary Of Ore
gon territory. President Polk and his
Secretary Of State, James Buchanan, aft
erward President, were greatly concern
ed over the impending shadow of war
with Mexico. The Oregon boundary
was trifie In comparison with the Mexi-
can situation. for our dispute with Ore
gon could be procrastinated. whereas the
issue Of war with Mexico was immediate.
Polk was so little concerned about the
Oregon boundary. Dr., Moore says. that
he actually sent the draft Of the treaty
to the Senate unsigned. This was with
out any precedent The Senate ignored
the informality and advised the accept
ance OF the treaty. and Buchanan did not
delay thereupon in signing II. A greater
responsibility was upon Congress at that
time. for President Polk had recon-
mcnded that Congress declare that a
state OF war existed in Mexico.
Congress accepted the responsibility
and there was war. As Q result OF that
war Mexico sold to us what was called
the California territory and what are
now the States Of California, Utah. Ne
vada. New Mexico and Arizona. So
that In the spring Of 1876 we secured the
boundary line OF Oregon and W took
the first step which led ~ ultimately 20
~ aeninatioa Of California xhsfsforA