Evening star., 1916-01-21
UNCLE SAM, ESQ.
Presidents and Foreign
Countries.
By Oliver Owen Kuhn.
Copyright. 1916o

| Just how limited is the intercourse, in
| an official way. between the President
| of the United States and the diplo-
| matte representatives of foreign gov
| ernments is little understood or ap-
| preciated by the average American. AS
| a matter of fact, official relations be-
| tween our Presidents and the ambas-
| sadors or other diploma tic representa-
tives of other governments accredited
| to the United States are so slight as to
be negligible.
| sovereigns. Communica tionS of the
government of the United States to
| foreign diplomats are made through
! the State Department. An analogy to
| this may be found in the manner in
which orders and other communications
from the commanding general OF an
army are transmitted to commanders
| of the various army corps. although
the devious channels through which
such communications are transmitted
are, after all. far more tortuouS than
those followed even by the com
| munications of diplomacy, which usual
ly are the last word in indirectness
Business With Department.
When a new mbassador arrives in
Washington from foreign country he
is expected to present his credentials
f! first to the Department of State. Then
he pays his first official call to the
President. Thereafter. on stated oc-
casions, such diplomat calls on the
President in q state-Soclal manner
but after his first official call on the
chief executive of the United states
the business Of his government with
the government of this country 1s
transa cted through the State Depart
ment, while this governments business
with the foreign power is initiated
within the State Department and trans
mitted to such foreign government
through the medium of the United
States ambassador accredited to that
power.
Ambassadors and plenipotentiaries
represent in their persons the govern
ments which send them to foreign
country or capital. The ambassador of
any foreign country accredited to the
United States may negotiate treaties
or settle weighty diplomatic questions:
such officials of foreign powers accred-
tied to other foreign powers may In
the name of their governments enter
into alliances. representing the actual
person of their sovereign. However. In
the case of ambassadors to the United
States, any treaty that may be ar
ranged must receive the ratification OF
the Senate before it can become opera
tive: while this governments policy.
dating back to the time of George
Washington. in regard to "entangling
alliances, is too well known and un-
derstoCOto require elucidation. In all
its nearly a century and a half of eX-
istence the government of the United
States has never entered into any al
lance with any foreign government,
and it is not likely that it ever will.
even in these days of intricately in
terlocked relations between the peo-
pies of the world.
Communicate With Sovereigns.
Presidents of the United States, as
has been said. communicate directly
with sovereigns of other nations. with
out utilizing the medium of diplomatic
representatives. For example, a Presi-
dent, on the occasion of a death in
the family of ruling sovereign. COM
municates his condolences direct to
such sovereign. royal marriage
calls for message of congratulation
from the President to the sovereign
whose amily whose person is con-
cerned. National Gala lamties-such, for
example. as the earthquake at Messina
a few years ago-call for the express
sion of the sympathy of the President
and the people of the United States to
the sovereign and the people of the
country which has suffered Such
communications are transmitted direct
and not through the State Department
or the diplomats representing the
countries concerned
With other matters involving uues-
tions of state, however. the President
has no visible connection. Communica-
tions on such questions are handled
through the State Department: and the
same department receives all such COM
munications from foreign powers, which
are made verbally or in writing by the
accredited ambassadors of such foreign
powers.
Presidents Part in Work.
This is not to say. however that a
President does not take a hand in the
matter. or that his voice has no weight
in the decision of the problems No
weighty question of state has ever been
determined in this country without the
consideration of the President, and
communications or replies to communi-
cations of d serious nature are invari-
ably discussed. written. rewritten, mod
ified and put into final shape with the
approval of the President before trans
initial When the document is COM
pleted and forwarded. however, it bears
only the cabalistic signature of the last
name of the Secretary of State-for in
stance. Lansing" or Bryan or what
ever may be the name of the Secretary
Two Presidents have themselves
leIunciateu views that nave become
parts of the nations internal tional pol
icy. and have done so without follow
ing the usual procedure or setting
| forth the ideas through the channels
of diplomacy and over the signature of
the Secretary of State. President Mon
roe was the first of these and the doc
trine which he pronounced is known
by hts name. The Monroe doctrine is
| imply this-that the United States
cannot and will not suffer the extension
| of monarchical government to the
western hemisphere. Resolved to its
simplest meaning, the Monroe doctrine
says that Great Britain may continue
to exercise sovereignty over the Do
minion of Canada, but that no empire
| or monarchy of the old world NAV es-
! tablish a new government. by conquest
! or any other means, anywhere else in
North. Central or South America with
out hrst overcoming the active opposi-
ton OF the government and the forces
! Of the United States In effect the Monroe
doctrine is a warning set at the confines
| OF the western hemisphere which saws:
European monarchs, No Trespassins.'
Monroe Doctrine Revived.
| innocuous desuetude. the Monroe doc
trine was in q measure forgotten for
| years. Then arose the Venezuela in
| cident, IN which foreign pbwer sought
collection of a debt by the expedient of
establishing 'protectorate" Presi-
dent Cleveland. after diplomatic cor
reSpOndence and representations had