The Snowflake herald., 1916-06-02
HOW ROOSEVELT
KEPT PEACE
BY WILLIAM HARD
In METROPOLITAN MAGAZINE

! dent, we would have been plunged
INTO this terrible war straight off," In
truth ! heard this remark so frequent
/ ly thct | determined to go over the
/ diplomatic rec ords of the two Roose
velt administrations
| find that Roosevelt had many
bully opportunities to plunge the
United States into foreign conflicts
| find that he was obliged to face and
handle three great crises with three
of the greatest countries in the world.
| find that Re was obliged to take a
land, decisive future-ixing hand in
he affairs of three small countries
small but nearby and turbulent and
dangerous to the worlds peace. | find
that he was obliged to have dealings
With many ether countries in matters
apable of bearing fruit ether of
'riendship or of hatred. | find that
re wrote on visiting card the terms
on which a violent European contro-
versv was settled. I find that for
eigners think Of him es a great his
torical figure not because of the part
He took in railway legislation or in
rure-foOd legislation or in cOnserva-
zion legislation or in any other activ-
ty of domestic politics. but because of
the part he took in international poll
tics--in the pOlitics of the world al
large. l find that Europe and Asia
regard him as having been primarily
for good or for lila diplomat.
This is the Roosevelt least known
to Americans.
The A'asl--7 Boundary Question.
His first dis Guilty was with Great
ri hod m n
with the Alaskan boundary. The
British put forth claim which, as
Roosevelt remarked, was "just as in
defensible as if they should now sud
denly claim the island of Nantucket"
Alaska is kite. 1t has a main body
and then, fiUttering southwark along
the Pacific coast toward the state Of
Washington, a tail. The dimensions
Of this tail were determined. long be
fore Alaska passed from Russia to the
United States, by treaty of the year
1925 between Russia and Great Bri
tain. 1t provided that the boundary
between Alaska and the British pos
sessions should run along the crest o.
the mountains by which the coast wa
paralleled The United States accord
ingly occupied the coast region with
out resistance.
In 1898, however. there was a dis
covery of considerable quantity OF
gold in the Klondike. The Canadians
Immediately insi.ted on also discover
ing a semi-submerged coastal noun
tain range which spent a large part
of its time under the waters of the
Pacific and which, when it rose to the
surface, rose principally in the form
of scattered headlands Here was the
boundary, along the crest of this alb
surd range. leaping from headland t.
headland across great bodies of navi
gable water! The United States
would get a succession of headland
tips and Canada would get a success
sion of deep-water inlets, on one O
which was situated Skagway, the bes,
entrance to the Klondike goldfields.
This line, calculated to fatten th'
part Of any vaudeville performer, be
came automatically serious in the ex
treme. Under Mckinley a Join
Commission" was appointed to con
slider twelve topics in dispute between
the British Empire and the American
Republic. One of the twelve was the
Alaskan boundary. The representa-
tives of the Empire refused to come
to terms on anv of the others unit
their version OF the Alaskan boundary
had been conceded to them. 1t coulo
not be conceded and the Joint Com
mission" collapsed.
At this point Roosevelt became
president Quietly, in the routine Of
diplomatic intercourse, he refused alb
solutely to accept Great Britain's am
nhibious mountain-range line and re
fHspd also. with equal absoluteness, tC
arbitrate It, John Hay, as Secretary o
State pointed out the fatal tendency
Of arbitrators to compromise This
natter could not be COMPROMISED. AS
Roosevelt said on another occasion
Uncle Sam does not intend to wron'
any one, but neither does he intend
if his pocket is picked or his face
slapped. to 'arbitrate with the wrong
doer." What then? A Commission was
erected It was not a Commission
with third-party arbitrator on it. It
was a Commission equally divided be
tween the two countries The repre-
sentatives of the United States were
Lodge of Massachusetts and Root O.
New York and Turner of Washington
The representatives of the British
Empire we're two Canadians and one
Englishman The Englishman was
England's Lord Chief Justice-Alver-
Gtone.
This Commission met in London in
1903. It's purpose was indicated both
by Roosevelt and by Hay. Roosevelt
said Through strictly diplomatic chan
nels): Il wish to make one last effor'
TO bring about an agreement which
will enable the people Of both coun.
tries to say that the result represents
the feelings of the representatives Of
both countries"
In the meantime Roosevelt moved
United States troops into Alaska. He
let it be strictly automatically known
hat those troops if the Commission
should fail, would be used ito reduce
the country to possession" He paused
On October 20, 1908, the Commis
sion uttered it's decision. Lord AL
verstone voted with the three repre-
sentatives of the United States against
his own two Canadian colleagues
Great Britain bowed to the applause
of the world. The Pacif1sts perceived
| that the honor of a nation can easily