Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1917-01-12
DUMB AS OYSTERS
THAT is NORMAL CONDITION OF
AMERICAN SECRETARIES
or STATE.
SURPRISING TO FOREIGNERS
No Intimation of What the Govern
ment intends to Do in Matters of
Diplomacy Ever Is Given to the
People.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

washington. - ordinarily there Is
nothing SO dumb as an American Sec
rotary of state. Let haste be made to
say that dumb is used here simply in
the sense of speaks not"
Most people have in mind, probably,
the recent speaking twice in one day
of Secretary of State Lansing. 1t was
SO exceptional, that the American
world is not only amazed but stag
gered, and part of the rest Of the
world with it. The truth is that from
the dawn of the first day of the repub-
lie American secretaries of state re-
NAMED dumb so far as the public is
concerned on every diplomatic project
until the hour came to lay the thing
before the world.
Foreigners who come to Washington
American people do not demand, or
seemingly even do not care to have,
advance information Of what the state
department intends to do. Let it be
said right here that the reticence of
the state department under the pres
ton of the reticence of state depart
ments under all previous administra-
lions.
President Wilson's appeal for peace
fell on the ears OF an astonished world.
Scarcely anyone had the slightest idea
that he was to speak. His secretary
of state maintained the stony silence
of a good servant, although, according
to his own statement later, the matter
was under discussion for weeks.
English People Want to Know.
Washington students of conditions
account for the readiness Of the Amer
lean people to let the state department
alone and not to ask for advance in
formation. to the knowledge that the
people have that if they do not like
what an administration does through
It's state department they can get rid
of the administration. An Englishman
said recently in Washington that the
people in his country always insist
that when some big thing is to be done
by the foreign Office, an intimation Of
what it is to be shall be given in adj
vance,
Of course, in England they can get
rid of their foreign ministers pretty
nearly as they want to, but they cam
not get rid of the monarchy, and al
though the monarchy does not have
much to say, the old time impression
that it is a power still remains, and,
according to an Englishman of note
here, it is because of that the English
people have to be told something about
what their state department intends
to do.
The American public did not know
until less than year ago how close
we were to having war with Euro
pean nation over South American mat
tiers when Theodore Roosevelt was
president.
The American people did not know
in advance anything about Grover
Cleveland's intention to address the
challenging note that he did to Great
Britain on the Venezuela boundary
matter. Everything that comes out Of
our state department comes out like
Jack from it's Box. The American
people do not even realize that a
spring is to be pressed or a button to
be punched.
Newspaper men go to the state de-
partment daily and have been going
daily ever since there were any Wash
ington correspondents. The informa-
ton that they get almost invariably is
on things that have been accomplished,
not on things that an attempt is to be
made to accomplish. Day after day
recently the correspondents went to
the state department and yet they got
no inkling of the administrations in
tention to give to the world it's peace
appeal, or, rather, its request to the
belligerents to make known the terms
upon which peace might be accept
able
Uncle Sans New Islands.
Uncle Sam shortly will take three
more islands under his protecting arm
st. Thomas, st. John and st. Croix,
which are still known as the Danish
West Indies, but which soon will drop
the adjective Danish.
Both houses of Denmark's parIia-
ment have approved the sale of the is
lands to the United States. Our own
senate already has given it's approval,
and as soon as the formal exchanges
have taken place the administration
will ask congress for the purchase
price, $25,OOO,OOO, and will ask also
for the passage of bill for the proper
institution of an American territorial
for a of government in the acquired is
lands.
Some years ago a great European
power tried to buy the Danish West
Indies. The United States did not
look kindly on the attempt because it
feared that the power which was try
ing to make the purchase would es-
tablish a naval base and coaling sta
tion on one of the islands, and there
fore be in a position, if war ever
should come, to threaten the integrity