The sun., 1918-09-05
DR.. van Dykes Contribution Il
Panama Canal Chronology.

DR.. van Dykes Contribution to
Panama Canal Chronology.
To the first number Of the new
Bookmdn, now owned and published
by the George H. Doran Company,
DR.. HENRY VAN DYKE contributes a
leading article under the attractive
title THE Tradition Of Letters In
American Diplomacy" We note
among other interesting things this
singular error Of statement by the
former Minister of the United States
at The Hague:
JOHN HAY, poet, essayist and biog-
rapher, after having served as Secre-
tary Of Legation at Paris, Vienna and
Madrid. was appointed Ambassador to
the Court Of st. James in 1897. The
record Of his work there in negotiating
the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty, and in sup
porting the open door policy for China,
is well known. 1t was continued SPLEEN
didiy in his service as Secretary of
State under President MoKINLxr and
President ROOSEVELT"
We regret the need of describing
this as sleazy writing and sloppy
history. Nobody ought to know bet
ter than DR.. VAN DYKE that the
proper style Of the court to which
Mr.. HAY was accredited in 1897 Is
not the Court Of st. James" but the
Court Of st. James's"; Furthermore
that in the refinement of diplomatic
phraseology the location Of the Am
bassador was not at but near" the
Court of st. James's.
Let that pass, however. A much
more serious misstatement of the
writer's concerns the date of the ne
gotiatiOn Of the -Pauncefote
Treaty and the initiation of the open
door policy for China.
DIR. VAN DYKE says that the record
Of Mr.. HAYS work while Ambassador
in London in negotiating the Hay
Pauncefote Treaty is "well known"
If he has any evidence that the Hay
Pauncefote Treaty was negotiated by
Mr.. HAY when in London he ought
to lose no time in submitting 1t for
critical inspection.
AS matter Of tact. ,wo Hay
PauncefOte treaties were negotiated.
The first was never ratified by the
United States Senate. The second,
which removed the restrictions of the
old ClaytOn-Bulwer Treaty of 1850
and enabled the United States to pro-
coed independently with the construc-
ton of the isthmian canal, was ne
gotiated in Washington by Mr.. HAY
as Secretary of State and Sir JULIAN
PAUNCEFoTE, the British Ambassador.
The negotiation was concluded by
them In November, 1901, three years
after Mr.. HAYS return from London.
The earlier treaty, or proposed
treaty, which failed to pass our Sen
ate. had been negotiated likewise
by Secretary Hay and Sir JULIAN
PAUNCEFoTE in Washington, not in
London. The first move of our Gov
eminent looking toward negotiation
for a canal treaty was In November
or December Of 1898, when Secretary
HAY at Washington instructed Mr..
HENRY WHITE, then in charge Of the
rn ~ In ~
sound Lord SALISBURY with regard
to the willingness Of the British Gov
eminent to discuss the abrogation of
the Clayton-Bulwer convention.
OF course DIR. VAN DYKES state
ment in the BOokntdn sweeps away,
easily and jauntily, the previously
established chronology OF these his
torlc negotiations. The same may be
said of Mr.. HAYS work in support of
the open door policy for China. DR..
VAN DYKE may have exclusive infor-
nation that the Ambassador was en-
gagged in promoting that policy while
in London, more than year before
he addressed from Washington. as
Secretary Of State, his epoch max
ing note to London, Berlin and st.
Petersburg.
This Is the only blemlsh we OBJ
serve in remarkable number of
remarkable magazine The changes
in form and substance which appear
in the BOOkmdn under the new man.
agement will reassure It's friends and
readers as to the standard of quality
to be expected Of 1t In the future.