New-York tribune., 1921-03-20
journalism, Politics and Diplomacy
From the Private Papers Of the
Late Editor Of the Tribune

tives differed, he would instruct the
Germans to follow my directions As
my experience has always been that
promise needlessiy entered into is
rarely kept, ! never expected the
| Kaiser to keep this one, and he has
not. We may, however, get an agree
ment among them. The trouble is
that with Russia ont of the way, as
/ she is now, Germany firmly believes
| that she can whip both France and
England. l have excellent reasons
for believing that the German naval
authorities are as confident as the
| German military authorities, ard be-
lieve that England is relying still
upon the memory of the Nelsonic
triumphs and that they should have
first-class chance of temporarily
| crippling or driving off her feet;
while the military men firmly believe
| that an army of $4,000 Germans
laroed in England would with but
little difficulty take possession of the,
entire island. Sincerely yours,
THEODORE ROOSEVELT"
| The Morocco blaze was eAtinguished
without a general explosion. Two
years later. one finds Reid writing to
the White House of the same reckless
gentleman:
His last performance, demanding
| expression of regret from France on
question in which he had already
! agreed to refer to arbitration the
point as to which country was to
blame, outrages the general feeling
| of fair play here as much as in
France. If he should be so i'll adj
vised as to push it to extremities,
I France is sure to resist; and so far
as the present temper of the press
and the people gives any clew, ut
would seem that Great Britain would
be sure to help France in the strug-
gle. But cannot conceive that he is
unwise enough to force war in this
issue. No emperor is powerful
i enough, no matter what the size of
his army or what the population Of
his country, to go to war in fragrant
defiance of the judgment and con-
science of the civilized world.
Zone doesn't know whether to be
amused Or sorrowful over the whole
business, and yet it is the most in
credible recklessness in playing with
fire. From France to Constantinople.
and from the Dalmatian coast to ST.
Petersburg, Europe is at this mo-
ment like powder magazine; and
through this magazine goes the
short sighted potentate, striking
sparks at almost every movement he
makes. He means SO we'll in many
ways, and is such a terror!"
THE reader of to-day will naturally
stress this undercurrent Of war and
runners of war. There was, however.
much else of much larger Importance
in these crowded years of a great am
bassadofsnip, in particular matter look
ing to the perpetuation of good under
standing between the two English
speaking peoples. An outstanding mark
was an address upon Lincoln delivered
at the University of Birmingham. OF
this, letter from his former chief de-
serves reprinting:
New York. January 3, 1911.
Dear Mr.. Ambassador:
Il have received your fetter, and
also the Lincoln address. l had al
ready written to you about it ON
the strength Of sthe newspaper re-
| ports and of what Lawrence ASbott
had told me. But ! have now gone
over the whole address, have asked
that it be bound, and wish to tell
you that l think it very remark
able and really noteworthy address.
/ do not believe that as good thing
of the kind has ever been done by
any American Ambassador, inciud-
ing Lowell; and at the moment |
cannot think of as good speech of
just the same kind that is to the
credit of any of our public men. 1t
seems to me that you have done
! just what at the outset of the
speech you said you could not do.
and that is to give and develop one
or two new thoughts of great inn
portance wish that not merely
our Wall Street friends, but the
sentimentalists on both sides, could
be made to learn your address by
heart. 1t is not only finished and
mastery piece of literary work, but
it carries weighty burden of i'm
sight and good sense for all serious
| politicians
"Give my love to Mrs. Reid. I
wish could write you about your
address in way to make you really
feel how much ! regard it.
Faithfully yours,
THEODORE RoosEyELT.r
I TX
| TT is swift-fowing narrative OF ac-
fIOn ind onsr <2tt