the path of empire-第5部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


d　States　the　whole　of　British　America！　And　Sumner　seems　actually　to　have　believed　that　he　was　promoting　the　cause　of　international　good　will　by　this　tactless　proposal。

For　a　time　it　was　believed　that　Sumner　spoke　for　the　Administration；　and　public　opinion　in　the　United　States　was　disposed　to　look　upon　his　speech　as　a　fair　statement　of　American　grievances　and　a　just　demand　for　compensation。　The　British　Government；　too；　in　view　of　the　action　of　the　Senate　and　the　indiscreet　utterances　of　the　new　American　Minister　in　London；　John　Lothrop　Motley；　believed　that　President　Grant　favored　an　aggressive　policy。　Further　negotiations　were　dropped。　Both　Governments；　nevertheless；　were　desirous　of　coming　to　an　understanding；　though　neither　wished　to　take　the　first　step。

Fortunately　it　happened　that　Caleb　Cushing　for　the　United　States　and　John　Rose　for　Canada　were　then　engaged　at　Washington　in　the　discussion　of　some　matters　affecting　the　two　countries。　In　the　course　of　informal　conversations　these　accomplished　diplomats　planned　for　a　rapprochement。　Rose　presented　a　memorandum　suggesting　that　all　questions　in　dispute　be　made　the　subject　of　a　general　negotiation　and　treaty。　It　was　at　this　moment　that　Sumner　came　forward　with　his　plan　of　compensation　and　obviously　he　stood　in　the　way　of　any　settlement。　President　Grant；　however；　already　incensed　by　Motley's　conduct　and　by　Sumner's　opposition　to　his　own　favorite　project；　the　annexation　of　Santo　Domingo；　now　broke　definitely　with　both　by　removing　Motley　and　securing　Sumner's　deposition　from　the　chairmanship　of　the　Committee　on　Foreign　Affairs。　The　way　was　now　prepared　for　an　agreement　with　Great　Britain。

On　February　27；　1871；　a　Joint　High　Commission；　composed　of　five　distinguished　representatives　from　each　Government；　began　its　memorable　session　at　Washington。　The　outcome　was　the　Treaty　of　Washington；　signed　on　May　8；　1871。　The　most　important　questionthe　〃Alabama　Claims〃was　by　this　agreement　to　be　submitted　to　a　tribunal　of　five　arbitrators；　one　to　be　selected　by　the　President　of　the　United　States；　another　by　the　Queen　of　Great　Britain；　a　third　by　the　King　of　Italy；　a　fourth　by　the　President　of　the　Swiss　Republic；　and　a　fifth　by　the　Emperor　of　Brazil。　This　tribunal　was　to　meet　at　Geneva　and　was　to　base　its　award　on　three　rules　for　the　conduct　of　neutral　nations：　〃First；　to　use　due　diligence　to　prevent　the　fitting　out；　。。。within　its　jurisdiction；　of　any　vessel　which　it　has　reasonable　ground　to　believe　is　intended　to　cruise。。。against　a　Power　with　which　it　is　at　peace。。。；　secondly；　not　to　permit。。。either　belligerent　to　make　use　of　its　ports　or　waters　as　a　base　of　naval　operations。。。；　thirdly；　to　exercise　due　diligence　in　its　own　ports　and　waters。。。to　prevent　any　violation　of　the　foregoing　obligations　and　duties。〃

Another　but　less　elaborate　tribunal　was　to　decide　all　other　claims　which　had　arisen　out　of　the　Civil　War。　Still　another　arbitration　commission　was　to　assess　the　amount　which　the　United　States　was　to　pay　by　way　of　compensation　for　certain　privileges　connected　with　the　fisheries。　The　vexed　question　of　the　possession　of　the　San　Juan　Islands　was　to　be　left　to　the　decision　of　the　Emperor　of　Germany。　A　series　of　articles　provided　for　the　amicable　settlement　of　border　questions　between　the　United　States　and　Canada。　Never　before　in　history　had　such　important　controversies　been　submitted　voluntarily　to　arbitration　and　judicial　settlement。

The　tribunal　which　met　at　Geneva　in　December　was　a　body　of　distinguished　men　who　proved　fully　equal　to　the　gravity　of　their　task。　Charles　Francis　Adams　was　appointed　to　represent　the　United　States；　Sir　Alexander　Cockburn；　to　represent　Great　Britain；　the　commissioners　from　neutral　States　were　also　men　of　distinction。　J。　C。　Bancroft　Davis　was　agent　for　the　United　States；　and　William　M。　Evarts；　Caleb　Cushing；　and　Morrison　R。　Waite　acted　as　counsel。　The　case　for　the　United　States　was　not　presented　in　a　manner　worthy　of　the　occasion。　According　to　Adams　the　American　contentions　〃were　advanced　with　an　aggressiveness　of　tone　and　attorneylike　smartness；　more　appropriate　to　the　wranglings　of　a　quarter…sessions　court　than　to　pleadings　before　a　grave　international　tribunal。〃　The　American　counsel　were　instructed　to　insist　not；　indeed；　on　indemnity　for　the　cost　of　two　years　of　war；　but　on　compensation　because　of　the　transfer　of　our　commerce　to　the　British　merchant　marine；　by　virtue　of　the　clause　of　the　treaty　which　read　〃acts　committed　by　the　several　vessels　which　have　given　rise　to　the　claims　generally　known　as　the　'Alabama　Claims。'〃　British　public　opinion　considered　this　contention　an　act　of　bad　faith。　Excitement　in　England　rose　to　a　high　pitch　and　the　Gladstone　Ministry　proposed　to　withdraw　from　the　arbitration。

That　the　tribunal　of　arbitration　did　not　end　in　utter　failure　was　due　to　the　wisdom　and　courage　of　Adams。　At　his　suggestion　the　five　arbitrators　announced　on　June　19；　1872；　that　they　would　not　consider　claims　for　indirect　damages；　because　such　claims　did　〃not　constitute；　upon　the　principles　of　international　law　applicable　to　such　cases；　good　foundation　for　an　award　of　compensation；　or　computations　of　damages　between　nations。〃　These　claims　dismissed；　the　arbitrators　entered　into　an　examination　of　the　direct　American　claims　and　on　September　14；　1872；　decided　upon　an　award　of　fifteen　and　a　half　million　dollars　to　the　United　States。　The　Treaty　of　Washington　and　the　Geneva　Tribunal　constituted　the　longest　step　thus　far　taken　by　any　two　nations　toward　the　settlement　of　their　disputes　by　judicial　process。



CHAPTER　III。　Alaska　And　Its　Problems

The　impulse　for　expansion　upon　which　Buchanan　floated　his　political　raft　into　the　presidency　was　not　a　party　affair。　It　was　felt　by　men　of　all　party　creeds；　and　it　seemed　for　a　moment　to　be　the　dominant　national　ideal。　Slaveholders　and　other　men　who　had　special　interests　sought　to　make　use　of　it；　but　the　fundamental　feeling　did　not　rest　on　their　support。　American　democracy；　now　confident　of　its　growing　strength；　believed　that　the　happiness　of　the　people　and　the　success　of　the　institutions　of　the　United　States　would　prove　a　loadstone　which　would　bring　under　the　flag　all　peoples　of　the　New　World；　while　those　of　the　Old　World　would　strike　off　their　shackles　and　remold　their　governments　on　the　American　pattern。　Attraction；　not　compulsion；　was　the　method　to　be　used；　and　none　of　the　paeans　of　American　prophets　in　the　editorials　or　the　fervid　orations　of　the　fifties　proposed　an　additional　battleship　or　regiment。

No　one　saw　this　bright　vision　more　clearly　than　did　William　H。　Seward；　who　became　Secretary　of　State　under　Lincoln。　Slight　of　build；　pleasant；　and　talkative；　he　gave　an　impression　of　intellectual　distinction；　based　upon　fertility　rather　than　consistency　of　mind。　He　was　a　disciple　of　John　Quincy　Adams；　but　his　tireless　energy　had　in　it　too　much　of　nervous　unrest　to　allow　him　to　stick　to　his　books　as　did　his　master；　and　there　was　too　wide　a　gap　between　his　beliefs　and　his　practice。　He　held　as　idealistic　views　as　any　man　of　his　generation；　but　he　believed　so　firmly　that　the　right　would　win　that　he　disliked　hastening　its　victory　at　the　expense　of　bad　feeling。　He　was　shrewd；　practical　maliciously　practical；　many　thought。　When；　in　the　heat　of　one　of　his　perorations；　a　flash　of　his　hidden　fires　would　arouse　the　distrust　of　the　conservative；　he　would　appear　to　retract　and　try　to　smother　the　flames　in　a　cloud　of　conciliatory　smoke。　Only　the　restraining　hand　of　Lincoln　prevented　him　from　committing　fatal　blunders　at　the　outset　of　the　Civil　War；　yet　his　handling　of　the　threatening　episode　of　the　French　in　Mexico　showed　a　wisdom；　a　patient　tact；　and　a　subtle　ingenuity　which　make　his　conduct　of　the　affair　a　classic　illustration　of　diplomacy　at　almost　its　best。*

*　See　〃Abraham　Lincoln　and　the　Union〃　and　〃The　Hispanic　Nations　of　the　New　World〃　（in　〃The　Chronicles　of　America〃）。


In　1861　Seward　said　that　he　saw　Russia　and　Great　Britain　building　on　the　Arctic　Ocean　outposts　on　territory　which　should　belong　to　his　own　country；　and　that　he　expected　the　capital　of　the　great　federal　republic　of　the　future　would　be　in　the　valley　of　Mexico。　Yet　he　nevertheless　retained　the　sentiment　he　had　expressed　in　1846：　〃I　would　not　give　one　human　life　for　all　the　continent　that　remains　to　be　annexed。〃　The　Civil　War　prevented　for　four　years　any　action　regarding　expansion；　and　the　same　conspiracy　which　resulted　in　the　assassination　of　Lincoln　brought　Seward　to　the　verge　of　the　grave。　He　recovered　rapidly；　however；　and　while　on　a　recuperating　trip　through　the　West　Indies　he　worked　for　the　peaceable　annexation　of　the　Danish　Islands　and　Santo　Domingo。　His　friend；　Charles　Sumner；　the　chairman　of　the　Senate　Committee　on　Foreign　Affairs；　was　framing　his　remarkable　project　for　the　annexation　of　Canada。　President　Johnson　and；　later；　President　Grant　endorsed　parts　of　these　plans。　Denmark　and　Santo　Domingo　were　willing　to　acquiesce　for　money；　and　Sumner　believed；　although　he　was　preposterously　wrong；　that　the　incorporation　of　Canada　in　our　Union　would　be　welcomed　by　the　best　sentiment　of　England　and　of　Canada。

To　willing　ears；　therefore；　came　in　1867　the　offer　of　the　Russian　Minister；　Baron　Stoeckl；　to　sell　Alaska。　The　proposal　did　not　raise　a　question　which　had　been　entirely　unthought　of。　Even　before　the　Civil　War；　numbers　of　people　on　the　Pacific　coast；　far　from　being　overawed　by　the　responsibility　of　developing　the　immense　territories　which　they　already　possessed；　had　petitioned　the　Government　to　obtain　Alaska；　and　even　the　proper　purchase　price　had　been　discussed。　The　reasons　for　Russia's　decision　to　sell；　however；　have　not　been　sufficiently　investigated。　It　is　apparent　from　the　conduct　of　the　negotiation　that　it　was　not　a　casual　proposal　but　one　in　which　Baron　Stoeckl；　at　least；　was　deeply　interested。　It　is　to　be　remembered　that　at　this　time　Russia's　ambitions　were　in　Asia；　and　that　her　chief　rival　was　Great　Britain。　Russia's　power　was　on　land；　the　seas　she　could　not　hope　to　control。　The　first　moment　of　war　would　put　Russian　rule　in；　Alaska　at　the　mercy　of　the　British　fleet。　In　those　days　when　a　Siberian　railroad　was　an　idle　dream；　this　icebound　region　in　America　was　so　remote　from　the　center　of　Russian　power　that　it　could　be　neither　enjoyed　nor　protecte