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of　map…seeking　and　…making；　and　to　me；　with　the　others；　was　left



the　duty　of　studying　and　reporting　upon　the　material　as　brought



in。　Taking　up　my　residence　at　Washington；　I　applied　myself



earnestly　to　reading　through　masses　of　books；　correspondence；　and



other　documents；　and　studied　maps　until　I　felt　as　if　I　had　lived



in　the　country　concerned　and　was　personally　acquainted　with　the



Dutch　governors　on　the　Cuyuni　and　the　Spanish　monks　on　the



Orinoco。　As　a　result　lines　more　or　less　tentative　were　prepared



by　each　of　us；　Judge　Brewer　and　myself　agreeing　very　closely；　and



the　others　not　being　very　distant　from　us　at　any　important　point。



One　former　prime　minister　of　Great　Britain　I　learned；　during　this



investigation；　to　respect　greatly；Lord　Aberdeen；　whom　I　well



remembered　as　discredited　and　driven　from　power　during　my　stay　in



Russia　at　the　time　of　the　Crimean　War。　He　was　wise　enough　in



those　days　to　disbelieve　in　war　with　Russia；　and　to　desire　a



solution　of　the　Turkish　problem　by　peace；　but　was　overruled；　and



the　solution　was　attempted　by　a　war　most　costly　in　blood　and



treasure；　which　was　apparently　successful；　but　really　a　failure。



He　was　driven　from　his　post　with　ignominy；　and　I　well　remembered



seeing　a　very　successful　cartoon　in　〃Punch〃　at　that　period；



representing　him；　wearing　coronet　and　mantle　and　fast　asleep；　at



the　helm　of　the　ship　of　state；　which　was　rolling　in　the　trough　of



the　sea　and　apparently　about　to　founder。







Since　that　time　his　wisdom　has；　I　think；　been　recognized；　and　I



am　now　glad　to　acknowledge　the　fact　that；　of　all　the　many　British



statesmen　who　dealt　with　the　Venezuelan　question；　he　was　clearly



the　most　just。　The　line　he　drew　seemed　to　me　the　fairest



possible。　He　did　not　attempt　to　grasp　the　mouth　of　the　Orinoco；



nor　did　he　meander　about　choice　gold…fields　or　valuable　strategic



points；　seeking　to　include　them。　The　Venezuelans　themselves　had



shown　willingness　to　accept　his　proposal；　but　alleged；　as　their



reason　for　not　doing　so；　that　the　British　government　had　preached



to　them　regarding　their　internal　policy　so　offensively　that



self…respect　forbade　them　to　acquiesce　in　any　part　of　it。







Toward　this　Aberdeen　line　we　tended　more　and　more；　and　in　the



sequel　we　heard；　with　very　great　satisfaction；　that　the



Arbitration　Tribunal　at　Paris　had　practically　adopted　this　line；



which　we　of　the　commission　had　virtually　agreed　upon。　It　need



hardly　be　stated　that；　each　side　having　at　the　beginning　of　the



arbitration　claimed　the　whole　vast　territory　between　the　Orinoco



and　the　Essequibo；　neither　was　quite　satisfied　with　the　award。



But　I　believe　it　to　be　thoroughly　just；　and　that　it　forms　a　most



striking　testimony　to　the　value　of　international　arbitration　in



such　questions；　as　a　means；　not　only　of　preserving　international



peace；　but　of　arriving　at　substantial　justice。







Our　deliberations　and　conclusions　were；　of　course；　kept　secret。



It　was　of　the　utmost　importance　that　nothing　should　get　out



regarding　them。　Our　sessions　were　delayed　and　greatly　prolonged；



partly　on　account　of　the　amount　of　work　to　be　done　in　studying



the　many　questions　involved；　and　partly　because　we　hoped　that；



more　and　more；　British　opinion　would　tend　to　the　submission　of



the　whole　question　to　the　judgment　of　a　proper　international



tribunal；　and　that　Lord　Salisbury；　the　prime　minister；　who；　in



his　rather　cynical；　〃Saturday…Review；〃　high…Tory　way；　had　scouted



the　idea　of　arbitration；　would　at　last　be　brought　to　it。　Of



course；　every　thinking　Englishman　looked　with　uneasiness　toward



the　possibility　that　a　line　might　be　laid　down　by　the　United



States　which　it　would　feel　obliged　to　maintain；　and　which　would



necessitate　its　supporting　Venezuela；　at　all　hazards；　against



Great　Britain。







The　statesmanship　of　Mr。　Cleveland　and　Mr。　Olney　finally



triumphed。　Most　fortunately　for　both　parties；　Great　Britain　had



at　Washington　a　most　eminent　diplomatist；　whose　acquaintance　I



then　made；　but　whom　I　afterward　came　to　know；　respect；　and　admire



even　more　during　the　Peace　Conference　at　The　HagueSir　Julian；



afterward　Lord；　Pauncefote。　His　wise　counsels　prevailed；　Lord



Salisbury　receded　from　his　position；　Great　Britain　agreed　to



arbitration；　and　the　question　entered　into　a　new　stage；　which　was



finally　ended　by　the　award　of　the　Arbitration　Tribunal　at　Paris；



presided　over　by　M。　de　Martens　of　St。　Petersburg；　and　having　on



its　bench　the　chief　justices　of　the　two　nations　and　two　of　the



most　eminent　judges　of　their　highest　courts。　It　is　with　pride　and



satisfaction　that　I　find　their　award　agreeing；　substantially；



with　the　line　which；　after　so　much　trouble；　our　own　commission



had　worked　out。　Arbitration　having　been　decided　upon；　our



commission　refrained　from　laying　down　a　frontier…line；　but



reported　a　mass　of　material；　some　fourteen　volumes　in　all；　with



an　atlas　containing　about　seventy…five　maps；　all　of　which　formed



a　most　valuable　contribution　to　the　material　laid　before　the



Court　of　Arbitration　at　Paris。







It　was　a　happy　solution　of　the　whole　question；　and　it　was　a



triumph　of　American　diplomacy　in　the　cause　of　right　and　justice。







I　may　mention；　in　passing；　one　little　matter　which　throws　light



upon　a　certain　disgraceful　system　to　which　I　have　had　occasion　to



refer　at　various　other　times　in　these　memoirs；　and　I　do　so　now　in



the　hope　of　keeping　people　thinking　upon　one　of　the　most　wretched



abuses　in　the　United　States。　I　have　said　above　that　we　were；　of



course；　obliged　to　maintain　the　strictest　secrecy。　To　have



allowed　our　conclusions　to　get　out　would　have　thwarted　the　whole



purpose　of　the　investigation；　but　a　person　who　claimed　to



represent　one　of　the　leading　presses　in　Washington　seemed　to



think　that　consideration　of　no　special　importance；　and　came　to



our　rooms；　virtually　insisting　on　receiving　information。　Having



been　told　that　it　could　not　be　given　him；　he　took　his　revenge　by



inserting　a　sensational　paragraph　in　the　papers　regarding　the



extravagance　of　the　commission。　He　informed　the　world　that　we



were　expending　large　sums　of　public　money　in　costly　furniture；　in



rich　carpets；　and　especially　in　splendid　silverware。　The　fact　was



that　the　rooms　were　furnished　very　simply；　with　plain　office



furniture；　with　cheap　carpets；　and　with　a　safe　for　locking　up　the



more　precious　documents　intrusted　to　us　and　such　papers　as　it　was



important　to　keep　secret。　The　〃silverware〃　consisted　of　two　very



plain　plated　jugs　for　ice…water；　and　I　may　add　that　after　our



adjournment　the　furniture　was　so　wisely　sold　that　very　nearly　the



whole　expenditure　for　it　was　returned　into　the　treasury。







These　details　would　be　utterly　trivial　were　it　not　that；　with



others　which　I　have　given　in　other　places；　they　indicate　that



prostitution　of　the　press　to　sensation…mongering　which　the



American　people　should　realize　and　reprove。







While　I　have　not　gone　into　minor　details　of　our　work；　I　have



thought　that　thus　much　might　be　interesting。　Of　course；　had　these



reminiscences　been　written　earlier；　this　sketch　of　the　interior



history　of　the　commission　would　have　been　omitted；　but　now；　the



award　of　the　Paris　tribunal　having　been　made；　there　is　no　reason



why　secrecy　should　be　longer　maintained。　Never；　before　that



award；　did　any　of　us；　I　am　sure；　indicate　to　any　person　what　our



view　as　to　the　line　between　the　possessions　of　Venezuela　and



Great　Britain　was；　but　now　we　may　do　so；　and　I　feel　that　all



concerned　may　be　congratulated　on　the　fact　that　two　tribunals；



each　seeking　to　do　justice；　united　on　the　same　line；　and　that



line　virtually　the　same　which　one　of　the　most　just　of　British



statesmen　had　approved　many　years　before。







During　this　Venezuela　work　in　Washington　I　made　acquaintance　with



many　leading　men　in　politics；　and　among　those　who　interested　me



most　was　Mr。　Carlisle　of　Kentucky；　Secretary　of　the　Treasury。　He



had　been　member　of　Congress；　Speaker　of　the　House　of



Representatives；　and　senator；　and　was　justly　respected　and



admired。　Perhaps　the　most　peculiar　tribute　that　I　ever　heard　paid



to　a　public　man　was　given　him　once　in　the　House　of



Representatives　by　my　friend　Mr。　Hiscock；　then　representative；



and　afterward　senator；　from　the　State　of　New　York。　Seated　by　his



side　in　the　House；　and　noting　the　rulings　of　Mr。　Carlisle　as



Speaker；　I　asked；　〃What　sort　of　man　is　this　Speaker　of　yours？〃



Mr。　Hiscock　answered；　〃As　you　know；　he　is　one　of　the　strongest　of



Democrats；　and　I　am　one　of　the　strongest　of　Republicans；　yet　I



will　say　this：　that　my　imagination　is　not　strong　enough　to



conceive　of　his　making　an　unfair　ruling　or　doing　an　unfair　thing



against　the　party　opposed　to　him　in　this　House。〃







Mr。　Carlisle's　talents　were　of　a　very　high　order。　His　speeches



carried　great　weight；　and　in　the　campaign　which　came　on　later



between　Mr。　McKinley　and　Mr。　Bryan；　he；　in　my　opinion；　and　indeed



in　the　opinion；　I　think；　of　every　leading　public　man；　did　a　most



honorable　thing　when　he　deliberately　broke　from　his　party；



sacrificed；　apparently；　all　hopes　of　political　preferment；　and



opposed　the　regular　Democratic　candidate。　His　speech　before　the



working…men　of　Chicago　on　the　issues　of　that　period　was　certainly



one　of　the　two　most　important　delivered　during　the　first　McKinley



campaign；　the　other　being　that　of　Carl　Schurz。







Another　man　whom　I　saw　from　time　to　time　during　this　period　was



the