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I　may　say；　before　closing　this　subject；　that　Thomas　Jefferson's



famous　letter　to　Governor　Langdon；　describing　royal　personages　as



he　knew　them　while　minister　to　France　before　the　French



Revolution；　no　longer　applies。　The　events　which　followed　the



Revolution　taught　the　crowned　heads　of　Europe　that　they　could　no



longer　indulge　in　the　good　old　Bourbon；　Hapsburg；　and　Braganza



idleness　and　stupidity。　Modern　European　sovereigns；　almost



without　exception；　work　for　their　living；　and　work　hard。　Few



business　men　go　through　a　more　severe　training；　or　a　longer　and



harder　day　of　steady　work；　than　do　most　of　the　contemporary



sovereigns　of　Europe。　This　fact　especially　struck　me　on　my



presentation；　about　this　time；　to　one　of　the　best　of　the　minor



monarchs；　the　King　of　Wurtemberg。　I　found　him　a　hearty；　strong；



active…minded　manthe　sort　of　man　whom　we　in　America　would　call



〃level…headed〃　and　〃a　worker。〃　Learning　that　I　had　once　passed　a



winter　in　Stuttgart；　he　detained　me　long　with　a　most　interesting



account　of　the　improvements　which　had　been　made　in　the　city　since



my　visit；　and　showed　public　spirit　of　a　sort　very　different　from



that　which　animated　the　minor　potentates　of　Germany　in　the　last



century。　The　same　may　be　said　of　the　Grand　Duke　of　Baden；　who；　in



a　long　conversation；　impressed　me　as　a　gentleman　of　large　and



just　views；　understanding　the　problems　of　his　time　and　thoroughly



in　sympathy　with　the　best　men　and　movements。







Republican　as　I　am；　this　acknowledgment　must　be　made。　The



historical　lessons　of　the　eighteenth　and　nineteenth　centuries；



and　the　pressure　of　democracy；　are　obliging　the　monarchs　of



Europe　to　fit　themselves　for　their　duties　wisely　and　to　discharge



them　intelligently。　But　this　is　true　only　of　certain　ruling



houses。　There　seems　to　be　a　〃survival　of　the　fittest。〃　At　various



periods　in　my　life　I　have　also　had　occasion　to　observe　with　some



care　various　pretenders　to　European　thrones；　among　them　the



husband　of　Queen　Isabella　of　Spain；　Prince　Napoleon　Victor；　the



heir　to　the　Napoleonic　throne；　the　Duke　of　Orleans；　Don　Carlos；



the　representative　of　the　Spanish　Bourbons；　with　sundry　others；



and　it　would　be　hard　to　conceive　persons　more　utterly　unfit　or



futile。







As　to　the　conduct　of　Germany　during　our　war　with　Spain；　while　the



press；　with　two　or　three　exceptions；　was　anything　but　friendly；



and　while　a　large　majority　of　the　people　were　hostile　to　us　on



account　of　the　natural　sympathy　with　a　small　power　battling



against　a　larger　one；　the　course　of　the　Imperial　Government；



especially　of　the　Foreign　Office　under　Count　von　Bulow　and　Baron



von　Richthofen；　was　all　that　could　be　desired。　Indeed；　they　went



so　far　on　one　occasion　as　almost　to　alarm　us。　The　American　consul



at　Hamburg　having　notified　me　by　telephone　that　a　Spanish　vessel；



supposed　to　be　loaded　with　arms　for　use　against　us　in　Cuba；　was



about　to　leave　that　port；　I　hastened　to　the　Foreign　Office　and



urged　that　vigorous　steps　be　taken；　with　the　result　that　the



vessel；　which　in　the　meantime　had　left　Hamburg；　was　overhauled



and　searched　at　the　mouth　of　the　Elbe。　The　German　Government



might　easily　have　pleaded；　in　answer　to　my　request；　that　the



American　Government　had　generally　shown　itself　opposed　to　any



such　interference　with　the　shipments　of　small　arms　to



belligerents；　and　had　contended　that　it　was　not　obliged　to　search



vessels　to　find　such　contraband　of　war；　but　that　this　duty　was



incumbent　upon　the　belligerent　nation　concerned。　This　evidence　of



the　fairness　of　Germany　I　took　pains　to　make　known；　and　in　my



address　at　the　American　celebration　in　Leipsic　on　the　Fourth　of



July　declared　my　belief　that　the　hostility　of　the　German　people



and　press　at　large　was　only　temporary；　and　that　the　old　good



relations　would　be　restored。　Knowing　that　my　speech　would　be



widely　quoted　in　the　German　press；　I　took　even　more　pains　to　show



the　reasons　why　we　could　bide　our　time　and　trust　to　the



magnanimity　of　the　German　people。　Of　one　thing　I　then　and　always



reminded　my　hearersnamely；　that　during　our　Civil　War；　when　our



national　existence　was　trembling　in　the　balance　and　our　foreign



friends　were　few；　the　German　press　and　people　were　steadily　on



our　side。







The　occasion　was　indeed　a　peculiar　one。　On　the　morning　of　the



Fourth；　when　we　had　all　assembled；　bad　news　came。　Certain　German



presses　had　been　very　prompt　to　patch　together　all　sorts　of



accounts　of　American　defeats；　and　to　present　them　in　the　most



unpleasant　way　possible；　but　while　we　were　seated　at　table　in　the



evening　came　a　despatch　announcing　the　annihilation　of　the



Spanish　fleet　in　Cuban　waters；　and　this　put　us　all　in　good　humor。



One　circumstance　may　serve　to　show　the　bitterness　at　heart　among



Americans　at　this　period。　On　entering　the　dining…hall　with　our



consul；　I　noticed　two　things：　first；　that　the　hall　was　profusely



decorated　in　a　way　I　had　never　seen　before　and　had　never　expected



to　seenamely；　by　intertwined　American　and　British　flags；　and；



secondly；　that　there　was　not　a　German　flag　in　the　room。　I



immediately　sent　for　the　proprietor　and　told　him　that　I　would　not



sit　down　to　dinner　until　a　German　flag　was　brought　in。　He　at



first　thought　it　impossible　to　supply　the　want；　but；　on　my



insisting；　a　large　flag　was　at　last　found。　This　was　speedily



given　a　place　of　honor　among　the　interior　decorations　of　our



hall；　and　all　then　went　on　satisfactorily。







As　the　war　with　Spain　progressed；　various　causes　of　difficulty



arose　between　Germany　and　the　United　States；　but　I　feel　bound　to



say　that　the　German　Government　continued　to　act　toward　us　with



justice。　The　sensational　press；　indeed；　continued　its　work　on



both　sides　of　the　Atlantic。　On　our　side　it　took　pains　to　secure



and　publish　stories　of　insults　by　the　German　Admiral　Diederichs



to　the　American　Admiral　Dewey；　and　to　develop　various　legends



regarding　these　two　commanders。　As　a　matter　of　fact；　each　of　the



two　admirals；　when　their　relations　first　began　in　Manila；　was



doubtless　rather　stiff　and　on　his　guard　against　the　other；　but



these　feelings　soon　yielded　to　different　sentiments。







The　foolish　utterances　of　various　individuals；　spread　by　sundry



American　papers；　were　heartily　echoed　in　the　German　press；　the



most　noted　among　these　being　an　alleged　after…dinner　speech　by　an



American　officer　at　a　New　York　club；　and　a　Congressional　speech



in　which　the　person　who　made　it　declared　that　〃the　United　States；



having　whipped　Spain；　ought　now　to　whip　Germany。〃　Still；　the



thinking　men　intrusted　with　the　relations　between　the　two



countries　labored　on；　though　at　times　there　must　have　recurred　to



us　a　sense　of　the　divine　inspiration　of　Schiller's　words；



〃Against　stupidity　even　the　gods　fight　in　vain。〃







Of　course　the　task　of　the　embassy　in　protecting　American　citizens



abroad　was　especially　increased　in　those　times　of　commotion。　At



such　periods　the　number　of　ways　in　which　American　citizens；



native　or　naturalized；　can　get　into　trouble　seems　infinite；　and



here；　too；　even　from　the　first　moment　of　my　arrival　in　Berlin　as



ambassador；　I　saw　evidences　of　the　same　evil　which　had　struck　me



during　my　previous　missions　in　Berlin　and　St。　Petersburgnamely；



the　constant　and　ingenious　efforts　to　prostitute　American



citizenship。　Among　the　manifold　duties　of　an　ambassador　is　the



granting　of　passports。　The　great　majority　of　those　who　ask　for



them　are　entitled　to　them；　but　there　are　always　a　considerable



number　of　persons　who；　having　left　Europe　just　in　time　to　escape



military　service；　have　stayed　in　America　just　long　enough　to



acquire　American　citizenship；　and　then；　having　returned　to　their



native　country；　seek　to　enjoy　the　advantages　of　both　countries



while　discharging　the　duties　of　neither。　Even　worse　were　the



cases　of　the　descendants　of　such　so…called　Americans；　most　of



them　born　in　Europe　and　not　able　even　to　speak　the　English



language；　worst　of　all　were　the　cases　of　sundry



Russianssometimes　stigmatized　as　〃predatory　Hebrews〃who；



having　left　Russia　and　gone　to　America；　had　stayed　just　long



enough　to　acquire　citizenship；　and　then　returned　and　settled　in



the　eastern　part　of　Germany；　as　near　the　Russian　frontier　as



possible。　These　were　naturally　regarded　as　fraudulent　interlopers



by　both　the　German　and　Russian　authorities；　and　much　trouble



resulted。　Some　of　them　led　a　life　hardly　outside　the　limits　of



criminality；　but　they　never　hesitated　on　this　account　to　insist



on　their　claims　to　American　protection。　When　they　were　reminded



that　American　citizenship　was　conferred　upon　them；　not　that　they



might　shirk　its　duties　and　misuse　its　advantages　in　the　land　of



their　birth；　but　that　they　might　enjoy　it　and　discharge　its



duties　in　the　land　of　their　adoption；　they　scouted　the　idea　and



insisted　on　their　right；　as　American　citizens；　to　live　where　they



pleased。　Their　communications　to　the　embassy　were；　almost　without



exception；　in　German；　Russian；　or　Polish；　very　few　of　them　wrote



or　even　spoke　English；　and　very　many　of　them　could　neither　read



nor　write　in　any　language。　For　the　hard…working　immigrant；



whether　Jew　or　Gentile；　who　comes　to　our　country　and　casts　in　his



lot　with　us；　to　take　his　share　not　only　of　privilege　but　of　duty；



I　have　the　fullest　respect　and　sympathy；　and　have　always　been



glad　to　intervene　in　his　favor；　but　intervention　in　behalf　of



those　fraudulent　pretenders　I　always　felt　t