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resolutely　opposed　it。　The　State　convention　of　his　party　called



upon　him　to　vote　for　it；　the　national　convention　of　the　party



took　the　same　ground；　his　relatives　and　friends　besought　him　to



yield；　but　he　stood　firmly　against　the　measure；　and　finally；　by



his　example　and　his　vote；　defeated　it。　It　was　an　example　of



Spartan　fortitude；　of　Roman　heroism；　worthy　to　be　chronicled　by



Plutarch。　How　was　it　chronicled？　I　happened　to　be　traveling　in



Germany　at　the　time；　and　naturally　watched　closely　for　the　result



of　the　impeachment　proceedings。　One　morning　I　took　up　a　German



paper　containing　the　news　and　read；　〃The　impeachment　has　been



defeated；　three　senators　were　bribed；〃　and　at　the　head　of　the



list　of　bribed　senators　was　the　name　of　Fessenden！　The　time　will



come　when　his　statue　will　commemorate　his　great　example；　let　us



hope　that　the　time　will　also　come　when　party　spirit　will　not　be



allowed　to　disgrace　our　country　by　sending　out　to　the　world　such



monstrous　calumnies。







As　to　attacks　upon　the　United　States；　it　is　only　fair　to　say　that



German　publicists　and　newspaper　writers　were　under　much



provocation。　Some　of　the　American　correspondents　then　in　Germany



showed　wonderful　skill　in　malignant　invention。　My　predecessors　in



the　embassy　had　suffered　much　from　this　cause。　One　of　them；　whom



I　had　known　from　his　young　manhood　as　a　gentleman　of　refined



tastes　and　quiet　habits；　utterly　incapable　of　rudeness　of　any



sort；　was　accused；　in　a　sensational　letter　published　in　various



American　journals；　of　having　become　so　noisy　and　boisterous　at



court　that　the　Emperor　was　obliged　to　rebuke　him。　Various　hints



of　a　foul　and　scandalous　character　were　sent　over　and　published。



I　escaped　more　easily；　but　there　were　two　or　three　examples　which



were　both　vexatious　and　amusing。







Shortly　after　my　arrival　at　my　post；　letters　and　newspaper



articles　began　coming　deploring　the　conduct　of　the　Germans　toward



me；　expressing　deep　sympathy　with　me；　exhorting　me　to　〃stand



firm；〃　declaring　that　the　American　people　were　behind　me；　etc。；



etc。；　all　of　which　puzzled　me　greatly　until　I　found　that　some



correspondent　had　sent　over　a　telegram　to　the　effect　that　the



feeling　against　America　had　become　so　bitter　that　the　Emperor



himself　had　been　obliged　to　intervene　and　command　the　officials



of　his　empire　to　present　themselves　at　my　official　reception；　and



with　this　statement　was　coupled　a　declaration　that　I　had　made　the



most　earnest　remonstrance　to　the　Imperial　Government　against　such



treatment。　The　simple　fact　was　that　the　notice　was　in　the



stereotyped　form　always　used　when　an　ambassador　arrives。　On　every



such　occasion　the　proper　authorities　notify　all　the　persons



concerned；　giving　the　time　of　his　receptions；　and　this　was　simply



what　was　done　in　my　case。　On　another　occasion；　telegrams　were



sent　over　to　American　papers　stating　that　the　first　secretary　of



the　embassy　and　myself；　on　visiting　Parliament　to　hear　an



important　debate；　had　been　grossly　insulted　by　various　members。



The　fact　was　that　we　had　been　received　by　everybody　with　the



utmost　kindness；　that　various　members　had　saluted　us　in　the　most



friendly　manner　from　the　floor　or　had　come　into　the　diplomatic



gallery　to　welcome　us；　and　that　there　was　not　the　slightest



shadow　of　reason　for　the　statement。　As　an　example　of　the　genius



shown　in　some　of　these　telegrams；　another　may　be　mentioned。　A



very　charming　American　lady；　niece　of　a　member　of　Mr。　McKinley's



cabinet；　having　arrived　on　the　Norwegian　coast；　her　children　were



taken　on　board　the　yacht　of　the　Emperor；　who　was　then　cruising　in



those　regions；　and　later；　on　their　arrival　at　Berlin；　they　with



their　father　and　mother　were　asked　by　him　to　the　palace　to　meet



his　own　wife　and　children。　A　few　days　afterward　a　telegram　was



published　in　America　to　the　effect　that　the　Emperor；　in　speaking



to　Mrs。　White　and　myself　regarding　the　children；　had　said　that　he



was　especially　surprised；　because　he　had　always　understood　that



American　children　were　badly　brought　up　and　had　very　bad　manners。



The　simple　fact　was　that；　while　he　spoke　of　the　children　with



praise；　the　rest　of　the　story　was　merely　a　sensational　invention。



One　of　the　marvels　of　American　life　is　the　toleration　by　decent



fathers　and　mothers　of　sensational　newspapers　in　their



households。　Of　all　the　demoralizing　influences　upon　our　people；



and　especially　upon　our　young　people；　they　are　the　most　steadily



and　pervasively　degrading。　Horace　Greeley　once　published　a



tractate　entitled；　〃New　Themes　for　the　Clergy；〃　and　I　would



suggest　the　evil　influence　of　sensation　newsmongering　as　a　most



fruitful　theme　for　the　exhortations　of　all　American　clergymen　to



their　flocks；　whether　Catholic；　Jewish；　or　Protestant。　May　we　not



hope；　also；　that　Mr。　Pulitzer's　new　College　of　Journalism　will



give　careful　attention　to　this　subject？







As　to　public　questions　then　demanding　attention；　the　first　which



I　now　recall　was　a　bit　of　international　comedy；　serving　as　a



prelude　to　more　important　matters；　and　worth　mentioning　here　only



as　showing　a　misconception　very　absurd；　yet　not　without　dangers。







One　morning；　as　I　had　just　sat　down　to　my　office　work；　there　was



ushered　in；　with　due　ceremony；　a　young　gentleman　of　light　color；



Parisian　to　the　tips　of　his　fingers；in　accent；　manner；　and



garb；who　was　announced　as　the　charge　d'affaires　of　Haiti。　He



was　evidently　under　deep　concern；　and　was　soon　in　the　midst　of　a



somewhat　impassioned　statement　of　his　business。







It　appeared　that　his　government；　like　so　many　which　had　preceded



it；　after　a　joyous　career　of　proclamations；　revolutions；



throat…cutting；　confiscation；　paper　money；　and　loans；　public　and



private；　had　at　last　met　a　check；　and　that　in　this　instance　the



check　had　come　in　the　shape　of　a　German　frigate　which　had　dropped



into　the　harbor　of　Port…au…Prince；　run　out　its　guns；　and　demanded



redress　of　injuries　and　payment　of　debts　to　Germany　and　German



subjects；　and　the　charge；　after　dwelling　upon　the　enormity　of



such　a　demand；　pointed　out　the　duty　of　the　United　States　to



oblige　Germany　to　desist；in　short；　to　assert　the　Monroe



Doctrine　as　he　understood　it。







The　young　diplomatist's　statement　interested　me　much；　it　brought



back　vividly　to　my　mind　the　days　when；　as　a　commissioner　from　the



United　States；　I　landed　at　Port…au…Prince；　observed　the　wreck　and



ruin　caused　by　a　recent　revolution；　experienced　the　beauties　of　a



paper…money　system　carried　out　so　logically　that　a　market…basket



full　of　currency　was　needed　to　buy　a　market…basket　full　of



vegetables；　visited　the　tombs　of　the　presidents　from　which　the



bodies　of　their　occupants　had　been　torn　and　scattered；　saw　the



ring　to　which　President　Salnave　had　recently　been　tied　when　the



supporters　of　his　successor　had　murdered　him；　and　mused　over　the



ruins　of　the　presidential　mansion；　which　had　been　torn　in　pieces



by　bombs　from　a　patriotic　vessel。　My　heart　naturally　warmed



toward　the　representative　of　so　much　glory；　and　it　seemed　sad　to



quench　his　oratorical　fire　and　fervor　with　a　cold　statement　of



fact。　But　my　duty　was　plain：　I　assured　him　that　neither　the



President　whose　name　the　famous　〃Doctrine〃　bears；　nor　the



Secretary　of　State　who　devised　it；　nor　the　American　people　behind



them；　had　any　idea　of　protecting　our　sister　republics　in　such



conduct　as　that　of　which　the　Germans　complained；　and　I　concluded



by　fervently　exhorting　him　to　advise　his　government　and　people



simply　topay　their　debts。







It　gave　me　pleasure　to　learn；　somewhat　later；　that　this　very



prosaic　solution　of　the　difficulty　had　been　adopted。







I　make　haste　to　add　that　nothing　which　may　be　said　here　or



elsewhere　in　these　recollections　regarding　sundry　equatorial



governments　has　any　reference　to　our　sister　republics　of　South



America　really　worthy　of　the　name。　No　countries　were　in　my　time



more　admirably　represented　at　Berlin　than　the　Argentine　Republic；



Chile；　and　Brazil。　The　first…named　sent　as　its　minister　the　most



eminent　living　authority　on　international　law；　the　second；　a



gentleman　deeply　respected　for　character　and　ability；　whose



household　was　one　of　the　most　beautiful　and　attractive　I　have



ever　known；　and　the　third；　a　statesman　and　scholar　worthy　of　the



best　traditions　of　his　country。







As　to　more　complicated　international　matters　with　which　my



embassy　had　to　deal；　the　first　to　assume　a　virulent　form　was　that



of　the　Samoan　Islands。







During　the　pr