the path of empire-第9节

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is　short　term　prevented　him　from　carrying　out　his　policy；　but　it　is　nevertheless　of　interest　as　anticipating　the　plan　actually　followed　by　President　Roosevelt　in　the　case　of　Santo　Domingo。

Blaine　was　just　as　much　opposed　to　the　peaceful　penetration　of　European　influence　in　the　Western　Hemisphere　as　to　its　forceful　expression。　The　project　of　a　canal　across　the　Isthmus　of　Panama；　to　be　built　and　owned　by　a　French　company；　had　already　aroused　President　Hayes　on　March　8；　1880；　to　remark：　〃The　policy　of　this　country　is　a　canal　under　American　control。　The　United　States　cannot　consent　to　the　surrender　of　this　control　to　any　European　power　or　to　any　combination　of　European　powers。〃　Blaine　added　that　the　passage　of　hostile　troops　through　such　a　canal　when　either　the　United　States　or　Colombia　was　at　war；　as　the　terms　of　guarantee　of　the　new　canal　allowed；　was　〃no　more　admissible　than　on　the　railroad　lines　joining　the　Atlantic　and　Pacific　shores　of　the　United　States。〃

It　is　characteristic　of　Blaine　that；　when　he　wrote　this　dispatch；　he　was　apparently　in　complete　ignorance　of　the　existence　of　the　Clayton…Bulwer　Treaty；　in　which　the　United　States　accepted　the　exactly　opposite　principleshad　agreed　to　a　canal　under　a　joint　international　guarantee　and　open　to　the　use　of　all　in　time　of　war　as　well　as　of　peace。　Discovering　this　obstacle；　he　set　to　work　to　demolish　it　by　announcing　to　Great　Britain　that　the　treaty　was　antiquated；　thirty　years　old；　that　the　development　of　the　American　Pacific　slope　had　changed　conditions；　and　that；　should　the　treaty　be　observed　and　such　a　canal　remain　unfortified；　the　superiority　of　the　British　fleet　would　give　the　nation　complete　control。　Great　Britain；　however；　could　scarcely　be　expected　to　regard　a　treaty　as　defunct　from　old　age　at　thirty　years；　especially　as　she　also　possessed　a　developing　Pacific　coast。　Moreover；　if　the　treaty　was　to　British　advantage；　at　least　the　United　States　had　accepted　it。　Great　Britain；　therefore；　refused　to　admit　that　the　treaty　was　not　in　full　force。　Blaine　then　urged　the　building　of　an　American　canal　across　the　Isthmus　of　Nicaragua；　in　defiance　of　the　Clayton…Bulwer　Treatya　plan　which　received　the　support　of　even　President　Arthur；　under　whom　a　treaty　for　the　purpose　was　negotiated　with　the　Republic　of　Nicaragua。　Before　this　treaty　was　ratified　by　the　Senate；　however；　Grover　Cleveland；　who　had　just　become　President；　withdrew　it。　He　believed　in　the　older　policy；　and　refused　his　sanction　to　the　new　treaty　on　the　ground　that　such　a　canal　〃must　be　for　the　world's　benefit；　a　trust　for　mankind；　to　be　removed　from　the　chance　of　domination　by　any　single　power。〃

The　crowning　glory　of　Blaine's　system；　as　he　planned　it；　was　the　cooperation　of　the　American　republics　for　common　purposes。　He　did　not　share　Seward's　dream　that　they　would　become　incorporated　States　of　the　Union；　but　he　went　back　to　Henry　Clay　and　the　Panama　Congress　of　1826　for　his　ideal。　During　his　first　term　of　office　he　invited　the　republics　to　send　representatives　to　Washington　to　discuss　arbitration；　but　his　successor　in　office　feared　that　such　a　meeting　of　〃a　partial　group　of　our　friends〃　might　offend　Europe；　which　indeed　was　not　improbably　part　of　Blaine's　intention。　On　resuming　office；　Blaine　finally　arranged　the　meeting　of　a　Pan…American　Congress　in　the　United　States。　Chosen　to　preside；　he　presented　an　elaborate　program；　including　a　plan　for　arbitrating　disputes；　commercial　reciprocity；　the　establishment　of　uniform　weights　and　measures；　of　international　copyright；　trade…marks　and　patents；　and；　of　common　coinage；　improvement　of　communications；　and　other　subjects。　At　the　same　time　he　exerted　himself　to　secure　in　the　McKinley　Tariff　Bill；　which　was　just　then　under　consideration；　a　provision　for　reciprocity　of　trade　with　American　countries。　This　meeting　was　not　a　complete　success；　since　Congress　gave　him　only　half　of　what　he　wanted　by　providing　for　reciprocity　but　making　it　general　instead　of　purely　American。　Nevertheless　one　permanent　and　solid　result　was　secured　in　the　establishment　of　the　Bureau　of　American　Republics　at　Washington；　which　has　become　a　clearing　house　of　ideas　and　a　visible　bond　of　common　interests　and　good　feeling。

Throughout　the　years　of　Blaine's　prominence；　the　public　took　more　interest　in　his　bellicose　encounters　with　Europe；　and　particularly　with　Great　Britain；　than　in　his　constructive　American　policy；　and　he　failed　to　secure　for　either　an　assured　popular　support。　His　attempt　to　widen　the　gulf　between　Europe　and　America　was　indeed　absurd　at　a　time　when　the　cable；　the　railroad；　and　the　steamship　were　rendering　the　world　daily　smaller　and　more　closely　knit；　and　when　the　spirit　of　democracy；　rapidly　permeating　western　Europe；　was　breaking　down　the　distinction　in　political　institutions　which　had　given　point　to　the　pronouncement　of　1823。　Nevertheless　Blaine　did　actually　feel　the　changing　industrial　conditions　at　home　which　were　destroying　American　separateness；　and　he　made　a　genuine　attempt　to　find　a　place　for　the　United　States　in　the　world；　without　the　necessity　of　sharing　the　responsibilities　of　all　the　world；　by　making　real　that　interest　in　its　immediate　neighbors　which　his　country　had　announced　in　1823。　Even　while　Blaine　was　working　on　his　plan　of　〃America　for　the　Americans；〃　events　were　shaping　the　most　important　extension　of　the　interests　of　the　United　States　which　had　taken　place　since　1823。



CHAPTER　V。　The　United　States　And　The　Pacific

Long　before　the　westward　march　of　Americans　had　brought　their　flag　to　the　Pacific；　that　ocean　was　familiar　to　their　mariners。　》From　Cape　Horn　to　Canton　and　the　ports　of　India；　there　ploughed　the　stately　merchantmen　of　Salem；　Providence；　and　Newburyport；　exchanging　furs　and　ginseng　for　teas；　silks；　the　〃Canton　blue〃　which　is　today　so　cherished　a　link　with　the　past；　and　for　the　lacquer　cabinets　and　carved　ivory　which　give　distinction　to　many　a　New　England　home。　Meanwhile　the　sturdy　whalers　of　New　Bedford　scoured　the　whole　ocean　for　sperm　oil　and　whalebone；　and　the　incidents　of　their　self…reliant　three…year　cruises　acquainted　them　with　nearly　every　coral　and　volcanic　isle。　Early　in　the　century　missionaries　also　began　to　brave　the　languor　of　these　oases　of　leisure　and　the　appetite　of　their　cannibalistic　inhabitants。

The　interest　of　the　Government　was　bound　to　follow　its　adventurous　citizens。　In　1820　the　United　States　appointed　a　consular　agent　at　Honolulu；　in　the　thirties　and　forties　it　entered　into　treaty　relations　with　Siam；　Borneo；　and　China；　and　owing　to　circumstances　which　were　by　no　means　accidental　it　had　the　honor　of　persuading　Japan　to　open　her　ports　to　the　world。　As　early　as　1797　an　American　vessel　chartered　by　the　Dutch　had　visited　Nagasaki。　From　time　to　time　American　sailors　had　been　shipwrecked　on　the　shores　of　Japan；　and　the　United　States　had　more　than　once　picked　up　and　sought　to　return　Japanese　castaways。　In　1846　an　official　expedition　under　Commodore　Biddle　was　sent　to　establish　relationships　with　Japan　but　was　unsuccessful。　In　1853　Commodore　Perry　bore　a　message　from　the　President　to　the　Mikado　which　demandedthough　the　demand　was　couched　in　courteous　language〃friendship；　commerce；　a　supply　of　coal　and　provisions；　and　protection　for　our　shipwrecked　people。〃　After　a　long　hesitation　the　Mikado　yielded。　Commodore　Perry's　success　was　due　not　solely　to　the　care　with　which　his　expedition　was　equipped　for　its　purpose　nor　to　his　diplomatic　skill　but　in　part　to　the　fact　that　other　countries　were　known　to　be　on　the　very　point　of　forcing　an　entrance　into　the　seclusion　of　Japan。　Few　Americans　realize　how　close；　indeed；　were　the　relations　established　with　Japan　by　the　United　States。　The　treaty　which　Townsend　Harris　negotiated　in　1858　stated　that　〃The　President　of　the　United　States；　at　the　request　of　the　Japanese　Government；　will　act　as　a　friendly　mediator　in　such　matters　of　difference　as　may　arise　between　the　Government　of　Japan　and　any　European　power。〃　Through　his　personal　efforts　Harris　may　almost　be　said　to　have　become　the　chief　adviser　of　the　Japanese　Government　in　the　perplexities　which　it　encountered　on　entering　international　society。

Not　only　did　the　United　States　allow　itself　a　closer　intimacy　with　this　new　Pacific　power　than　it　would　have　done　with　a　state　of　Europe；　but　it　exhibited　a　greater　freedom　in　dealing　with　the　European　powers　themselves　in　the　Far　East　than　at　home　or　in　America。　In　1863　the　United　States　joinedin　fact；　in　the　absence　of　a　naval　force　it　strained　a　point　by　chartering　a　vessel　for　the　purposewith　a　concert　of　powers　to　force　the　opening　of　the　Shimonoseki　Straits；　subsequently　acting　with　Great　Britain；　France；　and　the　Netherlands；　the　United　States　secured　an　indemnity　to　pay　the　cost　of　the　expedition；　and　in　1866　it　united　with　the　same　powers　to　secure　a　convention　by　which　Japan　bound　herself　to　establish　certain　tariff　regulations。

Nor　were　the　relations　of　the　United　States　with　the　Pacific　Ocean　and　its　shores　confined　to　trade　and　international　obligations。　The　American　flag　waved　over　more　than　ships　and　a　portion　of　the　Pacific　coast。　Naval　officers　more　than　once　raised　it　over　islands　which　they　christened；　and　Congress　authorized　the　President　to　exercise　temporary　authority　over　islands　from　which　Ameri