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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 11, 1904)
Senator Cullom Says Uncle Sam Leads the Nations (Copyright, by Prank G. Carpenter.) m HICAOO, Sept. 8 (Special Cor. I I respondence of The Uee) It was I J In a biff hotel on the shores of Ml I --ike Michigan that I chattel last nlKht with Se nator Shelby M. Cullom about Uncle Sum as an in ternational quantity. Senator Cullom lias had much to do with the growth of this country. Horn In a g cabin In Kentucky, he came In a canvus-eovered wagon to Illinois when Us prairies were little more than a wilderness. He too!c purt In the campaign which made Abra ham I J ri coin president, and had been elected to congress when Uncoln was as sassinated. Slnco W& lie has been In public life, and much of tho time In the house of representatives and the United States sen. ate, where lie lias been prominent In Inter, national affairs. He Is today the chairman of the foreign relations committee of the senate, and as such Is the head of the congressional branch of our treaty-making power. "Undo Sam Is bigger as an International quXility than lie has ever been," said Sen ator Cullom. "Ho has grown to bo a giant within the past few years. The world pow ers now realize that ho is their equal, and It may bo said that he Is at the head of the procession." "When did this corao about, senator?" I asked. "Our big growth began during our war With Spain," said Senator Cullom. "Before that the grent Kuropean nations rather looked down upon us iu a secondary force in the world of olltlc8. They considered, us a nation of smart traders fresh, green, and exceedingly boastful. They talked of us as worshippers of the dollar, nnd up peared to think we would not light, and could not If wo would. They disparaged our navy und laughed at our little army as compared with their gigantic military ma. chines. The war showed them that our guriucrs knew how to shoot, that we un derstood how to handle our ships, nnd fhat our army was not restricted by the num bers In the ranks. They learned that every American citizen makes good soldier tim ber, and that the American national Hplrit Is not afTected by the American pocket book. Our easy success In that war astounded them, and they began to re- Spect Uncle Sam. They Increased that re sect when, with John Hay as secretary of slato, we put ourselves at the front In Bottling the Chinese trouble which followed, and they now regard us as one of the big gest factors In every world problem. Our opinion Is asked before any settled policy Is promulgated 1 njlght even say before It Is formed." "Did the United States really do much as to the Chinese settlement, senator?" "It did everything," was the reply. "Had It not been for our government China would now be divided up among the great nations of Kurope. Such a division wus contem plated and Germany, Kngland nnd Russia had euch taken a foothold, when Stcretary Hay said that the International policy should bo the 'open door;' that Ih, that China should bo Independent nnd free to the trade of nil nations. After that the other powers fell Into line nnd advocated the same policy. The comparatively easy terms of peace which China secured were largely due to the United States, and today the fact that that country is not the light ing ground of the war between Japan and Russia is due to the masterly state papers of John Hay. Wo have also opened up China to trade as never before, liy our new treaty the local taxes on goods from Station to station throughout the empire have been abolished, new treaty ports have been thrown oten and on the whole China has been made a free trading Held for the world." "You seem to give Secretary Hay oil the credit for that work, senator." "I do," replied Senator Cullom. "'Others have helped carry out his Ideas, but his Is the master mind as far as our diplomatic relations and successes are concerned. I consider Mr. Hay a very great man. Ho Is the greatest secretary of state this country has ever had. Ho has statesmanlike abil ity of the highest order allied to sterling courage and the genius of common sense. He Is experienced In defiling with foreign ers and with nations. He Is a man of let ters nnd speaks the foreign languages fluently. He Is cool, conservative and at the same time bold and quick to act. No, T nn' think we have ever had so great secretary of state. The whole world acknowledges his ability." "How long have you known Secretary Hay?" "All his life," was the reply. "He comes from my state, having been born at War Saw, in the western part, on the Mississippi river. His uncle, Milton Hay, was my law partner, and I knew his father very well, lie was a doctor and a man of ability. I remember he once Introduced me when I rpoko in Warsaw. " His Introduction was longer than my speech, but It was good, nevertheless. "My first close association with John Hay was when he entered my office In Bprlngrteld to study law. He had been to chool at the Academy in Bprlngrteld and T . ' SENATOn STTELBY had then gone east to Brown university, where he graduated. Our firm was that of llay & Cullom, and John came Into the ofllce largely on account of my partner, his undo Milton Hay. This was Just before the war when John was 18 or 19 years old." "What kind of a law student was he, senator?" I asked. "He was very bright," snld Senator Cul lom. "He had not been In the office six weeks before we could tell him" what we wanted In the way of papers, and he would go off and draw them up. He could draw up a bill In chancery, and, In fact, almost any kind of a paper. We had other stu dents who could never learn." "It must have leen then that Hay became acquainted with Uncoln?" paid I. "Yes, although I suppose Uncoln must have known Hay's father and may have known him as a hoy. Lincoln was a great friend of Milton Hay, and he was fre quently in our office. When Lincoln was elected president he made John Hay one of his secretaries, and he then began that diplomatic training which Is so valuable to him today." "Did you have anything to do with the appointment of Colonel Hay as minister to Kngland?" "I have always had a high opinion of Hay's diplomatic ability," replied Senator Cullom, "nnd when McKInley was elected I wrote a letter, without solicitation on the part of IlMy or any one else, advising the president to give Hay the mission to Kng land. He got the appointment, but 1 can not say that my letter was the cause of that. When John Sherman had left the State department and Secretary Day was nbout to be elevated to the supreme court I again wrote McKinley, ndvlslng him to call John Hay home anil make him secre tary of slate. In my litter 1 put forth his peculiar fitness for the position, Haying that he could handle the foreign powers better than any other man living, nnd could fill the pi ice as well ns cue man In the country. McKInley was then considering both Hay and Whltelaw Held. There were many In fluences at work, but Hay was chosen, nnd I don't think that McKInley regretted it." Tho conversation hero took a foreign turn and I nsked the senator whether he was satisfied as to what had been done ns to Cuba. Ho replied: "I think that Island Is being greatly bene fited by Its association with us nnd that the United States should be co:igrntul ited on Its connection with It. We have through our treaties secured Its Independ ence and at the same time made it prac tically a dependency of tho United States. By those treaties Cuba cannot enter Into any questionable or entangling alliances with foreign powers; It ennnot go Into debt beyond Its ability, to easily pay, and Its situation Is such thnt sooner or later It must become even more closely associated with the United States than It Is now. It mny be that It will one day ask to le an nexed to the union." "How does Cuba get along governing It self?" "Very well, so far," replied Senator Cul lom. "Estrada Talma, the president, Is an able man and he can control the peo- V 1 i iff .if,''- M. CUI.OR pie. He Is a strong friend of tho United . States, having lived for some time In this country. I can't say what will be tho status of the Island when he passes away." "How Is the country prospering?" "It Is growing very rapidly, as far ns new industries and the development of Its resources are concerned. Many Americans are Investing In Cuban lands and in other properties of all sorts. Sir William Van Home, the head of the Canadian Pacific railroad, who got his railroad educu'.ion In tle United States, Is now building a rail road from one end of the Island to the other. This will open up much country which has heretofore been Inaccessible." "What is the condition of Pbrto Rico?" "I think It steadily grows better," re plied Senator Cullom. "Porto Rico is a valuable island, although by no means so rich as Cuba. Cuba is one of the most fertile spots on the globe. The Porto Rlcans nre easily governed. We have es tablished schools everywhere there, and 1 believe that tho Island will eventually be one of our most desirable possessions." "How about 'Santo Domingo, senator? Will we not have to take that island to keep the people In order?" "I hope not." replied the senator. "At least not until they have had enough wars to wipe out the turbulent elements among tho Islanders. I think we have our hands full as it Is." "Are you satisfied with tho conditions of the Philippines?" "Yes; the Philippines are doing very well now and they will become nu?h More valuable as time goes on. Tho people ate fast recovering from the war, and we may expect a continued peace." "Do you think Canada will ever be a part of the United States, Senator Cullom?" I asked. "I used to hope so, and that the time would come soon. It may still come, but it seems to me that it is farther nway now than It was twenty years ago. The British provinces north of us have become united since then, and a greater love for the mother country and tht, King has sprung up." "How about the great northwest, where so many Americans are emigrating? Will those American settlers not create a pro annexation sentiment?" "It may be so, nnd I should like it so. I should like to se the United States extend northward In one great block to the Arctic ocean." "Yes, and southward to the Panama canal?" paid I. "I don't know nbout that," replied the chairmin of the foreign relations commit tee, "although our destiny now seems to point that way. Americans by hundreds nre Investing In Mexico. They own mines, railroads and lands. They have property In Central America, and now we have ac quired that ten-mile strip acrops the Isth mus of Panama and are to build a grent canal through It costing hundreds of mil lions of dollars. All that indicates the Americanization of this continent, and I don't know that I like It. I don't want to see our country grow so big that It will be unwieldy, nor to overload it with races different from ours. As to the Canadians, we could easily assimilate them, for they are Anglo-Saxons, as we are, but the race to the south are Latins, and the Latin races do not mix with ours so well. Indeed I doubt If it would be wise to acquire those countries with the idea of their eventually becoming states of this union." "What do you think of the Panama canal, senator?" "There is only one way to look at it, and that is as one of the most Important un dertakings of the century. It is now a fixed fact, and within eight years It may be completed. We shall have about 20,000 men at work there within a few weeks." "Do you apprehend more trouble as to the Monroe doctrine?" "I do not. The Germans and the Kng llsh both acknowledge It, and it will be come more firmly established as time goes on." "What do you think of the Perdlearls In cident, senator? I mean the American Citizen that the Moroccan brigands recently captured and held until he was ransomed." "I don't like it and I do not approve of our method of yielding to such matters. The great powers ought not to be at the mercy of the forty thieves who act as brigand chiefs in the Mohammedan regions of Africa and Asia. If their governments cannot restrain them, if they cannot pro tect their own citizens nnd their foreign residents, they ought to be wiped out. Such things are an outrage In these days of the twentieth century civilization. It may be that our action as to Miss Stone gave us the reputation of being easy to work, and that the stealing of Perdlearls was a repe tition of It. I don't know. I nm sure, how ever, that such actions should be prevented nnd that their perpetrators should be made examples for the world to see." "I should like to nee Morocco cleaned lip." continued Senator Cullom. "That wholo North African country was for years a den of pirates which preyed upon the commerce of Europe. We had a war with them ns far back ns 1S01 because we would not pay the tribute they wanted, and In 1S15 Commodore Decatur brought the Dey of Algiers to his knees by threatening to blow his city to ruins If he made any fur ther demands on American vessels. Indeed, tho United States was the first to bring the roblwrs in North Africa to time." I hero referred to Senator Cullom's early law practice when John Hay was one of his students, and nsked him If he had ever regretted leaving the law for poll tics. Ho replied: "I can't say that I have. My political career has brought me into the swim of public afTalrs nnd I have been a pirt, greater or less, of our history for the past forty years. I have liked the life nnd its ( struggles the nblllty. to do things and to ie a part of things. I have been nble to icoomplish something for my friends, and a little, I hope, for my country. And still I have had to pay well for this, in that I nm a poor man today! Had I stuck to tho law I should probably be rich. The year before I came to congress Milton Hay nnd I each mado $20,000 out of our practice; and the money enme so easily that I never thought it would not always be so. When I gave up the law, however, I dropped my practice, and I have been engaged in politics from thnt time until now." "How did you come to enter politics, Senator Cullom?" "It was largely through Abraham Un coln. He was my Ideal hero and the friend of my boyhood. When he was elected as president I had a desire to go Into con gress, and the night before he left Spring field to bo inaugurated, I told him: "Mr. President, I want to come to Washington before you leave." Lincoln's eyes laughed ns I used the words 'Mr. President I was then tho young spenker of the Illinois leg islature, and he replied, emphasizing the formal mode of address: 'Mr. Speaker, I hoje you will.' "It was then that I began to scheme to go to Washington, and soon after that I was elected to congress. Uncoln, how ever, warned me not to make polities my life work, telling me that It would not pay. I disregarded his warning, and I soon got in so dtep thnt I could not get out." FRANK a. CARPENTER. Up Against It Six weeks had elapsed since the American heiress Invested In a title, "Urd Algernon," she said as they sat at the breukfast table, "you're a brick." "Haw!" exclaimed his lordship. "Is that one of your beastly American jokes?" "Not on your I O U's." replied Mrs. Lord Algernon; "you are not only a brlik, but a gold one at that." Chicago News. Away from the Past "In my plans for your new home," says the architect, "I have provided for a largo, ornate frhjso in tho wall." "Don't want it," asserts Mr. Conjeeled. "What?" "Not a bit of it. Can't take any chances on having someone being reminded that I used to drive an Ice wagon." Judge