Part 14 (1/2)

La Cambre, Belgium, October 29th, 1916.

Office of the Secretary to the King and Queen.

Mr. J. G. Butler, Jr.

Youngstown, Ohio.

Dear Sir:--

I was particularly pleased to read to his Majesty your good letter, and to receive the pamphlet.

I am charged by the King to thank you for the sentiments which you have expressed and for your sympathy for Belgium.

Our Sovereign wishes you to know that he recalls with pleasure the meeting with the Directors of the American Iron and Steel Inst.i.tute at Brussels.

I beg you to accept, dear sir, the a.s.surance of my highest regards,

J. INGENBLECK, Secretary.

I spent a good part of the following day in buying war relics, many of them made by the soldiers in the trenches out of such material as exploded sh.e.l.ls, b.u.t.tons from the uniforms of dead soldiers, etc. I purchased some unique postal cards, painted by hand in the trenches by soldiers who were artists. Other relics consisted of hat pins, napkin rings, bracelets and finger rings, all made as before stated, from war material.

A copy of an English publication was brought to my attention during the Belgian conference, and I was struck by a paragraph which is quoted:--

SUBMARINING AMERICA

What Germany is Doing now is Submarining the Monroe Doctrine and that is Submarining America.

In this connection there was some discussion and I was surprised to learn that the French, even those who are at the head of things, have a very hazy idea of what the Monroe Doctrine is. I explained to them that it was a statement made in a message to Congress by President Monroe in 1823, in which he laid down in a few words the principle that America, because of her history and the form of government established in the western world, was not a proper place for the exploitation of despotic governments, and that any attempt on the part of European nations to gain a foothold or to extend their territorial interests on the American continent would be regarded as an act unfriendly to the United States. I explained that this statement was never questioned and had become an accepted principle. The explanation seemed to please the French and Belgians to whom it was translated, and they apparently approve of the idea.

Coming back to America, by the way, I found that there was no occasion to be surprised at lack of understanding of the Monroe Doctrine abroad, as few of us understand just what it is at home.

On October 17th, I visited the American Emba.s.sy and met there, among others, Captain Eugene Rosetti, a captain in the Foreign Legion. This Legion was recruited from friends of France who were not Frenchmen, but largely Americans. When the war broke out this body was thirty-six thousand strong, and on the date I talked with Captain Rosetti there were but thirteen hundred survivors. The Foreign Legion was largely in evidence at the early part of the war and stories of its bravery were heard everywhere.

In the evening Dr. Veditz made an address before the Commissioners, telling of the work he was engaged in and what he had accomplished.

On October 18th, the Commission gave a luncheon to Wilbur J. Carr, Consul in Europe with headquarters in Was.h.i.+ngton. Some very plain talk was in evidence as to the inefficiency of some of the American consuls.

Consul Carr delivered a very forceful address. He had been in the consular service for nearly a quarter of a century and is working, with much success, to better the service.

XVII.

ON THE WAY HOME--ENGLAND

On this date, October 18th, the commission left Paris for Havre at 4:50 P.M., its destination being London, by way of Southampton. We boarded the boat at Havre after a very rigid inspection of pa.s.sports, baggage, etc. It was a rough night and many were seasick. The boat was crowded to repletion and the trip was a very uncomfortable experience. We had been escorted from Paris to Havre by Captain Sayles, of the American Emba.s.sy.

This was one of the many courtesies shown us by the American Emba.s.sy in Paris under the direction of Robert Bliss, Charge d'Affaires, in the absence of Amba.s.sador Sharp. I had a very interesting talk with Captain Sayles. His first question came out quickly and rather abruptly. ”What most impressed you on your trip?” I replied, without hesitation: ”The spirit of France and the morale of the French soldier and the French people. All France is thinking and working and trying to do what they can to help save France.” Captain Sayles said it was a tradition that when events required it, France always rose to the occasion and pa.s.sed the crisis successfully. He said also that the battle of the Marne, as has been said previously by many others, settled the war. That the Kaiser and the Prussian militants knew then they were beaten and have been trying for a year and a half to find a way out. There is no doubt in the opinion of Captain Sayles, that the German people are deceived and still think that Germany will win the war. They are fed upon false information.

In this connection I had a talk with Allyn B. Carrick, an American who had spent several months in Germany during the past year and had recently returned from there. He was an American and understood German, and was a good listener. He said the people in Germany are talking among themselves, criticising the government, especially the Kaiser and the Crown Prince, and he felt that some day something would happen which would bring trouble. He said there was great distress all over Germany.

Mr. Carrick got his information by keeping his ears open in cafes, railroad stations, hotels and pa.s.senger trains.