Policy and Precedent

Charles E. Hughes sat at his desk, enjoying his judicio-diplomatic calm. The world was spread out before his mind's eye. Before him was the western hemisphere; and the eastern hemisphere (on account of the peculiar arrangement with which the perplexing thing was made) stretched both east and west of the western hemisphere. To a less keen, less perceptive mind that arrangement would have seemed dumfounding.

Charles E. Hughes, Secretary of State, deliberately rolled his mind's eye, looking westward towards the East. It encountered strange architecture, temples sloping up to Heaven like pine trees; strange garments, gentlemanly petticoats and lady-like pantaloons; strange people with yellow skins and almond eyes; strange temperaments, gifted with power of emotion and inscrutability and the capacity to live by obscure philosophies. And the westward-looker pondered how best to win the amicable regard of these strange temperaments in curious bodies.

At that moment, an Emperor of the East was lifting a distinguished gentleman of an ancient oriental family to the high rank of Ambassador, was sending him to the U. S. to cope with the problem of how the East may understand the West. The U. S. Secre- tary of State pondered, for it rested with him to make the stay of this new Ambassador in a Western country a success in point of amity--a greater success than the mission of the oriental Ambassador's predecessor, who had blundered badly by using threatening language to the Senate of the U. S. Yes, really, better relations, with Japan must be established through this new Ambassador.

Suddenly, a discordant sound impinged upon the Secretary's calm. In the House of Representatives, a member (Britten of Illinois) was rising to present a resolution calling for a conference of the "white nations bordering upon the Pacific" for unity of action against the aggression of Japan. To be sure, the House did not take the matter seriously; and several members condemned the proposition; but words once uttered go to the echo and come back. The Secretary was perturbed, beneath his calm, at the thought of that echo in Japan. He determined on a friendly action without delay. But what?

The only pretext for a profession of friendship at that moment was apropos of the appointment of the new Japanese Ambassador to the U. S., who had not yet left Japan. But precedent had placed an imaginary blindfold over the Secretary's eyes, saying: "Hear nothing of a new Ambassador, see nothing of a new Ambassador, speak nothing of a new Ambassador until he has brought his credentials in person to the President. Till then, he is invisible, intangible, nonexistent."

Then the Secretary of State had an idea. What better exhibition of friendship, what better proof of amity, what better gauge of good will, than to break a precedent?

The newspapermen trooped in and crowded about the Secretary's desk. Mr. Hughes gazed at them solemnly above his well-combed beard and dic- tated:

"Not only is Mr. Matsudaira [the new Japanese Ambassador] a diplomat of most distinguished service, but Japan has paid us a signal honor in selecting, as her Ambassador to this post, a man who, through himself and his wife, represents two of the most important and historically famous families of the Empire. I am convinced that we can look forward now to the most cordial relations with Japan and that these relations will be greatly facilitated by the mission of Mr. Matsudaira."

As the devil goes up in a cloud of smoke when the sign of the cross is made, so vanished precedent at these words. They echoed much more gaily in Japan than anywhere and came back from the mouth of Ambassador Matsudaira himself:

"I am very appreciative of the kind statement of Secretary of State Hughes welcoming me to America. I feel that it is another proof of the sincerity of the American Government to maintain most friendly rela- tions with Japan, which reflects the true sentiment of the American people toward this country."