There was no delay; there was no endless
note-writing; there was no blustering; the Kaiser climbed down;
AND THERE WAS NO WAR.
This, I am inclined to think, was one of the most important events
of Roosevelt's seven years in the White House. If we wish America
to live henceforth in peace and in honor, there is no incident of
the past thirty years which should be studied by every American
with more care. Germany began her attack on the world long before
1914. She bullied here, and she schemed and plotted there, but she
was at work for years. In 1898 she tried to range the countries of
Europe against us, as we went to war with Spain. England stood our
friend and kept her off. Germany sent a fleet meddling into Manila
Harbor to annoy and threaten Admiral Dewey. He refused to be
frightened by them however and as an English squadron which was
also there played the part of a good friend, the German admiral
had his trip for nothing.
Later, about a year after Mr. Roosevelt became President, the
German Kaiser discovered a way, as he thought, to grab some
territory in South America. Our Monroe Doctrine, which insures
peace in the Western Hemisphere, by forbidding European nations to
seize land here, was an obstacle to the Kaiser. He disliked it.
But taking as pretext the fact that some people in Venezuela owed
money to various Europeans, including Germans, he induced England
and Italy to join in sending a fleet for a blockade of the
Venezuelan coast.
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