regard for
Britain, as part of our own race, was deep, and here the President was
thoroughly with him, and grateful beyond measure to Britain for
standing against other European powers disposed to favor Spain in the
Cuban War.

The Hay-Pauncefote Treaty concerning the Panama Canal seemed to many
of us unsatisfactory. Senator Elkins told me my objections, given in
the "New York Tribune," reached him the day he was to speak upon it,
and were useful. Visiting Washington soon after the article appeared,
I went with Senator Hanna to the White House early in the morning and
found the President much exercised over the Senate's amendment to the
treaty. I had no doubt of Britain's prompt acquiescence in the
Senate's requirements, and said so. Anything in reason she would give,
since it was we who had to furnish the funds for the work from which
she would be, next to ourselves, the greatest gainer.

Senator Hanna asked if I had seen "John," as he and President McKinley
always called Mr. Hay. I said I had not. Then he asked me to go over
and cheer him up, for he was disconsolate about the amendments. I did
so. I pointed out to Mr. Hay that the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty had been
amended by the Senate and scarcely any one knew this now and no one
cared. The Hay-Pauncefote Treaty would be executed as amended and no
one would care a fig whether it was in its original form or not. He
doubted this and thought Britain would be indisposed to recede. A
short time after this, dining with him, he said I had proved a true
prophet and all was well.

Of course it was. Britain had practically told us she wished the canal
built and would act in any way desired. The canal is now as it should
be--that is, all American, with no international complications
possible. It was perhaps not worth building at that time, but it was
better to spend three or four hundred millions upon it than in
building sea monsters of destruction to fight imaginary foes. One may
be a loss and there an end; the other might be a source of war, for

"Oft the sight of means to do ill deeds
Make deeds ill done."

Mr. Hay's _bete noire_ was the Senate. Upon this, and this only, was
he disregardful of the proprieties. When it presumed to alter one
word, substituting "treaty" for "agreement," which occurred in one
place only in the proposed Arbitration Treaty of 1905, he became
unduly excited. I believe this was owing in great degree to poor
health, for it was clear by t