414 WRIGHT— POWER TO ESTABLISH 



239, Practice of Sending Presidential Agents. 



Since that time the practice has become exceedingly common. 

 Among the more notable appointments have been Charles Rhind, 

 Commodore Biddle, and Consul David Offley to negotiate a treaty 

 with Turkey in 1829; Colonel Roberts, special agent to China, Siam 

 and other eastern states in 1832; A. Dudley Mann, special agent to 

 various German states in 1846, confidential agent to revolting Hun- 

 gary in 1849, and special agent to Switzerland in 1850; Nicholas 

 Trist, commissioner to conclude a treaty of peace with Mexico in 

 1847; Commodore Perry, commissioner to conclude a treaty with 

 Japan in 1852. During the Civil War a number of special and con- 

 fidential agents were sent to England for purposes of investigation 

 and propaganda as well as negotiation. Commodore R. W. Shu- 

 feldt was sent as special envoy to conclude a treaty with Corea in 

 1 881 ; Secretary of State Bayard with William Putnam of Maine 

 and J. B. Angell of Michigan were vested with power to treat with 

 Great Britain on the North East Fisheries question in 1887. James 

 H, Blount was sent as special commissioner to Hawaii in 1893. 

 Secretary of State Day and Whitelaw Reid, associated with Sen- 

 ators Cushman K. Davis, William P. Frye and George Gray, were 

 sent to Paris to conclude a treaty of peace with Spain in 1898. 

 Missions were sent to the Hague conferences in 1899 and 1907 and 

 W. W. Rockhill was sent as " commissioner of the United States 

 to China with diplomatic privileges and immunities " in 1900. Henry 

 White and Samuel R. Gummere were commissioned by President 

 Roosevelt to represent the United States at the Algeciras confer- 

 ence of 1906. Governor Taft, of the Philippines Commission, was 

 sent to negotiate with the Pope in 1902. John Lind was sent as 

 confidential agent to Mexico in 1913, Colonel House was sent to 

 Germany in 1916 and to France in 1917, and Elihu Root at the head 

 of a special mission of nine was sent to Russia in 19 17, with the title 

 of Ambassador Extraordinary. President Wilson constituted him- 

 self, with Secretary of State Lansing, Colonel House, Henry White 

 and General Tasker Bliss, a commission to conclude a treaty of peace 

 with Germany in 1919, and in 1921, after failure of the Senate to 

 consent to the ratification of the treaty of Versailles, President Hard- 



