158 IN THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE-XVI 



the minister of foreign affairs, some more, some less, satis 

 factory, I was at last able to do. The assent was given 

 very guardedly, but not the less effectively. Its terms 

 were that Germany, having been from the first in favor 

 of equal rights to all nations in the trade of China, would 

 gladly acquiesce in the proposed declaration if the other 

 powers concerned would do so. 



The Emperor William himself was even more open and 

 direct than his minister. At his dinner to the ambassa 

 dors in the spring of 1900, he spoke to me very fully on 

 the subject, and, in a conversation which I have referred 

 to elsewhere, assured me of his complete and hearty con 

 currence in the American policy, declaring, &quot;We must 

 stand together for the open door. 



Finally, on the 9th of April, 1900, I had the satisfaction 

 of sending to the German Foreign Office the proofs that 

 all the other powers concerned, including Japan, had 

 joined in the American declaration, and that the govern 

 ment of the United States considered this acquiescence to 

 be full and final. 



It was really a great service rendered to the world by 

 Mr. McKinley and Secretary Hay; their action was far- 

 seeing, prompt, bold, and successful. 



Yet another subject of contention was the exclusion of 

 sundry American insurance companies from Germany, 

 due in part to a policy of &quot;protection,&quot; but also to that 

 same distrust of certain American business methods which 

 had given me much trouble in dealing with the same ques 

 tion at St. Petersburg. The discussions were long and 

 tedious, but resulted in a sort of modus Vivendi likely to 

 lead to something better. 



The American sugar duties were also a sore subject. 

 Various writers in the German press and orators in pub 

 lic bodies continued to insist that America had violated the 

 treaties; America insisted that she had not; and this 

 trouble, becoming chronic, aggravated all others. The 

 main efforts of Count von Billow and myself were given 

 to allaying inflammation by doses of common sense and 



