We built it for reasons of our own.

But I will say that it adds to the pleasure of that great work that you will profit by it.

You will profit most by it, for you have the greatest carrying trade." A few paragraphs on the Monroe Doctrine, which practically repeated President Wilson's Mobile speech on that subject, but in which Mr.Page used the expression, "we prefer that European Powers shall acquire no more territory on this continent," alarmed those precisians in language, who pretended to believe that the Ambassador had used the word "prefer" in its literal sense, and interpreted the sentence to mean that, while the United States would "prefer" that Europe should not overrun North and South America, it would really raise no serious objection if Europe did so.
Senator Chamberlain of Oregon, who by this time had apparently become the Senatorial leader of the anti-Page propaganda, introduced a resolution demanding that the Ambassador furnish the Senate a complete copy of this highly pro-British outgiving.

The copy was furnished forthwith--and with that the tempest subsided.
_To the President_ American Embassy, London, March 18, 1914.
DEAR MR.

PRESIDENT: About this infernal racket in the Senate over my poor speech, I have telegraphed you all there is to say.