part05+-第104章

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Dutch　opposition；　and　that　it　was　a　purely　local　matter　of



political　partizanship　that　ought　never　to　have　been　intruded



upon　a　conference　of　the　whole　world。







I　had　no　feeling　of　this　sort；　for　it　seemed　to　me　well　enough



that　the　facts　should　be　presented；　but　a　leading　representative



of　one　of　the　great　Catholic　powers；　who　drove　home　with　us；　was



of　a　different　mind。　This　eminent　diplomatist　from　one　of　the



strongest　Catholic　countries；　and　himself　a　Catholic；　spoke　in



substance　as　follows：　〃The　Vatican　has　always　been；　and　is



to…day；　a　storm…center。　The　Pope　and　his　advisers　have　never



hesitated　to　urge　on　war；　no　matter　how　bloody；　when　the



slightest　of　their　ordinary　worldly　purposes　could　be　served　by



it。　The　great　religious　wars　of　Europe　were　entirely　stirred　up



and　egged　on　by　them；　and；　as　everybody　knows；　the　Pope　did



everything　to　prevent　the　signing　of　the　treaty　of　Munster；　which



put　an　end　to　the　dreadful　Thirty　Years'　War；　even　going　so　far



as　to　declare　the　oaths　taken　by　the　plenipotentiaries　at　that



congress　of　no　effect。







〃All　through　the　middle　ages　and　at　the　Renaissance　period　the



Popes　kept　Italy　in　turmoil　and　bloodshed　for　their　own　family



and　territorial　advantages；　and　they　kept　all　Europe　in　turmoil；



for　two　centuries　after　the　Reformation；in　fact；　just　as　long



as　they　could；in　the　wars　of　religion。　They　did　everything　they



could　to　stir　up　the　war　between　Austria　and　Prussia　in　1866；



thinking　that　Austria；　a　Catholic　power；　was　sure　to　win；　and



then　everything　possible　to　stir　up　the　war　of　France　against



Prussia　in　1870　in　order　to　accomplish　the　same　purpose　of



checking　German　Protestantism；　and　now　they　are　doing　all　they



can　to　arouse　hatred；　even　to　deluge　Italy　in　blood；　in　the　vain



attempt　to　recover　the　temporal　power；　though　they　must　know　that



they　could　not　hold　it　for　any　length　of　time　even　if　they　should



obtain　it。







〃They　pretend　to　be　anxious　to　'save　souls；'　and　especially　to



love　Poland　and　Ireland；　but　they　have　for　years　used　those



countries　as　mere　pawns　in　their　game　with　Russia　and　Great



Britain；　and　would　sell　every　Catholic　soul　they　contain　to　the



Greek　and　English　churches　if　they　could　thereby　secure　the



active　aid　of　those　two　governments　against　Italy。　They　have



obliged　the　Italian　youth　to　choose　between　patriotism　and



Christianity；　and　the　result　is　that　the　best　of　these　have



become　atheists。　Their　whole　policy　is　based　on　stirring　up



hatred　and　promoting　conflicts　from　which　they　hope　to　draw



worldly　advantage。







〃In　view　of　all　this；　one　stands　amazed　at　the　cool　statements　of



the　Vatican　letter。〃







These　were　the　words　of　an　eminent　Roman　Catholic　representative



of　a　Roman　Catholic　power；　and　to　them　I　have　nothing　to　add。







In　looking　back　calmly　over　the　proceedings　of　the　conference；　I



feel　absolutely　convinced　that　it　has　accomplished　a　great　work



for　the　world。







The　mere　assembling　of　such　a　body　for　such　a　purpose　was　a



distinct　gain；　but　vastly　more　important　is　the　positive　outcome



of　its　labors。







First　of　these　is　the　plan　of　arbitration。　It　provides　a　court



definitely　constituted；　a　place　of　meeting　easily　accessible；　a



council　for　summoning　it　always　in　session；　guarantees　for



perfect　independence；　and　a　suitable　procedure。







Closely　connected　with　this　is　the　provision　for　〃international



commissions　of　inquiry；〃　which　cannot　fail　to　do　much　in　clearing



up　issues　likely　to　lead　to　war　between　nations。　Thus　we　may



hope；　when　there　is　danger　of　war；　for　something　better　than　that



which　the　world　has　hitherto　heardthe　clamor　of　interested



parties　and　the　shrieks　of　sensation　newspapers。　The　natural



result　will　be；　as　in　the　Venezuelan　difficulty　between　the



United　States　and　Great　Britain；　that　when　a　commission　of　this



sort　has　been　set　at　work　to　ascertain　the　facts；　the　howling　of



partizans　and　screaming　of　sensation…mongers　will　cease；　and　the



finding　of　the　commission　be　calmly　awaited。







So；　too；　the　plans　adopted　for　mediation　can　hardly　fail　to　aid



in　keeping　off　war。　The　plans　for　〃special　mediation〃　and



〃seconding　powers；〃　which　emanated　entirely　from　the　American



delegation；　and　which　were　adopted　unanimously　by　the　great



committee　and　by　the　conference；　seem　likely　to　prove　in　some



cases　an　effective　means　of　preventing　hostilities；　and　even　of



arresting　them　after　they　have　begun。　Had　it　been　in　operation



during　our　recent　war　with　Spain；　it　would　probably　have　closed



it　immediately　after　the　loss　of　Cervera's　fleet；　and　would　have



saved　many　lives　and　much　treasure。







Secondly；　the　extension　of　the　Geneva　rules；　hitherto　adopted　for



war　on　land；　to　war　also　on　the　sea　is　a　distinct　gain　in　the



cause　of　mercy。







Thirdly；　the　amelioration　and　more　careful　definition　of　the　laws



of　war　must　aid　powerfully　in　that　evolution　of　mercy　and　right



reason　which　has　been　going　on　for　hundreds　of　years；　and



especially　since　the　great　work　of　Grotius。







In　addition　to　these　gains　may　well　be　mentioned　the



declarations；　expressions　of　opinion；　and　utterance　of　wishes　for



continued　study　and　persevering　effort　to　make　the



instrumentalities　of　war　less　cruel　and　destructive。







It　has　been　said　not　infrequently　that　the　conference　missed　a



great　opportunity　when　it　made　the　resort　to　arbitration



voluntary　and　not　obligatory。　Such　an　objection　can　come　only



from　those　who　have　never　duly　considered　the　problem　concerned。



Obligatory　arbitration　between　states　is　indeed　possible　in



various　petty　matters；　but　in　many　great　matters　absolutely



impossible。　While　a　few　nations　were　willing　to　accept　it　in



regard　to　these　minor　matters；as；　for　example；　postal　or



monetary　difficulties　and　the　like；not　a　single　power　was



willing　to　bind　itself　by　a　hard…and…fast　rule　to　submit　all



questions　to　itand　least　of　all　the　United　States。







The　reason　is　very　simple：　to　do　so　would　be　to　increase　the



chances　of　war　and　to　enlarge　standing　armies　throughout　the



world。　Obligatory　arbitration　on　all　questions　would　enable　any



power；　at　any　moment；　to　bring　before　the　tribunal　any　other



power　against　which　it　has；　or　thinks　it　has；　a　grievance。　Greece



might　thus　summon　Turkey；　France　might　summon　Germany；　the



Papacy；　Italy；　England；　Russia；　China；　Japan；　Spain；　the　United



States；　regarding　matters　in　which　the　deepest　of　human



feelingsquestions　of　religion；　questions　of　race；　questions



even　of　national　existenceare　concerned。　To　enforce　the



decisions　of　a　tribunal　in　such　cases　would　require　armies



compared　to　which　those　of　the　present　day　are　a　mere　bagatelle；



and　plunge　the　world　into　a　sea　of　troubles　compared　to　which



those　now　existing　are　as　nothing。　What　has　been　done　is　to



provide　a　way；　always　ready　and　easily　accessible；　by　which



nations　can　settle　most　of　their　difficulties　with　each　other。



Hitherto；　securing　a　court　of　arbitration　has　involved　first　the



education　of　public　opinion　in　two　nations；　next；　the　action　of



two　national　legislatures；　then　the　making　of　a　treaty；　then　the



careful　selection　of　judges　on　both　sides；　then　delays　by　the



jurists　thus　chosen　in　disposing　of　engagements　and　duties　to



which　they　are　already　pledged…all　these　matters　requiring　much



labor　and　long　time；　and　this　just　when　speedy　action　is　most



necessary　to　arrest　the　development　of　international　anger。　Under



the　system　of　arbitration　now　pres