part05+-第82章

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memorandum　which　I　left　with　him　yesterday　on　the　subject　of



exempting　private　property；　not　contraband　of　war；　from　seizure



upon　the　high　seas　called；　and　insisted　that　it　would　be



impossible；　under　any　just　construction　of　the　Mouravieff



programme；　to　bring　the　subject　before　the　second　committee　as　we



had　hoped　to　do；　that　Russia　would　feel　obliged　to　oppose　its



introduction；　and　that　Great　Britain；　France；　and　Italy；　to　say



nothing　of　other　powers；　would　do　the　same。　This　was　rather



trying；　for　I　had　especially　desired　to　press　this　long…desired



improvement　in　international　law；　and　I　showed　him　how　persistent



the　United　States　had　been　as　regards　this　subject　throughout　our



whole　history；　how　earnest　the　President　and　his　cabinet　are　in



pressing　it　now；　and　how　our　delegation　are　bound；　under　our



instructions；　to　bring　it　before　the　conference。　I　insisted　that



we　should　at　least　have　the　opportunity　to　present　it；　even　if　it



were　afterward　declared　out　of　order。　To　this　he　demurred；　saying



that　he　feared　it　would　arouse　unpleasant　debate。　I　then



suggested　that　the　paper　be　publicly　submitted　to　our　whole　body



for　special　reference　to　a　future　conference；　and　this　he　took



into　consideration。　Under　other　circumstances；　I　would　have　made



a　struggle　in　the　committee　and；　indeed；　in　the　open　session　of



the　full　conference；　but　it　is　clear　that　what　we　are　sent　here



for　is；　above　all；　to　devise　some　scheme　of　arbitration；　and　that



anything　which　comes　in　the　way　of　this；　by　provoking　ill…feeling



or　prolonging　discussion　on　other　points；　will　diminish　our



chances　of　obtaining　what　the　whole　world　so　earnestly　desires。







During　the　day　our　American　delegation　held　two　sessions；　and；　as



a　result；　a　telegram　of　considerable　length　to　the　State



Department　was　elaborated；　asking　permission　to　substitute　a　new



section　in　our　original　instructions　regarding　an　arbitration



tribunal；　and　to　be　allowed　liberty　to　make　changes　in　minor



points；　as　the　development　of　opinion　in　the　conference　may



demand。　The　substitute　which　we　suggested　referred　especially　to



the　clash　between　the　original　instructions　and　the　Monroe



Doctrine。　I　was　very　reluctant　to　send　the　despatch；　but；　on　the



whole；　it　seemed　best；　and　it　was　adopted　unanimously。







In　the　afternoon；　at　five；　the　presidents　of　all　the　delegations



went　to　the　palace；　by　appointment；　and　were　presented　to　the



young　Queen　and　to　the　Queen…mother。　The　former　is　exceedingly



modest；　pretty；　and　pleasant；　and　as　she　came　into　the　room；



about　which　were　ranged　that　line　of　solemn；　elderly　men；　it



seemed　almost　pathetic。　She　was　evidently　timid；　and　it　was；　at



first；　hard　work　for　her；　but　she　got　along　well　with　Count



Munster；　and　when　she　came　to　me　I　soon　brought　the　conversation



upon　the　subject　of　the　〃House　in　the　Wood〃　by　thanking　her　for



the　pains　her　government　had　taken　in　providing　so　beautiful　a



place　for　us。　This　new　topic　seemed　to　please　her；　and　we　had



quite　a　long　talk　upon　it；　she　speaking　of　her　visits　to　the



park；　for　skating　and　the　like；　and　I　dwelling　on　the　beauty　of



the　works　of　art　and　the　views　in　the　park。　Then　the　delegates；



going　to　the　apartments　of　the　Queen…mother；　went　through　a



similar　formality　with　her。　She　is　very　stout；　but　fine…looking；



with　a　kindly　face　and　manner。　Both　mother　and　daughter　spoke；



with　perfect　ease；　Dutch；　French；　German　English；　and　how　many



other　languages　I　know　not。　The　young　Queen　was　very　simply



dressed；　like　any　other　young　lady　of　seventeen；　except　that　she



had　a　triple　row　of　large　pearls　about　her　neck。　In　the　evening；



at　9。30；　the　entire　delegations　were　received　at　a　great



presentation　and　ball。　The　music　was　very　fine；　but　the　most



interesting　thing　to　me　was　the　fact　that；　as　the　palace　was



built　under　Louis　Bonaparte　and　Hortense；　the　main　rooms　were　in



the　most　thoroughgoing　style　Empire；　not　only　in　their



decorations；　but　in　their　furniture　and　accessories；clocks；



vases；　candelabra；　and　the　like。　I　have　never　seen　that　style；



formerly　so　despised；　but　now　so　fashionable；　developed　as　fully。







After　the　presentation　I　met　Sir　John　Fisher；　one　of　the　English



delegates；　an　admiral　in　the　British　navy；　and　found　him　very



intelligent。　He　said　that　he　was　thoroughly　for　peace；　and　had



every　reason　to　be　so；　since　he　knew　something　of　the　horrors　of



war。　It　appears　that　in　one　of　the　recent　struggles　in　China　he



went　ashore　with　eleven　hundred　men　and　returned　with　only　about



five　hundred；　but；　to　my　regret；　I　found　him　using　the　same



argument　as　regards　the　sea　that　Count　Munster　had　made　regarding



the　land。　He　said　that　the　navy　of　Great　Britain　was　and　would



remain　in　a　state　of　complete　preparation　for　war；　that　a　vast



deal　depended　on　prompt　action　by　the　navy；　and　that　the　truce



afforded　by　arbitration　proceedings　would　give　other　powers　time；



which　they　would　otherwise　not　have；　to　put　themselves　into



complete　readiness。　He　seemed　uncertain　whether　it　was　best　for



Great　Britain；　under　these　circumstances；　to　support　a



thoroughgoing　plan　of　arbitration；　but；　on　the　whole；　seemed



inclined　to　try　it　to　some　extent。　Clearly　what　Great　Britain



wants　is　a　permanent　system　of　arbitration　with　the　United



States；　but　she　does　not　care　much；　I　think；　for　such　a　provision



as　regards　other　powers。







There　is　considerable　curiosity　among　leading　members　to　know



what　the　United　States　really　intends　to　do；　and　during　the　day



Sir　Julian　Pauncefote　and　others　have　called　to　talk　over　the



general　subject。







The　London　〃Times〃　gives　quite　correctly　a　conversation　of　mine；



of　rather　an　optimistic　nature；　as　to　the　possibilities　and



probabilities　of　arbitration；　and　the　improvement　of　the　customs



of　war；　but　in　another　quarter　matters　have　not　gone　so　well：　the



〃Corriere　della　Sera〃　of　Milan　publishes　a　circumstantial



interview　with　me；　which　has　been　copied　extensively　in　the



European　press；　to　the　effect　that　I　have　declared　my　belief　in



the　adoption　of　compulsory　arbitration　and　disarmament。　This　is　a



grotesque　misstatement。　I　have　never　dreamed　of　saying　anything



of　the　kind；　in　fact；　have　constantly　said　the　contrary；　and；



what　is　more；　I　have　never　been　interviewed　by　the　correspondent



of　that　or　of　any　other　Continental　paper。















CHAPTER　XLVI







AS　PRESIDENT　OF　THE　AMERICAN　DELEGATION　AT　THE　PEACE　CONFERENCE



OF　THE　HAGUEII







May　25。　This　morning　a　leading　delegate　of　one　of　the　great



European　powers　called　and　gave　me　a　very　interesting　account　of



the　situation　as　he　sees　it。







He　stated　that　the　Russian　representatives；　on　arriving　here；



gave　out　that　they　were　not　prepared　with　any　plan　for　a　definite



tribunal　of　arbitration；　but　that　shortly　afterward　there



appeared　some　discrepancy　on　this　point　between　the　statements　of



the　various　members　of　their　delegation；　and　that　they　now



propose　a　system　of　arbitration；　mediation；　and　examination　into



any　cause　of　difficulty　between　nations。







In　the　evening　our　secretary　spoke　of　the　matter　to　M。　de　Staal；



the　president　of　the　Russian　delegation　and　of　the　conference；



and　was　told　that　this　plan　would；　within　a　day　or　two；　be



printed　and　laid　before　the　whole　body。







This　is　a　favorable　sign。　More　and　more　it　looks　as　if　the　great



majority　of　us　are　beginning　to　see　the　necessity　of　some　scheme



of　arbitration　embracing　a　court　and　definite；　well…contrived



accessories。