part05+-第83章

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of　arbitration　embracing　a　court　and　definite；　well…contrived



accessories。







The　above…mentioned　discrepancy　between　various　statements　of　the



Russians　leads　me　to　think　that　what　Count　Munster　told　me　some



days　since　may　have　some　truth　in　itnamely；　that



Pobedonostzeff；　whom　I　knew　well；　when　minister　to　Russia；　as　the



strongest　man　of　moral；　religious；　and　social　questions　in　that



country；　is　really　the　author　of　the　documents　that　were



originally　given　to　the　world　as　emanating　from　the　Russian



Foreign　Office；　and　that　he　has　now　added　to　them　this　definite



scheme　for　arbitration。　Remembering　our　old　conversations；　in



which　he　dwelt　upon　the　great　need　of　money　in　order　to　increase



the　stipends　of　the　Russian　clergy；　and　so　improve　their　moral　as



well　as　religious　condition；　I　can　understand　easily　that　he　may



have　greatly　at　heart　a　plan　which　would　save　a　portion　of　the



enormous　expenditure　of　Russia　on　war；　and　enable　him　to　do　more



for　the　improvement　of　the　church。







Dined　at　the　British　legation　with　the　minister；　my　old　friend　of



St。　Petersburg　days；　Sir　Henry　Howard；　De　Martens；　the　real　head



of　the　Russian　delegation；　being　of　the　party；　and　had　a　long



talk　with　the　latter　about　Russia　and　Russians。　He　told　me　that



Pobedonostzeff　is　now　becoming　old　and　infirm；　and　it　appears



that　there　has　been　a　sort　of　cleaning　out　of　the　Foreign　Office



and　the　Ministry　of　the　Interiora　procedure　which　was　certainly



needed　in　my　time。







Later　in　the　evening　we　went　to　a　reception　by　Baron　van



Hardenbroek；　the　grand　chamberlain；　where　I　met　various



interesting　persons；　especially　M。　Descamps；　the　eminent　Belgian



delegate；　who；　in　the　fervor　of　his　speech　yesterday　morning；



upset　his　inkstand　and　lavished　its　contents　on　his　neighbors。　He



is　a　devotee　of　arbitration；　and　is　preparing　a　summary　for　the



committee　intrusted　with　that　subject。　There　seemed　to　be；　in



discussing　the　matter　with　various　delegates　at　this　reception；　a



general　feeling　of　encouragement。







During　the　day　Mr。　Loeher；　a　Berlin　sculptor；　called；　and　carried



me　off　to　see　his　plan　of　a　great　statue　of　〃Peace〃　which　he



hopes　to　induce　the　Emperor　Nicholas　to　erect　in　Paris。　It　seems



to　me　well　conceived；　all　except　the　main　figure；　which　I　could



not　induce　myself　to　like。　In　the　anxiety　of　the　sculptor　to



avoid　any　more　female　figures；　and　to　embody　virile　aspirations



for　peace；　he　has　placed　this　main　figure　at　the　summit　of　the



monument　in　something　like　a　long　pea…jacket；　with　an



insufficient　mantle　at　the　back；　and　a　crown　upon　its　head。







The　number　of　people　with　plans；　schemes；　notions；　nostrums；



whimsies　of　all　sorts；　who　press　upon　us　and　try　to　take　our



time；　is　enormous；　and　when　to　this　is　added　the　pest　of



interviewers　and　photographers；　life　becomes　serious　indeed。











May　26。







At　two　the　committee　on　arbitration　met；　and；　as　it　is　the



largest　of　all；　its　session　was　held　in　the　main　hall　under　the



dome。　The　Russian　plan　was　presented；　and　was　found　to　embrace



three　distinct　features：







First；　elements　of　a　plan　of　mediation；　secondly；　a　plan　for



international　arbitration；　thirdly；　a　plan　for　the　international



examination　of　questions　arising　between　powers；　such　examination



being　conducted　by　persons　chosen　by　each　of　the　contestants。



This　last　is　a　new　feature　and　is　known　as　a　commission



internationale　d'enquete。







The　project　for　a　plan　of　arbitration　submits　a　number　of　minor



matters　to　compulsory　arbitration；　but　the　main　mass　of



differences　to　voluntary　arbitration。







But　there　was　no　definite　proposal　for　a　tribunal；　and　there　was



an　evident　feeling　of　disappointment；　which　was　presently　voiced



by　Sir　Julian　Pauncefote；　who；　in　the　sort　of　plain；　dogged　way



of　a　man　who　does　not　purpose　to　lose　what　he　came　for；　presented



a　resolution　looking　definitely　to　the　establishment；　here　and



now；　of　an　international　tribunal　of　arbitration。　After　some



discussion；　the　whole　was　referred　to　a　subcommittee；　to　put　this



and　any　other　proposals　submitted　into　shape　for　discussion　by



the　main　committee。　In　the　course　of　the　morning　the　American



delegation　received　an　answer　to　its　telegram　to　the　State



Department；　which　was　all　that　could　be　desired；　since　it　left　us



virtually　free　to　take　the　course　which　circumstances　might



authorize；　in　view　of　the　main　object　to　be　attained。　But　it　came



too　late　to　enable　us　to　elaborate　a　plan　for　the　meeting　above



referred　to；　and　I　obtained　permission　from　the　president；　M。



Leon　Bourgeois；　to　defer　the　presentation　of　our　scheme　until



about　the　middle　of　next　week。







Just　before　the　session　of　the　main　committee；　at　which　the



Russian　plan　was　received；　I　had　a　long　and　very　interesting　talk



with　Mr。　van　Karnebeek；　one　of　the　leading　statesmen　of　the



Netherlands；　a　former　minister　of　foreign　affairs；　and　the



present　chief　of　the　Dutch　delegation　in　the　conference。　He　seems



clear…headed　and　farsighted；　and　his　belief　is　that　the



conference　will　really　do　something　of　value　for　arbitration。　He



says　that　men　who　arrived　here　apparently　indifferent　have　now



become　interested；　and　that　amour　propre；　if　nothing　else；　will



lead　them　to　elaborate　something　likely　to　be　useful。　He　went　at



considerable　length　into　the　value　of　an　international　tribunal；



even　if　it　does　nothing　more　than　keep　nations　mindful　of　the



fact　that　there　is　some　way；　other　than　war；　of　settling



disputes。







A　delegate　also　informed　me　that　in　talking　with　M。　de　Staal　the



latter　declared　that　in　his　opinion　the　present　conference　is



only　the　first　of　a　series；　and　that　it　is　quite　likely　that



another　will　be　held　next　winter　or　next　spring。







In　the　evening　I　made　the　acquaintance　of　Mr。　Marshall；　a



newspaper　correspondent；　who　is　here　preparing　some　magazine



articles　on　The　Hague　and　the　conference。　He　is　a　very



interesting　man　on　various　accounts；　and　especially　at　present；



since　he　has　but　just　returned　from　the　Cuban　campaign；　where　he



was　fearfully　wounded；　receiving　two　shots　which　carried　away



parts　of　the　vertebral　column；　a　bullet　being　left　in　his　body。



He　seems　very　cheerful；　though　obliged　to　get　about　on　crutches。











May　27。







In　the　morning；　calls　from　various　people　urging　all　kinds　of



schemes　for　arbitration　and　various　other　good　things　for　the



human　race；　including　considerable　advantages；　in　many　cases；　for



themselves。







Best　of　all；　by　far；　was　John　Bellows　of　Gloucester；　our　old



Quaker　friend　at　St。　Petersburg；　whom　I　was　exceedingly　glad　to



take　by　the　hand：　he；　at　least；　is　a　thoroughly　good



mansincere；　honest；　earnest；　and　blessed　with　good　sense。







The　number　of　documents；　printed　and　written；　coming　in　upon　us



is　still　enormous。　Many　are　virtually　sermons　displaying　the



evils　of　war；　the　blessings　of　peace；　and　the　necessity　of



falling　back　upon　the　Bible。　Considering　the　fact　that　our



earlier　sacred　books　indicate　approval　by　the　Almighty　of　some　of



the　most　bloodthirsty　peoples　and　most　cruel　wars　ever　known；



such　a　recommendation　seems　lacking　in　〃actuality。〃







This　morning　we　had　another　visit　from　Sir　Julian　Pauncefote；



president　of　the　British　delegation；　and　discussed　with　him　an



amalgamation　of　the　Russian；　British；　and　American　proposals　for



an　arbitration　tribunal。　He　finds　himself；　as　we　all　do；



agreeably　surprised　by　the　Russian　document；　which；