part05+-第87章

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that　kingdom　should　be　put　into　the　general　German　delegation。







On　my　asking　why　Brazil；　though　represented　at　St。　Petersburg；



was　not　invited；　he　answered　that　Brazil　was　invited；　but　showed



no　desire　to　be　represented。　On　my　asking　him　if　he　supposed　this



was　because　other　South　American　powers　were　not　invited；　he　said



that　he　thought　not；　that　it　was　rather　its　own　indifference　and



carelessness；　arising　from　the　present　unfortunate　state　of



government　in　that　country。　On　my　saying　that　the　Emperor　Dom



Pedro；　in　his　time；　would　have　taken　the　opportunity　to　send　a



strong　delegation；　he　said：　〃Yes；　he　certainly　would　have　done



so；　but　the　present　government　is　a　poor　sort　of　thing。〃







I　also　had　a　talk　with　one　of　the　most　eminent　publicists　of　the



Netherlands；　on　the　questions　dividing　parties　in　this　country；



telling　him　that　I　found　it　hard　to　understand　the　line　of



cleavage　between　them。　He　answered　that　it　is；　in　the　main；　a



line　between　religious　conservatives　and　liberals；　the



conservatives　embracing　the　Roman　Catholics　and　high　orthodox



Protestants；　and　the　liberals　those　of　more　advanced　opinions。　He



said　that　socialism　plays　no　great　part　in　Holland；　that　the



number　of　its　representatives　is　very　small　compared　with　that　in



many　European　states；　that　the　questions　on　which　parties　divide



are　mainly　those　in　which　clerical　ideas　are　more　or　less



prominent；　that　the　liberal　party；　if　it　keeps　together；　is　much



the　stronger　party　of　the　two；　but　that　it　suffers　greatly　from



its　cliques　and　factions。







On　returning　home　after　dinner；　I　found　a　cipher　despatch　from



the　Secretary　of　State　informing　us　that　President　McKinley



thinks　that　our　American　commission　ought　not　to　urge　any



proposal　for　〃seconding　powers〃；　that　he　fears　lest　it　may　block



the　way　of　the　arbitration　proposals。　This　shows　that　imperfect



reports　have　reached　the　President　and　his　cabinet。　The　fact　is



that　the　proposal　of　〃seconding　powers〃　was　warmly　welcomed　by



the　subcommittee　when　it　was　presented；　that　the　members　very



generally　telegraphed　home　to　their　governments；　and　at　once



received　orders　to　support　it；　that　it　was　passed　by　a　unanimous



vote　of　the　subcommittee；　and　that　its　strongest　advocates　were



the　men　who　are　most　in　favor　of　an　arbitration　plan。　So　far　from



injuring　the　prospects　of　arbitration；　it　has　increased　them；　it



is　very　generally　spoken　of　as　a　victory　for　our　delegation；　and



has　increased　respect　for　our　country；　and　for　anything　we　may



hereafter　present。











June　2。







This　morning　we　sent　a　cipher　telegram　to　the　Secretary　of　State；



embodying　the　facts　above　stated。







The　shoals　of　telegrams；　reports　of　proceedings　of　societies；



hortatory　letters；　crankish　proposals；　and　peace　pamphlets　from



America　continue。　One　of　the　telegrams　which　came　late　last　night



was　pathetic；　it　declared　that　three　millions　of　Christian



Endeavorers　bade　us　〃Godspeed；〃　etc。；　etc。







During　the　morning　De　Martens；　Low；　Holls；　and　myself　had　a　very



thoroughgoing　discussion　of　the　Russian；　British；　and　American



arbitration　plans。　We　found　the　eminent　Russian　under　very



curious　misapprehensions　regarding　some　minor　points；　one　of　them



being　that　he　had　mistaken　the　signification　of　our　word



〃publicist〃；　and　we　were　especially　surprised　to　find　his　use　of



the　French　word　〃publiciste〃　so　broad　that　it　would　include　M。



Henri　Rochefort；　Mr。　Stead；　or　any　newspaper　writer；　and　he　was



quite　as　surprised　to　find　that　with　us　it　would　include　only



such　men　as　Grotius；　Wheaton；　Calvo；　and　himself。







After　a　long　and　intricate　discussion　we　separated　on　very　good



terms；　having　made；　I　think；　decided　progress　toward　fusing　all



three　arbitration　plans　into　one　which　shall　embody　the　merits　of



all。







One　difficulty　we　found；　of　which　neither　our　State　Department



nor　ourselves　had　been　fully　aware。　Our　original　plan　required



that　the　judges　for　the　arbitration　tribunal　should　be　nominated



by　the　highest　courts　of　the　respective　nations；　but　De　Martens



showed　us　that　Russia　has　no　highest　court　in　our　sense　of　the



word。　Then；　too；　there　is　Austria…Hungary；　which　has　two　supreme



courts　of　equal　authority。　This　clause；　therefore；　we　arranged　to



alter；　though　providing　that　the　original　might　stand　as　regards



countries　possessing　supreme　courts。







At　lunch　we　had　Baron　de　Bildt；　Swedish　minister　at　Rome　and



chief　of　the　Swedish　delegation　at　the　conference；　and　Baron　de



Bille；　Danish　minister　at　London　and　chief　delegate　from　Denmark。



De　Bille　declared　himself　averse　to　a　permanent　tribunal　to　be　in



constant　session；　on　the　ground　that；　having　so　little　to　do；　it



would　be　in　danger　of　becoming　an　object　of　derision　to　the　press



and　peoples　of　the　world。







We　were　all　glad　to　find；　upon　the　arrival　of　the　London　〃Times；〃



that　our　arbitration　project　seemed　to　be　receiving　extensive



approval；　and　various　telegrams　from　America　during　the　day



indicated　the　same　thing。







It　looks　more　and　more　as　if　we　are　to　accomplish　something。　The



only　thing　in　sight　calculated　to　throw　a　cloud　over　the　future



is　the　attitude　of　the　German　press　against　the　whole　business



here；　the　most　virulent　in　its　attacks　being　the　high　Lutheran



conservativeand　religious！journal　in　Berlin；　the



〃Kreuz…Zeitung。〃　Still；　it　is　pleasant　to　see　that　eminent



newspaper　find；　for　a　time；　some　other　object　of　denunciation



than　the　United　States。











June　3。







In　the　afternoon　drove　to　Scheveningen　and　took　tea　with　Count



Munster　and　his　daughter。　He　was　somewhat　pessimistic；　as　usual；



but　came　out　very　strongly　in　favor　of　the　American　view　as



regards　exemption　of　private　property　on　the　high　seas。　Whether



this　is　really　because　Germany　would　derive　profit　from　it；　or



because　she　thinks　this　question　a　serviceable　entering　wedge



between　the　United　States　and　Great　Britain；　there　is　no　telling



at　present。　I　am　sorry　to　say　that　our　hopes　regarding　it　are　to



be　dashed；　so　far　as　the　present　conference　is　concerned。　Sundry



newspaper　letters　and　articles　in　the　〃Times〃　show　clearly　that



the　English　Government　is　strongly　opposed　to　dealing　with　it



here　and　now；　and　as　France　and　Russia　take　the　same　position；



there　is　no　hope　for　any　action；　save　such　as　we　can　take　to　keep



the　subject　alive　and　to　secure　attention　to　it　by　some　future



conference。















CHAPTER　XLVII







AS　PRESIDENT　OF　THE　AMERICAN　DELEGATION　AT　THE　PEACE　CONFERENCE



OF　THE　HAGUE：　III1899







June　4。







We　have　just　had　an　experience　which　〃adds　to　the　gaiety　of



nations。〃　Some　days　since；　representatives　of　what　is　called　〃the



Young　Turkish　party〃　appeared　and　asked　to　be　heard。　They



received；　generally；　the　cold　shoulder；　mainly　because　the



internal　condition　of　Turkey　is　not　one　of　the　things　which　the



conference　was　asked　to　discuss；　but　also　because　there　is　a



suspicion　that　these　〃Young　Turks〃　are　enabled　to　live　in　luxury



at　Paris　by　blackmailing　the　Sultan；　and　that　their　zeal　for



reform　becomes　fervid　whenever　their　funds　run　low；　and　cools



whenever　a　remittance　comes　from　the　Bosphorus。　But　at　last　some



of　us　decided　to　give　them　a　hearing；　informally；　the　main　object



being　to　get　rid　of　them。　At　the　time　appointed；　the　delegation



appeared　in　evening　dress；　and；　having　been　ushered　into　the



room；　the　spokesman　began　as　follows；　very　impressively：