part05+-第88章

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



room；　the　spokesman　began　as　follows；　very　impressively：







〃Your　Excellencies；　ve　are　ze　Young　Turkeys。〃







This　was　too　much　for　most　of　us；　and　I　think　that；　during　our



whole　stay　at　The　Hague　thus　far；　we　have　never　undertaken



anything　more　difficult；　physically；　than　to　keep　our　faces



straight　during　the　harangue　which　followed。







Later；　we　went　with　nearly　all　the　other　members　of　the



conference　to　Haarlem；　in　a　special　train；　by　invitation　of　the



burgomaster　and　town　council；　to　the　〃Fete　Hippique〃　and　the



〃Fete　des　Fleurs。〃　We　were　treated　very　well　indeed；　refreshments



being　served　on　the　grand　stand　during　the　performances；　which



consisted　of　hurdle　races；　etc。；　for　which　I　cared　nothing；



followed　by　a　procession　of　peasants　in　old　chaises　of　various



periods；　and　in　the　costumes　of　the　various　provinces　of　the



Netherlands；　which　interested　me　much。　The　whole　closed　with　a



long　train　of　fine　equipages　superbly　decorated　with　flowers。







Discussing　the　question　of　the　immunity　of　private　property；　not



contraband　of　war；　on　the　high　seas；　I　find　that　the　main



argument　which　our　opponents　are　now　using　is　that；　even　if　the



principle　were　conceded；　new　and　troublesome　questions　would



arise　as　to　what　really　constitutes　contraband　of　war；　that　ships



themselves　would　undoubtedly　be　considered　as　contraband；　since



they　can　be　used　in　conveying　troops；　coal；　supplies；　etc。











June　5。







Having　given　up　the　morning　of　the　5th　mainly　to　work　on　plans　of



arbitration；　mediation；　and　the　like；　I　went　to　the　meeting；　at



the　〃House　in　the　Wood；〃　of　the　third　great　committee　of　the



conferencenamely；　that　on　arbitration。







The　session　went　off　satisfactorily；　our　duty　being　to　pass　upon



the　report　from　the　subcommittee　which　had　put　the　various



propositions　into　shape　for　our　discussion。　The　report　was



admirably　presented　by　M。　Descamps；　and；　after　considerable



discussion　of　details；　was　adopted　in　all　essential　features。　The



matters　thus　discussed　and　accepted　for　presentation　to　the



conference　as　a　whole　related：







（1）　To　a　plan　for　tendering　〃good　offices。〃







（2）　To　a　plan　for　examining　into　international　differences。







（3）　To　the　〃special　mediation〃　plan。







The　last　was　exceedingly　well　received；　and　our　delegation　has



obtained　much　credit　for　it。　It　is　the　plan　of　allowing　any　two



nations　drifting　into　war　to　appoint　〃seconding　nations；〃　who；



like　〃seconds〃　in　a　duel；　shall　attempt　to　avert　the　conflict；



and；　if　this　be　unsuccessful；　shall　continue　acting　in　the　same



capacity；　and　endeavor　to　arrest　the　conflict　at　the　earliest



moment　possible。







Very　general　good　feeling　was　shown；　and　much　encouragement



derived　from　the　fact　that　these　preliminary　matters　could　be



dealt　with　in　so　amicable　and　business…like　a　spirit。







Before　the　meeting　I　took　a　long　walk　in　the　garden　back　of　the



palace　with　various　gentlemen；　among　them　Mr。　van　Karnebeek；　who



discussed　admirably　with　me　the　question　of　the　exemption　of



private　property　from　seizure　on　the　high　seas。　He　agreed　with　me



that　even　if　the　extreme　doctrine　now　contended　fornamely；　that



which　makes　ships；　coal；　provisions；　and　very　nearly　everything



else；　contrabandbe　pressed；　still　a　first　step；　such　as　the



exemption　of　private　property　from　seizure；　would　be　none　the



less　wise；　leaving　the　subordinate　questions　to　be　dealt　with　as



they　arise。







I　afterward　called　with　Dr。　Holls　at　the　house　of　the　burgomaster



of　The　Hague；　and　thanked　him　for　his　kindness　in　tendering　us



the　concert　last　Saturday；　and　for　various　other　marks　of



consideration。







On　the　whole；　matters　continue　to　look　encouraging　as　regards



both　mediation　and　arbitration。











June　6。







In　the　morning　Sir　Julian　Pauncefote　called；　and　again　went　over



certain　details　in　the　American；　British；　and　Russian　plans　of



arbitration；　discussing　some　matters　to　be　stricken　out　and



others　to　be　inserted。　He　declared　his　readiness　to　strike　out　a



feature　of　his　plan　to　which　from　the　first；　I　have　felt　a　very



great　objectionnamely；　that　which；　after　the　tribunal　is



constituted；　allows　the　contesting　parties　to　call　into　it　and



mix　with　it　persons　simply　chosen　by　the　contestants　ad　hoc。　This



seems　to　me　a　dilution　of　the　idea　of　a　permanent　tribunal；　and　a



means　of　delay　and　of　complications　which　may　prove　unfortunate。



It　would　certainly　be　said　that　if　the　contestants　were　to　be



allowed　to　name　two　or　more　judges　from　outside　the　tribunal；



they　might　just　as　well　nominate　all；　and　thus　save　the　expense



attendant　upon　a　regularly　constituted　international　court　chosen



by　the　various　governments。







Later　in　the　day　I　wrote　a　private　letter　to　the　Secretary　of



State　suggesting　that　our　American　delegation　be　authorized　to



lay　a　wreath　of　silver　and　gold　upon　the　tomb　of　Grotius　at



Delft；　not　only　as　a　tribute　to　the　man　who　set　in　motion　the



ideas　which；　nearly　three　hundred　years　later；　have　led　to　the



assembling　of　this　conference；　but　as　an　indication　of　our



gratitude　to　the　Netherlands　Government　for　its　hospitality　and



the　admirable　provision　it　has　made　for　our　work　here；　and　also



as　a　sign　of　good…will　toward　the　older　governments　of　the　world



on　the　occasion　of　their　first　meeting　with　delegates　from　the



new　world；　in　a　conference　treating　of　matters　most　important　to



all　nations。







In　the　evening　to　Mr。　van　Karnebeek's　reception；　and　there　met



Mr。　Raffalovitch；　one　of　the　Russian　secretaries　of　the



conference；　who；　as　councilor　of　the　Russian　Empire　and



corresponding　member　of　the　French　Institute；　has　a　European



reputation；　and　urged　him　to　aid　in　striking　out　the　clause　in



the　plan　which　admits　judges　other　than　those　of　the　court。　My



hope　is　that　it　will　disappear　in　the　subcommittee　and　not　come



up　in　the　general　meeting　of　the　third　great　committee。











June　8。







The　American　delegation　in　the　afternoon　discussed　at　length　the



proposals　relating　to　the　Brussels　Conference　rules　for　the　more



humane　carrying　on　of　war。　Considerable　difference　of　opinion　has



arisen　in　the　section　of　the　conference　in　which　the　preliminary



debates　are　held；　and　Captain　Crozier；　our　representative；　has



been　in　some　doubt　as　to　the　ground　to　be　taken　between　these



opposing　views。　On　one　side　are　those　who　think　it　best　to　go　at



considerable　length　into　more　or　less　minute　restrictions　upon



the　conduct　of　invaders　and　invaded。　On　the　other　side；　M。



Bernaert　of　Belgium；　one　of　the　two　most　eminent　men　from　that



country；　and　others；　take　the　ground　that　it　would　be　better　to



leave　the　whole　matter　to　the　general　development　of　humanity　in



international　law。　M。　de　Martens　insists　that　now　is　the　time　to



settle　the　matter；　rather　than　leave　it　to　individuals　who；　in



time　of　war；　are　likely　to　be　more　or　less　exasperated　by



accounts　of　atrocities　and　to　have　no　adequate　time　for　deciding



upon　a　policy。　After　considerable　discussion　by　our　delegation；



the　whole　matter　went　over。







In　the　evening　to　a　great　reception　at　the　house　of　Sir　Henry



Howard；　British　minister　at　this　court。　It　was　very　brilliant；



and　the　whole　afforded　an　example　of　John　Bull's　good　sense　in



providing　for　his　representatives　abroad；　and　enabling　them　to



exercise　a　social　influence　on　the　communities　where　they　are



st