part05+-第94章

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very　morning　I　received　a　prayer　set　forth　by　the　most



conservative　of　all　Protestant　religious　bodiesnamely；　the



American　branch　of　the　Anglican　Churchto　be　said　in　all



churches；　begging　the　Almighty　to　favor　the　work　of　the　peace



conference；　and　this　is　what　is　going　on　in　various　other



American　churches；　and　in　vast　numbers　of　households。　Something



of　the　same　sort　is　true　in　Great　Britain　and；　perhaps　in　many



parts　of　the　Continent。







Granted　that　expectations　are　overwrought；　still　this　fact



indicates　that　here　is　a　feeling　which　cannot　be　disregarded。







Moreover；　to　my　certain　knowledge；　within　a　month；　a　leading



socialist　in　France　has　boasted　to　one　of　the　members　of　this



conference　that　it　would　end　in　failure；　that　the　monarchs　and



governments　of　Europe　do　not　wish　to　diminish　bloodshed；　that



they　would　refuse　to　yield　to　the　desire　of　the　peoples　for



peace；　and　that　by　the　resentment　thus　aroused　a　new　path　to



victory　would　be　open　to　socialism。







Grant；　too；　that　this　is　overstated；　still　such　a　declaration　is



significant。







I　know　it　has　been　said　that　arbitration　is　derogatory　to



sovereignty。　I　really　fail　to　see　how　this　can　be　said　in



Germany。　Germany　has　already　submitted　a　great　political　question



between　herself　and　Spain　to　arbitration；　and　the　Emperor　William



I　was　himself　the　arbiter　between　the　United　States　and　Great



Britain　in　the　matter　of　our　northwestern　boundary。







Bear　in　mind　again　that　it　is　only　VOLUNTARY　arbitration　that　is



proposed；　and　that　it　will　always　rest　with　the　German　Emperor　to



decide　what　questions　he　will　submit　to　the　tribunal　and　what　he



will　not。







It　has　also　been　said　that　arbitration　proceedings　would　give　the



enemies　of　Germany　time　to　put　themselves　in　readiness　for　war；



but　if　this　be　feared　in　any　emergency；　the　Emperor　and　his



government　are　always　free　to　mobilize　the　German　army　at　once。







As　you　are　aware；　what　is　seriously　proposed　here　now；　in　the　way



of　arbitration；　is　not　a　tribunal　constantly　in　session；　but　a



system　under　which　each　of　the　signatory　powers　shall　be　free　to



choose；　for　a　limited　time；　from　an　international　court；　say　two



or　more　judges　who　can　go　to　The　Hague　if　their　services　are



required；　but　to　be　paid　only　while　actually　in　session　here；



such　payment　to　be　made　by　the　litigating　parties。







As　to　the　machinery；　the　plan　is　that　there　shall　be　a　dignified



body　composed　of　the　diplomatic　representatives　of　the　various



signatory　powers；　to　sit　at　The　Hague；　presided　over　by　the



Netherlands　minister　of　foreign　affairs；　and　to　select　and　to



control　such　secretaries　and　officers　as　may　be　necessary　for　the



ordinary　conduct　of　affairs。







Such　council　would　receive　notice　from　powers　having　differences



with　each　other　which　are　willing　to　submit　the　questions　between



them　to　a　court；　and　would　then　give　notice　to　the　judges



selected　by　the　parties。　The　whole　of　the　present　plan；　except



some　subordinate　features　of　little　account；　which　can　easily　be



stricken　out；　is　voluntary。　There　is　nothing　whatever　obligatory



about　it。　Every　signatory　power　is　free　to　resort　to　such　a



tribunal　or　not；　as　it　may　think　best。　Surely　a　concession　like



this　may　well　be　made　to　the　deep　and　wide　sentiment　throughout



the　world　in　favor　of　some　possible　means　of　settling



controversies　between　nations　other　than　by　bloodshed。







Pardon　me　for　earnestly　pressing　upon　you　these　facts　and



considerations。　I　beg　that　you　will　not　consider　me　as　going



beyond　my　province。　I　present　them　to　you　as　man　to　man；　not　only



in　the　interest　of　good　relations　between　Germany　and　the　United



States；　but　of　interests　common　to　all　the　great　nations　of　the



earth；of　their　common　interest　in　giving　something　like



satisfaction　to　a　desire　so　earnest　and　wide…spread　as　that　which



has　been　shown　in　all　parts　of　the　world　for　arbitration。







I　remain；　dear　Baron　von　Bulow；



Most　respectfully　and　sincerely　yours；



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　（Sgd。）　ANDREW　D。　WHITE。











P。　S。　Think　how　easily；　if　some　such　tribunal　existed；　your



government　and　mine　could　refer　to　it　the　whole　mass　of　minor



questions　which　our　respective　parliamentary　bodies　have　got



control　of；　and　entangled　in　all　sorts　of　petty　prejudices　and



demagogical　utterances；　for　instance；　Samoa；　the　tonnage　dues；



the　sugar…bounty　question；　the　most…favored…nation　clause；　etc。；



etc。；　which　keep　the　two　countries　constantly　at　loggerheads。　Do



you　not　see　that　submission　of　such　questions　to　such　a　tribunal



as　is　now　proposed；　so　far　from　being　derogatory　to　sovereignty；



really　relieves　the　sovereign　and　the　Foreign　Office　of　the　most



vexatious　fetters　and　limitations　of　parliamentarianism。　It　is



not　at　all　unlikely　that　such　a　court　would　decide　in　your　favor；



and　if　so；　every　thoughtful　American　would　say；　〃Well　and　good；



it　appears　that；　in　spite　of　all　the　speeches　in　Congress；　we



were　wrong。〃　And　the　matter　would　then　be　ended　with　the



good…will　of　all　parties。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　



（Sgd。）　A。D。W。











It　is　indeed　a　crisis　in　the　history　of　the　conference；　and



perhaps　in　the　history　of　Germany。　I　can　only　hope　that　Bulow



will　give　careful　attention　to　the　considerations　which　Munster



and　myself　press　upon　him。







Later　in　the　day　Sir　Julian　Pauncefote　called；　evidently　much



vexed　that　the　sitting　of　the　subcommittee　had　been　deferred；　and



even　more　vexed　since　he　had　learned　from　De　Staal　the　real



reason。　He　declared　that　he　was　opposed　to　stringing　out　the



conference　much　longer；　that　the　subcommittee　could　get　along



perfectly　well　without　Dr。　Zorn；　that　if　Germany　did　not　wish　to



come　in；　she　could　keep　out；　etc。；　etc。　He　seemed　to　forget　that



Germany's　going　out　means　the　departure　of　Austria　and　Italy；　to



say　nothing　of　one　or　two　minor　powers；　and　therefore　the



bringing　to　naught　of　the　conference。　I　did　not　think　it　best　to



say　anything　about　Molls's　departure；　but　soothed　him　as　much　as



I　could　by　dwelling　on　the　success　of　his　proposal　that　the



permanent　council　here　shall　be　composed　of　the　resident



diplomatic　representatives。







The　other　members　of　our　commission；　and　especially　President





Low；　were　at　first　very　much　opposed　to　Dr。　Holls's　going；　on　the



ground　that　it　might　be　considered　an　interference　in　a　matter



pertaining　to　Germany；　but　I　persisted　in　sending　him；　agreeing



to　take　all　the　responsibility；　and　declaring　that　he　should　go



simply　as　a　messenger　from　me；　as　the　American　ambassador　at



Berlin；　to　the　imperial　minister　of　foreign　affairs。







June　17。







The　morning　was　given　largely　to　completing　my　draft　of　our



memorial　to　the　conference　regarding　the　immunity　of　private



property　in　time　of　war　from　seizure　on　the　high　seas。







In　the　afternoon　drove　to　Scheveningen　to　make　sundry　official



visits；　and　in　the　evening　to　the　great　festival　given　by　the



Netherlands　Government　to　the　conference。







Its　first　feature　was　a　series　of　tableaux　representing　some　of



the　most　famous　pictures　in　the　Dutch　galleries　the　most



successful　of　all　being　Rembrandt's　〃Night　Watch。〃　Jan　Steen's



〃Wedding　Party〃　was　also　very　beautiful。　Then　came　peasant　dances



given；　in　the　midst　of　the　great　hall；　by　persons　in　the　costumes



of　all　the　different　provinces。　These　were　characteristic　and



interesting；　some　of　them　being　wonderfully　quaint。







The　violinist　of　the　late　King；　Joh