part05+-第96章

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which　certainly　would　be　much　more　effective　in　preventing



unnecessary　suffering　and　death；　but　the　Russians　seemed　glad　to



score　a　point　against　Great　Britain；　and　Sir　John's　proposal　was



voted　down；　its　only　support　being　derived　from　our　own



delegation。　Captain　Crozier；　our　military　delegate；　took　an



active　part　in　supporting　Sir　John　Ardagh；　but　the　majority



against　us　was　overwhelming。







As　to　asphyxiating　bombs；　Captain　Mahan　spoke　at　length　against



the　provision　to　forbid　them：　his　ground　being　that　not　the



slightest　thing　had　yet　been　done　looking　to　such　an　invention；



that；　even　if　there　had　been；　their　use　would　not　be　so　bad　as



the　use　of　torpedoes　against　ships　of　war；　that　asphyxiating　men



by　means　of　deleterious　gases　was　no　worse　than　asphyxiating　them



with　water；　indeed；　that　the　former　was　the　less　dangerous　of　the



two；　since　the　gases　used　might　simply　incapacitate　men　for　a



short　time；　while　the　blowing　up　of　a　ship　of　war　means　death　to



all　or　nearly　all　of　those　upon　it。







To　this　it　was　answeredand；　as　it　seemed　to　me；　with



forcethat　asphyxiating　bombs　might　be　used　against　towns　for



the　destruction　of　vast　numbers　of　non…combatants；　including



women　and　children；　while　torpedoes　at　sea　are　used　only　against



the　military　and　naval　forces　of　the　enemy。　The　original　proposal



was　carried　by　a　unanimous　vote；　save　ours。　I　am　not　satisfied



with　our　attitude　on　this　question；　but　what　can　a　layman　do　when



he　has　against　him　the　foremost　contemporary　military　and　naval



experts？　My　hope　is　that　the　United　States　will　yet　stand　with



the　majority　on　the　record。







I　stated　afterward　in　a　bantering　way　to　Captain　Mahan；　as　well



as　others；　that　while　I　could　not　support　any　of　the　arguments



that　had　been　made　in　favor　of　allowing　asphyxiating　bombs；　there



was　one　which　somewhat　appealed　to　menamely；　that　the　dread　of



them　might　do　something　to　prevent　the　rush　of　the　rural



population　to　the　cities；　and　the　aggregation　of　the　poorer



classes　in　them；　which　is　one　of　the　most　threatening　things　to



modern　society；　and　also　a　second　argument　that　such　bombs　would



bring　home　to　warlike　stay…at…home　orators　and　writers　the



realities　of　war。







At　noon　received　the　French　translation　of　our　memorial　to　De



Staal；　but　found　it　very　imperfect　throughout；　and　in　some　parts



absolutely　inadmissible；　so　I　worked　with　Baron　de　Bildt；



president　of　the　Swedish　delegation　here；　all　the　afternoon　in



revising　it。







At　six　the　American　delegation　met　and　chose　me　for　their　orator



at　the　approaching　Grotius　festival　at　Delft。　I　naturally　feel



proud　to　discharge　a　duty　of　this　kind；　and　can　put　my　heart　into



it；　for　Grotius　has　long　been　to　me　almost　an　object　of　idolatry；



and　his　main　works　a　subject　of　earnest　study。　There　are　few　men



in　history　whom　I　so　deeply　venerate。　Twenty　years　ago；　when



minister　at　Berlin；　I　sent　an　eminent　American　artist　to　Holland



and　secured　admirable　copies　of　the　two　best　portraits　of　the



great　man。　One　of　these　now　hangs　in　the　Law　Library　of　Cornell



University；　and　the　other　over　my　work…table　at　the　Berlin



Embassy。







June　23。







At　work　all　the　morning　on　letters　and　revising　final　draft　of



memorial　on　immunity　of　private　property　at　sea；　and　lunched



afterward　at　the　〃House　in　the　Wood〃　to　talk　it　over　with　Baron



de　Bildt。







At　the　same　table　met　M。　de　Martens；　who　has　just　returned　by



night　to　his　work　here；　after　presiding　a　day　or　two　over　the



Venezuela　arbitration　tribunal　at　Paris。　He　told　me　that　Sir



Richard　Webster；　in　opening　the　case；　is　to　speak　for　sixteen



days；　and　De　Martens　added　that　he　himself　had　read　our　entire



Venezuelan　report；　as　well　as　the　other　documents　on　the　subject



which　form　quite　a　large　library。　And　yet　we　do　not　include　men



like　him　in　〃the　working…classes〃！







In　the　evening　to　a　reception　at　the　house　of　M。　de　Beaufort；



minister　of　foreign　affairs；　and　was　cordially　greeted　by　him　and



his　wife；　both　promising　that　they　would　accept　our　invitation　to



Delft。　I　took　in　to　the　buffet　the　wife　of　the　present　Dutch



prime　minister；　who　also　expressed　great　interest　in　our



proposal；　and　declared　her　intention　of　being　present。







Count　Zanini；　the　Italian　minister　and　delegate　here；　gave　me　a



comical　account　of　two　speeches　in　the　session　of　the　first



section　this　morning；　one　being　by　a　delegate　from　Persia；　Mirza



Riza　Khan；　who　is　minister　at　St。　Petersburg。　His　Persian



Excellency　waxed　eloquent　over　the　noble　qualities　of　the　Emperor



of　Russia；　and　especially　over　his　sincerity　as　shown　by　the　fact



that　when　his　Excellency　tumbled　from　his　horse　at　a　review；　his



Majesty　sent　twice　to　inquire　after　his　health。　The　whole　effect



upon　the　conference　was　to　provoke　roars　of　laughter。







But　the　great　matter　of　the　day　was　the　news；　which　has　not　yet



been　made　public；　that　Prince　Hohenlohe；　the　German　chancellor；



has　come　out　strongly　for　the　arbitration　tribunal；　and　has　sent



instructions　here　accordingly。　This　is　a　great　gain；　and　seems　to



remove　one　of　the　worst　stumbling…blocks。　But　we　will　have　to　pay



for　this　removal；　probably；　by　giving　up　section　10　of　the



present　plan；　which　includes　a　system　of　obligatory　arbitration



in　various　minor　matters；a　system　which　would　be　of　use　to　the



world　in　many　ways。　While　the　American　delegation；　as　stated　in



my　letter　which　Holls　took　to　Bulow；　and　which　has　been　forwarded



to　the　Emperor；　will　aid　in　throwing　out　of　the　arbitration　plan



everything　of　an　obligatory　nature；　if　Germany　insists　upon　it；　I



learn　that　the　Dutch　Government　is　much　opposed　to　this



concession；　and　may　publicly　protest　against　it。







A　curious　part　of　the　means　used　in　bringing　about　this　change　of



opinion　was　the　pastoral　letter；　elsewhere　referred　to；　issued　by



the　Protestant　Episcopal　bishop　of　Texas；　calling　for　prayers



throughout　the　State　for　the　success　of　the　conference　in　its



efforts　to　diminish　the　horrors　of　war。　This　pastoral　letter；　to



which　I　referred　in　my　letter　to　Minister　von　Bulow；　I　intrusted



to　Holls；　authorizing　him　to　use　it　as　he　thought　fit。　He　showed



it　to　Prince　Hohenlohe；　and　the　latter；　although　a　Roman



Catholic；　was　evidently　affected　by　it；　and　especially　by　the



depth　and　extent　of　the　longing　for　peace　which　it　showed。　It　is



perhaps　an　interesting　example　of　an　indirect　〃answer　to　prayer；〃



since　it　undoubtedly　strengthened　the　feelings　in　the　prince



chancellor's　mind　which　led　him　to　favor　arbitration。











June　24。







Sent　to　M。　de　Staal；　as　president　of　the　conference；　the　memorial



relating　to　the　exemption　of　private　property；　not　contraband　of



war；　from　capture　on　the　high　seas。　Devoted　the　morning　to



blocking　out　my　Grotius　address；　and　afterward　drove　with　Holls



to　Delft　to　look　over　the　ground　for　our　Fourth…of…July　festival。



The　town　hall　is　interesting　and　contains；　among　other　portraits；



one　which　is　evidently　a　good　likeness　of　Grotius；　the　only



difficulty　is　that；　for　our　intended　luncheon；　the　rooms；　though



beautiful；　seem　inadequate。







Thence　to　the　church；　and　after　looking　over　that　part　of　it　near



the　monuments；　with　reference　to　the　Grotius　ceremony；　went　into



the　organ…loft　with　the　organist。　There　I　listened　for　nearly　an



hour　while　he　and　Holls　played　finely　on　that　noble　instrument；



and　as　I　sat　and　looked　down　over　the　church　and　upon　the　distant



monuments；　the　old　historic　scenes　of　f