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civilized　parts　of　Europe；　as　well　as　those　of　the　better　South



American　republics；　like　Chile；　the　Argentine　Republic；　Brazil；



and　others；　whose　interests；　aspirations；　ideals；　and　feelings



are　so　much　more　closely　akin　to　our　own。







Occasionally；　too；　there　have　arisen　plaintive　declarations　that



the　Emperor　does　not　love　the　United　States　or　admire　its



institutions。　As　to　that　I　never　saw　or　heard　of　anything　showing



dislike　to　our　country；　but；　after　all；　he　is　a　free　man；　and



there　is　nothing　in　international　law　or　international　comity



requiring　him　to　love　the　United　States；　it　is　sufficient　that　he



respects　what　is　respectable　in　our　government　and　people；　and　we



may　fairly　allow　to　him　his　opinion　on　sundry　noxious　and



nauseous　developments　among　us　which　we　hope　may　prove　temporary。



As　to　admiring　our　institutions；　he　is　probably　not　fascinated　by



our　lax　administration　of　criminal　justice；　which　leaves　at　large



more　unpunished　criminals；　and　especially　murderers；　than　are　to



be　found　in　any　other　part　of　the　civilized　world；　save；



possibly；　some　districts　of　lower　Italy　and　Sicily。　He　probably



does　not　admire　Tammany　Hall　or　the　Philadelphia　Ring；　and　has



his　own　opinion　of　cities　which　submit　to　such　tyranny；　quite



likely　he　has　not　been　favorably　impressed　by　the　reckless　waste



and　sordid　jobbery　recently　revealed　at　St。　Louis　and



Minneapolis；　it　is　exceedingly　doubtful　whether　he　admires　some



of　the　speeches　on　national　affairs　made　for　the　〃Buncombe



district〃　and　the　galleries；　but　that　he　admires　and　respects　the



men　in　the　United　States　who　do　things　worth　doing；　and　say



things　worth　saying；　that　he　takes　a　deep　interest　in　those



features　of　our　policy；　or　achievements　of　our　people；　which　are



to　our　credit；　that　he　enjoys　the　best　of　our　literature；　that　he



respects　every　true　American　soldier　and　sailor；　every　American



statesman　or　scholar　or　writer　or　worker　of　any　sort　who　really



accomplishes　anything　for　our　country；　is　certain。







To　sum　up　his　position　in　contemporary　history：　As　the　German



nation　is　the　result　of　an　evolution　of　individual　and　national



character　in　obedience　to　resistless　inner　forces　and　to　its



environment；　so　out　of　the　medley　of　imperial　and　royal



Hohenstaufens；　Hapsburgs；　Wittelsbachs；　Wettins；　Guelphs；　and　the



like；　have　arisen；　as　by　a　survival　of　the　fittest；　the



Hohenzollerns。　These　have　given　to　the　world　various　strong



types；　and　especially　such　as　the　Great　Elector；　Frederick　II；



and　William　I。　Mainly　under　them　and　under　men　trained　or



selected　by　them；　Germany；　from　a　great　confused　mass　of　warriors



and　thinkers　and　workers；　militant　at　cross…purposes；　wearing



themselves　out　in　vain　struggles；　and　preyed　upon　by　malevolent



neighbors；　has　become　a　great　power　in　arms；　in　art；　in　science；



in　literature；　a　fortress　of　high　thought；　a　guardian　of



civilization；　the　natural　ally　of　every　nation　which　seeks　the



better　development　of　humanity。　And　the　young　monarch　who　is　now



at　its　headoriginal；　yet　studious　of　the　great　men　and　deeds　of



the　past；　brave；　yet　conciliatory；　never　allowing　the　mail…clad



fist　to　become　unnerved；　but　none　the　less　devoted　to　the



conquests　of　peace；　standing　firmly　on　realities；　but　with　a



steady　vision　of　idealsseems　likely　to　add　a　new　name　to　the



list　of　those　who；　as　leaders　of　Germany；　have　advanced　the



world。















CHAPTER　XLV







AS　PRESIDENT　OF　THE　AMERICAN　DELEGATION　AT　THE　PEACE　CONFERENCE



OF　THE　HAGUE：　I1899







On　the　24th　of　August；　1898；　the　Russian　Government　proposed；　in



the　name　of　the　Emperor　Nicholas　II；　a　conference　which　should



seek　to　arrest　the　constantly　increasing　development　of　armaments



and　thus　contribute　to　a　durable　peace；　and　on　the　11th　of



January；　1899；　his　minister　of　foreign　affairs；　Count　Mouravieff；



having　received　favorable　answers　to　this　proposal；　sent　forth　a



circular　indicating　the　Russian　view　as　to　subjects　of



discussion。　As　to　the　place　of　meeting；　there　were　obvious



reasons　why　it　should　not　be　the　capital　of　one　of　the　greater



powers。　As　to　Switzerland；　the　number　of　anarchists　and　nihilists



who　had　taken　refuge　there；　and　the　murder　of　the　Empress　of



Austria　by　one　of　them　shortly　before；　at　Geneva；　in　broad



daylight；　had　thrown　discredit　over　the　ability　of　the　Swiss



Government　to　guarantee　safety　to　the　conference；　the　Russian



Government　therefore　proposed　that　its　sessions　be　held　at　The



Hague；　and　this　being　agreed　to；　the　opening　was　fixed　for　the



18th　of　May。







From　the　first　there　was　a　misunderstanding　throughout　the　world



as　to　what　the　Emperor　Nicholas　really　proposed。　Far　and　near　it



was　taken　for　granted　that　he　desired　a　general　disarmament；　and



this　legend　spread　rapidly。　As　a　matter　of　fact；　this　was　neither



his　proposal　nor　his　purpose；　the　measures　he　suggested　being



designed　〃to　put　an　end　to　the　constantly　increasing　development



of　armaments。〃







At　the　outset　I　was　skeptical　as　to　the　whole　matter。　What　I　had



seen　of　the　Emperor　Nicholas　during　my　stay　in　Russia　had　not



encouraged　me　to　expect　that　he　would　have　the　breadth　of　view　or



the　strength　of　purpose　to　carry　out　the　vast　reforms　which



thinking　men　hoped　for。　I　recalled　our　conversation　at　my



reception　as　minister；　when；　to　my　amazement；　he　showed　himself



entirely　ignorant　of　the　starving　condition　of　the　peasantry



throughout　large　districts　in　the　very　heart　of　the　empire。＇8＇



That　he　was　a　kindly　man；　wishing　in　a　languid　way　the　good　of



his　country；　could　not　be　doubted；　but　the　indifference　to



everything　about　him　evident　in　all　his　actions；　his　lack　of



force　even　in　the　simplest　efforts　for　the　improvement　of　his



people；　and；　above　all；　his　yielding　to　the　worst　elements　in　his



treatment　of　the　Baltic　provinces　and　Finland；　did　not　encourage



me　to　believe　that　he　would　lead　a　movement　against　the　enormous



power　of　the　military　party　in　his　vast　empire。　On　this　account；



when　the　American　newspapers　prophesied　that　I　was　to　be　one　of



the　delegates；　my　feelings　were　strongly　against　accepting　any



such　post。　But　in　due　time　the　tender　of　it　came　in　a　way　very



different　from　anything　I　had　anticipated：　President　McKinley



cabled　a　personal　request　that　I　accept　a　position　on　the



delegation；　and　private　letters　from　very　dear　friends；　in　whose



good　judgment　I　had　confidence；　gave　excellent　reasons　for　my



doing　so。　At　the　same　time　came　the　names　of　my　colleagues；　and



this　led　me　to　feel　that　the　delegation　was　to　be　placed　on　a



higher　plane　than　I　had　expected。　In　the　order　named　by　the



President；　they　were　as　follows：　Andrew　D。　White；　Seth　Low；



President　of　Columbia　University；　Stanford　Newel；　Minister　at　The



Hague；　Captain　Mahan；　of　the　United　States　navy；　Captain　Crozier；



of　the　army；　and　the　Hon。　Frederick　W。　Holls　as　secretary。　In



view　of　all　this；　I　accepted。











＇8＇　See　account　of　this　conversation　in　〃My　Mission　to　Russia；〃



Chapter　XXXIII；　pp。　9…10。











Soon　came　evidences　of　an　interest　in　the　conference　more　earnest



and　wide…spread　than　anything　I　had　dreamed。　Books；　documents；



letters；　wise　and　unwise；　thoughtful　and　crankish；　shrewd　and



childish；　poured　in　upon　me；　in　all　classes　of　society　there



seemed　fermenting　a　mixture　of　hope　and　doubt；　even　the　German



Emperor　apparently　felt　it；　for　shortly　there　came　an　invitation



to　the　palace；　and　on　my　arrival　I　found　that　the　subject



uppermost　in　his　mind　was　the　approaching　conference。　Of　our



conversation；　as　well　as　of　some　other　interviews　at　this　period；



I　speak　elsewhere。







On　the　16th　of　May　I　left　Berlin；　and　arrived　late　in　the　evening



at　The　Hague。　As　every　day's　doings　were　entered　in　my　diary；　it



seems　best　to　give　an　account　of　this　part　of　my　life　in　the



shape　of　extracts　from　it。











May　17；　1899。







This　morning；　on　going　out　of　our　hotel；　the　Oude　Doelen；　I　found



that　since　my　former　visit；　thirty…five　years　ago；　there　had　been



little　apparent　change。　It　is　the　same　old　town；　quiet；



picturesque；　full　of　historical　monuments　and　art　treasures。　This



hotel　and　the　neighboring　streets　had　been　decorated　with　the



flags　of　various　nations；　including　our　own；　and　crowds　were



assembled　under　our　windows　and　in　the　public　places。　The　hotel



is　in　one　of　the　most　attractive　parts　of　the　city



architecturally　and　historically；　and　is　itself　interesting　from



both　points　of　view。　It　has　been　a　hostelry　ever　since　the　middle



ages；　and　over　the　main　entrance　a　tablet　indicates　rebuilding　in



1625。　Connected　with　it　by　interior　passages　are　a　number　of



buildings　which　were　once　private　residences；　and　one　of　the



largest　and　best　of　these　has　been　engaged　for　us。　Fortunately



the　present　Secretary　of　State；　John　Hay；　has　been　in　the



diplomatic　service；　and　when　I　wrote　him；　some　weeks　ago；　on　the



importance　of　proper　quarters　being　secured　for　us；　he　entered



heartily　into　the　matter；　giving　full　powers　to　the　minister　here



to　do　whatever　was　necessary；　subject　to　my　approval。　The　result



is　that　we　are　quite　as　well　provided　for　as　any　other　delegation



at　the　conference。







In　the　afternoon　our　delegation　met　at　the　house　of　the　American



minister　and　was　duly　organized。　Although　named　by　the　President



first　in　the　list　of　delegates；　I　prefer