part05+-第65部分

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communications　sent　us　from　America；　the　others　we　shall　try　to



acknowledge　by　mail；　though　they　are　so　numerous　that　I　begin　to



despair　of　this。　If　these　good　people　only　knew　how　all　this



distracts　us　from　the　work　which　we　have　at　heart　as　much　as



they；　we　should　get　considerably　more　time　to　think　upon　the



problems　before　us。











May　22。







In　the　afternoon　came　M。　de　Bloch；　the　great　publicist；　who　has



written　four　enormous　volumes　on　war　in　modern　times；　summaries



of　which；　in　the　newspapers；　are　said　to　have　converted　the　young



Emperor　Nicholas　to　peace　ideas；　and　to　have　been　the　real　cause



of　his　calling　the　conference　together。　I　found　him　interesting；



full　of　ideas；　and　devoted　most　earnestly　to　a　theory　that



militarism　is　gradually　impoverishing　all　modern　states；　and　that



the　next　European　war　will　pauperize　most　of　them。







Just　afterward　Count　Welsersheimb；　president　of　the　Austrian



delegation；　called；　and　was　very　anxious　to　know　the　line　we　are



to　take。　I　told　him　frankly　that　we　are　instructed　to　present　a



plan　of　arbitration；　and　to　urge　a　resolution　in　favor　of



exempting　private　property；　not　contraband　of　war；　from　seizure



on　the　high　seas；　that　we　are　ready　to　go　to　the　full　length　in



improving　the　laws　of　war；　and　in　extending　the　Geneva　rules　to



maritime　warfare；　but　that　we　look　on　the　question　of　reducing



armaments　as　relating　wholly　to　Europe；　no　part　of　it　being



applicable　to　the　United　States。







As　he　seemed　strongly　in　favor　of　our　contention　regarding



private　property　on　the　high　seas；　but　fearful　that　Russia　and



England；　under　a　strict　construction　of　the　rules；　would　not



permit　the　subject　to　be　introduced；　I　pointed　out　to　him　certain



clauses　in　the　Mouravieff　circular　which　showed　that　it　was



entirely　admissible。











May　23。







In　the　morning　came　a　meeting　of　the　American　delegation　on　the



subject　of　telegraphing　Washington　for　further　instructions。　We



find　that　some　of　the　details　in　our　present　instructions　are



likely　to　wreck　our　proposals；　and　there　is　a　fear　among　us　that；



by　following　too　closely　the　plan　laid　down　for　us　at　Washington；



we　may　run　full　in　the　face　of　the　Monroe　Doctrine。　It　is　indeed；



a　question　whether　our　people　will　be　willing　to　have　matters　of



difference　between　South　American　States；　or　between　the　United



States　and　a　South　American　State；　or　between　European　and　South



American　States；　submitted　to　an　arbitration　in　which　a　majority



of　the　judges　are　subjects　of　European　powers。　Various　drafts　of



a　telegram　were　made；　but　the　whole　matter　went　over。







At　ten　the　heads　of　delegations　met　and　considered　a　plan　of



organizing　the　various　committees；　and　the　list　was　read。　Each　of



the　three　great　committees　to　which　the　subjects　mentioned　in　the



Mouravieff　circular　are　assigned　was　given　a　president；



vice…president；　and　two　honorary　presidents。　The　first　of　these



committees　is　to　take　charge　of　the　preliminary　discussion　of



those　articles　in　the　Mouravieff　circular　concerning　the



non…augmentation　of　armies　and　the　limitation　in　the　use　of　new



explosives　and　of　especially　destructive　weapons。　The　second



committee　has　for　its　subject　the　discussion　of　humanitarian



reformsnamely；　the　adaptation　of　the　stipulations　of　the



Convention　of　Geneva　of　1864　to　maritime　warfare；　the



neutralization　of　vessels　charged　with　saving　the　wounded　during



maritime　combats；　and　the　revision　of　the　declaration　concerning



customs　of　war　elaborated　in　1874　by　the　Conference　of　Brussels；



which　has　never　yet　been　ratified。　The　third　committee　has　charge



of　the　subject　of　arbitration；　mediation；　and　the　like。







The　president　of　the　first　committee　is　M。　Bernaert；　a　leading



statesman　of　Belgium；　who　has　made　a　most　excellent　impression　on



me　from　the　first；　and　the　two　honorary　presidents　are　Count



Munster；　German　ambassador　at　Paris；　and　myself。







The　president　of　the　second　committee　is　M。　de　Martens；　the



eminent　Russian　authority　on　international　law；　and　the　two



honorary　presidents；　Count　Welsersheimb　of　Austria…Hungary；　and



the　Duke　of　Tetuan　from　Spain。







The　third　committee　receives　as　its　president　M。　Leon　Bourgeois；



who　has　held　various　eminent　positions　in　France；　the　honorary



presidents　being　Count　Nigra；　the　Italian　ambassador　at　Vienna；



and　Sir　Julian　Pauncefote；　the　British　ambassador　at　Washington。







There　was　much　discussion　and　considerable　difference　of　opinion



on　many　points；　but　the　main　breeze　sprang　up　regarding　the



publicity　of　our　doings。　An　admirable　speech　was　made　by　Baron　de



Bildt；　who　is　a　son　of　my　former　Swedish　colleague　at　Berlin；　has



held　various　important　positions　at　Washington　and　elsewhere；　has



written　an　admirable　history　of　Queen　Christina　of　Sweden；　and　is



now　minister　plenipotentiary　at　Rome。　He　spoke　earnestly　in　favor



of　considerable　latitude　in　communications　to　the　press　from　the



authorities　of　the　conference；　but　the　prevailing　opinion；



especially　of　the　older　men；　even　of　those　from　constitutional



states；　seemed　to　second　the　idea　of　Russia；that　communications



to　the　press　should　be　reduced　to　a　minimum；　comprising　merely



the　external　affairs　of　the　conference。　I　am　persuaded　that　this



view　will　get　us　into　trouble；　but　it　cannot　be　helped　at



present。











May　24。







As　was　to　be　expected；　there　has　begun　some　reaction　from　the



hopes　indulged　shortly　after　the　conference　came　together。　At　our



arrival　there　was　general　skepticism；　shortly　afterward；　and



especially　when　the　organization　of　the　arbitration　committee　was



seen　to　be　so　good；　there　came　a　great　growth　of　hope；　now　comes



the　usual　falling　back　of　many。　But　I　trust　that　this　will　not　be



permanent。　Yesterday　there　was　some　talk　which；　though　quiet；　was



none　the　less　bitter；　to　the　effect　that　the　purpose　of　Russia　in



calling　the　conference　is　only　to　secure　time　for　strengthening



her　armaments；　that　she　was　never　increasing　her　forces　at　a



greater　rate；　especially　in　the　southwestern　part　of　the　empire



and　in　the　Caucasus；　and　never　intriguing　more　vigorously　in　all



directions。　To　one　who　stated　this　to　me　my　answer　simply　was



that　bad　faith　to　this　extent　on　the　part　of　Russia　is　most



unlikely；　if　not　impossible；　that　it　would　hand　down　the　Emperor



and　his　advisers　to　the　eternal　execration　and　contempt　of



mankind；　and　that；　in　any　case；　our　duty　is　clear：　to　go　on　and



do　the　best　we　can；　to　perfect　plans　for　a　permanent　tribunal　of



arbitration；　and　to　take　measures　for　diminishing　cruelty　and



suffering　in　war。







Meeting　Count　Munster；　who；　after　M。　de　Staal；　is　very　generally



considered　the　most　important　personage　here；　we　discussed　the



subject　of　arbitration。　To　my　great　regret；　I　found　him　entirely



opposed　to　it；　or；　at　least；　entirely　opposed　to　any



well…developed　plan。　He　did　not　say　that　he　would　oppose　a



moderate　plan　for　voluntary　arbitration；　but　he　insisted　that



arbitration　must　be　injurious　to　Germany；　that　Germany　is



prepared　for　war　as　no　other　country　is　or　can　be；　that　she　can



mobilize　her　army　in　ten　days；　and　that　neither　France；　Russia；



nor　any　other　power　can　do　this。　Arbitration；　he　said；　would



simply　give　rival　powers　time　to　put　themselves　in　readiness；　and



would　therefore　be　a　great　disadvantage　to　Germany。







Later　came　another　disappointment。　M。　de　Martens；　having　read　the



memorandum　which　I　left　with　him　yesterday　on　the　subject　of



exempting　private　property；　not　contraband　of　war；　from　seizure



upon　the　high　seas　called；　and　insisted　that　it　would　be



impossible；　under　any　just　construction　of　the　Mouravieff



programme；　to　bring　the　subject　before　the　second　committee　as　we



had　hoped　to　do；　that　Russia　would　feel　obliged　to　oppose　its



introduction；　and　that　Great　Britain；　France；　and　Italy；　to　say



nothing　of　other　powers；　would　do　the　same。　This　was　rather



trying；　for　I　had　especially　desired　to　press　this　long…desired



improvement　in　international　law；　and　I　showed　him　how　persistent



the　United　States　had　been　as　regards　this　subject　throughout　our



whole　history；　how　earnest　the　President　and　his　cabinet　are　in



pressing　it　now；　and　how　our　delegation　are　bound；　under　our



instructions；　to　bring　it　before　the　conference。　I　insisted　that



we　should　at　least　have　the　opportunity　to　present　it；　even　if　it



were　afterward　declared　out　of　order。　To　this　he　demurred；　saying



that　he　feared　it　would　arouse　unpleasant　debate。　I　then



suggested　that　the　paper　be　publicly　submitted　to　our　whole　body



for　special　reference　to　a　future　conference；　and　this　he　took



into　consideration。　Under　other　circumstances；　I　would　have　made



a　struggle　in　the　committee　and；　indeed；　in　the　open　session　of



the　full　conference；　but　it　is　clear　that　what　we　are　sent　here



for　is；　above　all；　to　devise　some　scheme　of　arbitration；　and　that



anything　which　comes　in　the　way　of　this；　by　provoking　ill…feeling



or　prolonging　discussion　on　other　points；　will　diminish　our



chances　of　obtaining　what　the　whole　world　so　earnestly　desires。







During　the　day　our　American　delegation　held　two　sessions；　and；　as



a　result；　a　telegram　of　considerable　length　to　the　State



Department　was　elaborated；　asking　permission　to　substitute　a　new



section　in　our　original　instructions　regarding　an　arbitration