part05+-第70部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！


the　way　of　the　arbitration　proposals。　This　shows　that　imperfect



reports　have　reached　the　President　and　his　cabinet。　The　fact　is



that　the　proposal　of　〃seconding　powers〃　was　warmly　welcomed　by



the　subcommittee　when　it　was　presented；　that　the　members　very



generally　telegraphed　home　to　their　governments；　and　at　once



received　orders　to　support　it；　that　it　was　passed　by　a　unanimous



vote　of　the　subcommittee；　and　that　its　strongest　advocates　were



the　men　who　are　most　in　favor　of　an　arbitration　plan。　So　far　from



injuring　the　prospects　of　arbitration；　it　has　increased　them；　it



is　very　generally　spoken　of　as　a　victory　for　our　delegation；　and



has　increased　respect　for　our　country；　and　for　anything　we　may



hereafter　present。











June　2。







This　morning　we　sent　a　cipher　telegram　to　the　Secretary　of　State；



embodying　the　facts　above　stated。







The　shoals　of　telegrams；　reports　of　proceedings　of　societies；



hortatory　letters；　crankish　proposals；　and　peace　pamphlets　from



America　continue。　One　of　the　telegrams　which　came　late　last　night



was　pathetic；　it　declared　that　three　millions　of　Christian



Endeavorers　bade　us　〃Godspeed；〃　etc。；　etc。







During　the　morning　De　Martens；　Low；　Holls；　and　myself　had　a　very



thoroughgoing　discussion　of　the　Russian；　British；　and　American



arbitration　plans。　We　found　the　eminent　Russian　under　very



curious　misapprehensions　regarding　some　minor　points；　one　of　them



being　that　he　had　mistaken　the　signification　of　our　word



〃publicist〃；　and　we　were　especially　surprised　to　find　his　use　of



the　French　word　〃publiciste〃　so　broad　that　it　would　include　M。



Henri　Rochefort；　Mr。　Stead；　or　any　newspaper　writer；　and　he　was



quite　as　surprised　to　find　that　with　us　it　would　include　only



such　men　as　Grotius；　Wheaton；　Calvo；　and　himself。







After　a　long　and　intricate　discussion　we　separated　on　very　good



terms；　having　made；　I　think；　decided　progress　toward　fusing　all



three　arbitration　plans　into　one　which　shall　embody　the　merits　of



all。







One　difficulty　we　found；　of　which　neither　our　State　Department



nor　ourselves　had　been　fully　aware。　Our　original　plan　required



that　the　judges　for　the　arbitration　tribunal　should　be　nominated



by　the　highest　courts　of　the　respective　nations；　but　De　Martens



showed　us　that　Russia　has　no　highest　court　in　our　sense　of　the



word。　Then；　too；　there　is　Austria…Hungary；　which　has　two　supreme



courts　of　equal　authority。　This　clause；　therefore；　we　arranged　to



alter；　though　providing　that　the　original　might　stand　as　regards



countries　possessing　supreme　courts。







At　lunch　we　had　Baron　de　Bildt；　Swedish　minister　at　Rome　and



chief　of　the　Swedish　delegation　at　the　conference；　and　Baron　de



Bille；　Danish　minister　at　London　and　chief　delegate　from　Denmark。



De　Bille　declared　himself　averse　to　a　permanent　tribunal　to　be　in



constant　session；　on　the　ground　that；　having　so　little　to　do；　it



would　be　in　danger　of　becoming　an　object　of　derision　to　the　press



and　peoples　of　the　world。







We　were　all　glad　to　find；　upon　the　arrival　of　the　London　〃Times；〃



that　our　arbitration　project　seemed　to　be　receiving　extensive



approval；　and　various　telegrams　from　America　during　the　day



indicated　the　same　thing。







It　looks　more　and　more　as　if　we　are　to　accomplish　something。　The



only　thing　in　sight　calculated　to　throw　a　cloud　over　the　future



is　the　attitude　of　the　German　press　against　the　whole　business



here；　the　most　virulent　in　its　attacks　being　the　high　Lutheran



conservativeand　religious！journal　in　Berlin；　the



〃Kreuz…Zeitung。〃　Still；　it　is　pleasant　to　see　that　eminent



newspaper　find；　for　a　time；　some　other　object　of　denunciation



than　the　United　States。











June　3。







In　the　afternoon　drove　to　Scheveningen　and　took　tea　with　Count



Munster　and　his　daughter。　He　was　somewhat　pessimistic；　as　usual；



but　came　out　very　strongly　in　favor　of　the　American　view　as



regards　exemption　of　private　property　on　the　high　seas。　Whether



this　is　really　because　Germany　would　derive　profit　from　it；　or



because　she　thinks　this　question　a　serviceable　entering　wedge



between　the　United　States　and　Great　Britain；　there　is　no　telling



at　present。　I　am　sorry　to　say　that　our　hopes　regarding　it　are　to



be　dashed；　so　far　as　the　present　conference　is　concerned。　Sundry



newspaper　letters　and　articles　in　the　〃Times〃　show　clearly　that



the　English　Government　is　strongly　opposed　to　dealing　with　it



here　and　now；　and　as　France　and　Russia　take　the　same　position；



there　is　no　hope　for　any　action；　save　such　as　we　can　take　to　keep



the　subject　alive　and　to　secure　attention　to　it　by　some　future



conference。















CHAPTER　XLVII







AS　PRESIDENT　OF　THE　AMERICAN　DELEGATION　AT　THE　PEACE　CONFERENCE



OF　THE　HAGUE：　III1899







June　4。







We　have　just　had　an　experience　which　〃adds　to　the　gaiety　of



nations。〃　Some　days　since；　representatives　of　what　is　called　〃the



Young　Turkish　party〃　appeared　and　asked　to　be　heard。　They



received；　generally；　the　cold　shoulder；　mainly　because　the



internal　condition　of　Turkey　is　not　one　of　the　things　which　the



conference　was　asked　to　discuss；　but　also　because　there　is　a



suspicion　that　these　〃Young　Turks〃　are　enabled　to　live　in　luxury



at　Paris　by　blackmailing　the　Sultan；　and　that　their　zeal　for



reform　becomes　fervid　whenever　their　funds　run　low；　and　cools



whenever　a　remittance　comes　from　the　Bosphorus。　But　at　last　some



of　us　decided　to　give　them　a　hearing；　informally；　the　main　object



being　to　get　rid　of　them。　At　the　time　appointed；　the　delegation



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　encour