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from　the　subcommittees；　especially　those　on　arbitration　and　on



the　Brussels　Conference　rules。　Both　have　intensely　interested　me；



my　main　attention　being；　of　course；　centered　on　the　former；　but



the　Brussels　rules　seem　to　me　of　much　greater　importance　now　than



at　first；　and　my　hope　is　that　we　shall　not　only　devise　a　good



working　plan　of　arbitration；　but　greatly　humanize　the　laws　of



war。







At　four　o'clock　in　the　afternoon　met　the　four　other　ambassadors



and　two　or　three　other　heads　of　delegations；　at　the　rooms　of　M。



de　Staal；　to　discuss　the　question　of　relaxing　the　rules　of



secrecy　as　regards　the　proceedings　of　committees；　etc。　The　whole



original　Russian　plan　of　maintaining　absolute　secrecy　has



collapsed；　just　as　the　representatives　from　constitutional



countries　in　the　beginning　said　it　would。　Every　day　there　are



published　minute　accounts　in　Dutch；　French；　and　English　journals



which　show　that；　in　some　way；　their　representatives　obtain　enough



information　to　enable　them；　with　such　additional　things　as　they



can　imagine；　to　make　readable　reports。　The　result　is　that　various



gentlemen　in　the　conference　who　formerly　favored　a　policy　of



complete　secrecy　find　themselves　credited　with　speeches　which



they　did　not　make；　and　which　they　dislike　to　be　considered



capable　of　making。







After　a　great　deal　of　talk；　it　was　decided　to　authorize　the



chairman　of　each　committee　to　give　to　the　press　complete　reports；



so　far　as　possible；　keeping　in　the　background　the　part　taken　by



individuals。







At　six　the　American　delegation　met；　and　the　subject　of　our



instructions　regarding　the　presentation　of　the　American　view　of



the　immunity　of　private　property　on　the　high　seas　in　time　of　war



was　taken　up。　It　was　decided　to　ask　some　of　the　leading



supporters　of　this　view　to　meet　us　at　luncheon　at　12。30　on



Monday；　in　order　to　discuss　the　best　way　of　overcoming　the



Russian　plan　of　suppressing　the　matter；　and　to　concert　means　for



getting　the　whole　subject　before　the　full　conference。











June　11。







Instead　of　going　to　hear　the　Bishop　of　Hereford　preach　on



〃Peace；〃　I　walked　with　Dr。　Holls　to　Scheveningen；　four　miles；　to



work　off　a　nervous　headache　and　to　invite　Count　Munster　to　our



luncheon　on　Monday；　when　we　purpose　to　take　counsel　together



regarding　private　property　on　the　high　seas。　He　accepted；　but　was



out　of　humor　with　nearly　all　the　proceedings　of　the　conference。



He　is　more　than　ever　opposed　to　arbitration；　and　declares　that；



in　view　of　the　original　Russian　programme　under　which　we　were



called　to　meet；　we　have　no　right　to　take　it　up　at　all；　since　it



was　not　mentioned。　He　was　decidedly　pessimistic　regarding　the



continuance　of　the　sessions；　asking　me　when　I　thought　it　would



all　end；　and　on　my　answering　that　I　had　not　the　slightest　idea；



he　said　that　he　was　entirely　in　the　dark　on　the　subject；　that



nobody　could　tell　how　long　it　would　last；　or　how　it　would　break



off。











June　12。







At　half…past　twelve　came　our　American　luncheon　to　Count　Munster；



Mr。　van　Karnebeek；　and　Baron　de　Bildt；　each　of　whom　is　at　the



head　of　his　delegation；our　purpose　being　to　discuss　with　them



the　best　manner　of　getting　the　subject　of　immunity　of　private



property　at　sea；　not　contraband；　before　the　conference；　these



gentlemen　being　especially　devoted　to　such　a　measure。







All　went　off　very　well；　full　interchange　of　views　took　place；　and



the　general　opinion　was　that　the　best　way　would　be　for　us；　as　the



only　delegation　instructed　on　the　subject；　to　draw　up　a　formal



memorial　asking　that　the　question　be　brought　before　the



conference；　and　sending　this　to　M。　de　Staal　as　our　president。







Curious　things　came　out　during　our　conversation　Baron　de　Bildt



informed　me　that；　strongly　as　he　favored　the　measure；　and



prepared　as　he　was　to　vote　for　it；　he　should　have　to　be　very



careful　in　discussing　it　publicly；　since　his　instructions　were　to



avoid；　just　as　far　as　possible；　any　clash　between　the　opinions



expressed　by　the　Swedish　representatives　and　those　of　the　great



powers。　Never　before　have　I　so　thoroughly　realized　the　difficult



position　which　the　lesser　powers　in　Europe　hold　as　regards　really



serious　questions。







More　surprising　was　the　conversation　of　Count　Munster；　he　being



on　one　side　of　me　and　Mr。　van　Karnebeek　on　the　other。　Bearing　in



mind　that　the　Emperor　William　during　his　long　talk　with　me　just



before　I　left　Berlin　in　referring　to　the　approaching　Peace



Congress　had　said　that　he　was　sending　Count　Munster　because　what



the　conference　would　most　need　would　be　〃common　sense；〃　and



because；　in　his　opinion；　Count　Munster　had　〃lots　of　it；〃　some　of



the　count's　utterances　astonished　me。　He　now　came　out；　as　he　did



the　day　before　in　his　talk　with　me；　utterly　against　arbitration；



declaring　it　a　〃humbug；〃　and　that　we　had　no　right　to　consider　it；



since　it　was　not　mentioned　in　the　first　proposals　from　Russia；



etc。；　etc。







A　little　later；　something　having　been　said　about　telegraphs　and



telephones；　he　expressed　his　belief　that　they　are　a　curse　as



regards　the　relations　between　nations；　that　they　interfere　with



diplomacy；　and　do　more　harm　than　good。　This　did　not　especially



surprise　me；　for　I　had　heard　the　same　opinions　uttered　by　others；



but　what　did　surprise　me　greatly　was　to　hear　him　say；　when　the



subject　of　bacteria　and　microbes　was　casually　mentioned；　that



they　were　〃all　a　modern　humbug。〃







It　is　clear　that；　with　all　his　fine　qualities；and　he　is　really



a　splendid　specimen　of　an　old…fashioned　German　nobleman　devoted



to　the　diplomatic　service　of　his　country；　he　is　saturated　with



the　ideas　of　fifty　years　ago。







Returning　from　a　drive　to　Scheveningen　with　Major　Burbank　of　the



United　States　army；　I　sketched　the　first　part　of　a　draft　for　a



letter　from　our　delegation　to　M。　de　Staal；　and　at　our　meeting　at



six　presented　it；　when　it　met　with　general　approval。　President



Low　had　also　sketched　a　draft　which　it　was　thought　could　be



worked　very　well　into　the　one　which　I　had　offered；　and　so　we　two



were　made　a　subcommittee　to　prepare　the　letter　in　full。











June　13。







This　morning　come　more　disquieting　statements　regarding　Germany。



There　seems　no　longer　any　doubt　that　the　German　Emperor　is



opposing　arbitration；　and；　indeed；　the　whole　work　of　the



conference；　and　that　he　will　insist　on　his　main　allies；　Austria



and　Italy；　going　with　him。　Count　Nigra；　who　is　personally　devoted



to　arbitration；　allowed　this　in　talking　with　Dr。　Holls；　and　the



German　delegatesall　of　whom；　with　the　exception　of　Count



Munster；　are　favorably　inclined　to　a　good　arbitration　planshow



that　they　are　disappointed。







I　had　learned　from　a　high　imperial　official；　before　I　left



Berlin；　that　the　Emperor　considered　arbitration　as　derogatory　to



his　sovereignty；　and　I　was　also　well　aware；　from　his



conversation；　that　he　was　by　no　means　in　love　with　the　conference



idea；　but；　in　view　of　his　speech　at　Wiesbaden；　and　the　petitions



which　had　come　in　to　him　from　Bavaria；　I　had　hoped　that　he　had



experienced　a　〃change　of　heart。〃







Possibly　he　might　have　changed　his　opinion　had　not　Count　Munster



been　here；　reporting　to　him　constantly　against　every　step　taken



by　the　conference。







There　seems　danger　of　a　catastrophe。　Those　of　us　who　are　faithful



to　arbitration　plans　will　go　on　and　do　the　best　we　can；　but　there



is　no　telling　what　stumbling…blocks　Germany　and　her　allies　may



put　in　our　way；　and；　of　course；　the　whole　result；　without　their



final　agreement；　will　seem　to　the　world　a　failure　and；　perhaps；　a



farce。







The　immediate　results　will　be　that　the　Russian　Emperor　will



become　an　idol　of　the　〃plain　people〃　throughout　the　world；　the



German　Emperor　will　be　bitterly　hated；　and　the　socialists；　who



form　the　most　dreaded　party　on　the　continent　of　Europe；　will　be



furnished　with　a　thoroughly　effective　weapon　against　their



rulers。







Some　days　since　I　said　to　a　leading　diplomatist　here；　〃The



ministers　of　the　German　Emperor　ought　to　tell　him　that；　should　he



oppose　arbitration；　there　will　be　concentrated　upon　him　an　amount



of　hatred　which　no　minister　ought　to　allow　a　sovereign　to　incur。〃



To　this　he　answered；　〃That　is　true；　but　there　is　not　a　minister



in　Germany　who　dares　tell　him。〃











June　14。







This　noon　our　delegation　gave　a　breakfast　to　sundry　members　of



the　conference　who　are　especially　interested　in　an　effective　plan



of　arbitration；　the　principal　of　these　being　Count　Nigra　from



Italy；　Count　Welsersheimb；　first　delegate　of　Austria；　M。　Descamps



of　Belgium；　Baron　d'Estournelles　of　France；　and　M。　Asser　of　the



Netherlands。　After　some　preliminary　talk；　I　read　to　them　the



proposal；　which　Sir　Julian　had　handed　me　in　the　morning；　for　the



purpose　of　obviating　the　objection　to　the　council　of



administration　in　charge　of　the　court　of　arbitration　here　in　The



Hague；　which　was　an　important　feature　of　his　original　plan；　but



which　had　been　generally　rejected　as　involving　expensive



machinery。　His　proposal　now　is　that；　instead　of　a　council



specially　appointed　and　salaried　to　watch　over　and　provide　for



the　necessities　of　the　court；　such　council　shall　simply　be　made



up　of　the　ministers　of　sundry　powers　residing　here；thus　doing



away　entirely　with　the　trouble　and　expense　of　a　special　council。







This　I