友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!
合租小说网 返回本书目录 加入书签 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 『收藏到我的浏览器』

part05+-第74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!





result which is really so much longed for by all the peoples of



the world will do to promote the designs of the socialistic



forces which are so powerful in all parts of the Continent; and



nowhere more so than in Germany and the nations allied with her。〃







This; too; seemed to impress him。 I then went on to say; 〃This is



not all。 By opposing arbitration; you not only put a club into



the hands of socialists; anarchists; and all the other



anti…social forces; but you alienate the substantial middle class



and the great body of religious people in all nations。 You have



no conception of the depth of feeling on this subject which



exists in my own country; to say nothing of others; and if



Germany stands in the way; the distrust of her which Americans



have felt; and which as minister and ambassador at Berlin I have



labored so hard to dispel; will be infinitely increased。 It will



render more and more difficult the maintenance of proper



relations between the two countries。 Your sovereign will be



looked upon as the enemy of all nations; and will be exposed to



every sort of attack and calumny; while the young Emperor of



Russia will become a popular idol throughout the world; since he



will represent to the popular mind; and even to the minds of



great bodies of thinking and religious people; the effort to



prevent war and to solve public questions as much as possible



without bloodshed; while the Emperor of Germany will represent to



their minds the desire to solve all great questions by force。



Mind; I don't say this is a just view: I only say that it is the



view sure to be taken; and that by resisting arbitration here you



are playing the game of Russia; as you yourself have stated



itthat is; you are giving Russia the moral support of the whole



world at the expense of the neighboring powers; and above all of



Germany。〃







I then took up an argument which; it is understood; has had much



influence with the Emperor;namely; that arbitration must be in



derogation of his sovereignty;and asked; 〃How can any such



derogation be possible? Your sovereign would submit only such



questions to the arbitration tribunal as he thought best; and;



more than all that; you have already committed yourselves to the



principle。 You are aware that Bismarck submitted the question of



the Caroline Islands for arbitration to the Pope; and the first



Emperor William consented to act as arbiter between the United



States and Great Britain in the matter of the American



northwestern boundary。 How could arbitration affect the true



position of the sovereign? Take; for example; matters as they now



stand between Germany and the United States。 There is a vast mass



of petty questions which constantly trouble the relations between



the two countries。 These little questions embitter debates;



whether in your Reichstag on one hand; or in our Congress on the



other; and make the position of the Berlin and Washington



governments especially difficult。 The American papers attack me



because I yield too much to Germany; the German papers attack Von



Bulow because he yields too much to America; and these little



questions remain。 If Von Bulow and I were allowed to sit down and



settle them; we could do so at short notice; but behind him



stands the Reichstag; and behind our Secretary of State and



myself stands the American Congress。〃







I referred to such questions as the tonnage dues; the additional



tariff on bounty…promoted sugar; Samoa; the most…favored…nation



clause; in treaties between Germany and the United States; in



relation to the same clause in sundry treaties between the United



States and other powers; and said; 〃What a blessing it would be



if all these questions; of which both governments are tired; and



which make the more important questions constantly arising



between the two countries so difficult to settle; could be sent



at once to a tribunal and decided one way or the other! In



themselves they amount to little。 It is not at all unlikely that



most of thempossibly all of themwould be decided in favor of



Germany; but the United States would acquiesce at once in the



decision by a tribunal such as is proposed。 And this is just what



would take place between Germany and other nations。 A mass of



vexatious questions would be settled by the tribunal; and the



sovereign and his government would thus be relieved from



parliamentary chicanery based; not upon knowledge; but upon party



tactics or personal grudges or inherited prejudices。〃







He seemed now more inclined to give weight to these



considerations; and will; I hope; urge his government to take a



better view than that which for some time past has seemed to be



indicated by the conduct of its representatives here。







In the afternoon I went to the five…o'clock tea of the Baroness



d'Estournelles; found a great crowd there; including the leading



delegates; and all anxious as to the conduct of Germany。 Meeting



the Baroness von Suttner who has been writing such earnest books



in behalf of peace; I urged her to write with all her might to



influence public prints in Austria; Italy; and Germany in behalf



of arbitration; telling her that we are just arriving at the



parting of the ways; and that everything possible must be done



now; or all may be lost。 To this she responded very heartily; and



I have no doubt will use her pen with much effect。







In the evening went to a great reception at the house of the



Austrian ambassador; M。 Okolicsanyi。 There was a crush。 Had a



long talk with Mr。 Stead; telling him D'Estournelles's story; and



urging him to use it in every way to show what a boon the failure



of arbitration would be to the anti…social forces in all parts of



Europe。







In the intervals during the day I busied myself in completing the



memorial to the conference regarding the immunity from seizure of



private property at sea。 If we cannot secure it now; we must at



least pave the way for its admission by a future international



conference。















CHAPTER XLVIII







AS PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN DELEGATION AT THE PEACE CONFERENCE



OF THE HAGUE: IV1899







June 16。 This morning Count Munster called and seemed much



excited by the fact that he had received a despatch from Berlin



in which the German Governmentwhich; of course; means the



Emperorhad strongly and finally declared against everything



like an arbitration tribunal。 He was clearly disconcerted by this



too literal acceptance of his own earlier views; and said that he



had sent to M。 de Staal insisting that the meeting of the



subcommittee on arbitration; which had been appointed for this



day (Friday); should be adjourned on some pretext until next



Monday; 〃for;〃 said he; 〃if the session takes place to…day; Zorn



must make the declaration in behalf of Germany which these new



instructions order him to make; and that would be a misfortune。〃



I was very glad to see this evidence of change of heart in the



count; and immediately joined him in securing the adjournment he



desired。 The meeting of the subcommittee has therefore been



deferred; the reason assigned; as I understand; being that Baron



d'Estournelles is too much occupied to be present at the time



first named。 Later Count Munster told me that he had decided to



send Professor Zorn to Berlin at once in order to lay the whole



matter before the Foreign Office and induce the authorities to



modify the instructions。 I approved this course strongly;



whereupon he suggested that I should do something to the same



purpose; and this finally ended in the agreement that Holls



should go with Zorn。







In view of the fact that Von Bulow had agreed that the German



delegates should stand side by side with us in the conference; I



immediately prepared a letter of introduction and a personal



letter to Bulow for Holls to take; and he started about five in



the afternoon。 This latter is as follows:                         



                   



(Copy。) (Personal。)







                                               June 16; 1899



DEAR BARON VON BULOW:







I trust that; in view of the kindly relations which exist between



us; succeeding as they do similar relations begun twenty years



ago with your honored father; you will allow me to write you



informally; but fully and frankly; regarding the interests of



both our governments in the peace conference。 The relations



between your delegates and ours have; from the first; been of the



kindest; your assurances on this point have been thoroughly



carried out。 But we seem now to be at 〃the parting of the ways;〃



and on the greatest question submitted to us;the greatest; as I



believe; that any conference or any congress has taken up in our



time;namely; the provision for a tribunal of arbitration。







It is generally said here that Germany is opposed to the whole



thing; that she is utterly hostile to anything like arbitration;



and that she will do all in her power; either alone or through



her allies; to thwart every feasible plan of providing for a



tribunal which shall give some hope to the world of settling some



of the many difficulties between nations otherwise than by



bloodshed。







No rational man here expects all wars to be ended by anything



done here; no one proposes to submit to any such tribunal



questions involving the honor of any
返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0
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!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!