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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