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part05+-第80部分

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him a corresponding membership of the French Institute。







It is absolutely clear in my mind that; if anything is to be done



toward disarmament; a practical beginning must be made by the



Czar; but the unfortunate thing is that with; no doubt; fairly



good intentions; he is weak and ill informed。 The dreadful



mistake he is making in violating the oath sworn by his



predecessors and himself to Finland is the result of this



weakness and ignorance; and should he attempt to diminish his



overgrown army he would; in all probability; be overborne by the



military people about him; and by petty difficulties which they



would suggest; or; if necessary; create。 It must be confessed



that there is one danger in any attempted disarmament; and this



is that the military clique might; to prevent it; plunge the



empire into a war。







The Emperor is surrounded mainly by inferior men。 Under the shade



of autocracy men of independent strength rarely flourish。 Indeed;



I find that the opinion regarding Russian statesmen which I



formed in Russia is confirmed by old diplomatists; of the best



judgment; whom I meet here。 One of them said to me the other day:



〃There is no greater twaddle than all the talk about far…seeing



purposes and measures by Russian statesmen。 They are generally



weak; influenced by minor; and especially by personal;



considerations; and inferior to most men in similar positions in



the other great governments of Europe。 The chancellor; Prince



Gortchakoff; of whom so much has been said; was a weak; vain man;



whom Bismarck found it generally very easy to deal with。〃







As to my own experience; I think many of those whom I saw were



far from the best of their kind with whom I have had to do。 I



have never imagined a human being in the position of minister of



the interior of a great nation so utterly futile as the person



who held that place at St。 Petersburg in my time; and the same



may be said of several others whom I met there in high places。



There are a few strong men; and; unfortunately; Pobedonostzeff is



one of them。 Luckily; De Witte; the minister of finance; is



another。







July 10。







The evil which I dreaded; as regards the formation of public



opinion in relation to the work of our conference; is becoming



realized。 The London 〃Spectator;〃 just received; contains a most



disheartening article; 〃The Peace Conference a Failure;〃 with an



additional article; more fully developed; to the same effect。



Nothing could be more unjust; but; on account of the



〃Spectator's〃 〃moderation;〃 it will greatly influence public



opinion; and doubtless prevent; to some extent; the calling of



future conferences needed to develop the good work done in this。



Fortunately the correspondent of the 〃Times〃 gives a better



example; and shows; in his excellent letters; what has been



accomplished here。 The 〃New York Herald;〃 also; is thus far



taking the right view; and maintaining it with some earnestness。











July 17。







This morning; at ten; to the 〃House in the Wood〃 to hear Mr。 van



Karnebeek's report on disarmament; checking invention; etc。;



before the session of committee No。 1。 It was strongly attacked;



and was left in shreds: the whole subject is evidently too



immature and complicated to be dealt with during the present



conference。







In the afternoon came up an especially interesting matter in the



session of the arbitration committee; the occasion being a report



of the subcommittee。 Among the points which most interested us as



Americans was a provision for an appeal from the decision of the



arbitration tribunal on the discovery of new facts。







De Martens of Russia spoke with great force against such right of



appeal; and others took ground with him。 Holls really



distinguished himself by a telling speech on the other



sidewhich is the American side; that feature having been



present in our original instructions; Messrs。 Asser and Karnebeek



both spoke for it effectively; and the final decision was



virtually in our favor; for Mr。 Asser's compromise was adopted;



which really gives us the case。







The Siamese representatives requested that the time during which



an appeal might be allowed should be six instead of three months;



which we had named; but it was finally made a matter of



adjustment between the parties。











July 18。







The American delegation met at ten; when a cable message from the



State Department was read authorizing us to sign the protocol。











July 19。







Field day in the arbitration committee。 A decided sensation was



produced by vigorous speeches by my Berlin colleague; Beldiman;



of the Roumanian delegation; and by Servian; Greek; and other



delegates; against the provision for commissions d'enquete;De



Martens; Descamps; and others making vigorous speeches in behalf



of them。 It looked as if the Balkan states were likely to



withdraw from the conference if the commission d'enquete feature



was insisted upon: they are evidently afraid that such 〃examining



commissions〃 may be sent within their boundaries by some of their



big neighborsRussia; for exampleto spy out the land and start



intrigues。 The whole matter was put over。







In the evening to Count Munster's dinner at Scheveningen; and had



a very interesting talk on conference matters with Sir Julian



Pauncefote; finding that in most things we shall be able to stand



together as the crisis approaches。











July 20。







For several days past I have been preparing a possible speech to



be made in signing the protocol; etc。; which; if not used for



that purpose; may be published; and; perhaps; aid in keeping



public opinion in the right line as regards the work of the



conference after it has closed。







In the afternoon to the 〃House in the Wood;〃 the committee on



arbitration meeting again。 More speeches were made by the



Bulgarians and Servians; who are still up in arms; fearing that



the commissionn d'enquete means intervention by the great states



in their affairs。 Speeches to allay their fears were made by



Count Nigra; Dr。 Zorn; Holls; and Leon Bourgeois。 Zorn spoke in



German with excellent effect; as did Holls in English; Nigra was



really impressive; and Bourgeois; from the chair; gave us a



specimen of first…rate French oratory。 He made a most earnest



appeal to the delegates of the Balkan states; showing them that



by such a system of arbitration as is now proposed the lesser



powers would be the very first to profit; and he appealed to



their loyalty to humanity。 The speech was greatly and justly



applauded。







The Balkan delegates are gradually and gracefully yielding。











July 21。







In the morning to the 〃House in the Wood;〃 where a plenary



session of the conference was held。 It was a field day on



explosive; flattening and expanding bullets; etc。 Our Captain



Crozier; who evidently knows more about the subject than anybody



else here; urged a declaration of the principle that balls should



be not more deadly or cruel than is absolutely necessary to put



soldiers hors de combat; but the committee had reported a



resolution which; Crozier insists; opens the door to worse



missiles than those at present used。 Many and earnest speeches



were made。 I made a short speech; moving to refer the matter back



to the committee; with instructions to harmonize and combine the



two ideas in one articlethat is; the idea which the article now



expresses; and Crozier's idea of stating the general principle to



which the bullets should conformnamely; that of not making a



wound more cruel than necessary; but the amendment was lost。







July 22。







Sir Julian Pauncefote called to discuss with us the signing of



the Acte Final。 There seems to be general doubt as to what is the



best manner of signing the conventions; declarations; etc。; and



all remains in the air。







In the morning the American delegation met and Captain Mahan



threw in a bomb regarding article 27; which requires that when



any two parties to the conference are drifting into war; the



other powers should consider it a duty (devoir) to remind them of



the arbitration tribunal; etc。 He thinks that this infringes the



American doctrine of not entangling ourselves in the affairs of



foreign states; and will prevent the ratification of the



convention by the United States Senate。 This aroused earnest



debate; Captain Mahan insisting upon the omission of the word



〃devoir;〃 and Dr。 Holls defending the article as reported by the



subcommittee; of which he is a member; and contending that the



peculiar interests of America could be protected by a



reservation。 Finally; the delegation voted to insist upon the



insertion of the qualifying words; 〃autant que les circonstances



permettent;〃 but this decision was afterward abandoned。











July 23。







Met at our Minister Newel's supper Sir Henry Howard; who told me



that the present Dutch ministry; with Piersoon at its head and De



Beaufort as minister of foreign affairs; is in a very bad way;



that its 〃subserviency to Italy;〃 in opposition to the demands of



the Vatican for admittance into the conference; and its



difficulties with the socialists and others; arising from the



police measures taken against Armenian; Finnish; New Turkish; and
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