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satisfaction。　Mr。　Low　indicated　some　places　which；　in　his



opinion；　needed　modification；　and　to　this　I　heartily　agreed；　for



they　were　generally　places　where　I　was　myself　in　doubt。







My　draft　having　thus　been　presented；　I　turned　it　over　to　Mr。　Low；



who　agreed　to　bring　it　to…morrow　morning　with　such　modifications；



omissions；　and　additions　as　seemed　best　to　him。　The　old　proverb；



〃　'T　is　always　darkest　just　before　daylight；〃　seems　exemplified



in　the　affairs　of　to…day；　since　the　kind　reception　given　to　my



draft　of　the　report；　and　the　satisfaction　expressed　regarding　it；



form　a　most　happy　and　unexpected　sequel　to　my　wretched　distrust



regarding　the　whole　matter　last　night。











July　31。







The　American　delegation　met　at　eleven　in　the　morning　and



discussed　my　draft。　Mr。　Low's　modifications　and　additions　were



not　many　and　were　mainly　good。　But　he　omitted　some　things　which　I



would　have　preferred　to　retain：　these　being　in　the　nature　of　a



plea　in　behalf　of　arbitration；　or；　rather；　an　exhibition　of　the



advantages　which　have　been　secured　for　it　by　the　conference；　but；



between　his　doubts　and　Captain　Mahan's　opposition；　I　did　not　care



to　contest　the　matter；　and　several　pages　were　left　out。







At　six　in　the　afternoon　came　the　last　meeting　of　our　delegation。



The　reports；　duly　engrossed；namely；　the　special　reports；　signed



by　Captain　Mahan　and　Captain　Crozier；　from　the　first　and　second



committees　of　the　conference；　the　special　report　made　by　myself；



Mr。　Low；　and　Dr。　Holls　as　members　of　the　third　committee；　and　the



general　report　covering　our　whole　work；　drawn　almost　entirely　by



me；　but　signed　by　all　the　members　of　the　commission；were



presented；　re…read；　and　signed；　after　which　the　delegation



adjourned；　sine　die。











August　1。







After　some　little　preliminary　work　on　matters　connected　with　the



winding　up　of　our　commission；　went　with　my　private　secretary；　Mr。



Vickery；　to　Amsterdam；　visiting　the　old　church；　the　palace；　the



Zoological　Gardens；　etc。　Thence　to　Gouda　and　saw　the



stained…glass　windows　in　the　old　church　there；　which　I　have　so



long　desired　to　study。











August　3。







At　8。30　left　The　Hague　and　went　by　rail；　via　Cologne　and



Ehreinbreitstein；　to　Homburg；　arriving　in　the　evening。











August　5。







This　morning　resumed　my　duties　as　ambassador　at　Berlin。







There　was　one　proceeding　at　the　final　meeting　of　the　conference



which　I　have　omitted；　but　which　really　ought　to　find　a　place　in



this　diary。　Just　before　the　final　speeches；　to　the　amazement　of



all　and　almost　to　the　stupefaction　of　many；　the　president；　M。　de



Staal；　handed　to　the　secretary；　without　comment；　a　paper　which



the　latter　began　to　read。　It　turned　out　to　be　a　correspondence



which　had　taken　place；　just　before　the　conference；　between　the



Queen　of　the　Netherlands　and　the　Pope。







The　Queen's　letterwritten；　of　course；　by　her　ministers；　in　the



desire　to　placate　the　Catholic　party；　which　holds　the　balance　of



power　in　the　Netherlandsdwelt　most　respectfully　on　the　high



functions　of　his　Holiness；　etc。；　etc。；　indicating；　if　not　saying；



that　it　was　not　the　fault　of　her　government　that　he　was　not



invited　to　join　in　the　conference。







The　answer　from　the　Pope　was　a　masterpiece　of　Vatican　skill。　In



it　he　referred　to　what　he　claimed　was　his　natural　position　as　a



peacemaker　on　earth；　dwelling　strongly　on　this　point。







The　reading　of　these　papers　was　received　in　silence；　and　not　a



word　was　publicly　said　afterward　regarding　them；　though　in



various　quarters　there　was　very　deep　feeling。　It　was　felt　that



the　Dutch　Government　had　taken　this　means　of　forestalling　local



Dutch　opposition；　and　that　it　was　a　purely　local　matter　of



political　partizanship　that　ought　never　to　have　been　intruded



upon　a　conference　of　the　whole　world。







I　had　no　feeling　of　this　sort；　for　it　seemed　to　me　well　enough



that　the　facts　should　be　presented；　but　a　leading　representative



of　one　of　the　great　Catholic　powers；　who　drove　home　with　us；　was



of　a　different　mind。　This　eminent　diplomatist　from　one　of　the



strongest　Catholic　countries；　and　himself　a　Catholic；　spoke　in



substance　as　follows：　〃The　Vatican　has　always　been；　and　is



to…day；　a　storm…center。　The　Pope　and　his　advisers　have　never



hesitated　to　urge　on　war；　no　matter　how　bloody；　when　the



slightest　of　their　ordinary　worldly　purposes　could　be　served　by



it。　The　great　religious　wars　of　Europe　were　entirely　stirred　up



and　egged　on　by　them；　and；　as　everybody　knows；　the　Pope　did



everything　to　prevent　the　signing　of　the　treaty　of　Munster；　which



put　an　end　to　the　dreadful　Thirty　Years'　War；　even　going　so　far



as　to　declare　the　oaths　taken　by　the　plenipotentiaries　at　that



congress　of　no　effect。







〃All　through　the　middle　ages　and　at　the　Renaissance　period　the



Popes　kept　Italy　in　turmoil　and　bloodshed　for　their　own　family



and　territorial　advantages；　and　they　kept　all　Europe　in　turmoil；



for　two　centuries　after　the　Reformation；in　fact；　just　as　long



as　they　could；in　the　wars　of　religion。　They　did　everything　they



could　to　stir　up　the　war　between　Austria　and　Prussia　in　1866；



thinking　that　Austria；　a　Catholic　power；　was　sure　to　win；　and



then　everything　possible　to　stir　up　the　war　of　France　against



Prussia　in　1870　in　order　to　accomplish　the　same　purpose　of



checking　German　Protestantism；　and　now　they　are　doing　all　they



can　to　arouse　hatred；　even　to　deluge　Italy　in　blood；　in　the　vain



attempt　to　recover　the　temporal　power；　though　they　must　know　that



they　could　not　hold　it　for　any　length　of　time　even　if　they　should



obtain　it。







〃They　pretend　to　be　anxious　to　'save　souls；'　and　especially　to



love　Poland　and　Ireland；　but　they　have　for　years　used　those



countries　as　mere　pawns　in　their　game　with　Russia　and　Great



Britain；　and　would　sell　every　Catholic　soul　they　contain　to　the



Greek　and　English　churches　if　they　could　thereby　secure　the



active　aid　of　those　two　governments　against　Italy。　They　have



obliged　the　Italian　youth　to　choose　between　patriotism　and



Christianity；　and　the　result　is　that　the　best　of　these　have



become　atheists。　Their　whole　policy　is　based　on　stirring　up



hatred　and　promoting　conflicts　from　which　they　hope　to　draw



worldly　advantage。







〃In　view　of　all　this；　one　stands　amazed　at　the　cool　statements　of



the　Vatican　letter。〃







These　were　the　words　of　an　eminent　Roman　Catholic　representative



of　a　Roman　Catholic　power；　and　to　them　I　have　nothing　to　add。







In　looking　back　calmly　over　the　proceedings　of　the　conference；　I



feel　absolutely　convinced　that　it　has　accomplished　a　great　work



for　the　world。







The　mere　assembling　of　such　a　body　for　such　a　purpose　was　a



distinct　gain；　but　vastly　more　important　is　the　positive　outcome



of　its　labors。







First　of　these　is　the　plan　of　arbitration。　It　provides　a　court



definitely　constituted；　a　place　of　meeting　easily　accessible；　a



council　for　summoning　it　always　in　session；　guarantees　for



perfect　independence；　and　a　suitable　procedure。







Closely　connected　with　this　is　the　provision　for　〃international



commissions　of　inquiry；〃　which　cannot　fail　to　do　much　in　clearing



up　issues　likely　to　lead　to　war　between　nations。　Thus　we　may



hope；　when　there　is　danger　of　war；　for　something　better　than　that



which　the　world　has　hitherto　heardthe　clamor　of　interested



parties　and　the　shrieks　of　sensation　newspapers。　The　natural



result　will　be；　as　in　the　Venezuelan　difficulty　between　the



United　States　and　Great　Britain；　that　when　a　commission　of　this



sort　has　been　set　at　work　to　ascertain　the　facts；　the　howling　of



partizans　and　screaming　of　sensation…mongers　will　cease；　and　the



finding　of　the　commission　be　calmly　awaited。







So；　too；　the　plans　adopted　for　mediation　can　hardly　fail　to　aid



in　keeping　off　war。　The　plans　for　〃special　mediation〃　and



〃seconding　powers；〃　which　emanated　entirely　from　the　American



delegation；　and　which　were　adopted　unanimously　by　the　great



committee　and　by　the　conference；　seem　likely　to　prove　in　some



cases　an　effective　means　of　preventing　hostilities；　and　even　of



arresting　them　after　they　have　begun。　Had　it　been　in　operation



during　our　recent　war　with　Spain；　it　would　probably　have　closed



it　immediately　after　the　loss　of　Cervera's　fleet；　and　would　have



saved　many　lives　and　much　treasure。







Secondly；　the　extension　of　the　Geneva　rules；　hitherto　adopted　for



war　on　land；　to　war　also　on　the　sea　is　a　distinct　gain　in　the



cause　of　mercy。







Thirdly；　the　amelioration　and　more　careful　definition　of　the　laws



of　war　must　aid　powerfully　in　that　evolution　of　mercy　and　right



reason　which　has　been　going　on　for　hundreds　of　years；　and



especially　since　the　great　work　of　Grotius。







In　addition　to　these　gains　may　well　be　mentioned　the



declarations；　expressions　of　opinion；　and　utterance　of　wishes　for



continued　study　and　persevering　effort　to　make　the



instrumentalities　of　war　less　cruel　and　destructive。







It　has　been　said　not　infrequently　that　the　conference　missed　a



great　opportunity　when　it　made　the　resort　to　arbitration



voluntary　and　not　obligatory。　Such　an　objection　can　come　only



from　those　who　have　never　duly　considered　the　problem　concerned。



Obligatory　arbitration　between　states　is　indeed　possible　in



various　petty　matters；　but　in　many　great　matters　abs