part05+-第84部分

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various　petty　matters；　but　in　many　great　matters　absolutely



impossible。　While　a　few　nations　were　willing　to　accept　it　in



regard　to　these　minor　matters；as；　for　example；　postal　or



monetary　difficulties　and　the　like；not　a　single　power　was



willing　to　bind　itself　by　a　hard…and…fast　rule　to　submit　all



questions　to　itand　least　of　all　the　United　States。







The　reason　is　very　simple：　to　do　so　would　be　to　increase　the



chances　of　war　and　to　enlarge　standing　armies　throughout　the



world。　Obligatory　arbitration　on　all　questions　would　enable　any



power；　at　any　moment；　to　bring　before　the　tribunal　any　other



power　against　which　it　has；　or　thinks　it　has；　a　grievance。　Greece



might　thus　summon　Turkey；　France　might　summon　Germany；　the



Papacy；　Italy；　England；　Russia；　China；　Japan；　Spain；　the　United



States；　regarding　matters　in　which　the　deepest　of　human



feelingsquestions　of　religion；　questions　of　race；　questions



even　of　national　existenceare　concerned。　To　enforce　the



decisions　of　a　tribunal　in　such　cases　would　require　armies



compared　to　which　those　of　the　present　day　are　a　mere　bagatelle；



and　plunge　the　world　into　a　sea　of　troubles　compared　to　which



those　now　existing　are　as　nothing。　What　has　been　done　is　to



provide　a　way；　always　ready　and　easily　accessible；　by　which



nations　can　settle　most　of　their　difficulties　with　each　other。



Hitherto；　securing　a　court　of　arbitration　has　involved　first　the



education　of　public　opinion　in　two　nations；　next；　the　action　of



two　national　legislatures；　then　the　making　of　a　treaty；　then　the



careful　selection　of　judges　on　both　sides；　then　delays　by　the



jurists　thus　chosen　in　disposing　of　engagements　and　duties　to



which　they　are　already　pledged…all　these　matters　requiring　much



labor　and　long　time；　and　this　just　when　speedy　action　is　most



necessary　to　arrest　the　development　of　international　anger。　Under



the　system　of　arbitration　now　presented；　the　court　can　be　brought



into　session　at　short　noticeeasily；　as　regards　most　nations；



within　a　few　weeks；　at　the　farthest。　When　to　these　advantages　are



added　the　provisions　for　delaying　war　and　for　improving　the　laws



of　war；　the　calm　judgment　of　mankind　will；　I　fully　believe；



decide　that　the　conference　has　done　a　work　of　value　to　the　world。







There　is　also　another　gainincidental；　but　of　real　and　permanent



value；　and　this　is　the　inevitable　development　of　the　Law　of



Nations　by　the　decisions　of　such　a　court　of　arbitration　composed



of　the　most　eminent　jurists　from　all　countries。　Thus　far　it　has



been　evolved　from　the　writings　of　scholars　often　conflicting；



from　the　decisions　of　national　courts　biased　by　local　patriotism；



from　the　practices　of　various　powers；　on　land　and　sea；　more　in



obedience　to　their　interests　than　to　their　sense　of　justice；　but



now　we　may　hope　for　the　growth　of　a　great　body　of　international



law　under　the　best　conditions　possible；　and　ever　more　and　more　in



obedience　to　the　great　impulse　given　by　Grotius　in　the　direction



of　right　reason　and　mercy。















CHAPTER　L







HINTS　FOR　REFORMS　IN　THE　DIPLOMATIC　SERVICE







In　view　of　a　connection　with　the　diplomatic　service　of　the　United



States　begun　nearly　fifty　years　ago　and　resumed　at　various　posts



and　periods　since；　I　have　frequently　been　asked　for　my　opinion　of



it；　as　compared　with　that　of　other　nations；　and　also　what



measures　I　would　suggest　for　its　improvement。　Hitherto　this



question　has　somewhat　embarrassed　me：　answering　it　fully　might



have　seemed　to　involve　a　plea　for　my　own　interests；　so　that；



while　I　have　pointed　out；　in　public　lectures　and　in　letters　to



men　of　influence；　sundry　improvements；　I　have　not　hitherto



thought　it　best　to　go　fully　into　the　subject。







But　what　I　now　say　will　not　see　the　light　until　my　diplomatic



career　is　finished　forever；　and　I　may　claim　to　speak　now　for　what



seems　to　me　the　good　of　the　service　and　of　the　country。　I　shall



make　neither　personal　complaint　of　the　past　nor　personal　plea　for



the　future。　As　to　the　past；　my　experience　showed　me　years　ago



what　I　had　to　expect　if　I　continued　in　the　serviceinsufficient



salary；　unfit　quarters；　inadequate　means　of　discharging　my



duties；　and　many　other　difficulties　which　ought　not　to　have



existed；　but　which　I　knew　to　exist　when　I　took　office；　and　of



which　I　have　therefore　no　right　to　complain。　As　to　the　future；　I



can　speak　all　the　more　clearly　and　earnestly　because　even　my



enemies；　if　I　have　any；　must　confess　that　nothing　which　is　now　to



be　done　can　inure　to　my　personal　benefit。







As　to　the　present　condition；　then；　of　our　diplomatic　service；　it



seems　to　me　a　mixture　of　good　and　evil。　It　is　by　no　means　so　bad



as　it　once　was；　and　by　no　means　so　good　as　it　ought　to　be　and　as



it　could　very　easily　be　made。　There　has　been　great　improvement　in



it　since　the　days　of　the　Civil　War。　The　diplomatic　service　of　no



other　country；　probably；　was　so　disfigured　by　eminently　unworthy



members　as　was　our　own　during　the　quarter　of　a　century　preceding



the　inauguration　of　President　Lincoln；　and；　indeed；　during　a　part



of　the　Lincoln　administration　itself。







During　one　presidential　term　previous　to　that　time　our　ministers



at　three　of　the　most　important　centers　of　Europe　were　making



unedifying　spectacles　of　themselves；　whenever　it　was　possible　for



them　to　do　so；　before　the　courts　to　which　they　were　accredited。



On　one　occasion　of　court　festivity；　one　of　them；　in　a　gorgeous



uniform　such　as　American　ministers　formerly　wore；　ran　howling



through　the　mud　in　the　streets　of　St。　Petersburg；　the　high



personages　of　the　empire　looking　out　upon　him　from　the　windows　of



the　Winter　Palace。　Sundry　other　performances　of　his；　to　which　I



have　referred　in　the　account　of　my　Russian　mission；　were　quite　as



discreditable。







Another　American　representative；　stationed　at　Berlin　during　that



same　period；　disgraced　his　country　by　notorious　drunkenness；　and



though　some　of　our　countrymen　at　that　capital　sought　to　keep　him



sober　for　his　first　presentation　to　the　King；　they　were



unsuccessful。　Happily；　his　wild　conduct　did　not　culminate　abroad；



for　a　murder　which　he　committed　in　a　drunken　fit　did　not　occur



until　after　his　return　to　our　country。　A　third　American



representative　at　that　period　published　regularly；　in　his　home



newspaper；　such　scurrilous　letters　regarding　the　authorities　of



the　country　to　which　he　was　accredited；　his　colleagues　in　the



diplomatic　service；　and；　indeed；　the　country　itself；　that；



according　to　common　report；　his　early　return　home　was　caused　by



his　desire　to　escape　the　consequences。　These　were　the　worst；　but



there　were　others　utterly　unfit；men　who　not　only　spoke　no　other



language　used　in　diplomatic　intercourse；　but　could　not　even　speak



with　fairly　grammatical　decency　their　own。　As　to　the　early　days



of　Mr。　Lincoln's　administration；　there　is　a　well…authenticated



story　that；　a　gentleman　having　expostulated　with　the　Secretary　of



State；　Mr。　Seward；　for　sending　to　a　very　important　diplomatic



post　a　man　whose　conduct　was　the　reverse　of　exemplary；　Mr。　Seward



replied；　〃Sir；　some　persons　are　sent　abroad　because　they　are



needed　abroad；　and　some　are　sent　because　they　are　NOT　wanted　at



home。〃







It　is　a　great　pleasure　to　note　that　since　the　war　both　of　the



political　parties　have　greatly　improved　in　this　respect；　and　that



the　standard　of　diplomatic　appointments　has　become　much　higher。



It　is　a　duty　as　well　as　a　pleasure　to　acknowledge　here　that　no



President　of　the　United　States　has　ever　taken　more　pains　to　make



the　diplomatic　and　consular　services　what　they　should　be　than　a



representative　of　the　party　to　which　I　have　always　been



opposedPresident　Cleveland。　Especially　encouraging　is　the　fact



that　public　opinion　has　become　sensitive　on　this　subject；　and



that　the　only　recent　case　of　gross　misconduct　by　an　American



minister　in　foreign　parts　was　immediately　followed　by　his　recall。







And　it　ought　also　to　be　said；　even　regarding　our　diplomatic



system　in　the　past；　that　sundry　sneers　of　the　pessimists　do　our



country　wrong。　It　is　certain　that　no　other　country　has　been



steadily　represented　in　Great　Britain　by　a　series　of　more



distinguished　citizens　than　has　our　own；beginning　with　John



Adams；　and　including　the　gentleman　who　at　present　holds　the



position　of　ambassador　to　the　Court　of　St。　James。　Much　may　also



be　said　to　the　credit　of　our　embassies　and　legations　generally　at



the　leading　capitals　of　Europe。　As　to　unfortunate　exceptions；



those　who　are　acquainted　with　diplomatists　in　different　parts　of



the　world　know　that；　whatever　may　have　been　the　failings　of　the



United　States　in　this　respect；　she　has　not　been　the　only　nation



which　has　made　mistakes　in　selecting　foreign　representatives。







Our　service　at　the　present　day　is；　in　some　respects；　excellent；



but　it　is　badly　organized；　insufficiently　provided　for；　and；　as　a



rule；　has　not　the　standing　which　every　patriotic　American　should



wish　for　it。







I　have　frequently　received　letters　from　bright；　active…minded



young　men　stating　that　they　were　desirous　of　fitting　themselves



for　a　diplomatic　career；　and　asking　advice　regarding　the　best　way



of　doing　so；　but　I　have　felt　obliged　to　warn　every　one　of　them



that；　strictly　speaking；　there　is　no　American　diplomatic　service；



that　there　is　no　guarantee　of　employment　to　them；　even　if　they



fit　themselves　admirably；　no　security　in　their　tenure　o