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away　entirely　with　the　trouble　and　expense　of　a　special　council。







This　I　amended　by　adding　the　Netherlands　minister　of　foreign



affairs　as　ex…officio　president；　there　being　various　reasons　for



this；　and　among　these　the　fact　that；　without　some　such　provision；



the　Netherlands　would　have　no　representative　in　the　council。







The　plan　and　my　amendment　were　well　received；　and　I　trust　that



our　full　and　friendly　discussion　of　these　and　various　matters



connected　with　them　will　produce　a　good　effect　in　the　committees。







Count　Nigra　expressed　himself　to　me　as　personally　most　earnestly



in　favor　of　arbitration；　but　it　was　clear　that　his　position　was



complicated　by　the　relations　of　his　country　to　Germany　as　one　of



the　Triple　Alliance；　and　the　same　difficulty　was　observable　in



the　case　of　Count　Welsersheimb；　the　representative　of　Austria；



the　third　ally　in　the　combination　of　which　Germany　is　the　head。







In　the　course　of　our　breakfast；　Baron　d'Estournelles　made　a



statement　which　I　think　impressed　every　person　present。　It　was



that；　as　he　was　leaving　Paris；　Jaures；　the　famous　socialist；　whom



he　knows　well；　said　to　him；　〃Go　on；　do　all　you　can　at　The　Hague；



but　you　will　labor　in　vain：　you　can　accomplish　nothing　there；



your　schemes　will　fail；　and　we　shall　triumph；〃　or　words　to　that



effect。　So　clear　an　indication　as　this　of　the　effect　which　a



failure　of　the　conference　to　produce　a　good　scheme　of　arbitration



will　have　in　promoting　the　designs　of　the　great　international



socialist　and　anarchist　combinations　cannot　fail　to　impress　every



thinking　man。







Dined　in　the　evening　with　the　French　minister　at　this　court；　and



very　pleasantly。　There　were　present　M。　Leon　Bourgeois；　the　French



first　delegate；　and　the　first　delegates　from　Japan；　China；



Mexico；　and　Turkey；　with　subordinate　delegates　from　other



countries。　Sitting　next　the　lady　at　the　right　of　the　host；　I



found　her　to　be　the　wife　of　the　premier；　M。　Piersoon；　minister　of



finance；　and　very　agreeable。　I　took　in　to　dinner　Madame　Behrends；



wife　of　the　Russian　charge；　evidently　a　very　thoughtful　and



accomplished　woman；　who　was　born；　as　she　told　me；　of　English



parents　in　the　city　of　New　York　when　her　father　and　mother　were



on　their　way　to　England。　I　found　her　very　interesting；　and　her



discussions　of　Russia；　as　well　as　of　England　and　the　Netherlands；



especially　good。







In　the　smoking…room　I　had　a　long　talk　with　M。　Leon　Bourgeois；



who；　according　to　the　papers；　is　likely　to　be　appointed　minister



of　foreign　affairs　in　the　new　French　cabinet。　He　dwelt　upon　the



difficulties　of　any　plan　for　a　tribunal；　but　seemed　ready　to　do



what　he　could　for　the　compromise　plan；　which　is　all　that；　during



some　time　past；　we　have　hoped　to　adopt。











June　15。







Early　this　morning　Count　Munster　called；　wishing　to　see　me



especially；　and　at　once　plunged　into　the　question　of　the　immunity



of　private　property　from　seizure　on　the　high　seas。　He　said　that



he　had　just　received　instructions　from　his　government　to　join　us



heartily　in　bringing　the　question　before　the　conference；　that　his



government；　much　as　it　inclines　to　favor　the　principle；　could　not



yet　see　its　way　to　commit　itself　fully；　that　its　action　must；　of



course；　depend　upon　the　conduct　of　other　powers　in　the　matter；　as



foreshadowed　by　discussions　in　the　conference；　but　that　he　was　to



aid　us　in　bringing　it　up。







I　told　him　I　was　now　preparing　a　draft　of　a　memorial　to　the



conference　giving　the　reasons　why　the　subject　ought　to　be



submitted；　and　that　he　should　have　it　as　soon　as　completed。







This　matter　being　for　the　time　disposed　of；　we　took　up　the　state



of　the　arbitration　question；　and　the　consequences　of　opposition



by　Germany　and　her　two　allies　to　every　feasible　plan。







He　was　very　much　in　earnest；　and　declared　especially　against



compulsory　arbitration。　To　this　I　answered　that　the　plan　thus　far



adopted　contemplated　entirely　voluntary　arbitration；　with　the



exception　that　an　obligatory　system　was　agreed　upon　as　regards



sundry　petty　matters　in　which　arbitration　would　assist　all　the



states　concerned；　and　that　if　he　disliked　this　latter　feature；



but　would　agree　to　the　others；　we　would　go　with　him　in　striking



it　out；　though　we　should　vastly　prefer　to　retain　it。







He　said；　〃Yes；　you　have　already　stricken　out　part　of　it　in　the



interest　of　the　United　States；〃　referring　to　the　features



concerning　the　Monroe　Doctrine；　the　regulation　of　canals；　rivers；



etc。







〃Very　true；〃　I　answered；　〃and　if　there　are　any　special　features



which　affect　unfavorably　German　policy　or　interests；　move　to



strike　them　out；　and　we　will　heartily　support　you。〃







He　then　dwelt　in　his　usual　manner　on　his　special　hobby；　which　is



that　modern　nations　are　taking　an　entirely　false　route　in



preventing　the　settlement　of　their　difficulties　by　trained



diplomatists；　and　intrusting　them　to　arbitration　by　men



inexperienced　in　international　matters；　who　really　cannot　be



unprejudiced　or　uninfluenced；　and　he　spoke　with　especial　contempt



of　the　plan　for　creating　a　bureau；　composed；　as　he　said；　of



university　professors　and　the　like；　to　carry　on　the　machinery　of



the　tribunal。







Here　I　happened　to　have　a　trump　card。　I　showed　him　Sir　Julian



Pauncefote's　plan　to　substitute　a　council　composed　of　all　the



ministers　of　the　signatory　powers　residing　at　The　Hague；　with　my



amendment　making　the　Dutch　minister　of　foreign　affairs　its



president。　This　he　read　and　said　he　liked　it；　in　fact；　it　seemed



to　remove　a　mass　of　prejudice　from　his　mind。







I　then　spoke　very　earnestly　to　himmore　so　than　ever



beforeabout　the　present　condition　of　affairs。　I　told　him　that



the　counselors　in　whom　the　Emperor　trustedsuch　men　as　himself



and　the　principal　advisers　of　his　Majestyought　never　to　allow



their　young　sovereign　to　be　exposed　to　the　mass　of　hatred；



obloquy；　and　opposition　which　would　converge　upon　him　from　all



nations　in　case　he　became　known　to　the　whole　world　as　the



sovereign　who　had　broken　down　the　conference　and　brought　to



naught　the　plan　of　arbitration。　I　took　the　liberty　of　telling　him



what　the　Emperor　said　to　me　regarding　the　count　himselfnamely；



that　what　the　conference　was　most　likely　to　need　was　good　common



sense；　and　that　he　was　sending　Count　Munster　because　he　possessed



that。　This　seemed　to　please　him；　and　I　then　went　on　to　say　that



he　of　all　men　ought　to　prevent；　by　all　means；　placing　the　young



Emperor　in　such　a　position。　I　dwelt　on　the　gifts　and　graces　of



the　young　sovereign；　expressed　my　feeling　of　admiration　for　his



noble　ambitions；　for　his　abilities；　for　the　statesmanship　he　had



recently　shown；　for　his　grasp　of　public　affairs；　and　for　his　way



of　conciliating　all　classes；　and　then　dwelt　on　the　pity　of　making



such　a　monarch　an　object　of　hatred　in　all　parts　of　the　world。







He　seemed　impressed　by　this；　but　said　the　calling　of　the



conference　was　simply　a　political　trickthe　most　detestable



trick　ever　practised。　It　was　done；　he　said　mainly　to　embarrass



Germany；　to　glorify　the　young　Russian　Emperor；　and　to　put　Germany



and　nations　which　Russia　dislikes　into　a　false　position。　To　this



I　answered；　〃If　this　be　the　case；　why　not　trump　the　Russian



trick？　or；　as　the　poker…players　say；　'Go　them　one　better；'　take



them　at　their　word；　support　a　good　tribunal　of　arbitration　more



efficient　even　than　the　Russians　have　dared　to　propose；　let　your



sovereign　throw　himself　heartily　into　the　movement　and　become　a



recognized　leader　and　power　here；　we　will　all　support　him；　and　to



him　will　come　the　credit　of　it。







〃Then；　in　addition　to　this；　support　us　as　far　as　you　can　as



regards　the　immunity　of　private　property　on　the　high　seas；　and



thus　you　will　gain　another　great　point；　for；　owing　to　her



relations　to　France；　Russia　has　not　dared　commit　herself　to　this



principle　as　otherwise　she　doubtless　would　have　done；　but；　on　the



contrary；　has　opposed　any　consideration　of　it　by　the　conference。







〃Next；　let　attention　be　called　to　the　factand　we　will　gladly



aid　in　making　the　world　fully　aware　of　itthat　Germany；　through



you；　has　constantly　urged　the　greatest　publicity　of　our



proceedings；　while　certain　other　powers　have　insisted　on　secrecy



until　secrecy　has　utterly　broken　down；　and　then　have　made　the



least　concession　possible。　In　this　way　you　will　come　out　of　the



conference　triumphant；　and　the　German　Emperor　will　be　looked　upon



as；　after　all；　the　arbiter　of　Europe。　Everybody　knows　that　France



has　never　wished　arbitration；　and　that　Russian　statesmen　are



really；　at　heart；　none　too　ardent　for　it。　Come　forward；　then；　and



make　the　matter　thoroughly　your　own；　and；　having　done　this；



maintain　your　present　attitude　strongly　as　regards　the　two　other



matters　above　named；that　is；　the　immunity　from　seizure　of



private　property　on　the　high　seas；　and　the　throwing　open　of　our



proceedings；and　the　honors　of　the　whole　conference　is　yours。〃







He　seemed　impressed　by　all　this；　and　took　a　different　tone　from



any　which　has　been　noted　in　him　since　we　came　together。　I　then



asked　him　if　he　had　heard　Baron　d'Estournelles's　story。　He　said



that　he　had　not。　I　told　it　to　him；　as　given　in　my　diary



yesterday；　and　said；　〃You　see　there　what　the　failure　to　obtain　a



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



the　world　will　do　to　promote　the　designs　of　the　socialistic



fo