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done　here；　no　one　proposes　to　submit　to　any　such　tribunal



questions　involving　the　honor　of　any　nation　or　the　inviolability



of　its　territory；　or　any　of　those　things　which　nations　feel



instinctively　must　be　reserved　for　their　own　decision。　Nor　does



any　thinking　man　here　propose　obligatory　arbitration　in　any　case；



save；　possibly；　in　sundry　petty　matters　where　such　arbitration



would　be　a　help　to　the　ordinary　administration　of　all



governments；　and；　even　as　to　these；　they　can　be　left　out　of　the



scheme　if　your　government　seriously　desires　it。







The　great　thing　is　that　there　be　a　provision　made　or　easily



calling　together　a　court　of　arbitration　which　shall　be　seen　of



all　nations；　indicate　a　sincere　desire　to　promote　peace；　and；　in



some　measure；　relieve　the　various　peoples　of　the　fear　which　so



heavily　oppresses　them　allthe　dread　of　an　outburst　of　war　at



any　moment。







I　note　that　it　has　been　believed　by　many　that　the　motives　of



Russia　in　proposing　this　conference　were　none　too　good；indeed；



that　they　were　possibly　perfidious；　but；　even　if　this　be　granted；



how　does　this　affect　the　conduct　of　Germany？　Should　it　not　rather



lead　Germany　to　go　forward　boldly　and　thoughtfully；　to　accept　the



championship　of　the　idea　of　arbitration；　and　to　take　the　lead　in



the　whole　business　here？







Germany；　if　she　will　do　this；　will　certainly　stand　before　the



whole　world　as　the　leading　power　of　Europe；　for　she　can　then　say



to　the　whole　world　that　she　has　taken　the　proposal　of　Russia　au



serieux；　has　supported　a　thoroughly　good　plan　of　arbitration；　has



done　what　Russia　and　France　have　not　been　willing　to　do；favored



the　presentation　to　the　conference　of　a　plan　providing　for　the



immunity　of　private　property　from　seizure　on　the　high　seas　during



war；and　that　while；　as　regards　the　proceedings　of　the



conference；　Russia　has　wished　secrecy；　Germany　has　steadily；　from



the　first；　promoted　frankness　and　openness。







With　these　three　points　in　your　favor；　you　can　stand　before　the



whole　world　as　the　great　Continental　power　which　has　stood　up　f



or　peace　as　neither　Russia　nor　France　has　been　able　to　do。　On　the



other　hand；　if　you　do　not　do　this；　if　you　put　a　stumbling…block



in　the　way　of　arbitration；　what　results？　The　other　powers　will　go



on　and　create　as　good　a　tribunal　as　possible；　and　whatever



failure　may　come　will　be　imputed　to　Germany　and　to　its　Emperor。



In　any　case；　whether　failure　or　success　may　come；　the　Emperor　of



Russia　will　be　hailed　in　all　parts　of　the　world　as　a　deliverer



and；　virtually；　as　a　saint；　while　there　will　be　a　wide…spread



outburst　of　hatred　against　the　German　Emperor。







And　this　will　come　not　alone　from　the　anti…social　forces　which



are　hoping　that　the　conference　may　fail；　in　order　that　thereby



they　may　have　a　new　weapon　in　their　hands；　but　it　will　also　come



from　the　middle　and　substantial　classes　of　other　nations。







It　is　sure　to　make　the　relations　between　Germany　and　the　United



States；　which　have　been　of　late　improving　infinitely　more　bitter



than　they　have　ever　before　been　and　it　is　no　less　sure　to　provoke



the　most　bitter　hatred　of　the　German　monarchy　in　nearly　all　other



nations。







Should　his　advisers　permit　so　noble　and　so　gifted　a　sovereign　to



incur　this　political　storm　of　obloquy；　this　convergence　of　hatred



upon　him？　Should　a　ruler　of　such　noble　ambitions　and　such



admirable　powers　be　exposed　to　this？　I　fully　believe　that　he



should　not；　and　that　his　advisers　should　beg　him　not　to　place



himself　before　the　world　as　the　antagonist　of　a　plan　to　which



millions　upon　millions　in　all　parts　of　the　world　are　devoted。







From　the　United　States　come　evidences　of　a　feeling　wide…spread



and　deep　on　this　subject　beyond　anything　I　have　ever　known。　This



very　morning　I　received　a　prayer　set　forth　by　the　most



conservative　of　all　Protestant　religious　bodiesnamely；　the



American　branch　of　the　Anglican　Churchto　be　said　in　all



churches；　begging　the　Almighty　to　favor　the　work　of　the　peace



conference；　and　this　is　what　is　going　on　in　various　other



American　churches；　and　in　vast　numbers　of　households。　Something



of　the　same　sort　is　true　in　Great　Britain　and；　perhaps　in　many



parts　of　the　Continent。







Granted　that　expectations　are　overwrought；　still　this　fact



indicates　that　here　is　a　feeling　which　cannot　be　disregarded。







Moreover；　to　my　certain　knowledge；　within　a　month；　a　leading



socialist　in　France　has　boasted　to　one　of　the　members　of　this



conference　that　it　would　end　in　failure；　that　the　monarchs　and



governments　of　Europe　do　not　wish　to　diminish　bloodshed；　that



they　would　refuse　to　yield　to　the　desire　of　the　peoples　for



peace；　and　that　by　the　resentment　thus　aroused　a　new　path　to



victory　would　be　open　to　socialism。







Grant；　too；　that　this　is　overstated；　still　such　a　declaration　is



significant。







I　know　it　has　been　said　that　arbitration　is　derogatory　to



sovereignty。　I　really　fail　to　see　how　this　can　be　said　in



Germany。　Germany　has　already　submitted　a　great　political　question



between　herself　and　Spain　to　arbitration；　and　the　Emperor　William



I　was　himself　the　arbiter　between　the　United　States　and　Great



Britain　in　the　matter　of　our　northwestern　boundary。







Bear　in　mind　again　that　it　is　only　VOLUNTARY　arbitration　that　is



proposed；　and　that　it　will　always　rest　with　the　German　Emperor　to



decide　what　questions　he　will　submit　to　the　tribunal　and　what　he



will　not。







It　has　also　been　said　that　arbitration　proceedings　would　give　the



enemies　of　Germany　time　to　put　themselves　in　readiness　for　war；



but　if　this　be　feared　in　any　emergency；　the　Emperor　and　his



government　are　always　free　to　mobilize　the　German　army　at　once。







As　you　are　aware；　what　is　seriously　proposed　here　now；　in　the　way



of　arbitration；　is　not　a　tribunal　constantly　in　session；　but　a



system　under　which　each　of　the　signatory　powers　shall　be　free　to



choose；　for　a　limited　time；　from　an　international　court；　say　two



or　more　judges　who　can　go　to　The　Hague　if　their　services　are



required；　but　to　be　paid　only　while　actually　in　session　here；



such　payment　to　be　made　by　the　litigating　parties。







As　to　the　machinery；　the　plan　is　that　there　shall　be　a　dignified



body　composed　of　the　diplomatic　representatives　of　the　various



signatory　powers；　to　sit　at　The　Hague；　presided　over　by　the



Netherlands　minister　of　foreign　affairs；　and　to　select　and　to



control　such　secretaries　and　officers　as　may　be　necessary　for　the



ordinary　conduct　of　affairs。







Such　council　would　receive　notice　from　powers　having　differences



with　each　other　which　are　willing　to　submit　the　questions　between



them　to　a　court；　and　would　then　give　notice　to　the　judges



selected　by　the　parties。　The　whole　of　the　present　plan；　except



some　subordinate　features　of　little　account；　which　can　easily　be



stricken　out；　is　voluntary。　There　is　nothing　whatever　obligatory



about　it。　Every　signatory　power　is　free　to　resort　to　such　a



tribunal　or　not；　as　it　may　think　best。　Surely　a　concession　like



this　may　well　be　made　to　the　deep　and　wide　sentiment　throughout



the　world　in　favor　of　some　possible　means　of　settling



controversies　between　nations　other　than　by　bloodshed。







Pardon　me　for　earnestly　pressing　upon　you　these　facts　and



considerations。　I　beg　that　you　will　not　consider　me　as　going



beyond　my　province。　I　present　them　to　you　as　man　to　man；　not　only



in　the　interest　of　good　relations　between　Germany　and　the　United



States；　but　of　interests　common　to　all　the　great　nations　of　the



earth；of　their　common　interest　in　giving　something　like



satisfaction　to　a　desire　so　earnest　and　wide…spread　as　that　which



has　been　shown　in　all　parts　of　the　world　for　arbitration。







I　remain；　dear　Baron　von　Bulow；



Most　respectfully　and　sincerely　yours；



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　（Sgd。）　ANDREW　D。　WHITE。











P。　S。　Think　how　easily；　if　some　such　tribunal　existed；　your



government　and　mine　could　refer　to　it　the　whole　mass　of　minor



questions　which　our　respective　parliamentary　bodies　have　got



control　of；　and　entangled　in　all　sorts　of　petty　prejudices　and



demagogical　utterances；　for　instance；　Samoa；　the　tonnage　dues；



the　sugar…bounty　question；　the　most…favored…nation　clause；　etc。；



etc。；　which　keep　the　two　countries　constantly　at　loggerheads。　Do



you　not　see　that　submission　of　such　questions　to　such　a　tribunal



as　is　now　proposed；　so　far　from　being　derogatory　to　sovereignty；



really　relieves　the　sovereign　and　the　Foreign　Office　of　the　most



vexatious　fetters　and　limitations　of　parliamentarianism。　It　is



not　at　all　unlikely　that　such　a　court　would　decide　in　your　favor；



and　if　so；　every　thoughtful　American　would　say；　〃Well　and　good；



it　appears　that；　in　spite　of　all　the　speeches　in　Congress；　we



were　wrong。〃　And　the　matter　would　then　be　ended　with　the



good…will　of　all　parties。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　



（Sgd。）　A。D。W。











It　is　indeed　a　crisis　in　the　history　of　the　conference；　and



perhaps　in　the　history　of　Germany。　I　can　only　hope　that　Bulow



will　give　careful　attention　to　the　considerations　which　Munster



and　myself　press　upon　him。







Later　in　the　day　Sir　Julian　Pauncefote　called；　evidently　much



vexed　that　the　sitting　of　the　subcommittee　had　been　deferred；　and



even　more　vexed　since　he　had　learned　from　De　Staal　the　real



reason。　He　declared　that　he　was　opposed　to　stringing　out　the



conference