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part05+-第72章

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to look after a great party of Western newspaper men who are to



go up the Rhine this summer and make a brief stay in the



above…named capital of the empire。 I also receive very many



letters of introduction; which of course make large demands upon



my time。 The number of epistles; also; which come in from public



meetings in large and small American towns is very great; some



evidently representing no persons other than the writers。 As I



write the above; I open mechanically a letter from a peace



meeting assembled in Ledyard; Connecticut; composed of 〃Rogerine



Quakers〃; but what a 〃Rogerine Quaker〃 is I know not。 Some of



these letters are touching; and some have a comic side。 A very



good one comes from May Wright Sewall; would that all the others



were as thoughtful!







It goes without saying that the Quakers are out in full force。 We



have been answering by cable some of the most important



communications sent us from America; the others we shall try to



acknowledge by mail; though they are so numerous that I begin to



despair of this。 If these good people only knew how all this



distracts us from the work which we have at heart as much as



they; we should get considerably more time to think upon the



problems before us。











May 22。







In the afternoon came M。 de Bloch; the great publicist; who has



written four enormous volumes on war in modern times; summaries



of which; in the newspapers; are said to have converted the young



Emperor Nicholas to peace ideas; and to have been the real cause



of his calling the conference together。 I found him interesting;



full of ideas; and devoted most earnestly to a theory that



militarism is gradually impoverishing all modern states; and that



the next European war will pauperize most of them。







Just afterward Count Welsersheimb; president of the Austrian



delegation; called; and was very anxious to know the line we are



to take。 I told him frankly that we are instructed to present a



plan of arbitration; and to urge a resolution in favor of



exempting private property; not contraband of war; from seizure



on the high seas; that we are ready to go to the full length in



improving the laws of war; and in extending the Geneva rules to



maritime warfare; but that we look on the question of reducing



armaments as relating wholly to Europe; no part of it being



applicable to the United States。







As he seemed strongly in favor of our contention regarding



private property on the high seas; but fearful that Russia and



England; under a strict construction of the rules; would not



permit the subject to be introduced; I pointed out to him certain



clauses in the Mouravieff circular which showed that it was



entirely admissible。











May 23。







In the morning came a meeting of the American delegation on the



subject of telegraphing Washington for further instructions。 We



find that some of the details in our present instructions are



likely to wreck our proposals; and there is a fear among us that;



by following too closely the plan laid down for us at Washington;



we may run full in the face of the Monroe Doctrine。 It is indeed;



a question whether our people will be willing to have matters of



difference between South American States; or between the United



States and a South American State; or between European and South



American States; submitted to an arbitration in which a majority



of the judges are subjects of European powers。 Various drafts of



a telegram were made; but the whole matter went over。







At ten the heads of delegations met and considered a plan of



organizing the various committees; and the list was read。 Each of



the three great committees to which the subjects mentioned in the



Mouravieff circular are assigned was given a president;



vice…president; and two honorary presidents。 The first of these



committees is to take charge of the preliminary discussion of



those articles in the Mouravieff circular concerning the



non…augmentation of armies and the limitation in the use of new



explosives and of especially destructive weapons。 The second



committee has for its subject the discussion of humanitarian



reformsnamely; the adaptation of the stipulations of the



Convention of Geneva of 1864 to maritime warfare; the



neutralization of vessels charged with saving the wounded during



maritime combats; and the revision of the declaration concerning



customs of war elaborated in 1874 by the Conference of Brussels;



which has never yet been ratified。 The third committee has charge



of the subject of arbitration; mediation; and the like。







The president of the first committee is M。 Bernaert; a leading



statesman of Belgium; who has made a most excellent impression on



me from the first; and the two honorary presidents are Count



Munster; German ambassador at Paris; and myself。







The president of the second committee is M。 de Martens; the



eminent Russian authority on international law; and the two



honorary presidents; Count Welsersheimb of Austria…Hungary; and



the Duke of Tetuan from Spain。







The third committee receives as its president M。 Leon Bourgeois;



who has held various eminent positions in France; the honorary



presidents being Count Nigra; the Italian ambassador at Vienna;



and Sir Julian Pauncefote; the British ambassador at Washington。







There was much discussion and considerable difference of opinion



on many points; but the main breeze sprang up regarding the



publicity of our doings。 An admirable speech was made by Baron de



Bildt; who is a son of my former Swedish colleague at Berlin; has



held various important positions at Washington and elsewhere; has



written an admirable history of Queen Christina of Sweden; and is



now minister plenipotentiary at Rome。 He spoke earnestly in favor



of considerable latitude in communications to the press from the



authorities of the conference; but the prevailing opinion;



especially of the older men; even of those from constitutional



states; seemed to second the idea of Russia;that communications



to the press should be reduced to a minimum; comprising merely



the external affairs of the conference。 I am persuaded that this



view will get us into trouble; but it cannot be helped at



present。











May 24。







As was to be expected; there has begun some reaction from the



hopes indulged shortly after the conference came together。 At our



arrival there was general skepticism; shortly afterward; and



especially when the organization of the arbitration committee was



seen to be so good; there came a great growth of hope; now comes



the usual falling back of many。 But I trust that this will not be



permanent。 Yesterday there was some talk which; though quiet; was



none the less bitter; to the effect that the purpose of Russia in



calling the conference is only to secure time for strengthening



her armaments; that she was never increasing her forces at a



greater rate; especially in the southwestern part of the empire



and in the Caucasus; and never intriguing more vigorously in all



directions。 To one who stated this to me my answer simply was



that bad faith to this extent on the part of Russia is most



unlikely; if not impossible; that it would hand down the Emperor



and his advisers to the eternal execration and contempt of



mankind; and that; in any case; our duty is clear: to go on and



do the best we can; to perfect plans for a permanent tribunal of



arbitration; and to take measures for diminishing cruelty and



suffering in war。







Meeting Count Munster; who; after M。 de Staal; is very generally



considered the most important personage here; we discussed the



subject of arbitration。 To my great regret; I found him entirely



opposed to it; or; at least; entirely opposed to any



well…developed plan。 He did not say that he would oppose a



moderate plan for voluntary arbitration; but he insisted that



arbitration must be injurious to Germany; that Germany is



prepared for war as no other country is or can be; that she can



mobilize her army in ten days; and that neither France; Russia;



nor any other power can do this。 Arbitration; he said; would



simply give rival powers time to put themselves in readiness; and



would therefore be a great disadvantage to Germany。







Later came another disappointment。 M。 de Martens; having read the



memorandum which I left with him yesterday on the subject of



exempti
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