266 IN THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE -XX 



the subject before the second committee as we had hoped 

 to do; that Bussia would feel obliged to oppose its in 

 troduction ; and that Great Britain, France, and Italy, to 

 say nothing of other powers, would do the same. This 

 was rather trying, for I had especially desired to press 

 this long-desired improvement in international law; and 

 I showed him how persistent the United States had been 

 as regards this subject throughout our whole history, 

 how earnest the President and his cabinet are in press 

 ing it now, and how our delegation are bound, under our 

 instructions, to bring it before the conference. I insisted 

 that we should at least have the opportunity to present 

 it, even if it were afterward declared out of order. To 

 this he demurred, saying that he feared it would arouse 

 unpleasant debate. I then suggested that the paper be 

 publicly submitted to our whole body for special reference 

 to a future conference, and this he took into consideration. 

 Under other circumstances, I would have made a struggle 

 in the committee and, indeed, in the open session of the 

 full conference ; but it is clear that what we are sent here 

 for is, above all, to devise some scheme of arbitration, and 

 that anything which comes in the way of this, by provok 

 ing ill-feeling or prolonging discussion on other points, 

 will diminish our chances of obtaining what the whole 

 world so earnestly desires. 



During the day our American delegation held two ses 

 sions ; and, as a result, a telegram of considerable length 

 to the State Department was elaborated, asking per 

 mission to substitute a new section in our original in 

 structions regarding an arbitration tribunal, and to be 

 allowed liberty to make changes in minor points, as the 

 development of opinion in the conference may demand. 

 The substitute which we suggested referred especially to 

 the clash between the original instructions and the Mon 

 roe Doctrine. I was very reluctant to send the despatch ; 

 but, on the whole, it seemed best, and it was adopted 

 unanimously. 



In the afternoon, at five, the presidents of all the dele- 



