CHAPTEE XLVI 



AS PRESIDENT OP THE AMERICAN DELEGATION AT THE 

 PEACE CONFERENCE OF THE HAGUE-II 



May 25. 



THIS morning a leading delegate of one of the great 

 European powers called and gave me a very inter 

 esting account of the situation as he sees it. 



He stated that the Russian representatives, on arriv 

 ing here, gave out that they were not prepared with any 

 plan for a definite tribunal of arbitration ; but that shortly 

 afterward there appeared some discrepancy on this point 

 between the statements of the various members of their 

 delegation; and that they now propose a system of ar 

 bitration, mediation, and examination into any cause of 

 difficulty between nations. 



In the evening our secretary spoke of the matter to 

 M. de Staal, the president of the Eussian delegation and 

 of the conference, and was told that this plan would, 

 within a day or two, be printed and laid before the whole 

 body. 



This is a favorable sign. More and more it looks as 

 if the great majority of us are beginning to see the ne 

 cessity of some scheme of arbitration embracing a court 

 and definite, well-contrived accessories. 



The above-mentioned discrepancy between various 

 statements of the Eussians leads me to think that what 

 Count Minister told me some days since may have some 

 truth in it namely, that Pobedonostzeff, whom I knew 

 well, when minister to Eussia, as the strongest man on 



