AT THE HAGUE PEACE CONFERENCE: 11-1899 285 



ropean states ; that the questions on which parties divide 

 are mainly those in which clerical ideas are more or less 

 prominent; that the liberal party, if it keeps together, 

 is much the stronger party of the two, but that it suffers 

 greatly from its cliques and factions. 



On returning home after dinner, I found a cipher des 

 patch from the Secretary of State informing us that 

 President McKinley thinks that our American commis 

 sion ought not to urge any proposal for &quot;seconding pow 

 ers 7 ; that he fears lest it may block the way of the arbi 

 tration proposals. This shows that imperfect reports 

 have reached the President and his cabinet. The fact is 

 that the proposal of i i seconding powers was warmly wel 

 comed by the subcommittee when it was presented ; that 

 the members very generally telegraphed home to their 

 governments, and at once received orders to support it; 

 that it was passed by a unanimous vote of the subcommit 

 tee ; and that its strongest advocates were the men who are 

 most in favor of an arbitration plan. So far from in 

 juring the prospects of arbitration, it has increased them ; 

 it is very generally spoken of as a victory for our delega 

 tion, and has increased respect for our country, and for 

 anything we may hereafter present. 



June 2. 



This morning we sent a cipher telegram to the Secre 

 tary of State, embodying the facts above stated. 



The shoals of telegrams, reports of proceedings of so 

 cieties, hortatory letters, crankish proposals, and peace 

 pamphlets from America continue. One of the telegrams 

 which came late last night was pathetic ; it declared that 

 three millions of Christian Endeavorers bade us &quot; God 

 speed, &quot; etc., etc. 



During the morning De Martens, Low, Holls, and my 

 self had a very thoroughgoing discussion of the Kus- 

 sian, British, and American arbitration plans. We found 

 the eminent Russian under very curious misapprehen 

 sions regarding some minor points, one of them being that 



