AT THE HAGUE PEACE CONFERENCE: III 1899 293 



to use our vernacular, he &quot;gets there,&quot; and can laugh 

 in his sleeve at the speeches against him in public bodies, 

 and at the diatribes against him in newspapers. The 

 men who are loudest in such attacks are generally the 

 most delighted to put their legs under the British am 

 bassador s mahogany, or to take their daughters to his 

 receptions and balls, and then quietly to follow the gen 

 eral line of conduct which he favors. 



June 9. 



In the morning an interesting visit from M. de Staal, 

 president of the conference. We discussed arbitration 

 plans, Brussels rules and Geneva rules, and, finally, our 

 social debts to the Dutch authorities. 



As to the general prospects of arbitration, he expressed 

 the belief that we can, by amalgamating the British, Eus- 

 sian, and American plans, produce a good result. 



During the day, many members of the conference hav 

 ing gone to Rotterdam to see the welcoming of the Queen 

 in that city, I took up, with especial care, the Brussels 

 rules for the conduct of war, and the amendments of 

 them now proposed in the conference, some of which have 

 provoked considerable debate. The more I read the 

 proposals now made, the more admirable most of them 

 seem to be, and the more it seems to me that we ought, 

 with a few exceptions, to adopt them. Great Britain de 

 clines to sanction them as part of international law, but 

 still agrees to adopt them as a general basis for her con 

 duct in time of war ; and even this would be a good thing 

 for us, if we cannot induce our government to go to the 

 length of making them fully binding. 



At six o clock Dr. Holls, who represents us upon the 

 subcommittee on arbitration, came in with most dis 

 couraging news. It now appears that the German Em 

 peror is determined to oppose the whole scheme of ar 

 bitration, and will have nothing to do with any plan for 

 a regular tribunal, whether as given in the British or 

 the American scheme. This news comes from various 



