19103 An Official Peace Commission 



It seemed to me that the idea of war was now 

 regaining its lost repute, especially with the so-called 

 upper classes. The reason for this apparently lay The root 

 in their fear of the loss of power, the spirit of f war 

 Treitschke's aphorism: "Foreign war is the swift 

 remedy for internal unrest and failure of patriot- 



ism." 



Meanwhile some of us began to get busy. Oscar 

 T. Crosby, a prominent engineer, supported by cer- 

 tain other pacifists, succeeded in inducing Congress 

 to provide for a Peace Commission to visit Europe 

 on an errand of conciliation, its personnel to be 

 appointed by President Taft; ten thousand dollars 

 was appropriated for expenses. Taft then turned 

 the whole matter over to Secretary Knox, at whose 

 request I furnished a list of suitable persons. 1 But 

 Knox never made the appointments, preferring to The cam- 

 let the commission lapse. To me he explained that ission 



i r i i i i i lapses 



he feared such a body might injure our interests m 

 Europe by indiscreet conversations or promises, 

 despite "the small size of the appropriation, which 

 would fortunately prevent it from doing much 



WHITE HOUSE 

 Washington 



December 16, 1910 



My dear Mr. Secretary: 



This will introduce to you President David Starr Jordan, who is one of our 

 Commissioners with Canada to settle the fisheries dispute, and who has been in 

 Canada agreeing upon the final steps that we both have to take in order to carry 

 out the treaty. Professor Jordan is especially interested in peace matters, and 

 looks upon the proposed Arbitral Court of Justice as perhaps the most impor- 

 tant step toward peace that is now contemplated. I wish you would talk with 

 him and discuss with him the uses to which the Peace Commission might be 

 put I mean that instrument that Congress created without knowing exactly 

 what to do with it. 



Sincerely yours, 



(Signed) Wm. H. Taft 

 Hon. P. C. Knox 

 Secretary of State 



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