The Portland daily press., 1899-08-23
PEACE CONFERENCES WORK
A. ID. White Says More Was Accom-
pIished Than Was Expected.

Homburg, Aug 7.-Andrew d. White
United States Ambassador to Germany,
who YVES President Of the American Dele
cation at The Hague Peace Conference,
has written the following in regard to tne
result of the conference:
"In my opinion great good was accom-
plished, far more in fact than any of us
dared expect or even hope when we came
together.
AS to disarmament, everybody really
thinking upon the subject must see that
good system of arbitration must come
first, and that then. when arbitration has
diminished the likelihood OF war, the ar
gument for cutting down forces and ar
maments Is greatly strengthened. The
logical order then is frat arbitration and
next disarmament.
"As to theplan of arbitration, any COM
pulsory system Is at present utterly out
Of the question. There are SO many in
tsrnational differences involving ques-
tione of race, religion, security, ard even
national existence, and the difficulty of
drawing line between those and ques-
tions which may properly be arbitrated is
so unsurmountable that there is not
nation on the face of the earth willing to
risk an obligatory system. Far bettee
then, than any compulsory arbitration,
which probably, even If 1t had been
adopted by the conference, not one of.ths
powers would have finally ratified, is q
thoroughly good system of voluntary ar
Gitration, recourse to which public opin-
ion will enforos more and more, and this
L earnestly believe that the conference
has presented to the world.
''Some of the features In the plan
adopted were due to the United !. States,
some to Great Britain, some to Russia,
some to various other powers. and, in my
judgment, the plan thus adopted is far
more valuable than any scheme presented
by any one of the powers at the begin
ming. The present plan is the result of
most careful thought by tine foremost in.
ternatioDal lawyers, statesmen, and dtplo
matists of Europe,s5o say nothing of other
parts OF the world. They gase their whole
souls to it, their pride was involved In it,
and 1t will, believe, be found to work
satisfactorily. The great point gained is
that, whereas formerly an arbitration
court could only be provided after long
correspondence between Cabinets, and
negotiations between Ministers, and de-
hates in Parliamentary bodies, and hunt
ing for proper Judges. and discussions as
to procedure, and thousand other delays
just when time was most precious, the
conference has giv0n to the world an ar
bitratiOn tribunal as an actual and per-
manent institution. with Judges, proceed
ure, officers OF the court, place of meeting
and accessories all provided.
"It has added as Subsidiary to its main
feature carefully systematized plans of
mediation both general and special, which
are likely In many cases to prove exceed.
ingly valuable in preventing nations from
drifting into war.
sit has also provided system of COM
missions Of inquiry, by which the real
questions and grievances at Issue can be
asoertained, and brought out to re coplly
considered, instead OF the wild charges,
counter charges, oalumnies sensational
reports, and rumors which have hitherto
done so much to hurry people into war.
1--WE may fairly hope that as time goes
on, n resort to the tribunal now created
will become more and more usual and
natural and that the pressure of public
opinion in all cases where questions at
issue osn possibly be settled will bo far
more effective than any attempt at COM
ulsory resort to high international court.
''lhis is certainly great gain, and as
has been very justly observed In very
maIkable and thoughtful recent article
in the Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung,
the conference deserves credit for not at
tbfupblHk W 20 ~ nave QOuc 30
would have provoked resistance and reao-
tion, which would have left the possibili.
ties of war more serious even than they
have been hitherto.
"But even without an arbitration plan
the result would have fully Justified our
two months work. The extension of the
Geneva rules to maritime warfare and
the Improvement and establishment of
the best system possibls at present of the
laws and customs of war would of itself
be a sufficient result.
'Wish arbitration added to this. feel
that the world will be satisfied in time
that we have made good beginning,
valuable, indeed, at the outset, but likely
to grow more and more valuable as time
goes on.
"As 30 gradual disarmament. that will
come later. OF Lcourse, the speople who
insist ON having fruit on the day the tree
is planted will sneer at our work hut
history will. 1 believe, judge 1t differently.