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for fear these questions may arise, arbitration
is not always omployed whore it might bo. Tho
flrst advantage, thon, of this resolution is that
it secures an investigation of tho facta and if
you can but soparato tho facts from the question
of honor, tho chances are 100 to 1 that you can
sottlo both tho fact and tho question of honor
without war. Thoro is, .therefore a great ad
vantage in an investigation that brings out tho
facts, for disputed 'facts between nations, as bo
twoon frionds, are tho cause of most disagree
ments. TIME FOR CALM CONSIDERATION
'Tho Bocond advantage of this investigation is
that it gives timo for calm consideration. That
has already boon well presented by the gentle
man who has preceded mo, Baron von Plener.
I need not say to you that man excited is a very
different animal from a man calm, and that ques
tions ought to bo sottled, not by passion, but by
deliberation. If this resolution would do nothing
olso but give timo for reflection and deliberation,
thoro would be sufficient reason for its adoption.
If wo can but stay tho hand of war until con
scionco can assort itself, ,war will be mado more -romoto.
When men are mad they swagger around
and toll what they can do; when they aro calm
they consider what they ought to do. t
"Tho thiftl advantage of this investigation 13
that it gives opportunity to mobilize public
opinion for the compelling of a peaceful -settlement,
and that is an advantage not to bo over
looked. Public opinion is coming to be more and
more a power in tho world. One of tho greatest
statesmen my country has produced Thomas
JofTorson, and, if it would not offend, I would
say I boliovo him to be tho greatost statesman
tho world has produced said that if ho had to
Ohooso between a government without nows
'papors and nowspapors without a government, ho
would rather risk tho nowspapors without a feov
ornmont. You may call it an extravagant state
ment, and yet it presents au idea, and that idea
is that public opinion is a controlling force. I
am glad that tho time is coming when public
opinion is to bo more and more powerful; glad
that tho timo is coming whon tho moral senti
ment of ono nation will influence tho action of
other nations; glad that tho timo is coming whon
the world will realize that a war botween two
nations affects others than tho two nations in
volved; glad that tho time is coming when the
world will insist that nations sottlo their differ
ences by some peaceful means. If time is given
for marshalling tho force of public opinion, peaco
will bo promoted. This resolution is presented,
therefore, for the reasons that it gives an op
portunity to investigate tho facts and to separate
them from the question of honor; that it gives
timo for tho calming of passion; and that it
gives a timo for tho formation of a controlling
public sentiment."
A proposition relating to mediation was also
before tho conference and tho committee re
ported in favor of combining tho two as alter
native propositions and in this form tho 'resolu
tion went through without opposition. Tho text
of this resolution as amended was thus worded:
"If a difforonco should arise between tho con
tracting parties which, by tho torms of the con
vention, should not be submitted to arbitration,
tho partios" shall not havo recourse to any mea
sure of hostility of whatevor nature before hav
ing jointly or separately demanded, according to
tho circumstances of tho casa, either the consti
tution of an international commfssion of inquiry
or tho mediation of one or more friendly powers.
This requisition shall bo mado, in case of need!
comfortably to Article VIII of tho Hague con
vention for tho peaceful settlement of interna
tional conflicts."
From that timo on, Mr. Bryan presented his
plan wherever and'whonover opportunity offered
and it was afterwards endorsed at an interna
tional peace gathering in Now York and in 1910
at a. publlo mooting in Edinburgh.
Later, when President Taft was negotiating
treaties of arbitration with Great Britain and
Franco, Mr. Bryan called at the White House
and laid before tho President and Secretary of
State Knox his peaco plan, a part of which Mr
Bryan says, was incorporated in tho treaties ' Mr'
Bryan further adds, in this connection, that tho
President very generously gave him credit for
liis suggestion in a public address which ho mada
shortly afterwards in Nebraska.
Tho senato, it is well known, objected to these
treaties, but on grounds immaterial to the pres-
ont purpose, and tlioy failed of ratification; in
tho form in which thoy were submitted.
Whon, after tho election of 1912, Mr. Bryan
was summoned to Trenton by Mr. Wilson, who
tendered him the Secretaryship of State, the pro
spective Secretary of State laid tho plan before
tho President-elect and told him that with his
support the project would, he believed, be ac
cepted by tho world. Tho President, Mr. Bryan
says, very heartily approved the proposal.
Shortly after Mr. Wilson's inauguration, Secre
tary Bryan submitted to the President a written
outline of tho plan and the President, "after con
ferring with tho Cabinet on the subject, author
ized its presentation to the diplomatic agents of
foreign nations represented at Washington, and
Mr. Bryan, to remove possible misunderstanding
witli the other branch of the treaty making
power, wisely took the precaution 60 confer with
the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations be- .
foro presenting it to tho diplomats. On the 20th
of April, 1913, ,tho Ambassadors and Ministers
residing at tho national Capital met by invita
tion in the reception room of tho State Depart
ment, and Mr. Bryan presented to each diplomat
a written outline of the plan, after accompany
ing it with explanations. Tho plan, as thus pre
sented, provides:
First, for tho investigation of ALL disputes.
Secondly, for a permanent international com
mission. All of the treaties authorize the com
mission to act upon the request of either party
and in a number of treaties tho commission is
empowered to act upon its own initiative, a pro
vision which Mr. Bryan Vsays ho tried to incor
porate in all of the treaties, but was unable to"
do so in every, case. Tho reason for this desire
and effort on his part Mr. Bryan illustrated by
tho following "story" which he recounted to the
diplomats, to their amusement no doubt and per
haps to their edification: "A man was complain
ing tc a friend that he found it impossible to
drink modorately, because of the numerous invi
tations he received from others. The friend, to
whom tho complaint was made, suggested to him
that the difficulty might be remedied by calling
' for 'sarsaparilla' whenever he found that he had ,.
all tho whiskey lie wanted." "But;" said the
complainant, "that is the trouble; when I get all
tho whiskey I want I cannot say sarsaparilla."
Upon this anecdote, given in his own words, Mr
Bryan thus comments. "The-application is easily
made. At the time when investigation is most
needed the parties to tho dispute may be re
strained from asking for Investigation by tho
fear that such a request might be construed as
cowardice. It is difficult for a nation to say "in
vestigate" when it is angry. At such a time,
therefore, the commission should be authorized
to tender its services, and thus relieve both
parties of embarrassment."
Thirdly, for the sake of impartiality, that the
commission be made up of ONE SUBJECT OR
CITIZEN FROM EACH NATION TO BE
CHOSEN BY THAT NATION, and one subject
or citizen to be chosen by each nation from a
foreign nation, and a fifth to be selected by
agreement of the two contracting nations.
Fourthly, for a year's time for investigation
and report, during which the parties are not to
declare war, or resort to hostilities.
Fifthly, for the reservation by each of tho
nations of the right to decide for itself, at the
conclusion of investigation, what action it will
tako.
MOST IMPORTANT FEATURES IDENTICAL
The resemblance between this plan and tho
plan intended for labor troubles is, as Mr, Bryan
says, very apparent. The two most important
features are identical; the investigation of ALL
disputes and the reservation of the right to act
independently the second, in Mr. Bryan's
opinion, being necessary to the acceptance of
the flrst.
Tho great trouble with treaties of arbitration
has been and is that they leave exceptions
questions of honor, questions of independence
vital interest, and interests of the third parties'
It is, however, impossible, as Mr. Bryan himself
admits, to eliminate these exceptions, in tho
present state of public opinion, and his plan is
ntended to close the gap, as it were, and to
leave undiscussed no dispute which may indeed
become the cause of war but which should not
result n war during the year allowed for in
vestigation and report.
It is also obvious that the plan resembles
that proposed for labor disputes, inasmuch as
tho commission is permanent and each party il
allowed to select from among its cition
bor of the commission. Izens a em.
After sufficient timo had elapsed for tu ,,
lomatic representatives to communicitJ0 d t
their respective countries, Mr. Bryan nVUh
with each country tho negotiation of n 1 0k u
treaty along the line propS N0 UeZ?
made to enforce the use of flnv S ,as
phraseology. On the contrary, the natK I r
assured that tho United States stood rl(1!en0
consider any changes in detail that might !9
suggested, as Mr. Bryan's desire was to embodv
in conventional form tho provisions neceS
to secure, the submission of ALL disputes tn
vestigation before resort to force ,
FIRST TREATY SIGNED
The first treaty was signed with Salvador on
the 7th of August, 1913, and thereafter trllZ
with Guatemala, Panama, Honduras, and N lea
ragua in the order named. These treaties it
may be added, contained a provision that 'the
parties should not change their military or naval
programs during the period of investigation
but this clause, objected to by the European
nations, was struck out of tho five treaties by
the senate at the time of their ratification so
that the treaties are as a series and as a whole
practically uniform.
The Netherlands was appropriately the first
of the European nations to sign one of these
treaties with the United States.
Only one nation, Mr. Bryan says, objected to
any vital principle, and that nation finally
yielded its objection to tho all-incluslvo char
acter of the treaty.
On July 24, 1914, Brazil, Argentina and Chilo
signed simultaneously. On September 15, 1914,
France, Great Britain, Spain, and China like
wise signed simultaneously, thus in ono day
bringing, as Mr. Bryan is. accustomed to say,
something like nine hundred millions of people
Under the influence of these treaties which their
negotiator believes will tend to make war a
remote possibility between tho contracting
parties. These four treaties, Mr. Bryan adds,
had beeiiypractically agreed upon for some time,
but the contracting nations waited on one
another, wishing to sign at the same time. The
delay in this instance was apparently due to the
desire and tho present policy of Great Britain
to submit drafts of proposed agreements to its
self-governing .dominions, in whose favor the
treaty contained a clause permitting the with
drawal of the Imperial and tho substitution of a
Colonial Commissioner chosen by the colony
affected.
The treaty with Russia was signed on October
1, 1914. Austria-Huilfeary, Belgium and Ger
many endorsed the pld,n, Mr. Bryan assures us,
but they did not enter- into treaties embodying
it, although, to quote Mr. Bryan's exact lan
guage on this point, "the same earnest effort
was put forth to negotiate treaties with them
which was employed in securing treaties with
the other nations, and the plan was offered to
all nations alike without regard to population,
extent of territory, or relative influence".
From an examination of tho list it will be
noticed, as Mr. Bryan stated to the undersigned:
"that nearly all of the nations of large influence
are included and the nations which have not
endorsed the principle have, as a rule, been re
strained by circumstances which readily explain
their failure to give endorsement. For instance,
Mexico has not until very recently had a gov
ernment recognized by the United States, ye
tween ns and Japan there is an unsettled dis
pute relating to the California alien laws, ana
Colombia, the only country in South America
which has not signed the treaty, failed to go
so because another treaty awaited ratuicauuu
by the United States".
The principal argument in favor of Mr.
Bryan's plan, are to quote his exact language
instead of paraphrasing it:
".First, that it gives time for passion to sub
side and for reason to resume her sway- a "J1
for cooling off. European diplomats have
sorted that a week's time for considerauu
would have prevented the present war.
plan gives fifty-two weeks. , eS.
"Second, it gives time for separation or qu
tions of honor from questions of fact, Inj :bb
as the line between these two kinds of pes
is apt to be obscured in times of exciteraem.
"Third, it gives timo for the peace force
the world to operate, lBnos-
"While the treaties do- not make 1 war 1 v
sible they make it a remote possibility. 8
are not apt to go to war after a year a
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