Professor Zorn was accompanied
by the American Dr. Holls, bearing an urgent private letter to Prince
Hohenlohe from Mr. White. The result was that the German attitude was
changed, and the arbitration tribunal was finally established with the
consent and co-operation of the German Government.
I have thought it worth while to dwell thus fully upon this episode because
it illustrates how misleading it really is to talk of "Germany" and the
"German" attitude. There is every kind of German attitude. The Kaiser is
an unstable and changeable character. His ministers do not necessarily
agree with him, and he does not always get his way. As a consequence of
discussion and persuasion the German opposition, on this occasion, was
overcome. There was nothing, in fact, fixed and final about it. It was
the militarist prejudice, and the prejudice this time yielded to humanity
and reason.
The subject was taken up again in the Conference of 1907, and once more
Germany was in opposition. The German delegate, Baron Marschall von
Bieberstein, while he was not against compulsory arbitration for certain
selected topics, was opposed to any general treaty. It seems clear that it
was this attitude of Germany that prevented any advance being made beyond
the Convention of 1899. Good reasons, of course, could be given for this
attitude; but they are the kind of reasons that goodwill could have
surmounted.
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