t, not to be judged by its details, but by its great effect
in securing peace to the world, saved Great Britain from a
war with us, in which it is not unlikely that the nations
of Europe who hated her would have come to take part on our
side. But it saved us from the greater danger of having the
war spirit renewed and intensified by this gigantic struggle,
from an international hatred which would not have cooled again
for a century; or, if we did not declare war, from taking
the ignoble attitude of a great and free people lying in wait
for an opportunity to revenge itself.

It was the purpose of that Treaty to remove every cause of
quarrel. One constant cause of quarrel, for many years,
had been the exercise of our right to fish on the shores
of Newfoundland. In the Treaty it was agreed that the United
States should have, in addition to her existing rights for
ten years, and for such further times as the parties should
agree, the right to take fish on the sea coast of the British
Provinces north of us, with permission to land for the purpose
of drying nets and curing fish, and that we were to pay for
the privilege a sum to be fixed by arbitrators. Two of these
arbitrators were to be appointed by the United States and
Great Britain; the other, who would serve as umpire, to be
agreed upon by the two powers, or, if not agreed upon within
a certain time, then to be appointed by the Emperor of Austria.
Great Britain insisted upon having the Belgian Minister to
the United States for the third arbitrator, and refused to
name or suggest or agree to any other person. So the time
expired. Thereupon the Belgian Minister, Mr. Delfosse, was
selected by the Emperor of Austria. Mr. Delfosse's own fortune
in public life depended upon his Sovereign's favor. We had
already notified Great Britain that, if the Belgian Minister
were selected, he would probably deem himself disqualified
by reason of the peculiar connection of his Government with
that of Great Britain. When the Treaty was negotiated, Earl
de Grey, Chairman of the Commissioners, said, speaking of
the Government to whom the matter might be referred: "I do
not name Belgium, because Great Britain has treaty arrangements
with that Government which might be supposed to incapacitate
it." Belgium, as was notorious, was dependent upon Great
Britain to maintain its political existence against the ambitions
of France and Germany. Mr. Delfosse's sovereign was the
son of t