BYLES (Sir William Pollard, M.P., 1839-1917)

Autograph text of a Speech, sent with his compliments, saying "It is thirteen years since I mentioned in the House of Commons the subject of disarmament & received from Mr. Gladstone a most sympathetic reply wh. awakened favourable responses in several European Courts", he recalls the Czar's initiative leading to the Hague Conference in 1899, and "the strong adhesion of the President of the United States ... The second Hague Conference is now imminent, an Arbitration Court is set up there ... On political, economic & humanitarian grounds the nations are ready", for disarmament, "Only their rulers are afraid ... it may almost be said that every industrial worker in Europe is carrying a soldier on his back ... Chancellors of the Exchequer & social reformers in all countries long for the money wh. is being wasted on preparations for wars wh. no one wants & few expect. Reasonable men coming together at the Hague - if only they were not afraid of one another - cd. easily thrash out some scheme of limitation, some means of ending this 'fiercest and most futile of human follies' ", 2 sides 8vo., House of Commons headed paper, no date, c. June

The second Hague Conference, also called by Tsar Nicholas II, sat from 15th June to 18th October 1907. 44 nations from all round the globe took part. Conventions were adopted about international arbitration, and about actions in time of war. The 1899 Conference had attempted to discuss disarmament, but a German resolution about its technical difficulties meant the subject was shelved, and so it was again in 1907. In fact there had been only a single instance of reduction of arms by contract, between Chile and Argentina (1902), whereby they cancelled warships currently on order, and limited themselves to protection of home ports.

Item Date:  1907

Stock No:  16848      £75

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