It must be noticed that resort to any of these methods is entirely discretionary, so far as any rule of International Law is concerned; all efforts to render it universally and unconditionally obligatory having, perhaps fortunately, hitherto failed.
It remains to be seen how far the settlement of international controversies has been facilitated by the establishment of a "League of Nations" (to which reference is made in the concluding letters of this chapter), and, in particular, by the plan for the establishment of a "Permanent Court of International Justice," formulated by the League, in pursuance of Art.

14 of the Treaty of Versailles, and submitted to its members in December, 1920.
THE PETITION TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES Sir,--It seems that a respectably, though perhaps thoughtlessly signed petition was on Thursday presented to President McKinley, urging him to offer his good offices to bring to an end the war now being waged in South Africa.

From the _New York World_ cablegram, it would appear that the President was requested to take this step "in accordance with Art.

3 of the protocol of the Peace Conference at The Hague." The reference intended is doubtless to the _Convention pour le reglement pacifique des conflits internationaux_, prepared at the Conference [of 1899], Art.

3 of which is to the following effect:-- "Les Puissances signataires jugent utile qu'une ou plusieurs Puissances etrangeres au conflit offrent de leur propre initiative, en tant que les circonstances s'y pretent, leurs bons offices ou leur mediation aux Etats en conflit.
"Le droit d'offrir les bons offices ou la mediation appartient aux Puissances etrangeres au conflit, meme pendant le cours des hostilites.
"L'exercice de ce droit ne peut jamais etre considere par l'une ou l'autre des parties en litige comme un acte peu amical." Several remarks are suggested by the presentation of this petition:-- (1) One might suppose from the glib reference here and elsewhere made to The Hague Convention, that this convention is already in force, whereas it is [1899], in the case of most, if not all, of the Powers represented at the conference, a mere unratified draft, under the consideration of the respective Governments.
(2) The article, if it were in force, would impose no duty of offering good offices, but amounts merely to the expression of opinion that an offer of good offices is a useful and unobjectionable proceeding, in suitable cases (_en tant que les circonstances s'y pretent_).