There is little encouragement for such a hope in their past career of gullibility on this head.

But this is again a point of difficulty to be faced in negotiations looking to such a pacific league of neutrals.

Without a somewhat comprehensive neutralisation of national trade regulations, the outlook for lasting peace would be reduced by that much; there would be so much material for international jealousy and misunderstanding left standing over and requiring continued readjustment and compromise, always with the contingency of a breach that much nearer.

The infatuation of the Americans with their protective tariff and other businesslike discriminations is a sufficiently serious matter in this connection, and it is always possible that their inability to give up this superstition might lead to their not adhering to this projected neutral league.

Yet it is at least to be said that the longer the time that passes before active measures are taken toward the organisation of such a league--that is to say, in effect, the longer the great war lasts--the more amenable is the temper of the Americans likely to be, and the more reluctantly would they see themselves excluded.