"Your letter of November 20 reached me Saturday night. So far as it
disclaims any undue partisanship in selecting Mr. Rogers, it is germane
to the case. I take the earliest opportunity to thank you for the
disinterested kindness to me which governed your choice. I was not
before aware of it, or I should have been earlier in my acknowledgment.
"The remainder of your letter, you will pardon me for saying, is
entirely irrelevant. The question of one or two is no longer open. We
have already agreed upon two, and the question now is concerning a
third. The point to be decided is simply this: Will you or will you not
refer the matter to the friendly mediation or the formal arbitration of
Messrs. Rogers and Russell and a third person to be selected by them in
case a third person shall be necessary?"